Candles are more than just a source of light or fragrance. They’re symbols of warmth, tranquillity, and a sense of home. When you light a candle, you’re not just burning wax, you’re creating an atmosphere. But what goes into making that perfect candle? Today, we're taking you behind the scenes to show you the intricate art and science behind the creation of a luxury candle.

The Inspiration: Every Candle Starts with a Story

Every candle begins with a spark of inspiration. Whether it’s a memory of a summer vacation, a cosy winter’s night, or a bouquet of fresh flowers, the story is where the journey starts. For us, creating a new candle involves thinking about the mood we want to evoke.

Are we aiming for a fresh, invigorating scent that reminds you of a morning walk through a dewy forest, or do we want to create a rich, sultry fragrance that feels like a warm embrace? The creative process behind each candle requires an understanding of how scents influence emotions and how different fragrances can be combined to tell a cohesive story.

Sourcing the Materials: Sustainability and Quality

Once the concept is set, it's time to source the raw materials. For luxury candles, the ingredients make all the difference. The wax, wick, and fragrance oils must all be carefully selected. Where we can we opt for sustainable, eco-friendly materials because quality doesn’t have to come at the cost of the planet.

First, we choose a wax base. There are many options: soy, beeswax, coconut wax, and paraffin. For our luxury candles, we opt for mineral and rapeseed used by many high quality candle brands offering a superior fragrance throw and lovely white colour.

Next, we select the wicks. The wick's material and thickness are vital to ensuring a clean, even burn. Cotton wicks are our go-to for their eco-friendliness and low smoke output. The wrong wick can lead to a poor burn or wasted wax, so every choice matters.

Fragrance oils are where the magic truly happens. Crafting the perfect scent requires patience and precision. Each scent is composed of top, middle, and base notes that harmonize to create a balanced fragrance. We test and retest options, tweaking ratios until we achieve the perfect result.

The Pouring Process: Where Craftsmanship Meets Precision

Now, onto the technical part. Once we have our materials ready, the wax is melted at just the right temperature. Melting and pouring the wax at the wrong temperatures can cause the candle to not hold the fragrance well. After the wax is melted, it’s time to add the fragrance oils. This is one of the most crucial steps, as adding the oils at the wrong temperature can alter the final scent.

The next step is to pour the wax into the candle vessels. This requires precision, as even a slight miscalculation can result in air pockets, cracks, or uneven tops. The vessels must be prepped beforehand by ensuring the wick is properly placed and centred. Pouring too quickly or too slowly can result in imperfections in the final product. Here at Elm and Grey we pour by hand and in small batches to ensure our candle quality is maintained.

Once the candles are poured, they must cure. The curing process allows the wax to fully bond with the fragrance oils, which enhances the scent throw when the candle is finally lit. Curing times vary before they’re ready for a final test burn.

The Test Burn: Perfecting the Flame

Before any candle batches leave our workshop, it goes through a rigorous test burn. This involves lighting the candle and observing how it performs over several long burns. We check for an even melt pool, steady flame, and ensure there’s no smoking or tunnelling. The fragrance throw, both cold and hot, is also evaluated. If the candle doesn’t meet our high standards, we adjust and start the process over.

In addition, in recent months we have recruited a testing panel for our new fragrances directly from our customer base.  We are very grateful for these contributions and viewpoints.

If you are interested in joining our testing panel for future candles in our range please write us an email enquiries@elmandgrey.com explaining why you think joining our panel will help us ensure our quality and appeal are maintained.  

The Final Touch: Packaging and Presentation

The last step is packaging the candle. Presentation can be as important as the product itself. Each candle is carefully packaged to reflect the luxury experience we want our customers to have from the moment they open the box. Whether it's a sleek minimalist design of our Deluxe Candles or a more ornate presentation of our smaller Luxe candles, our goal is to create an unboxing experience that adds to the pleasure of owning a luxury candle.  That said – we take our pledge to be progressive with our eco-friendly goals so we also have an unboxed option available in our candle range.

Making a candle might seem like a simple process, but there’s a world of craftsmanship and care behind each one. From sourcing quality materials to perfecting fragrance blends and ensuring a flawless burn, each step is vital to creating a product that not only smells divine but burns beautifully. When you light one of our candles, you're experiencing the culmination of artistry, precision, and a lot of love.