Behind the Brand: Uniquessence

Anna Kubisiak, Founder of Uniquessence, sits down with REVEAL’s Digital Content Manager, Jordan Evans, to share her brand story. Having launched in 2019 creating small batches from her Hampshire Studio, Anna has diligently tested, refined and evolved her product collection to create a wellbeing and aromatherapy offering of the highest quality. Her collection of candles, reed diffusers and a brand new electric diffuser in five unique scents make use of vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and 100% natural and certified ingredients.

Watch the interview below, or read on for more on Uniquessence...

Hi Anna! To begin, could you please tell us about your brand journey, where did the idea of Uniquessence come from and how did you go about bringing it to life?

As I completed my degree in chemistry, I always loved working, mixing and creating new things, but for me, the idea of the brand came from my love of the benefits of pure aromatherapy essential oils. I wanted to create products that I am going to be proud of and connect with. Before officially launching in mid-2019, I spent two years researching, creating my own compositions and sourcing ingredients I could trust from within the UK.

It must be incredibly satisfying to combine your scientific background with a creative pursuit you’re so passionate about. What is it about aromatherapy you love so much?

For me, it's all about how it reflects your mood and how it can change your level of happiness. It's mainly about the health benefits, how you feel, how it will uplift you and how different essential oils can react to your body in different ways. For example, citrus scents can be more uplifting and cedarwood more relaxing.

What makes Uniquessence different from other similar brands on the market?

Every scent blend is designed and created by me, hence the name Uniquessence. It’s important to me to ensure only the best ingredients are included, with no use of synthetic fragrances.

Everything you see and smell is lovingly handcrafted with elegance and authenticity. Not only do the products smell incredible, but the packaging and vessels are also modern, sophisticated and sleek, designed to appeal to exactly what my customer would want to display proudly in their home.

So now we’ve chatted a little about the brand overall, I’m really excited to learn more about your products! Can you please talk us through your range?

Unique blends of scents is a key part of what makes my brand what it is. I have created 5 combinations that can be found across my range of candles, reed diffusers and oil scents, all made from only the finest certified essential and natural oils. They are:

Citrus Breeze - Bergamot Lemongrass & Lime
Sea Walk – Sea Salt & Sage
Breathe - Eucalyptus Spearmint & Lemongrass
Bloom - Rose Geranium Neroli Light & Ylang Ylang
Hug Me - Cinnamon, Orange & Himalayan Cedar-wood

For me, classy and simple is the best approach, so every product in our candle and diffuser range comes in either white or black matte jars with rose gold accents, with a wooden lid adding a natural design element to the candles. The wooden lid adds to the luxury of each product, as well as securing them from the dust. It’s incredibly important to me that every product I create contains all the important information, including safety labels on the bottom of each product.

In terms of the reed diffusers, I discovered that fractionated coconut was the best ingredient to transport scent without solidifying like regular coconut oil. I’ve even designed the reeds to be thicker so that they have a stronger scent for longer.

Ahead of Christmas, I also introduced the electric diffuser and have been working on it for the past 6 months. The colour of the product is white with wooden accents; a very simple, classic design with the brand name in the middle. So it's functional, and also beautiful. With the electric diffuser, it also comes with an essential oil of your choice and if you fill the water up all the way with say 5 drops, it can last around 4 hours. Similarly, with the reed diffusers, it’s 120ml and can last 10-12 weeks.

What would you say is the biggest achievement since starting your own brand?

I think it has to be getting contacts from retailers and having my products in shops.

Also, bringing the brand I am passionate about to life. I take pride in creating every aspect from the unique blends right through to the website and logo, both of which I also designed on myself.

You touched on your logo design there, so let's talk about packaging, because it's a very important tool to tell a story, so how do you do that?

Yes, the logo is very special to me because I designed it to reflect the brand by using a flame and a drop of essential oil.

In terms of packaging, I have used more sturdy and better quality packaging because that is what people buying my products as a gift are looking for. It’s important to me to keep my designs classy and minimal, so there is less information on the package whilst still ensuring that the most important information is included.