A Fragrance That Doesn't Overpower
Have you ever stepped into an elevator and immediately wanted out because someone's perfume had already filled the space?
That feeling — the one where a scent arrives before the person, and doesn't leave when they do — is what we designed against.
Where our fragrances come from
Our fragrance oils are developed with U.S.-based fragrance labs that specialize in clean-burning, phthalate-free, non-toxic scent compositions. Every MODERATO candle is phthalate-free, paraben-free, petroleum-free, vegan, and cruelty-free. We don't test on animals, and we don't work with suppliers who do.
The labs we work with let us commission compositions specifically calibrated for candle burn — meaning the scent behaves the same way on the last burn as on the first. Cheap fragrance oils can change chemistry as the candle ages, burning off top notes early and leaving a dull base behind. Ours don't.
The design principle
We spent months sampling formulations and rejecting most of them. The single question we asked over and over was this: does this scent welcome someone into the room, or does it announce itself before they arrive?
MODERATO fragrances are meant to be felt more than noticed. Strong enough to carry across the room. Soft enough that you forget they're working. Our Amazon reviewers keep using almost the same phrase for this — "not overpowering, just right" — and that is, word for word, what we were aiming for.
The current scent collection
• No.02 SOLEIL — bright and uplifting. Orange flower, lemon, musk.
• No.03 THÉE — zen and sophisticated. Black tea, rose, sandalwood.
• No.04 SHALOM — calming and cozy. Cardamom, santal, vanilla.
• No.05 BUTTERFLY — cassis, rose, grapefruit.
• No.06 MUSIQUE — a signature composition.
• No.07 VANILÉ — Madagascar vanilla, citrus. The classic.
KEEP READING
• → The Year We Almost Gave Up
• → The Wick Nobody Talks About
• → A Fragrance That Doesn't Overpower