Do you make candles with essential oils and absolutes? Do you wish they had more 'throw'? (For those who don't know the term 'throw' - it's the amount of distance the candle scent is detected after the wick is lit.)
This blog is a bit about me and what I believe is a great discovery in
room fragrance products made by natural perfumers - but it's really more
about
You. And how to make a wonderful, highly-scented room
fragrance product that may delegate your scented candles to a secondary
place in your product line.
I'll bet your #1 complaint is that there is little 'throw'. I've heard this lament for decades, since the first aromatherapy candles appeared on the market. Most aromatherapists instead turn to aromatherapy 'oil burners' to scent a room. My problem with using them is that despite how much water your put in
the reservoir to 'float' the oils, they tended to scorch the oils if you
didn't watch them carefully. This happened many times. I confess I
did scorch one tiny, tiny wax melt, the sample size, but that's because I
was testing it in a new burner where the tea candle was too close to
the reservoir. Other than that, the regular size wax melts perform
beautifully. Electric oil warmers don't work well with beeswax, they
don't get hot enough, so the tea candle warmer is the way to go.
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| Aromatherapy oil burner - essential oils and water are placed in the glass dish and the tea candle below warms them, making the room fragrant. This type of burner is also used for wax melts. |
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| A piece of Lemon Vetiver Room Candy beeswax melt from Anya's Garden |
I launched my line of room fragrance products, Room Candy, in July. What are they? They're easy-to-make room fragrance wax "melts" aka "tarts" that I formed into decorative shapes by pouring the wax and fragrant essential oil mix into vintage candy and cookie molds. Very simple, very fragrant!
These are not just another pretty product, they are actually
revolutionary in the world of natural perfumery. Why? Every natural
perfumer I know has struggled with making naturally-scented candles.
The demand for scented candles is great, but the results of the
fragrance "throw" using only natural aromatics are dismal. Your customers will still want candles - there is something about the ambiance of candles that is so beautiful. However, in the long run, they will turn to your wax melts with the simple tea light candle to provide continual, strong fragrance for their homes and offices.
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| The packaging I chose for Room Candy - seven pieces, equal to a 3oz candle by weight. However, the scent dispersion and multiple uses of each piece greatly outperform a candle. |
By sharing the details on wax melts, I want to make the transition to, or the addition of, this product easy for those who have already sunk lots of money and time into developing natural candle lines. For those who have not contemplated making candles, but like the idea of making room fragrances, this blog is also for you.
I use organic beeswax pellets, not soy wax. I shy away from soy wax because I have not been convinced there is any real non-GMO soy wax. 98% of the soybeans grown in the USA are GMO products, and I won't use them. Soy wax is softer than beeswax, and will melt in an electric oil burner, but for beeswax melts, I recommend a tea candle burner
Starting out, I used the recommended one ounce of essential oil per pound of beeswax, which is the norm for candles. It's too much for wax melts. Wax melts are so efficient at dispersing scent, aka, they have great 'throw', that the melts were too strong! I sent about thirty wax melts out to beta testers, and got responses that convinced me that one melt could scent several rooms, even those with high ceilings. Several testers reported that they blew out the tea candle after 20 minutes or so, the scent was so strong.
Candle makers - have you ever had that feedback? I don't think so.
I hand pour the melted beeswax and essential oil blend into vintage candy and cookie molds, but simple little muffin trays would do well. You'll get a simple disc wax melt using muffin trays, and I'd recommend making them less than 1/2".
Another benefit of wax melts that you don't get with candles? If the customer wishes, they can remove the 'spent' wax melt and put it in a pouch or cloth and use it as a drawer or closet sachet, since they always retain some scent. The ultimate in recycling! Oh, and some use them to polish wood furniture, since beeswax has been used for that purpose for centuries. Quite a nice multiple-use product, and it's bound to appeal to your customers.
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| Oil/wax burner that is probably the easiest to remove the spent melt from. |
I've found that removing the spent melt from the burner can vary in difficulty. If you have a highly-polished, shallow surface, like the white burner shown below, it's relatively easy. After the wax has cooled (after multiple uses, since they're so longlived!), place the burner in the freezer for 20 minutes or so, and then take it out, and gently push the tip of a paring knife or other sharp object against one edge, and it should pop right out.
With the "curly" burner shown above, the deep well may pose a bit of a problem. Try the freezer and 'pop' method, and if that doesn't work, light the tea candle briefly, until you see the bottom of the melt liquify, and slide it out.
That's it. I hope to encourage natural perfumers to take up this wonderful way to expand your product line and bring the beautiful natural aromatics to your customers. It's always nice to wean people away from synthetic scents, and with the market for plug-ins, synthetic melts and other consumer products, it's nice to offer a natural alternative to your customers. Especially one that works!
I'd love to hear feedback from candle makers. Are you going to try to make wax melts? Do you feel they'd enhance your product line?
Customers - are you intrigued and enticed by having a truly room-filling easy-to-use room fragrance product from a natural perfumer?
