What Are You Really Buying When You Buy a Candle?

What consumers should know about candle safety before bringing one into their homes

By Sangeeta Shakrawar, P.Eng.
In collaboration with Harley Grandone, founder of Copper Beech Candles

Buying a candle usually starts with its fragrance. We remove the lid, take a sniff and make a quick decision.

Mango? A tropical vacation.

Fresh-cut grass? A warm summer afternoon.

Sometimes, the answer is an immediate no—and the lid goes straight back on.

We smell candles. We like them. We buy them. But how often do we consider whether the candle was developed and manufactured with safety in mind?

Through my work as a manufacturing engineer, candle maker and founder of Candle Making Science, I have seen that there is far more science behind a jar of wax than most consumers realize.

In collaboration with Harley Grandone, founder of Copper Beech Candles, I want to take you behind the scenes of candle safety—what consumers can look for and what should happen before a candle ever reaches their homes.

How Can You Tell Whether a Candle Was Made With Safety in Mind?

Here is the frustrating truth: you cannot know everything simply by looking at a finished candle.

You cannot see whether its wick, wax, fragrance and vessel were properly evaluated together. You may also have no way of knowing whether the maker followed recognized candle-safety standards.

However, you can look for clues that suggest safety was considered.

• Read the label. Look for clear fire-safety warnings and burning instructions.

• Evaluate the finished product. Is the candle free from visible contamination and loose decorative materials? Are safety and care instructions included? These observations cannot tell you everything about its performance, but they can help you identify obvious concerns.

• Inspect the vessel. Do not purchase or burn a candle in a container that is cracked, chipped or visibly damaged.

• Look beyond appearance. A beautiful candle is not necessarily a properly developed candle. Its appearance cannot tell you how it will perform once lit.

• Look for candle-care instructions. A responsible maker should explain how to trim the wick, how long to burn the candle and when to discontinue using it.

• Do a little research. Visit the company’s website. Does the maker discuss product development, testing, candle care or safe use?

• Ask questions. When purchasing from an independent maker, it is reasonable to ask whether the candles have been burn tested.

• Do not rely on marketing language. Words such as luxury, natural, clean, non-toxic, soy and hand-poured do not prove that a candle was properly formulated and tested.

Where Do Safety Standards Come In?

More happens behind the scenes of candle safety than most consumers realize.

The United States and Canada both have standards, regulations and guidance addressing candles and the risks associated with burning them.

In the United States, the Consumer Product Safety Commission identifies ASTM industry standards covering areas such as:

• Fire-safety and warning labels
• Glass containers manufactured for candle use
• Visible emissions from burning candles
• Candle accessories

Canada regulates candles under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and the Candles Regulations. Health Canada also provides consumer-safety guidance.

The rules and requirements are not identical in every country or region. However, the central message is simple:

A candle is not merely fragrance and décor. It is a consumer product designed to sustain an open flame.

How it is developed matters—and so does how it is used.

Note: Candle regulations, standards and fire-safety requirements vary by country and location. Always consult the appropriate authorities for the requirements that apply where you live and operate your business.

A Candle Is a System

A candle is not simply fragrance and home décor. Once it is lit, a combustion system has been introduced into the home.

As candle makers, that gives us an enormous responsibility.

 

Every Component Matters

It is easy to look at a candle and think there is not much to it: wax, fragrance, a wick and a container.

In reality, all those components must function together.

The vessel, wax, fragrance oil, fragrance load and wick interact as part of the complete candle system.

• Change the vessel, and the candle may behave differently.
• Change the wax, and it may require a different wick.
• Change the fragrance oil or fragrance load, and another variable has been introduced.
• Change the wick, and the way the entire candle burns may change.

A component that worked in one formulation cannot automatically be expected to perform the same way in another.

 

Why Custom Formulation Matters

Responsible candle making is not simply about finding a recipe, melting wax, adding fragrance, inserting a wick and pouring everything into an attractive container.

Every candle is its own formulation.

 

Each combination of vessel, wax, fragrance oil, fragrance load and wick must be evaluated as a complete system. This requires customized formulation, structured testing and creativity.

 

When Testing Leads Back to the Drawing Board

Sometimes, a formulation simply does not work and that is a normal part of responsible product development.

The candle maker must document what happened, make appropriate adjustments, reformulate when necessary and test again.

For me, this is where engineering and artistry come together.

As a manufacturing engineer and candle maker, this is the part I love most: turning something artistic into something predictable, testable and beautifully engineered using science and data rather than guesswork.

Wax is the fuel. The wick is the engine. Understanding how they work together is central to developing a consistent, well-performing candle.

 

Why Candle Safety Matters

According to the National Fire Protection Association, during 2020–2024, United States fire departments responded to an estimated 5,894 home fires caused by candles each year.

