YOUR RITUAL, LOUDER.
San Maris Botanicx
I grew up in botanicas. My grandmother owned one, then my mother did, and I spent my childhood behind the register, watching them dress candles, prepare limpias, and help people who walked in carrying something heavy. I learned early that scent is never just scent. It's how we pray, how we cleanse, how we remember.
the origin
San Maris means saint ocean.
The name comes from my grandmother's side of the family, the line of Fernando Arturo de Meriño, and from the water that connects the Dominican Republic to everywhere its people have landed.
Before this, I lived a louder life. I spent more than twenty years as a makeup artist, ten of them in New York and the rest in California, and I played bass in bands. That world taught me how to work with my hands, how texture and color carry feeling, and how to make something that holds up under bright lights. Eventually I wanted the opposite: slower days, quieter work, and something that belonged to my family's history.
I started pouring candles in 2016. On February 2, 2022, the feast day of Yemayá, I launched San Maris from a hospital room, because some things don't wait for the right moment.
The Collection
The Orisha Collection reimagines the seven-day candle my mother and I used to dress, made as offerings for the altar. Each candle honors an Orisha and pairs with original artwork by W.C. Cullen. I develop every scent myself in my Oakland studio and label every candle by hand. They're poured in Los Angeles by Light for Life, a manufacturer that creates jobs for women, people of color, and formerly incarcerated people.
Coconut apricot wax. Lead-free cotton wicks. Heavy white glass, chosen for initiation, made to be kept.
The Seven
The first collection is devoted to the seven Orishas, the sacred forces at the heart of Yoruba and Afro-Caribbean tradition. Each candle is an offering to one.
Yemayá · Madre de Aguas
Mother of the ocean and all living things. She holds, she protects, she restores. Hers is the candle of rest, grief, cleansing, and renewal.
Ochún · Amo
Keeper of the rivers, of love, sweetness, and abundance. Hers is the candle of self-love, attraction, and everything that flows toward joy.
Elegguá · Caminos
Opener of roads, guardian of crossroads and beginnings. He is honored first. His is the candle of new paths, decisions, and doors.
Obatalá · Paloma
Keeper of wisdom, peace, and clarity. Dressed in white, he steadies what is shaken. His is the candle of reflection, prayer, and quiet restoration.
Changó · Rayos
Lord of thunder, fire, and rhythm. He arrives with power and leaves with celebration. His is the candle of strength, courage, and vitality.
Oyá · X
Bringer of winds and storms, guardian of transformation. She clears what no longer serves. Hers is the candle of change, release, and becoming.
Ogún · Sangre
Spirit of iron, labor, and the clearing of paths. He is the work and the will. His is the candle of perseverance, protection, and forward motion. (Coming soon.)
Your ritual, louder.
For the practice, and for anyone who feels it.
These candles are made by someone raised inside the tradition, with respect for those who live it every day. If you keep an altar, they belong on it. If you're new to this world, they're an invitation to slow down and light something with intention.
Alicia Marie Campbell
Founder and Perfumer
WHITE VESSELS & ACHÉ
The tradition of wearing white for spiritual balance.
Aché: spiritual power, life force.
collaborators
Design // Tart NYC
Box Design // Molly Bloom
Hand drawn Artist // Cullen
Photographer // MarÍa del Río
Photographer Still // David L Coe
Social Media // Estudio Karr
Art Direction · Logo Design // Zyanya Cruz
We work with artists not just to create, but to invest in their practice, their visibility, and their growth.