Bottling up the essence of Texas
Inspired by native flora and wide-open vistas — in packaging as clean as the desert air — these stylish Texas products bottle up the state’s essence for a head-to-toe relaxation ritual.
San Saba Soap Co.
A former winemaker, Marcus Holley now uses his “nose” for fragrances in San Saba Soap Co., the luxury skin care line he created with his wife, Leanne Holley, also a sixth-generation Texan. Their historical residence, which doubles as a boutique and manufacturing space, is just off Fredericksburg’s Main Street (which was once called San Saba Street). Pink clay, tobacco, lavender and Texas honey are some of the natural products folded into their smallbatch bar soaps. The same scents are used in lotions made with cold-pressed raw pecan oil, which Leanne says is rich in antioxidants, fatty acids, lipids and squalene — aiding with fine lines and sun damage. Their new hotel collection provides amenities to La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio.
sansabasoap.com
Canyon Candle Co.
A mother-daughter law student and litigation consultant, Libby and Stacey Manela split their time between Houston and Utopia. In their tiny cabin near the Sabinal River, the pair listen to Charley Crockett while hand-pouring double-wick scents for their Canyon Candle Co. — including Hill Country Rain, Lady Bird, Blackjack Vista, High Plains and Yellow Rose. “Customers say the scents remind them of experiences in the Hill Country like vacations and camp,” says Stacey.
For their bestselling candle, the Ranch Water, they mix locally harvested sotol, grapefruit rind and Topo Chico.
Along with a QR code unlocking a playlist they’ve curated for each scent, candles arrive with a card that’s an ode to the slower pace they’ve found in their second home.
canyoncandleco.com
Fray Ardens
Made in West Texas, Fray Ardens fragrances “speak to the free-spirited customer,” says Stephanie Williams of Houston shop Forth & Nomad. The Marfa fragrances “are feminine yet masculine at the same time, and can carry from winter to summer,” she says.
For the hand-carved walnut, cherry and mesquite bottle toppers, — some that mimic a slant of sunlight, others in the likeness of a prickly pear — founder Ash Compton collaborated with West Texas artist Camp Bosworth. Promising notes of “high desert air and new money,” Nouveau Ranch a bestseller, Other unisex scents available are Frau and Anima.
frayardens.com