Our Story
We started Phare with the aspiration of finding unique ways to present and incorporate smells in people’s lives. You will not find diffusers, room sprays or perfumes in stores yet. In our company we know that every product carries the scent differently and the way the smell spreads is unique in every product type.
A scent is someone’s identity. A candle’s scent is a very intimate choice, it is the way people see your home, it is a scent that you are inviting in your own space, so it is important for us that you feel comfortable with it.
Building a company is a challenge, but creating a scent is a whole journey. To begin we went to many fragrance suppliers around California, France and online. There were thousands of samples to choose from (they would all have very exotic names), but all of those would be already creations that simply needed to be mixed with wax and required no imagination or creativity. Those smells were fake, aggressive on the nose and would all smell the same. We never wanted to fool customers and just put an already premade mixture in our candle to sell it with a fancy name.
We do not see ourselves as just candle makers, but rather as chandlers, inventors, mixologists, chemists. Our fragrances consist of carefully chosen ingredients. Every candle you buy has been worked on for months (years), the absolutes, essential oils, extracts, fragrances were tested, combined, rearranged to give you the final product. In Phare every scent is a story. It is a combination of feelings, experiences, energy that sync into one creation. That is how we wanted for you to experience a Phare candle. Take it as a journey, step inside this story. Be creative, imagine where this smell can take you, and enjoy. Do not buy this candle for the hype, buy it for yourself. The original and medium sizes of Phare candles come in a signature box with a deeper insight of the story of the scent. Those stories are what inspired us to create those scents, light your candles, live them and create your own stories. We do not just make something that smells good, we create art and invite you to experience it with us.
In Phare every scent is a story. It is a combination of feelings, experiences, energy that sync into one creation. That is how we wanted for you to experience a Phare candle. Take it as a journey, step inside this story. Be creative, imagine where this smell can take you, and enjoy. Do not buy this candle for the hype, buy it for yourself. The original and medium sizes of Phare candles come in a signature box with a deeper insight of the story of the scent. Those stories are what inspired us to create those scents, light your candles, live them and create your own stories. We do not just make something that smells good, we create art and invite you to experience it with us.
We are first introducing five stories to you: Boulangerie, Coucou, Eau Parfumee, Piscine Naturelle and Ricetta Segreta. One of the founders is a Parisien, a morning is off to a good start when he has a fresh orange juice, a mug of aromatic chai and pain au chocolat aux amandes. That morning walk to a boulangerie (bakery) is the start of his day. The smell of freshly baked crunchy steamy bread loaf, the chocolate chunks melting in the airy cracks of the croissant, the freshly brewed coffee, quiche Lorraine – that all is a big part of a french breakfast culture. We, as a company are so honored to be able to share, even a little piece of this beautiful routine with you in the scent of the Boulangerie.
Living in the South of France, a short drive to Italy for a meal does not seem like a big deal and only moving away from there, makes one realize how unique it is to be able to experience the Mediterranean cuisine in France and in Italy in the same day within a couple of hours. Truth to be told, France, Corsica, Italy, Sicily, Greece, Spain – are geographically so close, and the richness of the smells from the cuisine needs to be addressed. La Riceta Segretta Della Nonna (Riceta) will transport you on an early Sunday morning walk to an open air market, filling your basket with fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs all combined with your memories of your favorite childhood recipes. This candle aims to represent such memories, specifically a Mediterranean grandma’s house. The Riceta scent will surround you with freshly-plucked herbs, the zesty smell of lemons and grapefruits, the sweetness and tangyness of ripe tomatoes, and the pungent notes of basil.
Traveling the world is a big part of Phare as many of the scents are inspired from our surroundings. The Caribbean is full of vibrant and luscious scents that have inspired the Coucou scent. It is a combination of tender milky notes of coconut cracked open at the beach, the fresh salty water crashing on the sand, the green and floral smell of palm trees, flowers and of course the smooth, quite profound and complex aroma of smokey-spicy rum. The untouched wildness, the vibrant fusion of the Caribbean cuisine, worryfree state of mind and liberating tropical wild air – a perfect serenity makes you forget about the rest of the world. Everything you ever need surrounds you, including this Coucou scent. The word “coucou” locally is referred to the little planes that fly between the Caribbean islands transporting people, mail and other necessities. Phare is grateful to be able to share this voyage with you.
