Our origin
Founded in 2019, Glassy Essentials began with a quiet realization: the rituals that ground our days deserve ingredients we can implicitly trust. Stepping away from the rushed pace of mass production, our founder meticulously developed a line that bridges the divide between elevated home design and mindful living. Every scent is poured with a clear purpose, to safely honour your space and the loved ones you share it with. Rooted in relentless research and a dedication to clean components, our process is slow by design. We invite you to experience the beauty of an unhurried craft (To dive deeper into our clean ingredients, click here.)
THE PAUSE
The journey of Glassy Essentials is deeply rooted in the beauty of a forced pause. Originally founded in Ottawa under the name Husht & Harlow, the studio flourished for four years until a sudden health diagnosis brought the rhythm of everyday life to a halt. Faced with an impending surgery to remove a tumour (not-so-lovingly dubbed "Earl"), our founder made the intentional choice to step away from the studio. A soul-resetting surf trip to the rugged coast of Punta de Lobos, Chile, just weeks before the operation, shifted her perspective entirely. What followed was a necessary 15-month hiatus—a quiet season dedicated solely to healing body, mind, and spirit. Returning to our roots in Montreal with profound clarity, Glassy Essentials was reborn out of that stillness, serving as a living testament to the necessity of slowing down.
FINDING GLASSY
Returning to the studio in Montreal offered a sanctuary to reconnect with the slow, tactile art of candle-making, though this new season soon called for an unforeseen evolution. A mandate regarding Quebec's language laws required a complete reimagining of the identity she had spent years building. Rather than seeing this as a setback, she embraced it as a quiet invitation to realign with her deepest values. From this graceful surrender, Glassy was born.
The name carries profound intention. In surf culture, "glassy" describes an ocean surface that is exceptionally smooth, undisturbed, and deeply calm. It perfectly mirrors the peace found in the waters of Punta de Lobos when she needed it most, the crystal-clear perspective gained from her healing journey, and the serene energy at the very heart of our brand.
WHERE WE ARE TODAY
Reconnecting with the community at local Montreal markets in 2025 naturally welcomed a new chapter: a dedicated retail space in the vibrant, culturally rich community of Little Burgundy, in collaboration with Les Quartiers du Canal.
This is where you will find her today, anchored in her hometown, dividing her time between pouring small batches in her West End studio Monday through Wednesday, and connecting with the community at the retail space Thursday through Sunday. Every collection she curates is a testament to resilience, a deeply held belief in the purity of clean ingredients, and an invitation to intentionally design the architecture of your life and home.