Natural Candles: What the Word Really Means

A natural candle is one made from materials found in nature with as little processing as possible: a wax that has not been chemically altered, a plain cotton wick, and no synthetic fragrance or dye. The word “natural” is not regulated for candles, though, so it can mean anything from pure beeswax to a paraffin blend with a drop of essential oil. The ingredient list, not the word, tells you which.

“Natural” is an unregulated word

Unlike food labels, candle labels have no legal definition of natural. A brand can use the word for the wax, for the fragrance, for the look of the box or simply for the mood it wants to set. None of these is necessarily dishonest, but none of them tells you what is in the candle either.

That is why a natural candle is judged by asking three things: where does the wax come from, how much has it been changed on the way, and what has been added to it? The same is true of its stricter-sounding cousin: our guide to organic candles explains what that word can and cannot mean on a candle.

Degrees of natural, from least to most

1. Paraffin with a “natural” fragrance. The wax is a by-product of petroleum refining. A natural note on top does not change what is burning.
2. Plant and paraffin blends. “Soy blend”, “vegetable wax blend” and many coconut waxes. Part plant, part petroleum, often in undisclosed proportions.
3. 100 % plant waxes. Soy, rapeseed or coconut, made from oils that are hydrogenated to make them solid. Plant-based and free of petroleum, but processed rather than found as they are.
4. Bleached or deodorised beeswax. A material made in nature, then stripped of its colour and scent to look uniform.
5. Pure, unbleached beeswax. Made by the bees, melted and filtered, and that is all. It is the one candle wax that exists in nature almost exactly as it is burned.

Why pure beeswax is the most natural candle wax

Worker bees make beeswax from tiny flakes they secrete, and shape it into comb to store honey and raise their young. When the honey is harvested, the beekeeper slices the thin wax caps from the comb. That capping wax is melted gently and passed through fine cloth until only clear golden wax is left. It needs no hydrogenation, no hardener and no additive to become a candle.

Because nothing is taken out, it keeps the character of the hive. Its colour changes with the flowers the bees visited: spring blossom gives a pale, almost lemon wax, late summer and heather a deep amber. Lit, it smells faintly of honey, which is why our unscented candles are never quite scentless. Our journal explains why beeswax smells of honey, and Our beeswax follows it from the apiary to the atelier.

One honest note: natural does not mean that a candle has no effect on the air. Any flame, natural or not, releases some particles. A natural candle simply leaves out the ingredients that were never needed.

The craft behind natural candles

A natural material behaves less uniformly than an industrial one, so it asks for more care from the maker. That care is part of what you are buying.

Poured and dipped by hand

Our vessels and pillars are poured by hand. Our tapers are dipped, the way candles were made for centuries: a length of cotton wick lowered into warm beeswax, lifted out, left to set and lowered again, about thirty times. A pair of tapers takes a full morning. You can watch the process in Dipping tapers by hand.

Small batches

We pour in batches small enough to check every wick, and to look at every candle before it leaves. No machines pour our candles and no line moves them along. The same few people take each batch from block to box.

Time

Every candle rests on our shelves for at least three weeks before it is packed. As it cures, the wax becomes harder and more even, which is what makes the burn slow and steady. One candle from each batch is burned on a test shelf while the rest wait, so we know how a batch burns before it reaches you.

How to tell a real natural candle

• One named wax at 100 %, such as “100 % beeswax”.
• Natural colour: beeswax that varies from pale gold to amber, not uniform white or a bright dye.
• A cotton wick, with no metal core.
• No scent, or a named natural source such as essential oils, rather than “fragrance” or “parfum”.
• Bloom over time: a soft white film on beeswax is a sign that nothing was added.
• A maker who says where and how the candles are made, and how long they burn.

Natural scent, with care

If you want a scented natural candle, look for essential oils named on the label and used in a light measure. They are natural, but still concentrated, and some are not recommended around cats and dogs in closed rooms. In a home with pets, the unscented candles are the gentler choice; our guide to unscented candles covers when and where to use them.

Natural candles from Beezu

Every Beezu candle is 100 % European beeswax and a cotton wick, from small European apiaries, filtered and never bleached or dyed. There is no paraffin, no soy or other blends and no synthetic fragrance. Choose unscented pillars or hand-dipped tapers that smell only of honeycomb, or one of three stoneware vessels scented with organic essential oils. As with any candle, trim the wick before lighting and never leave a flame unattended.