That is an average of approximately 16 candle fires every day.

Those fires resulted in annual averages of:

• 63 deaths
• 532 injuries
• $286 million in property damage

More than half of candle fires began when something flammable—such as bedding, curtains, furniture, decorations, paper or clothing—was too close to the flame.

Additionally, 36% of candle fires began in bedrooms.

These figures demonstrate how quickly a candle can become dangerous when it is improperly developed, placed or used.

 

What Candle Science Teaches Us

Candle making reveals how much is happening inside a burning candle.

A candle is more than wax, fragrance and a wick. It is a combustion system in which every component interacts with and influences the product’s overall performance.

Through Candle Making Science, I help makers move beyond simply following a formula. The goal is to understand how the complete combustion system works and how each variable can influence the finished product.

An Engineering Approach to Candle Making

I am a manufacturing engineer based in Canada with 12 years of experience in product development and manufacturing.

I have supported the development and transfer of products across different industries—from medical devices to candle brands—helping move products from an initial concept to consistent and sustainable production.

My science-based approach to candle development goes beyond selecting ingredients.

It focuses on building a complete product system through:

• Customized formulation
• Controlled process variables
• Structured evaluation
• Product validation
• Quality control
• Process optimization

This manufacturing mindset can transform candle making from trial and error into a structured product-development process designed for consistency, performance and repeatable production.

From Development to a Consistent Product

At Copper Beech Candles, a candle does not move directly from an idea into production.

Each formulation follows a structured product-development process—from selecting and defining the formulation, through performance evaluation and validation, to establishing a controlled process for consistent production.

The goal is not simply to create one candle that performs well once.

The goal is to understand the critical elements of the product and process well enough that the candle can be produced consistently, batch after batch.

Once a candle moves from development into a customer’s hands, it is no longer simply a formulation.

It is a finished consumer product—and that comes with responsibility.

Candle Safety at Home

Even a thoughtfully formulated and tested candle still produces an open flame. Once we bring a candle home, part of the responsibility becomes ours.

Before You Light It

• Follow the maker’s instructions for trimming the wick and managing burn time.
• Place the candle on a stable, heat-resistant surface.
• Keep it at least 12 inches away from anything that can burn.
• Never leave a burning candle unattended.
• Keep candles out of reach of children and pets.
• Never burn a candle in a damaged vessel.
• Stop using the candle when the maker’s instructions tell you to do so.

Think beyond the flame.

A curious child, a jumping cat or a wagging tail can quickly turn a candle into a hazard. If there is no safe place to burn one, a flameless candle may be the better choice.

One Last Sniff Before You Buy

I still want consumers to enjoy the experience of choosing a candle.

Let mango transport you to a favorite vacation. Let fresh-cut grass return you to a summer afternoon. Let the fragrance of a Christmas tree bring back a holiday you have not thought about in years.

That is the magic of fragrance, and we should not lose it.

I do not want people to be afraid of candles. I want them to become better-informed consumers.

After you smell a candle and think, I love this one, take another moment to read its label, inspect its vessel and review its burning instructions.

Then smell it, love it and bring it home—while understanding what you are buying.

Experiences create memories. Fragrance helps us return to them.

Candle FAQs

1. How Can I Tell Whether a Candle Has Been Properly Developed?

You cannot determine how well a candle was developed simply by looking at it.

• Check the maker’s website for information about product development, quality, candle care and safety practices.
• When buying from an independent maker, ask how the candles are evaluated before being offered for sale.
• Look for clear safety labels and product-care instructions.
• Inspect the candle and vessel for visible damage or contamination.

2. Are Wooden Wicks Safer Than Corded Wicks?

Not necessarily.

Neither wick type is automatically safer or better. What matters is whether the wick was appropriately selected and tested for that candle’s particular combination of wax, fragrance, fragrance load and vessel.

3. How Long Should I Burn a Candle?

Do not burn a candle for more than four hours at a time unless its maker provides different, product-specific instructions.

Always follow the instructions supplied with the candle. Burning it longer than recommended can cause the candle and its vessel to become excessively hot.

4. Should I Trim the Wick Before Every Burn?

The National Candle Association recommends trimming a wick to approximately ¼ inch before lighting the candle, including before its first burn.

If the candle has already been used, remove any mushrooming or excess char before relighting it.

Checking the wick before every burn is one of the simplest candle-care habits consumers can adopt.

5. Does a Stronger-Smelling Candle Mean It Is Better?

Not necessarily.

It is easy to associate a stronger fragrance with a better candle, particularly when comparing several options. However, fragrance strength alone is not a reliable measure of quality.

A thoughtfully developed candle must balance fragrance performance with the behaviour of the wick, wax and vessel as a complete combustion system.