Caftari, a neuroscents-based candle brand founded by Shreya Aggarwal, is launching direct-to-consumer Tuesday with two candles: Elixir, $60, and Dolce, $60. 

Scent has all the time been a serious a part of Aggarwal’s life, she said.

“My earliest childhood memories are linked back to specific fragrance notes,” she said. “Growing up, my family and friends would all the time call me a dog because I’d pause and sniff them and take a look at and guess what they were wearing.” 

While fragrance played a very important role in her life through maturity — she also worked as a fragrance buyer for Dermstore.com — it wasn’t until the summer of 2022 when she was suffering with mental health issues, including anxiety and insomnia, that Aggarwal realized there was a business opportunity.

“I used to be so on edge about every thing,” she said of that time period. “I began to determine a routine.”

For her, scent played an enormous role in that routine — she would light candles, spray her pillows and use diffusers to realize certain mood advantages.

“That’s once I dug myself right into a rabbit hole on the different sorts of neurological advantages that fragrance can offer,” Aggarwal told WWD, noting she also minored in psychology and neuroscience at Boston University, driving her interest within the brain.

She then got down to create a fragrance brand that will be not only indulgent but functional as well. It employs neuroscents, that are functional fragrances meant to offer a neurological profit. By working with scent manufacturers, Aggarwal has been in a position to create Elixir, which features notes of bergamot, lemon and orange aiming to offer energy, and Dolce, which employs rose essential oil aiming to spice up serotonin and happiness.

Currently, the brand is employing third-party studies and conducting independent panels of 30 people to back claims around mood-boosting advantages. Aggarwal noted she plans to conduct more in-depth studies in the long run. She also consulted with neuroscientists on the brand’s messaging.

Additional candles for specific use cases like sleep and mediation, in addition to latest fragrance modalities like roll-ons, are within the pipeline for the brand.

Aggarwal expects the brand to achieve $20,000 in retail sales through the top of the 12 months, as a high percentage of candles sales occur throughout the holiday season. Prior to launch, the brand had secured two private events with bulk sales and confirmed around 150 pre-orders.

While Caftari is starting direct-to-consumer, Aggarwal said she is currently working with three Recent York City-based spas for a brick-and-mortar launch.