Fragrance with a story - Black Blaze

‘Black Blaze’ a Sydney- based maker of candles, diffusers and room sprays, is my absolute favourite home fragrance brand,

I discovered it at the The Big Design Market in Sydney a few years ago. Amongst the confetti-coloured aisles of beautiful, locally made products, the amber yellow bottles of Black Blaze with a simple white label stood out for its subtlety and gentility.

That delicateness carries through its scent. Often times, a single note punches above everything else - you know when there is vanilla or lemongrass.

But in Black Blaze, you can never really discern the notes. Instead, everything blend seamlessly into each other and transports you into a moment that is distinctively Australia.

’Bondi Freeze”, which I use as a room spray in my bedroom, has the notes of “Bergamot , Violet Leaves, Bois De Rose, Light Musk, Blond Woods”. It carries a a freshness and lightness to its scent and conjures the memory of walking on the beach, and tasting the salty sea spray in the air and on your skin.

Beach Bonfire which I burn as a candle in my living room, has “Smokey Vetiver, Amber and Tobacco woods, and you would assume that you’d get a smokey woody smell. But instead, what comes through most often is a light sweetness and it reminds me more of eating mandarines in the warm sun at a beach.

Scents are a powerful trigger of memories and emotions. Which is why the design of perfumery and scent is important - it needs to enable the user to create a personal story out of it and carry their emotions and not just be a smell of a single note or a statement about a brand.

With their approach to their scent design, founders, Joe and Ray has unequivocally achieved their company mission - A story told through fragrance.