While sitting in her one-bedroom New York City apartment amid a global pandemic, Nimmi Chainani found herself connecting with the outside world through the scents of the candles she burned.
Four years later and after moving to Great Neck, Chainani founded her candle company Scentille to bring the same experience of enjoying life through candles to so many others – and at a more affordable price.
“I found that there was an opportunity for timeless looking candles that exuded elegance, warmth and charm that were also perfect for the modern home,” Chainani said.
Scentille candles are made in the United States and are comprised of a soy-coconut wax blend. The candles are clean, vegan and cruelty-free and poured into recyclable glass containers.
Chainani launched Scentille with four scents, picking each one to cater to a diversity of interests. But the scents also are a reflection of Chainani and her own interests, hence the name of her candle collection being her “scent diaries.”
The four scents are midnight rose, little black bag, yacht club and garden party.
“I wanted something to really describe the experience,” Chainani said.
She depicted the scent of little black bag as rich leather with notes of sweet plum liquor and amber – the perfect candle for getting ready for a night out.
In contrast, midnight rose is a not too sweet, woody floral scent Chainani said is ideal for a romantic night in.
The idea for Scentille came amid the pandemic when Chainani, like so many others, found themselves stuck inside and shifting gears from their regular pace of life.
To connect with the outside that Chainani could no longer experience during COVID-19, she said she would burn candles in her one-bedroom apartment in New York City and think of the memories she would associate with different scents.
“The different holiday scents really bring back those nostalgic moments,” Chainani said.
So Chainani began burning more and more candles, something that could have transpired into an expensive hobby with higher-end candles selling for around $100.
With her interest piqued, Chainani began researching more affordable candles below $50. What she found was an opportunity to bring the elegance of the more expensive candles into the more affordable price range.
Scentille was formed around this idea of offering opulently scented candles at a price suitable for gifts and guilt-free burning.
Chainani founded Scentille in 2024 after years of research into her new business venture.
Prior to founding Scentille, Chainani had no experience in candle-making. But with an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for candles, she was driven to unite her passions and try something new.
Chainani is from The Philippines and said one of her biggest hurdles in creating Scentille was doing it without her personal network of friends and family. She said she had to learn many things about the industry and launching her business on her own.
But what gave her confidence as she pursued this new venture was confidence in the product she was selling.
“I don’t really give up easily, so if I hear ‘no’ for an answer, I will try to understand why,” Chainani said.
Scentille candles can be purchased directly from the website. More recently, Scentille candles are now also being sold online through 1-800-Flowers as well as at Ariston Flowers’ 5th Avenue location in New York City, Pop Up Grocer and on Amazon with two-day Prime delivery.
