Gift Guide — Clean Burning Candles
There's no doubt that candles make a great gift. Especially now as we spend most of our time in the same space, burning candles are an easy way to shift the mood. When buying candles for yourself or for a loved one, it's important to consider the type of wax, wick and fragrances used.
It’s no surprise that many conventional candles (like conventional beauty products) contain toxins. Commonly used petroleum-based paraffin candle wax can emit toxic chemicals like toluene and benzene (both known carcinogens), polluting your indoor air quality. We opt for candles made out of clean burning 100% natural soy, coconut or beeswax.
Metal core wicks may contain lead (even though lead has been banned in candles since 2003) which may result in indoor air concentrations of lead above EPA-recommended thresholds. We look for candles that use 100% cotton wicks.
Fragranced products like conventional skin care, perfumes and candles in the US can be full of hidden toxins because the FDA protects the chemicals used in fragrance as a trade secret and therefore companies do not have to disclose the chemicals used to the public. This lack of transparency could be masking whether the product contains allergens, toxic ingredients linked to illness, and known endocrine disrupters like phthalates. We go for products that use natural essential oils or natural nontoxic fragrances, or specify they are phthalate-free.
Here you'll find our edit of clean-burning candles made by small businesses, artists and makers.
Natural Sculptural Candles
Sculptural candles are the new house plant. The artistically crafted wax sculptures are perfect to display on your mantle or as a dinner party centerpiece. To burn, or not to burn, that is the question! If you do decide to burn these, they are all made by hand out of clean-burning natural wax.
Hannah Candle BY Bonam Kim
Hand made, 100% organic bee & soy wax. Made in Brooklyn, New York.
"In Korean, Hannah means one, for Judaism, heavenly grace, in Arabic it represents happiness, within Japan, a flower, while in Maori, it's the act of glowing. I designed my candle to honor that immanent beauty and humanity." —Bonam Kim
GREENTREE HOME Pillar Candles
These sculptural beeswax pillar candles are hand poured from 100% pure North American beeswax made in Treadwell, NY. They coming in three sizes, ready to make a statement wherever you display them. They come individually in multiple colors or as color sets.
Glaze Studio U Candle
Glaze Studio’s U Candle is a hand poured, dual burning candle made of 100% white beeswax. It is secured in place by a solid brass holder, which wraps atop the candle’s lofted base. Drawing on sculpture and utility, they reimagined the experience of burning a candle by reinterpreting how conventional tapers are secured, molded, and used.
They also sell beautiful wooden matchboxes to go with it that can be custom engraved for a personalized gift.
ANURE CANDLES
Each candle is made individually with hand poured 100% natural soy wax with phthalate-free fragrance oil and a cotton wick.
Anure was founded in the light of the pandemic as more people found themselves staying in their homes. Their mission is to take you through the sensory journey in a playful way that adds more happiness into your daily life. Can be lit or used as unique decorative pieces.
NO PHTHALATES
Rose Uniacke Candle
Rose's fluted candle ‘Fireside’ is a wintery blend inspired by the scent of burning log fires, with sweet notes of vanilla and spices. They are hand poured and moulded from a blend of mineral and vegetable waxes. The candle is packaged using a recyclable card box and the wax candle itself is wrapped in a unique cello-wrap called NatureFlex™ which both biodegradable and compostable, making it one of the most eco-friendly packaging materials available.
Natural Filled Candles
Henry Rose CANDLES
Formulated in their bestselling scents using a clean blend of coconut, soy and vegetable waxes with a 100% cotton wick. Manufactured in small batches and hand-poured in California. Featured
HYPOALLERGENIC, NO PARABENS, NO PHTHALATES, NO FORMALDEHYDE, EWG VERIFIED, CRADLE TO CRADLE CERTIFIED, CRUELTY FREE
halcyon hotel CANDLES
Hand poured natural 100% soy wax candle made in Los Angeles. Your Halcyon Hotel candle comes with its own soundtrack, curated specially for your listening pleasure
MAISON LOUIS MARIE CANDLES
Maison Louis Marie composes delicate scents with a botanical tradition since 1792. The soy wax blends and unique floral fragrances are mindful of your body and the environment. No.04 Bois de Balincourt is our pick for a warm scent perfect for the holidays.
NO PARABENS, NO SULFATES, NO PHTHALATES, CRUELTY FREE, VEGAN
BOY SMELLS
Sensuous, accessible and bright, Boy Smells products are packaged in pink and conceived beyond the gender binary. Boy Smells candles are all developed and designed in Los Angeles with fragrance and natural oils, all-natural coconut wax and beeswax blends and braided cotton wicks. The candles are hand-poured in a reusable glass vessel and hand-labeled.
LE FEU DE L'EAU
Inspired by the “fantasy candle” of the late 60’s, the candles are created without using a mold and are sculpted under water with a high temperature wax. Colors are hand-mixed and fragrances are custom blended into a natural soy candle filling. Once interior candle is burned down, the colorful wax jar can be reused. Made in Los Angeles.
Overose CANDLES
Romantic, primitive and feminine — Overose is a luxury perfume house based in Paris. Overose is proud to produce all products as responsibly and naturally as possible. They believe that improving environmental and health conditions requires a high-performance sourcing policy and an increase in the use of organic and natural oils. All candles are formulated with a special in-house botany blend of essential oils, non-classical floral essences and wax that burns cleanly. The colored wax matches the signature monochromatic pink design.
NO PHTHALATES, CRUELTY FREE, VEGAN
P.F. CANDLE CO
P.F. Candle Co. is a handmade fragrance goods company, owned and operated by wife and husband team Kristen Pumphrey & Thomas Neuberger. The candles are made with 100% domestically-grown soy wax, fine fragrance oils, and cotton-core wicks. The fragrances they use are paraben-free, phthalate-free, and are never (ever) tested on animals. Golden Coast is the perfect gift for a home sick California.
NO PARABENS, NO PHTHALATES, CRUELTY FREE
Otherland Candles
Hand-poured, soy & coconut wax blend in premium glassware with wick and wax sourced from leading American factories. Like us, Otherland wants your home to be a toxin-free zone, which is why they’re conscious of our ingredients — every candle never has parabens, sulfates, phthalates, and is always cruelty free.
NO PARABENS, NO SULFATES, NO PHTHALATES, CRUELTY FREE