FAQ
We use two types of wax for our candles
Our new signature wax is used in our core and dýr range and is made in the UK from a blend of rapeseed and coconut oil, with a high proportion of British grown rapeseed and certified organic coconut oil. There's also a small amount of sustainable castor oil in there to aid performance.
This is highly sustainable, and certified vegan
We wanted to steer clear of polluting petrochemicals and shady soy products that contribute to deforestation
Rapeseed oil production emits the least carbon of any common vegetable oil. The flowers are also bee-friendly, and contribute to pollination and biodiversity
Coconut wax comes from coconut flesh. Coconut trees require very little in the way of pesticides and have a low requirement for artificial irrigation- plus they're not associated with deforestation
While it's possible to obtain organic European soy traced from farm to fork, this isn't the same for candle wax. The consumer demand for transparency isn't big enough when it comes to candles. Most soy worldwide comes from genetically modified monoculture megafarms, where biodiversity is low and forests often destroyed to make space for more agriculture. That's not what we're about
And paraffin wax? Well, I'm sure we don't have to say any more there...
Our previous core range candles used a 100% coconut and rapeseed blend, and are paraffin and soy free as well as being vegan
Our organic wax is blended for us in the UK, and is certified organic by the soil association. It uses a blend of European rapeseed oil and organic beeswax, along with coconut, carnauba and palm oil. The palm oil used can be traced back to a single plantation in Colombia, which was converted from cattle grazing land over 100 years ago, so we are confident that our palm oil is sustainably sourced.
This pollinator-positive blend is great for the environment, with farming practices encouraging biodiversity. As this wax contains bee products, it isn't vegan. However, the bees are very well looked after, adhering the stringent Soil Association organic standard.
We only use 100% pure natural essential oils in our candles
No synthetics, no "fragrance oils"
We source these oils as sustainably as possible and actively avoid oils that are not sustainable, while seeking sustainable alternatives
For example, we will not use rosewood oil and instead use ho wood oil, which is a similar but sustainable alternative that avoids over-exploitation of the rosewood tree
We constantly reassess sustainability and look for oils and suppliers with the best sustainability credentials so that we can showcase our beautiful natural world without harming it
We actively seek and partner with small and community producers of essential oils from developing countries. This helps to provide fair and stable income for those living in poverty, and also helps to protect their natural world by encouraging good environmental stewardship and discouraging overharvesting. In the interests of good governance and transparency, the oils we buy in this way are independently certified organic and sustainable by leading certification bodies
Please note that all of our candle fragrance formulas are independently assessed and labelled with any potential allergen or toxicity causing chemicals as per UK and EU law. All fragrances and natural oils are composed of chemicals. We understand that the chemical names may look a little offputting if you aren't familiar with them, but they do not mean that we are using any synthetic, unnatural or ultra-processed products in our products
Our products are all safe for the environment when used in the intended way and any residual product disposed of in the correct manner
Our organic essential oils are all independently certified organic
Unlike some companies, we do not use the word "organic" to refer to anything other than properly certified organic ingredients, and are clear in our labelling about exactly what goes into our products
Our new core and dýr range wicks are made a high tech patented construction natural fibre dipped in 100% sunflower wax. These meet our stringent quality and performance standards, which are difficult to achieve in candles with a high proportion of essential oils.
We are phasing out out previous cotton and linen blend wicks, which had a very thin paraffin coating. We are pleased to now be able to offer candles that are 100% natural from start to finish, though during the transition period you may still receive a candle with these wicks. Please do contact us if this is an issue and we will do our best to accommodate your needs
Our organic range uses cotton wicks with a vegetable wax (paraffin-free) coating. These work perfectly with the organic wax blend we use for these candles. Unfortunately there are currently no "certified organic" wicks on the market, but these are the most natural and sustainable option we could source
Our candle jars are made from 100% recyclable glass. The bottom labels are made from recycled paper
For our core range, we use Flexihex Air wraps which are made from 100% recycled paper/card, and are lightweight. These are boxed in 100% recycled card boxes, with a lightweight labelling sleeve made from 80% recycled and 20% FSC certified fibres
If you've ordered online, your candle box will be wrapped in recycled paper, then packaged in a 100% recycled cardboard box and taped with recycled paper tape
Our packaging is completely plastic free, lightweight, recyclable, and purposely free of any frills/additional labels and trinkets to aid recycling
This is sustainable luxury with the emphasis on sustainability
For some candles, we may include a reusable candle coaster. These are always designed to complement your home and encourage long term reuse. They will always be made of sustainable, upcycled or recycled materials (see individual details on product pages)
Our organic range utilises a biodegradable cradle made from mycelium and straw, which is suitable for home or industrial composting. The outer sleeve is made from recycled paper combined with British wildflower seeds, and can be grown into a flowerbed in your garden or a pot. The glue used is biodegradable.
