Among all vegan products, candles are perhaps the most complicated to determine the origin of the material, as unlike food, their compositions are often not found on the label, if they have a label at all, making it difficult (or impossible) to determine the vegan status of candles.
In terms used in today’s market (in marketing), such as “vegan,” “vegan-friendly,” or “cruelty-free,” there are huge differences. The question is simple: does the material contain ingredients of animal origin? Is it enough to trust the manufacturers’ answer: “It does not contain ingredients of animal origin, we swear.”?
I make candles, and do not believe me on my word, because there are many reasons for this. I support Manchester United (and Olimpija), I drive a Suzuki (previously German and French cars), I have an Airedale Terrier (I also love cats), I have been smoking for over thirty years (currently IQOS), and so on…
Simply put, candle makers (sometimes just “chandlers”) have been making candles from materials purchased on the market for over 1,000 years. And that will not change. We work with materials supplied to us, and we will never be able to say that any ingredient is 100% accurate, because… if they lie to me, I lie to you too.
If the material contains a percentage of paraffin, the candles are not vegan, because paraffin is a derivative of oil, of fossil origin, and who knows what fossil residues contain. Maybe even human tissue!?
If it contains stearin – they are not vegan, because it is of animal origin and is added to increase the melting point, so the candle can be properly shaped in the mold. It usually contains about 10% stearin.
If the material contains beeswax – the candles are not vegan, because bees are additionally tortured (with human selection, killing queens, and the like).
Fortunately, today we have organizations that deal with this. They determine whether a particular product is vegan or not and give it a seal, a certificate.
The same applies here. If this organization lies to me, I lie to you too.
Candlemaster Ltd has certified five of its products. Why only five and not all? Simply put: it costs. It costs, on an annual basis.
The V-labes certificate for vegan candles has been awarded to the following three products: My Baby, eTNA, and DRY Dry Wax.
Today, these are the only certified vegan candles in Europe (and we are proud of that).
The V-Label is an internationally recognised, registered symbol for labeling vegan and vegetarian products and services.
