When I first started making candles, I wasn't thinking about starting a candle business. I was trying to find something I felt comfortable bringing into my own home.
After experiencing an allergic reaction to conventional fragranced products, I started looking much more closely at what we bring into our homes and how those ingredients affect our wellbeing and environment. What I discovered changed the way I thought about fragranced products. I found myself questioning synthetic ingredients, unclear formulations and overwhelming scents that didn't fit with the calm, conscious home I wanted to create.
I was a full-time teacher, so in my spare time, I began researching and then experimenting with cleaner alternatives. What started as curiosity became a passion and I began blending natural waxes, essential oils and carefully selected fragrances to create products designed to enhance everyday rituals. It was through that journey that I discovered aromachology and the relationship between scent, emotion and wellbeing.
That original search for something better still influences my relationship with candles today.
I continue to hand-make all Aromachology Studios candles myself. I mix the wax, blend the fragrance, prepare the vessels, pour the candles, label them and check every finished product before it leaves my studio in Winchmore Hill, north London.
For me it means being involved in every stage of the process, from the formulation of a new fragrance through to the candle that eventually arrives in your home.
For me, choosing the right candle begins with a question that goes beyond fragrance:
What am I actually bringing into my home?
The ingredients matter. The way the candle has been formulated matters. The fragrance matters. The quality of the finished product matters. And I believe you deserve enough information to make an informed choice.
There are now more candles available than ever, from mass produced supermarket candles to small batch handmade products and luxury fragrance houses. They can look very different, cost very different amounts and make very different claims.
So how do you know what makes one candle a good choice for your home?
What Makes a Good Quality Candle?
A good candle is more than a vessel filled with wax and fragrance.
Every component has a role to play. The wax provides the fuel. The fragrance determines what you experience when the candle is burning. The wick controls how the wax and fragrance are drawn into the flame. The vessel needs to be appropriate for the candle and able to withstand the heat. And the formulation needs to bring all of those elements together in a way that performs consistently.
This is something I learned when I started making candles.
Changing one element can affect everything else. A different wax can alter the way a fragrance is released. A different wick can change how quickly the candle burns. A different vessel can affect the heat and the size of the melt pool.
That is why I don't think it is useful to judge a candle by one ingredient or one claim alone.
A plant based wax does not automatically make a poorly formulated candle a good candle. A beautiful fragrance does not compensate for poor performance. And a high price does not necessarily mean a better product.
Quality comes from how all of those decisions interact and work together. Much of that work happens behind the scenes, which is why it isn't always obvious from looking at a finished candle.
What Is the Best Candle Wax?
Wax is one of the biggest decisions to make for a candle maker, and it is worth considering when you are choosing a candle.
Soy, paraffin, beeswax, coconut and rapeseed wax all have different characteristics. There is no single wax that is automatically the best for every candle. The choice affects things such as burn behaviour, fragrance release, appearance and the way the finished candle performs.
When I was developing Aromachology Studios, I spent a great deal of time researching different waxes, experimenting with formulations and carrying out burn testing. I eventually chose a blend of rapeseed and coconut wax because it gave me the combination of performance and ingredients I was looking for. It provides the clean, even burn, smooth finish and fragrance performance that I wanted from my candles.
But that doesn't mean I think everyone should automatically choose the same wax.
If you would like to understand the differences properly, I've written a much more detailed guide:
What Is the Best Candle Wax? Comparing Soy, Paraffin, Beeswax, Coconut and Rapeseed Wax
It explains what each wax is, how the different types perform and why I ultimately chose rapeseed and coconut wax for Aromachology Studios.
What Does "Natural" Mean in a Candle?
The word "natural" sounds reassuring, but it does not tell you everything you need to know about a candle. It is worth looking beyond the marketing language and asking what the candle is actually made from.
What is the wax?
What creates the fragrance?
Are there additives?
Is the brand clear about its ingredients?
Does the company explain what it means when it describes a product as natural, clean or plant based?
For me, natural ingredients were part of the reason I started making candles in the first place.
Our candles are made without paraffin, palm oil, soy wax, beeswax or artificial preservatives, and our products are vegan and cruelty free. We also consider sustainability in our packaging, with reusable, refillable and recyclable options wherever possible.
But I would never suggest that seeing the word "natural" on a label is enough reason to buy a candle.
I want customers to be able to understand what they are buying and why we have made the choices we have made.
If you are interested in taking a more considered approach to the fragrances you bring into your home, you may also enjoy reading How to Scent Your Home Consciously.
How Do You Choose a Candle Fragrance?
Once you have considered the candle itself, there is the part most people naturally think about first: the fragrance.
Choosing a fragrance can be surprisingly difficult, particularly when you are buying online. There are thousands of combinations of notes, and descriptions can sometimes make a fragrance sound very different from what you imagined.
I find it helpful to start with fragrances you already know.
Think about perfumes you wear, essential oils you enjoy, flowers you love, the smell of a particular place or even fragrances you remember from childhood. These can all give you clues about the types of scent you naturally gravitate towards.
Then look at the individual fragrance notes.
If you repeatedly find yourself drawn towards rose, you may enjoy fragrances where rose is prominent. If you prefer woody notes, patchouli, cedarwood or sandalwood may be useful starting points. If you like warmth and depth, look for notes such as amber, musk or spice.
But don't assume that you will dislike a candle simply because it contains one note you normally wouldn't choose.
A well constructed fragrance is a composition. Individual notes are combined to create something that is different from any one ingredient on its own, and that is why the full fragrance description matters.
What Do the Different Fragrance Notes Mean?
Fragrance descriptions can sometimes feel like a language of their own.
