Essential Oils- The Lowdown

What's really in them?

We think essential oils are great- we insist in using 100% essential oils in our candles (sure, they're expensive- in fact, the fragrance in our candles alone costs up to 10x more than the average high street fragranced candle), but we're committed to being completely natural, and to making candles that we think are the best smelling money can buy- no corners cut. But there are a few things you might want to know about essential oils:

What's so special about essential oils?

Essential oils are fragranced oils extracted directly from plants- often from all over the world, and often supporting smallholder farmers and independent growers, as opposed to fragrance oils made in factories, usually by modification of petrochemicals. They also contain a richer and more complex blend of molecules that can't be fully replicated by synthetic processes- in short, they often just smell better! Essential oils often have other health benefits as they contain other molecules found in the plant which aren't reproduced by a chemical manufacturing process- though in candles, we are mainly looking for the fragrance elements.

Are they sustainable?

Essential oils are sourced from all over the world- some are easy to extract and come from plentiful plants, some are more difficult to obtain, require a lot of plants for a small amount of oil, or only grow in very limited places. As a sustainable brand, just being "natural" isn't enough. Take sandalwood and rosewood for example- they smell amazing, but the trees have been exploited so much that they are becoming endangered. There are a few sources of sustainable sandalwood oil- but it's incredibly expensive. More than you'd be willing to pay to have it in a scented candle I'd warrant! So we don't use sandalwood or rosewood in any of our products- we look for sustainable alternatives, such as ho wood oil. Many essential oils are also extracted using processes that involve petrochemicals. Where possible, we try to use oils that are extracted using more environmentally friendly methods such as steam distillation. We'd love to use exclusively organic oils if we could- but unfortunately many essential oils can't be sourced in a "certified organic" version, and those that can are very expensive. However, stay tuned because we're working on an organic fragrance blend that we plan to release in future...

Are they non-toxic and chemical-free?

This may come as a shock, but essential oils are mostly composed of chemicals- that's what gives them their smell! And many are pretty toxic too. You may notice candle labels have lots of chemicals listed on them, and often have toxicity or hazard symbols too. UK and EU law stipulate that these need to be listed on candles, and they apply just as much to natural as synthetic fragrances. In fact, the only candles that don't need them are those made from wax alone with no added fragrance.

Don't worry though, our candles are perfectly safe when used as intended, and any residual contents disposed of appropriately (though do check the allergy information if you are known to be sensitive to any of the ingredients). Our formulas are all independently assessed and labelled appropriately.

You should, however, be very wary of anyone selling fragranced candles claiming to be "toxin free", or not labelled with the chemicals or warning symbols. Not only is the claim untrue and the lack of labelling illegal, it suggests that the person selling them hasn't taken care over the contents, hasn't tested them for safety, and is unlikely to have valid insurance were their products to cause a problem. We advise you not to buy candles from sellers not meeting these standards.

We are constantly looking for even more sustainable versions of our oils. Stay tuned for some blog posts highlighting particular oils we use and their production processes