LilyJane

I'm at my wits end with these soy wax melts. I gave up on melts, then people started asking for them, so I tried again...but every time I pour into my silicone molds, the wax forms massive crystals as it cools to the point where they grow huge lumps. I don't mind a lumpy candle top, but these just look hideous. They're very hard to level off with a heat gun because the wax splatters everywhere - I have to go at it bit by bit, letting them resolidify in between, which is too time consuming to be sustainable. I'm using Golden Brands 416 tart wax. Apparently they make another tart wax that supposedly reduces this issue: 494. Has anyone tried it? And has anyone had this issue with 416 and been able to prevent it somehow? I have tried: -preheating the molds -using a fan in the room to cool them faster -closing off the room so they cool slower (I don't have central air so there's no AC vent in the room either) -pouring hotter -pouring cooler -covering the molds after pouring to retain the heat So tired. Plz halp. Thanks!

@BusyBeeDid you make these flat paper wicks yourself, or are they available to buy somewhere? I’m looking for an alternative to my eco cotton braided wicks that I won’t need to adhere to the bottom of my container. I was going to try wooden wicks for this reason, but I don’t want to after reading so much negative feedback about wooden wicks. (I want to be able to place my wick into the melted wax and have it stay in place - the wood wick is heavy enough to do that.)

@TallTaylWhen you say “pre-mixing”, what do you mean?

So, for the powdered aroma chemicals, you just mix it into a wax that’s melted to a higher temp like 200? That’s pretty similar to how I mix in my retail FO’s. I’m sure it will take some practice, but it helps to start with some idea of how to do it!

I’m still trying to figure that out. I’ve been looking at the ones sold on perfumersworld.com, and they’re all powdered, so it seems they need to be liquefied. They’re also so pricey that it makes me wonder if something is usually added to them - if I used them in my candles in the same percentages I use my Candle Science FO’s, it would cost way more.

@TallTayl If di-Octyl Adipate isn’t super safe in candles, do you know what an alternative might be? I’ve been trying to figure out how to add aroma chemicals in my candles to create my own scents, but it seems like I have to use a solvent of some kind.

@TallTayl That is such valuable advice! I will certainly relay that if she and I revisit the opportunity. Thank you!

@TallTayl$100 for a bar of soap? Wow, congrats! I see what you mean about trying to sell weird scents online. Next year, I’ll have the opportunity to sell out of a retail space that sells cocktail kits, so I want to create cocktail-inspired scents. At first, the owner was interested in collaborating to create cocktail candles for her brand, but I was limited with what I could make for her because I had so much trouble finding individual scent notes to build such specific fragrances. It’s a bummer to have to say, “no, I can’t exactly make that.”

@TallTaylI can totally see why ordering custom scents from a fragrance lab would be wiser than relying on the supply of popular retailers, but I’m curious if you were ever concerned with other candle companies selling the same scents you are. That’s one issue for me buying from retailers - not a huge deal at the stage I’m at, but it seemed like one of the benefits of ordering from a lab would be that the scent could be exclusive to my brand. Aside from that, there are scents I want to create that I just can’t while I’m using the pre-blended fragrances from retailers. For example, I’ve been trying to create a raspberry pie scent for a wholesale customer, but I’m having to use “glazed doughnut” for the pie crust notes, so it’s not very accurate! Haha

@TallTaylIsn’t the idea of working with perfumers to create original scents that other companies don’t have, though? Is your goal more about just creating scents not found at popular FO suppliers, regardless of if it’s solely for your own brand?

@TallTaylThat is so helpful! I've researched a bunch of fragrance labs myself, too, and it seemed like the initial investment was more than I could manage. I'd have to make something like 500 of one scent if I bought 25 lbs of a fragrance. It did help me reconsider the direction of my business, though! Thanks so much for the inisight.

Hello! I’ve been looking into sourcing aroma compounds to make my own candle fragrance blends from scratch, as opposed to buying from candle science for example. Mainly, I want to create original scents and have more control over my blends, but I also assumed it might save money. However, I’m looking through Perfumer’s World, and the prices turn out to be more than what I currently spend on pre-formulated fragrance blends. How can that be? Am I supposed to dilute them? I can’t find info in any forums or by searching Google about how to work with aroma compounds to make candles. All that comes up are fragrance oil suppliers like candle science, or instructions on how to blend fragrance oils (which is what I’m already doing). Please help! I really want to make this work. Thanks!

@Busy BeeWow, great info to have. Thank you!

@Busy BeeThanks! That's actually where I get my custom-painted candle jars, and I print my own labels for now. I can't imagine ordering over 500 for just one scent...Could this brand really be making that many?

@bfrobertsThat's what I would have assumed, too, if it weren't for the fact that their candles come in all sorts of different containers, and they're a relatively small brand! If that's the case, I wonder where they're getting them.

I've been trying to find a way to label my glass candle jars using a permanent decal, or a similar alternative to label stickers, and I just came across this brand that's a perfect example: https://bijoucandles.com/collections/shop-all-1/products/sabrina-patchouli-bergamot-classic-candle. Does anyone know what type of decal this is, or where/how to print them? When I search, the closest thing I see are the water slide decals. Maybe that's what they use? Any tips are appreciated!

@BusyBee Yes, I've factored all of those things into my pricing already as well. However, I don't give myself a salary because I can't afford to yet. I'm barely selling anything right now. Thanks for the helpful spreadsheet!

I started my soy candle business last fall, and my profit margin was good enough that I could sell wholesale at half the price of retail. But once I got insurance ($450 a year) and a Shopify website ($29 a month) and divided the costs out as best I could to factor them into the price of each candle, my prices are no longer profitable – ie, for wholesale, I would have to charge almost $50 for a 10 ounce candle to even make a small profit. All my other expenses are fairly low: wax and FO are both under $2 per candle, and the container and lid together cost less than $4 per candle. Even if I was only using cheap mason jars, I wouldn't be making a profit via wholesale. These are high-end/luxury candles, but I don't want to charge more than $36 or so. My question is, do you factor your insurance cost into your product price? If so, how do you make it work?

I just started making candles a month ago, and I've made a bunch so far using C3 wax and Eco wicks. I used the 12oz Libby Status jar (from Candle Science) for all of them, and tried the eco-10, 12, 14, and 16 wicks. First, when I tried the 12, 14, and 16, the 14 and 16 both flickered like crazy and smoked. The 12 seemed fine, but after making a bunch more test candles with that wick using different FO's (all at 6%, and one at 10%), a lot of them tunneled. So, I bought some eco-10's to try out, and surprisingly, the candle seemed overwicked. Granted, these were all with different FO's. I had a snickerdoodle candle with an eco-12 burning right beside a cinnamon bun candle with an eco-10, and the eco-10 flickered like crazy while the eco-12 tunneled. Neither one had an even burn; the eco-12 left a thin layer of wax clinging to the sides after a 3 hour burn. Is there so much variance between FO's that I'll need a different wick for different scents? I'm going through a lot of materials, and I feel like I'm not making any headway towards the right combination. Also...does it make sense to pour the containers half-full for testing? I read that somewhere on this forum, but it seems to me that the burn wouldn't be the same as it would lighting a full candle because of the trapped heat and difference in airflow. Thoughts? And lastly, has anyone noticed a benefit from heat gunning the tops of candles before selling, aside from aesthetic purposes? I wonder if doing this will help it burn more evenly on the first lighting. I know I can try these things myself, but all my FO's give me different results, so I figured I'd ask someone with experience. Thanks! Sorry if I'm a little scattered.