Carlos Huber, founder of the ultra-luxury fragrance brand ARQUISTE, is an imaginative revolutionary who is changing the game of the industry through carefully curated stories wrapped around each of his creations. His exquisite fragrances and candles are sold around the world at high-end retailers like Barney’s New York. We spoke with him to hear the inspiration behind two of our favorite products – the Anima Dulcis fragrance and Mexican Baroque candle.
IC: What are your feelings around the beautiful Anima Dulcis fragrance you’ve created?
CH: I love the Anima Dulcis scent – it’s a very warm gourmand scent and is one of our most popular fragrances for both men and women. It’s a great cold-weather essential, as it warms you right up. This fragrance evokes the spices floating in a baroque convent kitchen in 17th century Mexico, where a group of nuns created an authentic recipe of hot cocoa infused with an assortment of chilies, as well as Mexican vanilla, cumin, and even jasmine.
IC: What are your feelings around the unique Mexican Baroque candle offered by ARQUISTE?
CH: Similar to Anima Dulcis, the Mexican Baroque candle is perfect for warming up those cold, winter nights. The scent ‘restores’ the olfactive experience of being in the convent kitchen, with the hot cocoa brewing in red clay pots, the spices warming up the air. The mix of cocoa absolute, Mexican vanilla, and smoked chilies together with cedar wood and the fragrant red clay of the Mexican earthenware make for a cozy scent that warms and spices up your home.
IC: What inspired you to create ARQUISTE?
CH: I created ARQUISTE based on my eternal desire to be transported to another time and place. I’m captivated by how people have a tendency to link a particular smell to a certain time and place, whether it be in connection to a historical point in time, or a personal memory. So all of the ARQUISTE fragrances are inspired by different places in time – from places I’ve traveled and stories I’ve researched, to a beautiful building or a particular moment in time – every ARQUISTE fragrance has a story.