A candle always makes a great gift – for yourself, or someone else. Wondering where to find the best organic candles? Read on!
By Lora O’Brien
Whatever the occasion, an organic scented candle is the perfect gift: it’s less fattening than chocolate, less expensive than jewellery and longer lasting than flowers! They make us feel cosy in winter, and make baths more luxurious all year round.
The only issue is this: most scented candles on the market emit a toxic mix of what are known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
According to the American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), VOCs are found not only in candles, but also other common household items, like:
- paints, paint strippersand other solvents
- wood preservatives
- aerosol sprays
- cleansers and disinfectants
- air fresheners
- stored fuels and automotive products
- hobby supplies
- dry-cleaned clothing
- pesticide
- building materials and furnishings
- office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluids and carbonless copy paper
- graphics and craft materials including glues and adhesives, permanent markers and photographic solutions
- home scents, sprays and candles
The effect they can have on the body can be mild, or quite serious. Symptoms from inhaling them can include stuffy or runny nose, skin irritation, headache, dizziness, irritated mood, fatigue and nausea. Over time, inhaling VOCs can lead to organ damage, liver and kidney damage, and even cancer.
Why Organic Candles Are Better
Due to the effects of VOCs, it’s obviously important to ensure you’re only using naturally scented candles. But there are other reasons organic candles are better, too.
For example, paraffin.
This is a petroleum-based wax that’s used in most cheap candles. It may release carcinogenic soot when burned. For that reason, look for candles made from vegetable wax (like soy, beeswax, or non-GMO corn). But be super careful: if your candle isn’t proudly organic, the wick could be coated in paraffin.
Here’s our list of some of the best organic candles in the world, selected not only for their natural ingredients, but for their beautiful packaging, too.
Where To Find The Best Organic Luxury Candles
1. Cire Trudon
This centuries-old French company is considered to be the ‘Rolls Royce’ of organic luxury candles! They have made them for the likes of Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV. The hand-blown glass vessel is still adorned with the brand’s signature gold Gosset stamp.
Today, they use the same formula of naturally scented oils and beeswax. The rich aroma of the candle lingers long after the flame is extinguished. Our favourite scent? The wood/honey scented Parquets de Versailles, which evokes lazy Sundays spent in French museums.
Price: Around $125
Where: Worldwide
Burn time: 55-60 hours
Best for: Men and women with great taste and style; Francophones
2. NEOM Organics
This much loved British company produces simple, pure soy based candles in complex, layered scents like pine, myrrh and lime or white neroli, mimosa and lemon. Our favourite? The relaxing Perfect Bliss fragrance, which combines 17 essential oils, including Moroccan rose, black pepper and fresh lime.
Price: Around $50 for a 3 wick-candle
Where: Worldwide
Burn time: 50 hours
Best for: Pretty, feminine elegance
3. Bamford Organics
Handcrafted in the UK, Bamford Organics is a favourite organic home wear brand with British celebrities, including Kate Moss. Their soy wax candles are blended with pure essential oils, such as frankincense, lavender, orange, basil, juniper, sandalwood and balsam. Finished off in a frosted-glass vessel, these are some of the best organic candles to lend an elegant touch to any home interior.
Price: Around $40
Burn time: 30 hours
Where: UK
Best for: Minimalist elegance
4. PF Candle Co.
These are some of the best organic candles for those who love to keep it simple! They’re soy-based, and feature delicious scents inspired by nature. They’re hand-poured into reusable apothecary-inspired amber glass jars with a brass lid.
One of our favourite scents is their Cedar & Sagebrush fragrance. It’s aromatic, dry and woody, with juniper and cypress top notes, fading into sage, cardamom, cedar and other green scents.
Price: Around $25
Burn time: 30-40 hours
Where: USA, ships worldwide
Best for: Rustic, woody scents and a great, reusable jar
5. Pairfum Candles
If you’re looking for a long-lasting candle you can burn without the fear of toxic, black smoke polluting the room and decor, then Pairfum Candles are ideal. Their 100% biodegradable and natural soy wax candles not only look lovely in your home, but also release the purest of perfumes, delicately scenting your environment.
And the best part? You simply choose your fragrance from their array of perfumes to create a custom-made candle. Scents to select from include: Cognac & Vanilla, Cedar Noir, or Magnolias in Bloom, for example.
Price: Around $25
Where: UK
Burn time: 40 hours
Best for: Custom-made candles; beautiful gift boxes
6. AMEN Candles
AMEN’s founder, Rodrigo Garcia Alvarez, makes some of the best organic candles in the world.
He’s passionate about the relationship between sustainability, luxury and health. For that reason, he, along with wellness expert Dr. Simrat Kaur, created candles that are guided by the concept of the body’s 7 chakras. Each scent corresponds to a different chakra, and is meant to open and soothe it.
Their natural waxes are hand-poured in Grasse, a French town on that’s synonymous with fragrance. Housed in a reusable porcelain vessel crafted in Limoges, the candles are packaged in carbon-negative, biodegradable boxes made of mushroom and agricultural waste.
Price: Around $30
Where: Worldwide
Burn time: 40 hours
Best for: The spiritually-minded
7. Baobab Luxury Candles
Baobab Collection’s huge, 5kg candles are some of the most luxurious candles around! They’re expertly crafted from the highest quality natural wax and formulated by master perfumers in Grasse. And get this: instead of being poured into glasses, they’re set a stunning, hand-blown glass vessel. Remove the label, and it becomes a decorative vase when the candle is depleted.
Price: Around $325
Where: UK
Burn time: 400 hours – yep, you read that right!
Best for: This is one of the best organic candles for giving as a beautiful, luxurious gift
8. Aromatherapy Associates
This brand makes some of the best organic candles for those who really feel the power of aromatherapy.
Each one is blended with the equivalent of two 10ml bottles of the brand’s pure essential oils, which explains the powerful therapeutic aromas they emit. Hand-poured in the UK from natural soy wax, these candles are the ideal companions to yoga classes, morning meditation sessions, or relaxing bubble baths.
Price: Around $69
Where: Worldwide
Burn time: 40 hours
Best for: Aromatherapy fans, of course!
9. M&J Candles
A luxury candle with an ethical message, M&J products just ooze sophistication. Their sleek, classically designed jar is reusable for toothbrushes, makeup, pencils…you name it! It was made from recycled glass to encase a beautifully scented eco-friendly candle.
Of course, only the finest soy wax and essential oils are used by M&J. Our pick boasts a juniper-and-citrus ‘martini’ scent. It reminds us of enjoying cocktails on a rooftop London bar in summer!
Price: Around $55
Where: UK
Burn time: 40 hours
Best for: Vintage-style elegance
10. Nula Soy
The name just says it all! These candles are made from organic soy, and are infused with a wide variety of organic essential oils with various aromatherapy objectives.
For example, this one below is called Blue Mountains, and evokes cool blues thanks to its blend of eucalyptus, cedar, lemon myrtle and peppermint. All were specially selected to leave you feeling restored and recharged.
Price: Around $40
Where: UK
Burn time: 35 hours
Best for: Cooling and refreshing the vibe in a room
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