When it comes to candles, the market offers a wide range of options to suit every budget. While it may be tempting to opt for the cheapest candles available, investing in luxury candles can be well worth the extra cash. We understand how hard it can be to decide to part with more of your hard earned money when there are cheaper options, so let’s look at what you should be looking for in deciding whether a luxury candle is worth the investment.
Quality Ingredients & Attention to Detail
One of the first thing you may want to look for is the ingredients used to make the candle. A true luxury candle will be made with high-quality ingredients like:
- Sustainably sourced coconut or non-GMO soy or vegetable based waxes;
- Cruelty-free materials;
- Organic cotton wicks or FSC-Certified wooden wicks;
- Fragrance oils that are free of toxins, mutagens, carcinogens, parabens, reproductive hazards, and phthalates; and
- Unadulterated waxes that are not enhanced with chemical additives (additives are often used as a cheap way to enhance scent strength and throw)
Candles made with these “clean” ingredients are likely to burn more evenly, with less soot and smoke, and have a stronger, more complex scent than cheaper big box candles. Luxury candles often use premium ingredients such as certain natural essential oils (some essential oils are not safe for use in candles, a topic we’ll discuss in a later post), plant-based waxes, and lead-free cotton wicks. These ingredients, while more expensive, not only make the candles smell better but are also better for your health and the environment.
When made by smaller businesses like Aglynt, you’ll often find that each candle is made by hand in small batches. Why is that worth knowing? Because it means each and every candle has passed through the hands and under the eyes of an actual person who is working to ensure — at every stage in its creation — that the candle is made to perform at its full potential. This matters when it comes to a candle that is a work of craftsmanship rather than just a product.
Longer Burn Times
Another benefit of luxury candles is that they often have a longer burning time than cheaper alternatives. This is because they use higher quality waxes that burn at a lower temperature and at a slower rate. This means that you can enjoy the scent of a luxury candle for longer and get more value for your money. Cheaper candles almost exclusively used paraffin-based waxes which are very viscous and therefore burn at a faster rate. So, if an 8 oz candle made with high quality natural waxes has a 30 hour burn time, an 8 oz candle made with paraffin-based waxes will only have a 24 hour burn time. That’s a big difference!
Responsible Aesthetic Appeal
High-end candles often come in beautifully designed and aesthetically pleasing packaging with reusable glass, ceramic or concrete vessels that can add a touch of elegance and sophistication to any space. Many companies carry their commitment to sustainable materials all the way through from their ingredient selection to their packaging, avoiding the use of plastics and other single-use materials. When buying from these companies, you’ll see reusable and recyclable vessels and packaging, recyclable shipping materials, and low waste approaches to both the manufacturing and shipping processes. For example, we do not use any plastic in our packaging or shipping materials (like packing peanuts, bubble wrap, shrink wrap, plastic bottles or caps used for our upcoming room mist line which will come in a glass and metal spray bottle). We use organic cotton dust-bags in packaging our Statement candles in lieu of cardboard and when we do use cardboard, we opt for boxes made from recycled products that can then be recycled again. The attention to detail and high-quality materials used in luxury candle packaging make them a great gift for someone special or an indulgence for yourself.
Social Responsibility
Like Aglynt, some businesses that create higher-end candles have business plans that incorporate a mission to give back. Ours is animal welfare and rescue. With every product purchased from businesses with this commitment, you are directly contributing to these causes. Look for businesses that support charities or organizations that align with your personal values and make you feel good about your investment.
Supporting Small Businesses
Many luxury candle brands are small businesses - as we are - that are committed to using high-quality, sustainable, and ethically sourced ingredients. By purchasing luxury candles from these smaller businesses, you are supporting the growth of local economies rather than big box establishments and are helping to promote a more sustainable and ethical approach to the candle industry. To the extent you believe it’s important to encourage the success of small businesses as a means of shifting economic power into the hands of individuals and communities and away from large corporations, support small businesses! Even if that’s not necessarily a big priority to you, just know that by supporting small businesses you are helping to create jobs in communities across the country.
So yes, while luxury candles may be more expensive than their cheaper counterparts, the benefits they offer make them worth the investment. When handmade with high-quality ingredients, you’ll find your candle has a longer burn time, aesthetic appeal, and is something you can feel good about having in your home. Not only that, you are supporting small businesses that are committed to sustainability and ethical practices. Each candle made by businesses like ours is a statement of our belief that things can be made better with better, non-exploitative ingredients for the betterment of our communities. What could be better than that?