Due to the use of entirely natural wax and oils, our candles can be a bit sensitive to temperature and show surface cracks and blemishes if they have been exposed to cold conditions
These are usually entirely cosmetic and will melt away (literally) as you burn your candle. They do not affect performance
We're grateful of your acceptance of these artefacts as part of the experience of our highly sustainable candles
If you do feel you are experiencing issues affecting the performance/enjoyment of your candle please do get in touch and we'd love to discuss and make any problems right
Our candle jars are purposely kept simple but attractive, so they look great in your home and are easy to repurpose or recycle afterwards
Of course, the most sustainable option is to repurpose your jar as a plant pot, pencil pot or anything else you can think of around the home (please do send us your ideas and inspiration!)
You can't repurpose or recycle a candle jar that's dirty or still has wick remnants inside, so please do clean out the jar before reusing or popping in the recycling bin
You can do this in a number of ways- please be careful when handling hot glass or wax though!
Our natural wax melts at a low temperature (between 40 and 50 degrees C) so you don't have to get them super-hot to clean out
You can try resting the used candle in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes, popping in the oven for 10 minutes at 50 degrees, or putting them in the freezer for a couple of hours and scraping out the wax.
If you're using a warm method, simply pour the residual melted wax into the bin (never down the sink!), then detach the wick remnant along with its sticky pad and pop these in the bin too before wiping out the jar with a piece of scrap paper or kitchen roll.
You can then rinse out the jar with a bit of soapy water and leave it to dry off
Our candles are made only from 100% natural wax and essential oils
All essential oils contain a combination of molecules that gives them their unique scents and characteristics. Even natural products can cause allergies, irritation or damage to the environment if not used in their intended way- that's why there are strict laws governing the use and labelling of these products.
Don't worry, our candles are perfectly safe when used as intended, and all essential oils are within the levels permitted for their product class.
However, please note- residual candle contents should be disposed of in the bin and never down the drain. Please don't pour melted wax down the sink, or try washing out used candle jars in the dishwasher. Not only is this likely to cause clogging of your drains or break the dishwasher, but many essential oils are harmful to aquatic life and it's important to avoid discharging them into the waterways.
We test all of our candles and fragrance combinations to ensure that they give a consistently good burn and great scent when used as intended
However, you'll get the most out of your candle if you follow a few rules:
-Burn your candle away from any drafts or breezes. Not only does this help the wax to melt evenly, it also helps to prevent the flame or wax blowing and coming into contact with anything else in your house- reducing the risk of fire
- Burn your candle until the wax pool has completely melted across the top of the candle. Repeatedly burning for shorter periods will cause "tunneling" of the wax, making it impossible to burn it all and meaning that some of that lovely fragranced wax will be wasted
-Trim the wick to 1cm between burns. It's tempting just to relight your candle between burns without doing this, but trimming the wick helps to improve the consistency of your candle burning, and reduces the risk of large flames which might cause injury- or simply cause your candle to burn down more quickly than you'd like
-Use a coaster or suitable heat resistant surface. Candles do get hot at the bottom, particularly later on in life. Using a coaster can help to protect your precious furniture from burns or heat marks. If you need some inspiration, our dýr range of candles come with a beautiful reclaimed wood coaster included in the box.
-As our candles are all natural, we've found that the wax can often settle a little lumpy or with small holes in when set after a burn. Don't worry- this won't affect the quality of the next burn or your ability to relight the candle.
-Don't burn a candle for less than 2 hours or more than 4 hours
-You may notice that our wicks "mushroom" a bit. This can be fixed by blowing the candle out, trimming the wick and relighting. For more explanation of why our candles do this, please read the "why is my wick mushrooming?" FAQ
Well, you get all the boring but useful stuff like being able to look up past orders, save address and payment details for future orders (all protected with industry standard encryption of course)
We promise you won't get lots of spam or marketing emails (and we won't sell your details to anyone else)
We want to make it exciting for you to be part of the family too (if you like that sort of thing!) so we plan to create a members area with exclusive content, and to introduce perks for our regular customers such as free gifts and exclusive items- watch this space for future developments!
There are two main reasons we can't make all of our candles organic
Firstly, there are only a limited number of essential oils available as "certified organic" on the market, and their availability and price can fluctuate significantly. This limits the choices for our fragrance blends.
Secondly, the cost of raw materials for our organic candles is much higher, which has to be reflected in our retail prices. Although our candles are luxury products, we are also committed to offering sustainable products across a range of price points.
