Luxury Candle Ethical Scorecards

Our Scorecards Below in Full

So here we are, in no particular order- our top ten chosen luxury candle brands and how they score on ethics and sustainability

Brand	Byredo	Aesop	Bamford	Neom	Neal's Yard	Jo Malone	Malin + Goetz	Le Labo	Miller Harris	Diptyque
Wax	Paraffin Blend	Paraffin/Soy	"Natural Blend"	Soy Blend	Organic Natural	Paraffin Blend	Soy Blend	Soy	Soy and Rapeseed	Paraffin
Fragrance	Synthetic	Some Synthetic	Some Synthetic	100% Natural	100% Natural	Synthetic	Synthetic	Synthetic	Some Synthetic	Synthetic
Vessel Recyclable	Not Declared	No	Yes	Not Declared	Not Declared	Not Declared	No	Not Declared	Not Declared	Yes
Refills?	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Packaging Recyclable?	Yes	Partly	Unclear	Not Declared	Not Declared	No	Not Declared	Yes	Yes	Yes
Manufacturing 100% Renewable Energy	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Made in	France	France	UK	Unclear "finished in UK"	UK	UK	USA	USA	UK	France
Corporate Owner?	Puig	L'oreal	Bamford Group	No	No	Estee Lauder	Manzanita Capital	Estee Lauder	Neo Investment Partners	Manzanita Capital
RRP	£70 for 240g	£83 for 300g	£52 for 220g	£38 for 180g	£38 for 190g	£56 for 200g	£58 for 255g	£68 for 245g	£55 for 220g	£58 for 190g
Overall Score	2/8	1/8	3.5/8	3/8	6/8	2.5/8	0.5/8	2.5/8	2.5/8	2.5/8

Byredo

Do place their candles in recyclable packaging, but no mention of ability to recycle the vessels on their website. Largely synthetic ingredients in the candles themselves. Manufacturing still not powered by renewable electricity. Owner Puig does have some progressive environmental policies, but the pervasiveness of this can clearly be seen in this candle. They also have links to animal testing and the fur industry. 2/8

Aesop

For a brand centred on conscious wellness and being in tune with nature, Aesop score surprisingly poorly on our scale. Using paraffin wax and synthetic fragrance may give them more scope for scent creativity but isn’t good for the environment- or the air. Their ceramic vessels are described as “reusable” but not recyclable and the packaging can’t be fully recycled either. Their contract manufacturer in France doesn’t use 100% renewable energy and L’oreal's record when it comes to environmental and social practices is well documented. 1/8

Bamford

The squeaky clean conscious living brand gets mixed results here. With a reliance on an unspecified "natural wax blend" (some pages state that they are made with a rapeseed and beeswax blend but specifics on some are more vague), and some synthetic fragrances alongside the natural, their vessels are recyclable but no specific information about packaging is available on their website. Their candles aren’t made with 100% renewable energy and they don’t offer refills. Candles are made in the UK however. Greenwashing is a potential issue here- note the careful wording of their description "made with natural fragrance"- this may be true, but there are also synthetics used which are not highligted in the product description. The use of phrases such as "use of lead-free wicks" is also a minor red flag- leaded wicks have been banned since the 1970s so there is really no need to make this claim. Although Bamford Group sells itself as a sustainable lifestyle brand along Daylesford organic farm and some holiday properties, there's a question as to how much of this is marketing-led. You can make up your own mind by researching online. 3.5/8

Neom

Neom do use soy in their wax blend which leads them to get an amber mark, but they do use natural fragrances. There’s no real information about packaging recyclability on their site and they don’t offer refills or commit to renewable energy in manufacture. Candles are made in the UK and there’s no large corporate owner. Worth pointing out however that Neom were previously successfully sued for making unsubstantiated claims about their candles being “organic”, so there is a past record of greenwashing. 4/8

Neals Yard

The sustainability-minded natural wellness brand has done a pretty good job here with their sustainability credentials. Manufacturing with some certified organic ingredients and all natural fragrance. There’s no specific information about vessel and packaging recyclability and processes on their site. Their candles are made in their own UK factory which runs on 100% renewable energy and the company is still family owned. They don’t offer refills at present. Some "above and beyond" efforts at sourcing ethical ingredients demonstrates a real level of commitment and understanding of sustainability issues. A pretty good choice, and the only company to score green on our chart. 6/8

Jo Malone

A synthetic fragrance blend with paraffin wax along with non-recyclable packaging show that Jo Malone is mainly about branding and profit margins over sustainability. They do get a green mark for renewable manufacturing though, and their candles are made in the UK. Estee Lauder don’t rank well in social responsibility scales and are involved in animal testing. 2.5/8

Malin and Goetz

A fairly poor overall record for Malin + Goetz with not much to show for any sort of sustainability effort. Owned by a corporate investment fund designed to maximise growth and returns over environmental progression. 1/8

Le Labo

A soy wax and synthetic fragrance blend don’t shout environmental focus, but their packaging is simple and recyclable at least and their contract manufacturer uses 100% renewable electricity. Another Estee Lauder company. 3/8

Miller Harris

Miller Harris use a natural wax blend but it does include soy. With some synthetic fragrance and no information about vessel recycling, environmental responsibility seems secondary here. Their packaging is recyclable however and candles are made in the UK. Owned by a private equity company with the aim of maximising profit and growth. 3/8

Diptyque

Diptyque use synthetic wax and fragrance and don’t use renewable energy for manufacturing. They do have a decent transparency section on their website however and their vessels and packaging are both recyclable. Refills aren’t offered on their standard line, though they do have a (much more expensive) refillable line. Owned by Manzanita, with maximising profit the overall aim. 2.5/8

We've made every effort to ensure the above is accurate as of the date of publication (Sep 2025). If you spot any errors, omissions or need for clarification please do let us know in the comments below. We take no responsibility for any decisions or effects resulting from your use of the information above. It has been compiled in good faith based on publicly available information.

If you'd like us to include any other brands, please reach out in the comments too