SEPTEMBER 22, 2025
There’s something about scent—it lingers long after a moment has passed. A faint trace can bring you back instantly: to a quiet afternoon at home, a long vacation by the sea, or the simple comfort of freshly laundered clothes drying in the sun.
That is where in the tropics began.
The Spark
It started with curiosity. One afternoon, with time to spare, we joined a candle-making class just for fun. When we blended our very first scent, we couldn’t stop smelling it. That fragrance would later become our Fruit candle, a reminder that the simplest experiments can grow into something meaningful.
At first, we imagined candles as a seasonal project. They were meant to be given as gifts, especially for people who already seem to have everything. But the more we poured, blended, and experimented, the more we realized that candles could be more than gifts. They could become quiet rituals and subtle companions to everyday life.
’in the tropics‘
Our name reflects who we are and where we are from. We wanted to capture Filipino nostalgia, not in the form of grand or extravagant moments, but in the small and familiar fragments we often forget: the air in a hotel lobby, the freshness of ripened fruit, the ease of an afternoon siesta.
in the tropics is about fragrance that feels both familiar and fresh. It is never overpowering and never forced. Instead, it becomes part of your everyday life. A subtle reminder to slow down and remember.
Scent as Memory
For Filipinos, scent has always been tied to memory. Sampaguita by the house, mango trees heavy with fruit in the summer, the faint musk of clothes drying in the sun. These small and ordinary things carry so much weight, and they are what we try to capture.
We want our candles to feel like pressing pause. To spark a memory you did not realize you had. To make your space feel both familiar and new.
Wherever in the tropics takes us, our philosophy will remain the same: Slowly made, rooted in memory, designed to live with you. Thank you for being part of the beginning.