Phare from French is a lighthouse. It is only right for us to present you with an aquatic scent. Water has very calming properties, and for Phare - it is very important for us for you to be able to experience that serenity no matter where you are or what time of the year it is. With Piscine Naturelle (swimming hole from French) your access to water and mindfulness will be with you any time. As for the founders of Phare, their first encounter with a swimming hole was on an island in the French West Indies. It was a very specific feeling that was difficult to describe in words, so they have expressed what they felt in the Piscine Naturelle scent. The whole experience, just like the candle, is the representation of achieved tranquility. Swimming holes are often hidden, unknown and require taking on an adventure (hike) to get to. Once achieved the peace that one experiences floating in calm waters - is the essence of the scent of Piscine Naturelle.
Phare company is about the attention to details and the quality that you can trust. Such expertise came to the founders from their experience. France is known for its hospitality, one of our founders studied hospitality and tourism in Paris, where he perfected the art of delicate, detail-oriented luxury, lavish touch to create this exquisite environment and provide you with the top notch service. Eau Parfumee (scented water from French) is the delicate pairing of the most resourceful, hydrating drink and freshness, slight bitterness/sourness of berries, mint and orange rind. This scent is a state of mind “Work hard – relax hard” it is a spa experience. It is the worry free enjoyable weekends you have relaxing with family and friends. It is the accomplished feeling of self-sufficiency and being present within yourself and the moment.
The name of the company is Phare (lighthouse from French) is specifically chosen as a metaphor of how the light of the candle, just like the light of the lighthouse guides you to what you most desire. For some it may mean peace-comfort, for others adventure-excitement, just like in the older days, for the sailer the lighthouse would signify the tranquility of home or an anticipation for a voyage. For the founders lighthouses have always been of a very deep philosophical meaning. Both of the founders spent a bigger part of their lives in France, no wonder they brought some French words/mannerism/culture into this company.
The hexagonal candle jar represents the structure of a lighthouse. The labels in the back of the candles (medium and original sizes) correlate to the stories behind every scent featured. We closely worked with a graphic designer, who helped us to turn our sketches into full on representations of the unique feelings behind each scent to be able to share the story behind each of them with you.
We never wanted to sell a candle that smells exactly like hundreds of others just with a different name. Our creations are never made with a use of a simple fragrance oil. Sometimes it would have been much easier to do so, as those oils were synthetically created and you would only need to buy one synthetic oil when making a sweet chocolate cake candle. However, when it comes to Phare, every single product you look at is truly unique as the scent has been meticulously studied and worked on. With a use of natural essential oils, absolutes and extracts we achieve richer/more profound smells that stay with you.
After two years of getting experience in Grasse, the world-renowned capital of perfumery. Getting inspired by nature all around the world, from Australian eucalyptus to Japanese sakura flower, to siberian pine, to french lavender, to italian green vines and grapes. Travelling around the world is a great opportunity, but also a big torture for “le nez” – the nose to be captivated by all of the aromas. Traveling teaches about combinations you wouldn’t think of. Our goal is for our line to make you olfactively revisit some of nostalgic memories, invite you to travel with us, surprise you with smells you did not expect or combinations you have not experienced before. Smell triggers olfactive memories in each one of us. Meaning everything we smell will have an impact on our brain and heart. Every ambrosio that we create will invigorate a feeling/an emotion specific and unique to you.
After thorough research, cultural education, testing and skill labs. We are bringing the french savoir-faire, international inspirations into the vibrant city of Los Angeles, but more specifically we are uniting so many parts of the world in one company – Phare.
We are honored to know that you trust us to take you aboard this olfactive journey where your senses will guide you to self-exploration.
