OSCARS: The Goodie Bag's Hottest Item

By Stephen M. Silverman

03/08/2002 at 12:21 PM EST

Clearly the hottest item in this year's Oscar gift basket -- the goodie bag that goes to special guests of the Academy, including winners, nominees and presenters -- will be Jenni Originals VegeSoy Candles, reports PEOPLE. Already favorites of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Sharon Stone, Woody Harrelson and Alicia Silverstone, the candles -- which were also in the bags last year -- are handmade from an exclusive blend of soybean and vegetable waxes. This year, the Academy chose Storm, a silver-gray candle hand-dipped in black with a delicate scent intended for both men and women. Says candle-company owner Jennifer Brown-Owan: "Storm is a very clean, aquatic scent reminiscent of the ocean or a brisk rain. And who doesn't like those fragrances?" Last year, the scent (there are 39 in the candle line) was Celebration, a blend of orange and lemon. How are the scents for the Academy decided? "We narrowed the selection down by having a party at our home, inviting the best noses we know," Brown-Owan told PEOPLE. The fact that Storm was so different from Celebration was a major factor, she said. Also, at this year's People's Choice Awards, Kelsey Grammer, Garth Brooks, Mary Steenburgen and Ellen DeGeneres told Brown-Owan that they liked Storm, and environmentally concerned Hollywood appreciates that her candles' soybean/vegetable wax blend reputedly burns cleaner than traditional paraffin candles and for about 40 percent longer. The candles are also 100 percent biodegradable and made from a renewable resource. Talk about burning the candle at both ends.