YYC Feature: NATURAL ZEN
Brett and Carmel Nicholls home fragrance goods are made with 100% plant based ingredients
You won’t find toxins or chemicals here! Brett and Carmel are a husband and wife team dedicated to helping consumers replace synthetically fragranced goods with luxuriously crafted, all natural alternatives. Natural Zen Home Fragrance Studio creates clean candelilla and coconut candles, as well as other naturally fragranced goods. After putting years of research into developing the perfect natural candle, Brett and Carmel have proven themselves to be uncompromising in the pursuit of creating products from eco-friendly, high quality ingredients. The pair are transparent about their ingredients and crafting process— every candle is handcrafted in small batches by Brett in their studio! Their candles smell amazing, are lovely to look at, and they won’t irritate your senses. Brett and Carmel extremely knowledgeable about their craft, and are passionate about sharing this knowledge with others. We’re excited to continue following their journey—with their heart and hussle, we’re sure they will be wafting the sweet smell of success for years to come!
I would love to hear a little more about your backgrounds! Is this your first business?
We both have created multiple small businesses over the course of our lives and have always had that entrepreneurial spirit. We had never felt the way we do about Natural Zen with our previous businesses though. This is the first business that we have created that was a joint venture and we are really loving every moment of this journey together as a couple.
In 2018 you learned about how synthetic candles are toxic for respiratory health. I’m curious how you learned about this-- did one of you face a personal health issue or were you seeking out educational materials out of curiosity, etc? What fact/ research evidence shocked you the most?
We have both loved using candles for everything from mediation and baths to centerpieces and jazzing up the atmosphere for guests. Eventually the synthetic scents became too overpowering and caused irritation. Brett has COPD and a number of the synthetic fragrances affected him. When we researched what was in most candles and other home fragrance products we were shocked. We came across a study completed by the university of Denmark that really opened our eyes on the health effects paraffin and synthetic fragrances and chemicals found in candles have on the majority of people. That led us both on a mission to create candles that were free of gmo's, chemicals, dyes, additives and synthetics. We wanted a clean burning candle and pure home fragrance goods made with the finest ingredients straight from Nature. We wanted them to smell beautiful and not overpowering and we wanted every ingredient and component to be sustainably sourced and environmentally responsible. We wanted a people friendly and planet friendly business!
“Finding a way to make candles without using paraffin, soy or palm oil was a long undertaking but we were absolutely determined to avoid any ingredients that were not able to prove that they were environmentally friendly and sustainably sourced.”
Your candles are crafted with 100% plant-based ingredients, which is awesome! Can you give me an example of a plant-based ingredient you use? Where are you sourcing the majority of your ingredients from?
We craft our unique candles from candelilla wax and organic coconut oil. Candelilla is a shrub that coats itself with wax, making it one of the only true sources of wax from Nature. Our candelilla is sustainably sourced. 99% of our ingredients we purchase from Canadian businesses, in Alberta if available, and throughout Canada if not. It is important to us to shop Canadian for anything possible, with local always top of mind!
Developing Natural Zen’s first ‘clean candle’ was no small undertaking—you spent a whole 2 years doing this! What did this process look like—did it involve a lot of trial and error? How much research/reading was involved? Would you describe the experience as frustrating or enjoyable (or both)?
Finding a way to make candles without using paraffin, soy or palm oil was a long undertaking but we were absolutely determined to avoid any ingredients that were not able to prove that they were environmentally friendly and sustainably sourced. We spent a lot of time researching and tracing the ingredients in every wax available to candlemakers. We spoke to many suppliers and manufacturers and discovered there was no source of ready to use wax available that met our criteria for truly clean and environmentally responsible. We realized we would have to create our own wax and that involved a lot of trial and error.
Once we decided to use the candelilla plant, it took some time to figure out how to work with it to create the perfect burning candle. Candelilla is very brittle and is 10 times harder than beeswax so it poses extra challenges in candle making. Normally a candlemaker may use additives to have the wax achieve specific properties such as sticking to the glass and burning brighter, but additives were not an option for us. The process of developing the wax and performance of the candles has been both frustrating and exciting. It was frustrating to be unable to find ready to use candle ingredients, but developing our own was such a fun and enjoyable challenge. In the end it gave us a very unique, clean burning candle that our customers adore.
Do you have any interesting facts about the science behind how fragrance impacts mood and psychophysiological activity?
Amazingly, the human nose has roughly 400 types of scent receptors that can detect at least 1 trillion different scents. Scent is the most powerful of the human senses. We really underestimate the effect of aroma. Scent triggers memories and affects our mood, which in turn affects our behaviour and cognition. The sense of smell plays a very important role in the physiological effects of our mood, stress and working capacity. Studies have shown that various fragrances affect spontaneous brain activities and cognitive function, which they measure by an electroencephalograph (EEG). We don't really think about it, but you can intentionally use natural scents to hack your mood and cognitive function, it is that powerful!
What would you say in the greatest challenge or obstacle that you’ve had to overcome thus far in your entrepreneurial journey?
Our greatest challenge so far has been sourcing every ingredient to meet our high standards of people friendly and planet friendly. There were many times during product development that we couldn’t see a way forward. We never stopped researching, experimenting and questioning. We also never compromised, and remained determined to craft our luxury candles and home fragrance goods without any toxins, additives, synthetics or environmentally destructive ingredients.
“We also never compromised, and remained determined to craft our luxury candles and home fragrance goods without any toxins, additives, synthetics or environmentally destructive ingredients”
What is your hope for Natural Zen over the next 5 years? In what ways do you see your company expanding and/or improving?
We have just settled into a permanent stall at Calgary's oldest Farmer's Market and definitely see our business thriving here for at least the next 5 years. The Crossroads Farmer's Market is a wonderful way to connect with our local community and support other small, ethical businesses. We are continuing to expand our digital presence and our customers online shopping experience. I am in the process of completing my professional aromatherapist certification so that we can further assist our customers with all of their scent questions and needs. Helping people improve their moods, and create more balance and Zen through the power of scent is a passion. Brett and I will also continue to participate in large local pop up markets in Calgary, such as the Festival of Crafts and Lilac Fest. We love connecting to and serving our local community, even as our online market expands. We are also in multiple collaborations with sleep institutes and spas that want to incorporate natural scent to enhance their clients experience. Natural Zen Home Fragrance Studio began as a candle studio and quickly grew into a non-toxic home fragrance studio. We hope to continue adding naturally scented products and indoor air quality solutions to replace synthetically fragranced goods in the home. And we plan to always source people friendly, planet friendly ingredients.
What’s is a valuable piece of wisdom that has helped get you where you are today?
Anything can be done if you are willing to do what is necessary, and to spend the time and focus to make it happen.
Find them at: https://www.naturalzen.ca/