A handy guide to aromatherapy in Singapore

Previously known as Mt. Sapola, HYSSES continues to make products that smell amazing and are completely natural. The brand has an extensive range of essential oils that target concerns such as stress and anxiety to nausea and premenstrual syndrome. Men's needs are accounted for too, with oils to combat low testosterone and hair loss.

Nila Aromatherapy Bar is a homegrown local brand that specialises in essential oils made from high-quality organic ingredients. Carrying over 50 types of essential oils, Nila has also expanded to include organic products for hair, skin and body care. Some of its signature blends include quick fixes for insomnia, breathing easy and anti-snoring. There are also products for kids and babies, like the Nila Kids Fever Relief Oil ($68) and Nila Baby Calming Lotion ($28). Bespoke aromatherapy services are also available for customers to create blends according to their needs.

Having worked full-time as a clinical aromatherapist for 19 years, Masso Institute's Founder Veronica Yap uses methods and treatments she has learnt over the years. Veronica's aromatherapy line offers essential oils that come in a 5ml and 12ml size, made with quality ingredients flown in from all over the globe such as cold-pressed citrus oil from Mexico and steam-distilled organic rosemary from France. The brand also offers carrier oils and bases for customers who wish to create their own blends at home, as well as a range of ready-made blends to target various problems such as a drainage oil for detoxing and joint “magic oil” for joint aches. 

Temple Candles is inspired by founder Kendall Hamill's travels around Asia and also her time living in Singapore. You can find familiar scents like lime, coconut, mandarin, jasmine and even frangipani. The luxe-looking 370g candles ($79) are perfectly packaged for gifting and each box comes with a hand-woven tassel. You can rely on classic scents like lemongrass and ginger or keep things sweet and floral with the peony petal and fern candle which is laced with African violets, bergamot, jasmine, wild rose and dewy green fern. Temple Candles is stocked at Raffles Arcade and Design Orchard. 

Let your nose lead the way at this French fragrance house’s flagship store. Drenched in warm hues of deep emerald green juxtaposed with brilliant gold, along with leafy plants and velvet armchairs, Diptyque’s interior transports you to a lush garden gazebo. But it is the scents that really brings you to another world. Top bestselling scents include Vétyver (cedarwood and vetiver), Baies (roses and blackcurrant leaves) and Feu De Bois (sandalwood and log fire). Candles start from $52 for 90g one and $90 for a 190g candle.

Set adrift on a sensory bliss with the British luxury toiletries specialist. Known for its perfumes and candles, the brand also has bath oils, body lotions, body crèmes and shower gels. The home candles come in one size – 200g – and it can burn for up to 45 hours. At $110, it's not exactly the cheapest scented candle around but the lasting fragrance fills the entire home. Take home signature scents like Orange Blossom (Kate Middleton had these babies burning in the church during her wedding), Lime Basil & Mandarin and Wood Sage and Sea Salt. 

Artificial scents and chemical wax-based candles are a thing of the past. Made with natural soy wax, infused with aromatherapy essential oils, Hush Candle's products are made in small batches to ensure consistent quality and lower cost, making it more affordable for customers. It currently carries nine scents such as peppermint orange and sandalwood nutmeg, that comes in two sizes: 120ml ($18) and 240ml ($32). Hush has also branched out into offering complementary essential oil-related products such as essential oil roll-ons and room sprays. Hush Candle is stocked at Naiise outlets island-wide and various other outlets.

Stocked at Gallery & Co and a couple of other places in town, Candles of Light specialises in using blends of organic botanicals and essential oils to evoke various emotions and feelings over different moments. All candles are handcrafted with pure soy and beeswax, and blended with completely natural ingredients. Bestsellers include dusk which is perfect to keep calm and relax due to its geranium, patchouli and spice notes, while dawn is a soft blend of lavender, citrus and mint scents that ignite a rejuvenating start to the day.

With a niche in soy candles, Sally’s Room’s candles come in gorgeous, aesthetically pleasing white holders with rose gold covers. Along with the latest addition of madera and freesia, it carries a total of 13 scents that come in the mini 80g ($15) and 250g classic ($38). If you're keen to make your own candles, Sally’s Room offers a range of classes tailored for you to create candles in unique shapes and designs like cupcakes and macarons and even conducts classes for kids.

As its name suggests, the heart of To Be Calm believes that each and every fragrance has the ability to create an optimal state of mind. With a focus on pure soy candles, essential oils and reed diffusers, it's products are made with a natural blend of essential oils featuring organic ingredients sourced worldwide and produced in Australia. It carries an extensive range of fragrances that come in three sizes: mini (125g, $16.82), medium (150g, $34.58), and large (350g, $46.73), with interesting scents to mention such as clarity which has hints of pink grapefruit and passion fruit, Singapore Journey which is a concoction of frangipani and ginger, and Enchantment which combines cashmere and lilac. It is currently stocked at major department stores like Tangs, and Takashimaya.