Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Chang.
Hi Jenny, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I never thought I’d be making candles for a living – I was a mathematics major and worked on airplanes and satellites after I graduated. Then, I had an opportunity to move to Australia. It was a great experience, but I missed being able to have family dinners or grab bubble tea with friends. To cope with my homesickness, my family and I started sending each other care packages across the world, filled with our favorite Asian snacks. It was our unique way of showing our love for each other. I’ve always been crafty, so I started creating gifts to add to the care packages. Making candles became one of my favorite projects, so in 2018, I started experimenting with scents that reminded me of the Asian food, snacks, and drinks that I shared with my family.
As I created more scents, my friends encouraged me to share my creations with the world. I began selling Asian-inspired candles as a side hobby, just to see if anyone was even interested! At the time, we were one of the first shops creating Asian-inspired scents, so our brand started gaining a lot of popularity, and people started flocking towards our social media platform to learn more about the unique scents! I moved back to the US in 2022 and opened up our candle studio in Southern California full-time. We hit six figures after 2.5 months of launching our brand Mochiglow, and we’re hoping to expand even further in the future!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I genuinely think I’ve learned more in the last few years of running a business than I ever have! It definitely has not been an easy process – but I think that’s a given when we’re spearheading something that hasn’t been done before. The most difficult part is creating all the Asian-inspired fragrances from scratch. Sadly, BIPOC-inspired products have historically been under-represented in the home fragrance industry. So, it’s not like we could just use any of the scents that were available on the market. It’s taken about five years for us to hire chemists, create different formulations, and test the scents with our audience. So I’ve definitely had a long time to learn and grow!
When I created Mochiglow, I wanted to create something that captured the inviting atmosphere of Asian culture. But in the last few years, there has been a rise in anti-Asian sentiment and a surge in hate crimes. We’ve come across people who are averse to our scents simply because they’re “Asian-inspired.” But my goal is to create beautiful scents to tell the stories of our wonderful culture. I believe education around this is very important – teaching people about our food, fruits, and flowers. Hoping that they’ll take the time to learn a bit more about what these scents mean to us. And in doing so, break down barriers to connect us across all cultures and colors.
We’ve been impressed with Mochiglow, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Mochiglow is the first candle company with scents inspired by Asian desserts! We create candles, wax melts, and cosmetics with unique fragrances like lychee, boba, matcha, and taro. Our mission is to share the beauty of Asian flavors through the power of scent & bring joyful memories to communities who grew up with these nostalgic flavors.
There are so many things I’ve experimented with to set Mochiglow apart from others.
– We take extra steps to custom formulate candles that don’t give you headaches or harm your pets. Most mass-market candles contain harmful chemicals that are toxic to both you and your furry friends, but we use fragrance oils that are phthalate-free and pet-friendly.
– Unlike big brand candles, which are made from non-renewable petroleum-based wax, Mochiglow uses 100% soy wax. The soybeans are U.S. grown and non-GMO – we make sure it’s vegan and never tested on animals!
– We believe that candles aren’t just for fragrance – it can be a work of art inside your home! At Mochiglow, we don’t just pour candles. We draw and design all the packaging too! We don’t create labels to show off our logos; instead, we hand draw all original characters that tell the story of the candle scent. Our hope is to bring a smile to your face every time you look at the cute doodles!
– We’re always looking for ways to eliminate packaging waste, and we came up with a few different TikTok viral ideas that we’re super proud of! Like creating “thank you” cards that can be repurposed as art prints & turning our candle safety cards into a sticker sheet. We love sharing these behind-the-scenes ideas with our community and encourage people to adopt similar practices to be more environmentally conscious!
Any big plans?
I truly believe that there is space in the market for more AAPI-owned businesses, and my wish is for Mochiglow to be the first Asian-inspired candle company to hit those retail shelves! We’re expanding our collections to include not only home fragrances but cosmetics as well! So bringing those same scents to products like body sprays and soaps. I’m also working on a collection of wax melt warmers based on our cute characters. Most of the wax warmer designs available now are really plain, so I’d love to make it more fun to display in your home! I probably have way too many ideas, but I can see so much potential. So hopefully, you’ll see more of Mochiglow in the future!
Pricing:
- Wax Melts – $9
- Scented Candles – $29
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mochiglow.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mochiglow.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mochiglow.co
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bobacandle
Image Credits
Mochiglow
