A familiar scent has the remarkable ability to transport us. The smoky aroma of a fall bonfire.
Fresh lavender drifting through an open window. Warm cinnamon and pumpkin filling a kitchen. Long before a candle is lit or a bar of soap is unwrapped, fragrance has the power to evoke memories, create comfort and set a mood.
Across Oklahoma, a growing number of small-batch makers are turning that simple truth into thriving businesses, blending artistry, chemistry and entrepreneurship into products that rival national brands.
“People just seem to want to get back to small businesses and having a more natural product without so many chemicals,” says Holly Mullins, co-owner of Hummingbird Soap Co. in Sand Springs.
Consumers are increasingly seeking handcrafted candles, soaps and body care products made with thoughtfully selected ingredients and distinctive fragrances. For Oklahoma makers, success comes from more than creating products that smell wonderful. It requires mastering formulation, understanding ingredients, developing a recognizable brand and building lasting relationships with customers.
For Mullins, the business began unexpectedly on the family’s goat farm.
“We were like, ‘What are we going to do with all this goat milk?’” Mullins says. “Let’s just make some soap.”
Friends and family quickly became customers, followed by farmers’ market shoppers and online buyers. Today, the company operates a storefront featuring handmade soaps, lotions and body care products, many made with fresh goat milk sourced from local Oklahoma farmers.
“We use fresh milk instead of water,” Mullins explains. “It creates a creamier bar with a really good lather.”
Their bestselling Oatmeal, Milk and Honey soap incorporates real oats and honey, while seasonal fragrances such as cinnamon, pumpkin and clove keep customers coming back throughout the year.
Beyond ingredients, Mullins believes shoppers are rediscovering the value of buying from people they know.
“It’s getting back to the old times where you walk into the store, you know exactly who’s going to be there, and they’re going to know your favorites,” she says.
Customer suggestions often inspire new fragrances, giving shoppers a direct hand in the creative process.
In Tulsa, Basia Lopez has built Wick + Flame Candle Bar around another growing trend: making scent creation an experience.
Visitors choose from 90 fragrances before blending a custom scent, pouring luxury soy wax into their chosen vessel and leaving with a candle uniquely their own.
“I think people like having something different,” Lopez says. “They like having an experience versus just shopping online.”
Lopez says she uses luxury soy wax and clean scents, free from phthalates and other ingredients many consumers prefer to avoid.
“That’s really important to me,” she says, “making wiser choices in our ingredients. A candle creates a mood, so you don’t want to add toxins to that experience.”
Like Mullins, Lopez believes today’s shoppers appreciate transparency as much as craftsmanship. Customers regularly ask about ingredients, fragrance composition and seasonal scent trends, making education an important part of the business.
Whether poured into a candle vessel or cut into a handcrafted bar of soap, Oklahoma’s artisanal scents reflect far more than pleasant aromas – they represent creativity, craftsmanship and a personal touch.
Featured image: Wick + Flame Candle Bar invites customers to create custom candles by blending from 90 fragrances and pouring their own personalized scents with luxury soy wax. Photo courtesy Wick + Flame
