The Sweet

What The Sweet does

The Sweet (더스윗홈) is a South Korea-based specialty e-commerce retailer operating through its own storefront at tsweet.co.kr (Cafe24-hosted) and Korean consumer marketplaces Coupang and SmartStore. Founded in 2013 and operated as a privately held company under the legal entity (주)현피플 (Hyunpeople Co., Ltd.), the business is headquartered in Pocheon, South Korea with representative director Myeong Su-hyeon. Its core product line centers on candle warmers in four design families — MONO, ANTIQUE, SCROLL, and CAFE — which use halogen-bulb heat to melt scented candles without open flame, avoiding combustion byproducts such as carbon monoxide. Warmers are typically sold as bundles at a standardized 50,000 KRW price point with Yankee Candle or Woodwick refills and replacement halogen bulbs included.

The company's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: it sells to Korean home fragrance and lifestyle buyers, with worldwide shipping to markets including the USA, UK, Germany, Japan, China, and Australia. Distribution covers organic social channels on KakaoTalk, Instagram, Facebook, and Naver Post as top-of-funnel touchpoints. In August 2020, the company launched what it markets as Korea's first timer-enabled candle warmer with 1/2/4-hour settings and a dimming dial for fragrance intensity control, deepening its product-led differentiation in safe candle consumption.

Complementary categories — HUBI rattan diffusers, W Dressroom fabric perfumes, 3D LED wall/desk clocks, and Aqua Move snorkeling masks — diversify the catalog beyond candle warmers, though the warmer-plus-candle bundle remains the flagship. The company is bootstrapped (no disclosed external funding), generates revenue through one-time product sales rather than subscriptions, and has no disclosed financial metrics, headcount, or institutional investors in the source data.

Name

The Sweet

Legal name

(주)현피플

Website

https://tsweet.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Sweet (더스윗홈), operated by Hyunpeople Co., Ltd. in South Korea, is a direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer of home fragrance and lifestyle products — including candle warmers, scented candles, diffusers, LED clocks, fabric perfumes, and snorkeling masks — selling via tsweet.co.kr and Korean marketplaces to domestic and international consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Home Fragrance and Lifestyle Retail

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Fragrance (Candles, Diffusers, Room Sprays) (CRABADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scented Candles & Wax Melts (Home Fragrance) (CRAJAEAD), Candles, Home Fragrance & Diffusers Retail (CRAIACAC)

Keywords

• Candle warmer products
• Home fragrance items
• Scented candles retail
• Aromatherapy diffusers
• LED home clocks

Headquarters

HQ city

Soeul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct retail sales of home fragrance products including candle warmers, candles, LED clocks, diffusers, and snorkeling masks through their e-commerce platform. One-time purchase model for individual products and bundled sets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Sweet is an online retailer that designs and sells its own line of halogen-bulb candle warmers (in MONO, ANTIQUE, SCROLL, and CAFE design series), bundled candle warmer sets paired with Yankee Candle and Woodwick candles, and complementary home fragrance and lifestyle products including scented candles, rattan-stick diffusers, fabric perfumes, 3D LED clocks, and foldable snorkeling masks. Sales occur through the company's own tsweet.co.kr store and Korean marketplace channels with worldwide shipping.