You might see a candle described as having top notes of citrus, a floral heart and a woody base. Or perhaps it is described as warm, aromatic, powdery, fresh, sensual or sophisticated.
Understanding a little of this terminology can make choosing a candle much easier.
Top notes
Top notes are the fragrances you tend to notice first. They are often lighter and brighter, such as citrus, herbs or certain fresh fruits.
Heart notes
Heart notes form much of the character of a fragrance as it develops. Floral, fruity, aromatic and spicy notes can all play a role here.
Base notes
Base notes tend to provide depth and longevity. Woods, amber, musk, patchouli and other richer notes are often used to create the foundation of a fragrance.
Not every candle fragrance will be described using a traditional perfume style pyramid, and candle fragrance descriptions can vary between makers. But thinking about fragrance as something that develops rather than a list of isolated ingredients can help you understand what you are choosing.
A candle is not simply "rose" or "cedarwood", but it is the relationship between those notes that creates the finished fragrance.
How Do You Choose a Candle When You Can't Smell It First?
This is one of the biggest challenges of buying candles online.
You can look at a photograph. You can read the description. You can see the list of notes. But you cannot actually smell the candle through your screen.
So I would start with what you already know.
Start with fragrance families and notes you already know you enjoy. If you love woody scents, look for cedar, sandalwood or patchouli. If florals are more your preference, look for rose, jasmine or geranium. For richer fragrances, amber, musk, spice and dark fruits can be useful clues.
But don't stop at the first note you recognise.
Read the complete description and think about how the fragrance is constructed. A rose fragrance with bright citrus will feel very different from a rose fragrance with patchouli and amber. A fruity fragrance combined with woods and musk will have a very different character from a light, fresh fruit scent.
Reviews can also help, particularly when several customers independently use similar words to describe a fragrance.
And if a candle maker provides detailed information about the fragrance rather than simply giving you a poetic name, that is useful. The more clearly a brand communicates, the more informed your choice can be.
Does the Room Matter When Choosing a Candle?
Yes, but perhaps not in the way you might expect.
I don't believe there are rules saying that one fragrance belongs in one particular room. Your home is personal, and so is the way you experience fragrance within it.
What does matter is the environment in which the candle will be used.
A small bedroom is very different from a large open plan living space. A kitchen already contains many competing aromas. A hallway may need a fragrance that creates an impression as someone enters rather than one designed for a long evening of relaxation.
Think about the size of the space, the existing smells, ventilation and what you are actually doing in the room.
Most importantly, consider whether you want the candle to be the focus or part of the overall atmosphere.
A sophisticated fragrance doesn't need to dominate a room to make an impression.
Sometimes the most successful home fragrance is the one you notice without feeling overwhelmed by it.
What Should You Look for When Buying a Candle?
If I were buying a candle from a brand I didn't know, there are several things I would want to understand before making my decision.
Clear information about the wax
You should be able to find out what the candle is made from rather than being given only a vague description such as "natural wax".
Transparent fragrance information
A candle doesn't need to reveal a proprietary formula, but the brand should give you enough information to understand the fragrance and the notes it contains.
A clear approach to ingredients
Look beyond the front of the packaging. What does the company actually tell you about the ingredients it uses?
Information about the brand
Look at the company behind the candle. Where is it made? Does the brand explain how its products are developed? Is there enough information to give you confidence in what you are buying?
Evidence of care and testing
Candle making involves more than pouring wax into a vessel. The finished candle needs to work as a complete system. Look for brands that demonstrate that they understand formulation and testing rather than treating the process as simply mixing wax and fragrance.
Clear safety and care information
A responsible candle maker should provide clear instructions for burning and caring for the candle.
None of these things guarantees that you will love a particular fragrance, but together they can tell you a great deal about the candle you are buying.
Does a More Expensive Candle Mean a Better Candle?
Not necessarily.
Price can reflect many things: the fragrance materials, wax, vessel, packaging, manufacturing process, scale of production, testing and the positioning of the brand.
A more expensive candle isn't automatically better, just as a cheaper candle isn't automatically poor quality.
What matters is whether you understand what you are paying for.
A higher price should give you a reason to understand, rather than simply a reason to assume that a candle is better.
What About Fragrance Strength?
Fragrance strength is important, but it is also something that is easy to misunderstand.
A candle that smells very strong when you first open the box may behave differently once it is burning. Room size, ventilation, the candle itself and the way it has been burned can all influence how fragrance is experienced.
Rather than repeating everything here, I've explored this in much more detail in Why Doesn't My Candle Smell Strong?.
It explains the difference between cold and hot scent throw and explores some of the reasons a candle may not smell as strong as you expected.
What About Candle Care?
Choosing a well made candle is only part of the experience. How you burn it matters too.
The first burn, wick trimming, burn time and how you allow the wax to melt can all affect the way your candle performs over its lifetime.
I've covered all of this in our Ultimate Guide to Candle Care, which explains how to get the best possible experience from your candle while burning it safely.
What Makes a Candle the Right Candle for You?
After all these years of making candles, I still don't think there is one candle that is universally "right".
The right choice depends on what matters to you. The fragrance you love. The ingredients you feel comfortable bringing into your home. The atmosphere you want to create. The space where you will burn it. And the way the candle has been made.
For me, those considerations are exactly why I started making candles in the first place. I wasn't looking for just another product to put on a shelf. I was looking for something I felt comfortable bringing into my own home.
That is still the standard I hold myself to when I create an Aromachology Studios candle.
I want the fragrance to be beautiful, the candle to perform well and the choices behind it to be ones I am happy to put my name to.
Ultimately, choosing the right candle isn't about finding the one that everyone else says is the best.
It's about understanding what you're buying, knowing what matters to you and finding a candle that feels right in your own home.