We are committed to expanding our core and organic ranges as well as improving sustainability in both wherever possible. We'd love to hear any feedback or suggestions you might have too!
We've recently started using a wax blend that incorporates organic coconut oil as standard and are also incorporating some certified organic essential oils across our core fragrance line to ensure all of our products give the maximum environmental and social benefit possible
We know it's nice to see a logo from an independent certifier on your product. As a small business, the costs of certification are prohibitively expensive, along with the difficulty of adhering to (or at least proving adherence to) certain parts of the standards that you may not even be aware of. The standards also limit flexibility in changing suppliers for certain things without recertification, causing further difficulties
We may look at this further as the business grows, but in the meantime we are committed to making transparent and honest claims about our products (and to improving sustainability wherever we can, which is why we exist in the first place)
The ingredients in our organic candles (wax and essential oils) are all independently certified by the relevant certification bodies, and are purchased from the certificate-holding manufacturers directly, then blended in-house
We adhere to general principles to avoid contamination, such as using a completely separate wax-melting machine and equipment for our organic products and non-organic ones
The wicks in our organic candles are natural but not organic certified- there is currently no organic wick available for sale on the wholesale market and we do not have the facility to manufacture our own wicks.
We are happy to provide organic certification details for any of our ingredients or to answer any specific questions you might have about our manufacturing or production process
We hate "greenwashing" as much as you do, and are committed to transparency and sustainability in all aspects of our business
Yes you can! We're super excited to announce that most Kyrra candles are now refillable
Even better, refills are interchangeable across most of our candles- so if you've used up one and fancy a different fragrance in the same vessel you can
All of our "core" candle range are interchangeable, as well as our super-premium "Eventyr" candle
Our organic candles use a different shape of vessel so aren't interchangeable with the others, but refills are available for those too
We also offer refills for our mini candles, but unfortunately not for our travel candles due to the vessel shape (we did try making one but it didn't work out very well!)
Our travel candle vessel is completely recyclable but also designed to be reused, with a leakproof lid suitable for carrying creams and pastes as well as solid objects
Great question!
Kyrra candles are different to most, if not all candles you might have seen in the past
Because our candles are made with only pure essential oils, not synthetic or synthetic/natural blends (and because we use a higher amount of fragrance than most candle brands), our candles need a bit more "wicking power", as the oils are a little more viscous and don't absorb into the wick as easily
When we started out, we tried every sort of completely natural wick we could to get our candles to burn properly- but could only find a cotton and linen blend with a thin paraffin coating that worked. We used these wicks for a while as we searched for a better alternative with zero paraffin (you may still buy a candle with one of these wicks- the paraffin is just a very thin coating on the wick, and we have never used any paraffin in our candle wax blend)
We have almost finished introducing a new all-natural sunflower oil coated wick across the entire range
This manages to achieve the performance we need by a special high-tech 3D weaving process
Essentially, as it burns, the tight cotton fibre uncoils and creates 3 little wicks, which increase the surface area for wax absorption, as well as spreading the heat further and making the wax pool wider so your candle melts to the edge better. After a longer burn (usually when exceeding the recommended maximum 4 hours), this effect can sometimes become exaggerated.
You can easily remedy this by snuffing the candle, trimming the wick to between 5 and 10mm, and relighting
Short answer: No. Not inherently anyway
Palm oil is a natural pressed oil taken from the oil palm tree. It's great in candles as it burns cleanly and without toxic chemicals, and holds scent well.
The main problem with palm oil is that it has been a victim of its own success- because it's so useful for a wide range of purposes, and is mainly grown in the developing world, temptation to deforest and plant it unsustainably means that palm oil (a bit like soy) is now mainly harvested in an unsustainable way.
The palm oil we use is different. It comes from a smallholder farm that is sustainably managed and was converted from pastureland over 100 years ago. Not only does this meet the highest standards of sustainability, but it's certified by both the Soil Association and the RSPO's highest certification grade "identity preserved".
For those interested in the fine detail- there are 4 levels of RSPO "sustainability" accreditation. The palm oil supply chain is complex, and in most cases oil of various origins is mixed together somewhere along the line. Using a "mass balance" certification means that a certain amount of sustainable oil has been purchased, but the actual oil used may come from a number of plantations- some of which haven't been sustainably planted.
Our palm oil is exclusively certified using the much more expensive yet much more transparent "identity preserved" level. This means that the palm oil in our candles is traceable down to the exact plantation we use, and is completely separated from any other palm oil on the way to us. So we know exactly what we're getting (and so do you)