Illuminating Organic Living: The Art Behind Nette Candles

At Coyuchi, our commitment to organic living has always been at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we’re launching Brands We Love—a curated selection of like-minded brands, thoughtfully chosen to complement your luxurious home. These brands are now available to shop alongside your Coyuchi favorites.

Today, we’re proud to introduce you to our first partner, Nette candles. Founded by Carol Han, Nette transforms nature’s bounty into meticulously crafted fragrances that evoke both nostalgia and innovation. Each candle is an artful celebration of the Earth and its culture, created with the finest natural ingredients and a passion for craftsmanship and authenticity.

Discover how Carol's creative journey not only fuels Nette’s artisanal approach but also mirrors our own dedication to sustainable luxury.

Nette's candles evoke such specific moods and atmospheres. Can you trace the initial spark of inspiration—that "aha!" moment—that led you to create the brand, and how has that initial vision evolved? 

Carol Han: My first childhood memory is of my mom hand-dipping and carving candles in her candle shop on the water in San Francisco. Candles and fragrance have been in my life literally since I can remember. So, in a lot of ways, Nette is a childhood dream come true. 

Coyuchi and Nette share a commitment to natural materials and sustainable practices. Beyond the shared values, what deeper resonance do you feel exists between the two brands, and how does this partnership feel like a natural extension of Nette's own ethos? 

CH: I love that Coyuchi’s ethos is so rooted in nature. Similarly, we look to nature for the most important part of our offering—the best-in-class ingredients that go into our fragrances. We work with the best labs in France to source our ingredients, which are 100% traceable, oftentimes upcycled, and made using green chemistry. Nature is everything to us and precisely what makes our fragrances so special.

Scent is so intrinsically linked to memory and emotion. What personal memories or experiences have most profoundly shaped your approach to fragrance design, and how do these translate into the unique character of Nette's candles? 

CH: Each of our fragrances is inspired by a modern protagonist, often a character study that lives in my imagination or a memory or impression that is impossible to forget. I created our Sunday Chess scent after watching Anya Taylor Joy’s wide-eyed, slinking prodigy on Queen’s Gambit. Our La Forêt perfume was made for a woman who is real in my head–a bestselling author of dystopian fiction, writing her seventh novel in a glass house deep in the woods, dressed head-to-toe in The Row. 

What are some of the unexpected sources of inspiration—whether it be a piece of art, a travel experience, or a conversation—that have recently sparked your creativity and influenced your work? 

CH: When we were developing our perfume bottle, we modeled it after the Breuer building on the Upper East Side. I love architecture, particularly brutalist architecture. I just love the spare, clean lines, nothing wasted. I feel such calm around buildings like that. If you look at our perfume bottle, it’s basically that building in bottle form, right down to the little oddly-shaped window, which our cap is modeled after.

Many entrepreneurs cite a pivotal moment of risk-taking that propelled them forward. Was there a particular challenge or leap of faith you took in establishing Nette, and what did you learn from that experience? 

CH: Sephora reached out to us just a few months into the launch of our brand, when we had only a handful of candles in our product lineup. Before I knew it, I was developing our fine fragrance category for an exclusive launch with them. It was really early in the brand’s life and that was a huge risk. But I had to take that leap of faith and I’m so glad I did. I learned so much.

Beyond the olfactory experience, what role does ritual play in your own life, and how do you envision Nette's candles fitting into the daily rituals of your customers? 

CH: Ritual is so important in my life. I’m at my best when I carve out time consistently for doing the daily things I love and that center me. Lately, that includes a thirty minute meditation, an hour of exercise, a few long walks with the dogs, lighting a candle when I get to my desk, and a very satisfying skincare routine with a few products I absolutely love, including this insane face oil from a brand called Loulu and the best SPF I’ve ever tried from Pavise.

The modern lifestyle can often feel disconnected from nature. How does Nette, through its scents and commitment to sustainability, aim to bridge that gap and bring a sense of groundedness to our everyday lives? 

CH: Our fragrances quite literally bring nature into people’s lives through the beautiful, natural ingredients we use. We only source from the absolute best growers and use the most precious, expensive ingredients. When you light one of our candles or wear one of our perfumes, you are surrounding yourself with elements of nature. 

If you could encapsulate the essence of Nette in three words, what would they be, and why? 

CH: Elegant, impeccable, clean. That’s the actual definition of the French word, nette.

Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for Nette? What new horizons are you eager to explore, and how do you see the brand evolving in the coming years? 

CH: I’m very focused on making Nette into a household name—a legacy brand that will be loved and used for decades to come.