Product overview

The Sweet operates a multi-category e-commerce platform selling home fragrance and lifestyle products. The core product line centers on candle warmers (캔들워머) in four design series: MONO, ANTIQUE, SCROLL, and CAFE, offered as standalone warmers or bundled with Yankee Candle and Woodwick candles. Complementary product categories include scented candles (both branded and house-brand), rattan stick diffusers (HUBI), LED clocks (wall and desk formats), fabric perfumes under the W Dressroom line, and snorkeling masks under the Aqua Move brand. The company recently expanded into timer-enabled candle warmers as a new product line.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Candle Warmer (캔들워머) Standalone halogen-bulb candle warming devices that melt candles using heat rather than open flame, preventing harmful combustion compounds and serving home fragrance consumers in South Korea.
• Candle Warmer Set (캔들워머 세트) Bundles pairing a The Sweet candle warmer (MONO, ANTIQUE, SCROLL, or CAFE design) with a Yankee Candle or Woodwick scented candle, often including halogen bulbs as a gift, targeted at home fragrance buyers and gift purchasers at 50,000 KRW per set.
• Timer Candle Warmer (타이머캔들워머) Timer-enabled candle warmer with 1H/2H/4H settings and a fine light adjustment dial allowing users to control fragrance intensity, designed for efficient candle use during sleep and absence and preventing candle waste.
• Scented Candles (캔들) Scented candles including Yankee Candle and Woodwick varieties plus house-brand candles in Antique-scent and Tuscany-scent lines, sold for use with The Sweet candle warmers or as standalone fragrance items.
• HUBI Premium Perfume Diffuser (휴비 디퓨저) Rattan-stick perfume diffuser offered in scents No.18 Cedar Forest, No.45 Morning Due, No.49 Peach Orchard, and No.53 Blue Sea Breeze, with 10 rattan sticks included as a gift accessory.
• W Dressroom Fabric Perfume (더블유드레스룸 섬유향수) Fabric perfume sprays in 70ml and 150ml sizes marketed under the W Dressroom brand for freshening textiles and clothing with fragrance.
• LED Clock (LED 시계) 3D Large LED wall clock and desk clock with silent alarm functionality, priced at 50,000 KRW, sold through The Sweet's e-commerce store for home or office ambient timekeeping.
• Aqua Move Snorkeling Mask (아쿠아무브 스노클링 마스크) Foldable, full-face snorkeling masks for adults from the Aqua Move brand, offered in multiple colors and sizes (S/M, L/XL) priced at 50,000 KRW.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CoupangcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 August 2020Coupang marketplace sales partnership for The Sweet timer candle warmer products. The timer candle warmer launch announcement on August 18, 2020 specifically mentioned Coupang and SmartStore as sales channels.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yankee Candle: Yankee Candle is the dominant scented candle brand that The Sweet bundles with its own warmers and resells. It is directly comparable because it competes for the same Korean home fragrance consumer dollars, and The Sweet's bundle strategy positions it as both a Yankee Candle reseller and a complementary hardware brand.
• NEST Fragrances: NEST Fragrances is a premium home fragrance brand offering scented candles and diffusers positioned at accessible luxury price points. Comparable to The Sweet because both compete in the design-led, gift-friendly, premium home fragrance segment with bundled set offerings.
• WoodWick: WoodWick is a premium scented candle brand also bundled and resold by The Sweet alongside its candle warmers. Both target the same mid-to-premium home fragrance consumer and compete for candle spend in the Korean market, making them direct product-line peers.
• Voluspa: Voluspa is a US-based premium scented candle brand with strong design-led positioning and global e-commerce distribution. Comparable because it targets the same design-conscious, premium home fragrance consumer that The Sweet's MONO/ANTIQUE/SCROLL/CAFE warmer series appeal to.
• Granhand (그랑핸드): Granhand is a leading Korean premium home fragrance brand selling candles, diffusers, and room sprays in the domestic market. It directly competes with The Sweet for Korean consumers seeking premium home fragrance products and represents the most directly comparable Korean-native competitor.
• W Dressroom (더블유드레스룸): W Dressroom is a Korean home fragrance brand sold by The Sweet on its platform and a direct competitor in the Korean scented fabric spray and home fragrance category. Strong overlap in Korean DTC home fragrance positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Diptyque: Diptyque is a luxury French home fragrance brand offering candles, diffusers, and room sprays with strong design heritage. Comparable because it competes in the premium gift and home fragrance segment that The Sweet's higher-priced bundles target, though at significantly higher price points.
• Bath & Body Works: Bath & Body Works is a major US personal care and home fragrance retailer with broad candle, diffuser, and room spray categories. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing for the same Korean consumer home fragrance dollars, though it is a much larger multi-category player.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wconceptkorea
• Instagraminstagram.com/risabae_art

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Sweet