A Manila-based online store sells scented candles with a twist— the scents resemble the perfumes of popular Korean celebrities.
Called 325handcrafted, the Instagram shop which was launched in 2019 offers various handcrafted scented candles in adorable jar packaging.
Among the bestsellers are candles that featured the scents of Korean actors Song Joon-Ki, Lee Min-Ho and Hyun Bin.
There is also a candle for Jungkook, one of the members of Korean group BTS.
The products under this collection called K-drama or Oppa candles also have catchy names such as “Smells like Jungkook,” “Smells like Hyun Bin,” “Smells like Lee Min-Ho” and “Smells like Song Joong-Ki.”
“Hmmm…which one should I light first (smile emoji) #kdramacandles,” the caption read.
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In an interview with Tripzilla Philippines, the founder named Melissa Kay Pontejo explained that she and her friend did some research on coming up with the scents and the candle formula.
“We noticed that Filipinos, including myself, have become K-drama and K-pop die-hard fans. Julie suggested creating ‘Oppa candles’. The thought made me excited; so the next day, I started researching their favorite scents. I started experimenting and it was a hit!” Pontejo said.
When the K-drama line was first released in February, the shop said in a post that it developed a replica of the scents the Korean celebrities are wearing in real life.
“These candles smell like the perfumes they use in real life! We have done our research and used an exact replica of the scents they wear using premium fragrance oil,” the shop said.
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The store later launched a BTS line last March 15 with “Smells like Jungkook” as the first product.
“Jungkook likes Victoria Secret perfumes and we narrowed it down to the exact one that he likes (wink emoji),” the caption read.
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Pontejo later shared with Tripzilla that she is happy with the positive feedback from her customers.
“All my customers who have purchased Oppa candles love them. They feel kilig when they smell the candles — this was really my goal when I created them, so I’m really proud, especially of my first three Oppa candles,” she said.
The founder recounted that she has been a fan of scented candles back since she was living in the United Kingdom.
However, when she returned to the country, Pontejo observed that scented candles are expensive here.
This prompted her to start experimenting own scented candle formulas and later turned it into a business. The candles are being sold for as low as P320.
“After a month, I finally developed my own candle formula that I am truly happy with. My friends started inquiring, too,” Pontejo said.
