Handcrafted with equal amounts of charm and wit, our collection of solid perfumes was inspired by the most ancient form of fragrance. Wooden pots are filled with a supernatural combination of butters, infused with the essences of spices and flowers almost as old as time itself.

Dulce de vainilla- Just like an exotic dessert recipe, we have combined Tahitian, Mexican and Madagascan vanillas into one magical potion that will transport you to far away lands at first whiff. This is how vanilla is supposed to smell like.

Sweet Chocolate- When your kids tell you they want to smell like chocolate, rub some of this instead. Includes notes of Demerara sugar caramel, Madagascan vanilla, cacao and a dollop of spices. You may want to get your own pot too.

Rose Candy- Turkish rose otto, Roman chamomile and vanilla: an innocent, sweet and surprisingly calming combination.

Maoli’s Sweet Solid Perfume collection is now available at our website.

Our commitment to offer you the most exquisite and natural fragrances by being truthful and transparent about the ingredients we use, also extends to this exciting collection of solid perfumes. Most of the essences are extracted by hand, the rest are sourced from farmers who harvest or cultivate the herbs, spice and flowers without the use of pesticides. The butter base is obtained from women’s cooperatives from Uganda to Ghana, Ecuador and Costa Rica.

Stay tuned for a behind the scenes special posting about how this collection came to be!

Who needs synthetic air fresheners with a pot of pears simmering on the stove?

Cooking fifty pounds of pears in their caramel juices, with generous amounts of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and vanilla, make one of the sweetest perfumes I could ever imagine.

After bringing it to a simmer, it didn’t take long for Kai to yell at the top of his lungs that I was making pear butter. He came running to the kitchen and helped me can and label our stash for the winter. After we were done, he had the brilliant idea of taking a picture of the final product, with props and all.

And just like that, he left to go outside to carve wood with his pocket knife.

Sweet and spicy heavens, this kid never ceases to amaze me!

Interview with Kai and Kalani Hughs from Maoli

Maoli is a small perfume house with just one perfume for now, Colonia Dulce Eau de Cologne, “that smells like sunshine” from Hawaii, which incorporates memories of Hawaii by two little boys, who created the perfume. Kai and Kalani created Colonia Dulce for kids and kids at heart, together with their parents, by using only natural materials.

Mr Kai and Kalani Hughes, you are the youngest perfumers in our base of noses. You have already experienced what many people (me, for example) dream about – to make a perfume.

You have created a perfume for kids and kids at heart, but the name and the idea of your perfume and your general approach are very serious indeed, and I hope that after Colonia Dulce Eau de Cologne there will be other creations.

Kai: We never intended to make perfume and sell it. My family and I began to consider the idea of Maoli becoming a business when other moms asked our mom what we were using that smelled so good. Colonia Dulce will be expanded to offer other products with the same signature scent. It’s very easy to get a little crazy and start adding lots of products, but we want to take it a step at the time.

Maoli sounds just lovely. We would like to know more about the philosophy of your company. Why Maoli?

Kai: Maoli translates to real and true in Hawaiian. My family call Hawaii home and we also blend fragrances with only real and true essential oils because they are better for you than fake synthetic scents. We want our customers to be certain that what they are spraying on smells just like the ingredients we claim to use. Synthetic ingredients are cheap and made in a laboratory, but essential oils come from the actual fruit and flower, and by using them we are also helping the farmers that grow them.

How did you divide roles and responsibilities in your company?

Kai: Dad is in charge of all graphic design. Mom takes care of administrative work in addition to placing orders for ingredients and helping us fill bottles. My brother and I like to mix the concentrate for the cologne and to put labels on the bottles, box orders and watch the UPS guy stock the orders in his truck.

I have never been to Hawaii, your perfume will be my first Hawaiian experience. What do you like about Hawaii?

Kai: The heat! The people are very nice. We call everybody “uncle” and “auntie” there. We grew up by the beach. We also like it when the tradewind blows and it smells of flowers. I miss the scent of the airport when you first land there. It smells of the plumeria and tuberose leis the ladies sell at the kiosks.

You said that mixing ingredients was the funnest part. What oils and their combinations do you like?

Kai: My favorite oils are ylang ylang and vanilla. I like to combine them with citrus oils. I also like jasmine because my mom grows jasmine flowers and the oil is like having the flowers available for sniffing all year long. I also like to combine Turkish rose with lemon. Smells fresh and not so girly. Kalani’s favorite oils are tangerine and vanilla.

Perfumers usually travel a lot to find inspiration or to find proper ingredients. Which place would you like to visit?

Kai: My brother and I definitely want to visit Madagascar and The Comoro Islands for their ylang ylang and spices, Tahiti for their vanilla beans, and Italy for their citrus. We would love to have our own farms in the future.

Besides perfumes, what do you enjoy doing?

Leave it up to your own kids to amuse you!

There has been a  bit of wondering about how our name came to be.  It’s not about maoli, but “Colonia Dulce”.

Colonia Dulce translates to “Sweet Cologne” in Spanish. I’m of Spanish descent and firmly believe that if the Italians invented the cologne, well, the Spaniards perfected it. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.

When the boys and I were discussing how to name our company, they kindly suggested that the first product included something about my heritage since they already had their name figured out. I took the opportunity to share with them the fact that when I was little my mom used to splash the most delicious smelling colognes on my skin after my morning and evening bath, and that people always complimented me on my scent. They liked that last part, and so far, I don’t have to worry about smelly kids walking around the house.

So no,  Colonia Dulce has nothing to do with Big Island Paniolos or Portuguese culture. It is my token of appreciation to an old world culture who knew how to naturally perfume the New World.

PS- Never, never use perfume or cologne in lieu of a shower, ever!

The End.

Kai and Kalani were born and raised in Hawaii during their first six and seven years of life. They are eighteen months apart. Having them so close together was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done in my life, even with family living six thousand miles away.

Kai suffers from First-Born Syndrome, meaning he has high amounts of bossyness in his bloodstream. He also has the same amount of sweetness, kindness and compassion. His nose is like a Bloodhound’s and I had to put it to better use instead of the usual “something stinks” or “Kai, you better stop sniffing that can of cinnamon sticks or you’re going to pass out!”. Needless to say, I am amazed at the scent creativity of this child once I introduced him to essential oils. His favorites are ylang ylang and vanilla. When he is not mixing oils, he builds the most detailed military equipment with his Lego collection. I can see where this is going.

Kalani brings balance to a home of three first-borns. His wit and sense of humor can get rid of the most stubborn pouting. He’s artsy-fartsy, like his dad. When he’s not humming a made up melody, he walks around the house with his drumming sticks swinging them through the air at the rhythm of the Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Ozomatli or the Shiny Toy Guns. His sense of smell compares to that of his brother, except he’s more reserved when it comes to announcing a stink. His favorite essential oils are tangerine and vanilla.

My boys don’t seem to obey me when I ask them to stay little. I guess that’s part of the pains and joys of being a mother. I know they’ll be taller tomorrow morning, and I’m just so darn proud of the fine gentlemen they are turning out to be.

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