URBAN MADE, OCCULT INSPIRED
URBAN MADE, OCCULT INSPIRED
My first fragrance project happened serendipitously: While getting my hair done, I asked my new stylist about the candles I saw around the salon because I loved their scent.
“That’s my brand, do you like it?” Max asked. This is how I met the founder of NUUBOU, an artisan candle manufactory inspired by both urban life and the occult.
The Status Quo
The writing for fragrance brands often gets a bad rep as being “pretentious” or “fluffy”. Max wanted to take a different approach to the voice of his brand that was more “raw“.
The Antidote
My goal was to create a coherent, yet flexible brand messaging for the NUUBOU’s website that authentically captured the brand’s origins rooted in occult practices.
So I got to work:
Tagline & Bio
To find NUUBOU’s brand voice, I started by exploring different tagline and bio options: After some discourse, we settled on what you see to the right which we felt best captured the brand’s aspirations and inspirations:
“Urban made
occult inspired”
NUUBOU is where modern craftsmanship meets mystical alchemy to foster deeper connections.
I also crafted copy to introduce store visitors to the brand’s name and origins, and to share Max’s mission.
About
Name
Our name blends the French word for candle [‘bougie’] with the neologism [‘nuu’] which stands for a modern, timeless approach to crafting scents that carry meaning and reveal emotions. Home to the urban scapes and inspired by the occult, NUUBOU creates mystical atmospheres that invite you to foster deeper connections.
Origins
NUUBOU was founded in 2021 by Max Krieger, a Berlin-based hairstylist with over a decade of experience in crafting unique cuts and colours that empower people’s unapologetic expression of personal style. With a year-long fascination for scents, Max began incorporating palo santo into his spiritual practice before starting to experiment with it by creating scent infused artisan candles.
Inspired by friends and family who praised his craft and talent for designing unique fragrance profiles, Max began honing his skills to blend more elevated scent experiences by learning how to combine palo santo with natural and essential oils, synthetic fragrances, and scent molecules.
Today, palo santo is at the heart of NUUBOU’s formulation philosophy where we use it to help transform energies and enrich your daily routine.
Mission
Traditional scented candles that are home to the wellness space often place an emphasis on creating “positive” emotions. NUUBOU was designed to empower the expression of all feelings orbiting your soul, the light and the dark ones. Crafted in a dynamic urban context and influenced by the mystical nature of occult practices, our candles are meant to inspire deeper connections to your spiritual self. With palo santo at the core of our formulations, every scent is meant to enhance your daily routine by fostering an atmosphere in which emotional transformation, in whatever form feels right to you, can manifest itself.
Formulation Philosophy
I then studied the NUUBOU’s scent formulations to bring to life their unique profile, ingredients, and sourcing practices.
Sourcing
Creating NUUBOU was a way for us to express our deep appreciation and utmost respect for the cultural significance of palo santo. We source our palo santo essential oil ethically and sustainably from indigenous-owned farms through our trusted supplier Farbenwald. Established in 2015, Farbenwald is actively and deeply involved in the sacred practices of a small indigenous tribe in the Northern coastal region of Peru.
Scent Profile
NUUBOU scents are grounded by design with a fragrance profile that blends earthy yet revitalising notes and the timeless mystique of palo santo. Our modern aroma selection offers a multifaceted journey — from floral to woody, from comforting to untamed.
Farming
By collaborating closely with farmers from this community, Farbenwald ensures that the palo santo we formulate with is exclusively collected as dead wood from forest floors. For the past 10 years, they have immersed themselves in this community’s rich heritage by supporting social and ecological projects meant to empower fair compensation and sustainable farming approaches that honour native lands.
Palo Santo
At the core of every NUUBOU scent blend is the sacred essence of palo santo. Also referred to as bursera graveolens, palo santo is a wild tree native to Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, and other South American countries where it has been integral to the spiritual practice and rituals of indigenous tribes.
Often described as “holy wood”, palo santo has been used for centuries to diffuse and transform the energy of spaces for enhanced mental wellbeing, harmony, and deeper connections. Usually used in its wooden form, we formulate with palo santo essential oil to avoid the smoky residue associated with the burning of it.
Signature Scents
As a writer new to the world of fragrance, I loved creating the scent characteristics for both of NUUBOU’s signature scents:
BUOYANCY unfolds a harmonious blend of earthy, woody notes infused with resinous accents to create a grounded feeling of comfort.
Gently elevated by elements that are reminiscent of a warm embrace, BUOYANCY allows emotions of all colours to flourish.
Top
Incense, palo santo
Opening notes of incense and palo santo set the mood for a tranquil, spiritual atmosphere. While incense brings a slightly tangy, resinous freshness, palo santo adds a subtle warmth that is enriched by a hint of herbs and woody tones. This blend of notes guides into a meditative, calming state where hearts and minds can open up.
Heart
Amyris, vetiver, patchouli
The heart note is dominated by the elegant, velvety woody tones of amyris oil which are entangled with the smoky, enchanting facets of vetiver. Melded with the deep, mossy notes of patchouli, this rich balance of scents creates a sensual depth that calms the soul and warms the body.
Base
ISO E Super, white sandalwood
The fragrance is based in the modern clarity of ISO E Super, which offers a slightly woody, yet transparent radiance. Together with the creamy-soft character of white sandalwood, it creates a calming, long-lasting base that carries and gently rounds off a fragrance experience that will linger on.
RADIANCE is an invigorating blend of floral and woody notes accompanied by the unexpected hint of citrus.
Just like the feeling of starting a new chapter with confidence and a bit of naivety, RADIANCE exudes an aura of serenity and elegance that draws in and feels hypnotising at times.
Top
Grapefruit
The fragrance experience opens with the tangy notes of fresh, ripe grapefruit that carry the sensation of both excitement and unconfined imagination.
Heart
Geranium, palo santo, feu de boi
The accents of geranium lend this scent composition its delicate, floral character that is further shaped by the warm, resinous tones of palo santo. The smoky, earthy feu de boi enhances the depth of the scent’s heart, creating a calming atmosphere that carries a quiet mystique that calms the soul and warms the body.
Base
Patchouli, hedione
Rich patchouli brings an earthy, sensual depth and creates a long-lasting, calming effect, while hedione adds a subtle, fresh jasmine nuance that rounds off the fragrance composition and lends an airy, translucent lightness to it.
