20th January 2016

Afterscent: creative ways with candle beakers

Laboratory Perfumes is of course known for its wonderful multilayered natural fragrances, but many people (ie us) have got just as excited about the ingenious science-lab packaging of its scented candles – so much so that when the fragrance is finished, there’s a pang of regret when that measuring beaker lands in the recycling. Packaging as beautiful and clever as this deserves a second chance – Zetteler decided to explore the possibilities.

There’s also a precedent for great things coming from empty scent packaging. In 1868, when Edmund McIlhenny of Louisiana was looking for a way to package up the chilli-pepper sauce he’d been experimenting with, he found discarded 2oz cologne bottles were just the thing. Tabasco sauce packaging has since become a global icon.

We’re not suggesting that Laboratory Perfumes beakers should become the cornerstone of an international condiment brand, of course; just that there is a multitude of possible uses for them once the candles burn out. We gave prop stylist Sarianne Plaisant and photographer Addie Chin a box of beakers and invited them to get creative.

They came back with a fantastic little gif series – #Afterscent – which Zetteler and Laboratory Perfumes will be sharing here, on Twitter and in the Laboratory Perfumes LAB over the coming weeks. You can find the first few here...