The Roots
Once upon a time, there was a fertile plain in Morocco.
It was called ULILI by our ancestors. They named it after a small tree which colorfully adorned the plain with gorgeous pink and white roses.
On such fertile land, the Romans built Volubilis, where seven centuries later, Idriss became king.
Today, only a few remnants and a mausoleum remain, adorned as always by the thriving colorful flora.
Just like the flowering tree whose essence bears the memory of a thousand years, ULILI candles in their amber wax capture the fragrant memories that inhabit the Moroccan imagination.
The Perfumer
ULILI is first of all the result of a meeting in Grasse between Marianne Nawrocki, perfumer, and Omar Benjelloun a lover of the natural and historical heritage of Morocco.
Inspired by Omar’s texts , the “nez” unleashed all her creativity to transcribe into the magical language of scents ULILI’s olfactory reveries.
A graduate from Grasse Institute of Perfumery, Marianne Nawrocki works today in the creation of customized fragrances for private clients who value the quality of ingredients and the uniqueness of products.
She has created ULILI’s fragrances since the launch of the brand.
The Illustrations
In order to illustrate the strong characters of ULILI’s fragrances, the brand worked with Zineb Benjelloun, one of the most talented young artists of her generation.
Trained in documentary cinema and fine arts, she depicts in her original illustrations and silkscreens, a bright and abundant Morocco.
For ULILI, Zineb looks to the games and childhood memories of her country. M’goun, Hafa, Oum Rabie… Each one of the candles comes to life, inspired by the characters of a traditional Spanish card game played by several generations of Moroccans. The “Rey”, “Souta” and “Cabale” are depicted by the artist proudly wearing the main ingredient of each fragrance.
Through this playful herbarium, ULILI tries to uncover the wealth of the Moroccan olfactory imagination.
The Expertise
The candles are casted and handcrafted in ULILI’s workshop in Casablanca.
They are made with vegetal waxes and beeswax harvested from the foothills of the Anti Atlas in south Morocco.
This special beeswax provides each one of our candles with an amber color and a honeyed touch.
ULILI candles are designed to create a strong, yet delicate release of its fragrances as well as a harmonious melting of its waxes.
The wicks are made of natural cotton and all our candles are paraffine free.
The Artisans
The ceramist: ULILI has been working for several years with a ceramist from the city of Tangier in order to create the containers of candles and diffusing hands.
Many oven firings and multiple hand manipulations for the lacquering and screenprinting are needed to produce ULILI’s ceramics.
The soap maker: The soap maker who makes ULILI scented soaps, is one of the best in his line of work in Morocco.
His experience is also enriched by a family legacy in the production of olive oil.
This important partner uses the harvested olive oil from his own fields in order to craft ULILI scented soaps.
The thuya craftsman: ULILI traveled to Essaouira to find a skilled craftman for the making of the scented candles wooden lids*.
This artisan has carved these lids in the precious thuya wood. This wood is a specialty of the ancient Portuguese city of Essaouira, built in the 16th century on the Atlantic coast.
ULILI’s team looks ahead to strengthen the passionate relationship that binds Moroccan artisans with the brand through the various creations.
* lids sold as an accessory for the 9,7 oz scented candles only.
The Founder
Omar Benjelloun deeply searched for a way to share his fascination towards nature and the multicultural history of his homeland Morocco.
His encounter with the language of the scents was a meteoric revelation.
With his experience on the road between entrepreneurship and design, he embarked on the ULILI adventure in 2013, convinced that a brand of scents with 100% Moroccan roots, yet demanding and passionate, can seduce people both in Morocco and worldwide.
Omar undertook training courses at the Perfumery School of Grasse where his interest and passion for scents flourished. He was mentored by Marianne Nawrocki, independent perfumer and teacher at the GIP. Since then, Marianne became the perfumer and creator of ULILI’s fragrances.