Here at Scents Soaps and Candles, we offer a variety of vegan friendly goods. We stand by what we believe in and have made sure our products are environmentally friendly, cruelty free, sourced by sustainable means and recently have been taking steps to become more vegan friendly.
Conveniently, we are placing special marking on our products to show that they are vegan friendly. We want our customers to feel comfortable buying products and feel at ease knowing they come from sustainable and ethical sources. As the environment is important to us we are as selective with our packaging as we can be while still ensuring the quality of the items when you receive them. The aim of Scents Soaps and Candles is to allow you to be able to make the sort of candle that you desire; a candle that is organic, ethical and made with vegan friendly ingredients.
Down below you will see additional details of how you can create candles that are more ethical and information about how we can help you reach your goal.
Veganism within the candle making industry
People tend to be vegan due to their admiration of animals and their care of the environment. An increasing number of people are altering their eating and living habits for the sake of the treatment of animals and the environment. This article will explain the steps you can take to ensure that your candle turns out to be either vegan friendly or environmentally friendly.
Animal cruelty
Here at Scents Soaps and Candles we are happy to publicize the fact that our products are cruelty free. The ingredients and the products that we offer are traced from the manufacturer and it is guaranteed that they are cruelty free from start to finish. Cruelty free is not vegan however and we realised for it to be vegan further steps have to be taken.
To ensure that a product is cruelty free, Scent Soaps and Candles makes sure that the products and the ingredients used to make it have never been used on animals. A product can be deemed cruelty free and still include meat or animal by-products if the specific animals for the product were raised, treated and killed in a humane manner. The welfare of the animals has become an increasingly important factor for consumers in the industry. We believe it is beneficial to advertise the fact that a product is cruelty free and will help with the selling of the goods.
Environmentally Friendly
A product that is deemed to be environmentally friendly is one that does not impact the environment in a negative manner. In the candle industry, environmentally friendly products are usually conveyed as eco-friendly as you are not just talking about the product but also its ingredients. If you want to use other terms to promote your products some good terms are clean, green or sustainable.
To identify if your product is environmentally friendly it is important to look at what you are using to make it. A wax that is vegetable-based and has a paper blend or a pure cotton wick that has been sustainably farmed then you are able to say that you have an eco-friendly product. If you are using other forms of wax like paraffin wax you do not have an environmentally friendly product as the ingredients and the end result is not renewable and the ingredients are bad for the environment.
Vegan Friendly
It is easy for you to make products that contain ingredients natural sources but that does not necessarily mean that they are vegan friendly. A product that is environmentally friendly and cruelty free is not enough to state that the product is also vegan.
For an item to be vegan friendly it cannot contain anything coming from an animal including the animal’s by-products. Some examples of by-products include milk, eggs, feathers, honey and beeswax. If you are wanting vegan wax it must be plant based wax, some popular ones are palm, rapeseed and soy. You may want to be cautious if you choose to use palm wax as there is a lot of negative press about the steps taken to produce palm oil.
So how does this impact you as a candle maker?
If your goal is to make candles with the target audience being individuals who want vegan candles then you have come to the right place.
To begin with, make sure that the supplies for your candles are cruelty free, eco-friendly and vegan friendly. This information can be found on the SDS sheets from suppliers.
Make sure the areas that you are made the candles are clean and sanitised. It is important that you eliminate the possibility of cross contamination. If possible, make the candles in areas where there is no risk of the candle ingredients coming into contact with non-vegan products.
It can be beneficial when you are advertising your candles as cruelty free and vegan friendly to include evidence whether it be from the supplier or the manufacturer. It gives more credibility on your end. In a rare event, you may be investigated by a consumer and if you have this information on hand you are safe to go.
Here at Scents Soaps and Candles we have customers who solely create vegan friendly products. To get this message across to their customers, they create small booklets or cards informing the customers of their beliefs and practices. A key point many make is about the wax and how it is natural and comes from an environment that is sustainable and isn’t an animal by-product.
Wooden Wick Preparation
When you use a wooden wick it is a great addition to your natural looking candles and it is also cruelty free, Vegan friendly and adds a stylish look to your finished candle. If you make a wooden wick candle, there will be some extra work to do and so Scents Soaps and Candles have made a quick guide on how to pre-wax the wooden wick.
Necessary Ingredients
- Containers to make the candles
- Glue Dots
- Kesasoy 4130 or Kerawax 4105 wax (if you choose a different wax, you need to use some of this)
- Metal wooden wick sustainer (this is supplied with our wooden wicks)
- Wooden Wicks (choose a size based on the diameter of the candle you are making)
Method
Step One
Lay out all of the needed ingredients. Obtain a bowl that you can lay the wicks across after they have been dipped into the molten wax.
Step Two
Get the wax and melt it. It is suggested that you melt all of the wax before you add any fragrances to it. Once the wax is completely melted, dip the wooden wick into the wax. Make sure that both sides of the wick are covered. Once complete, lay the wicks over the bowl that you have previously obtained so that the candle wax can cool down to room temperature and harden.
Step Three
Once the wax has cured, place two of the wicks covered in wax and put one on top of the other. It is important to remember that the un-waxed ends are touching each other. Place the waxed ends of the wick into your metal wooden wick sustainer.
Step Four
Place a glue dot on the bottom of your sustainer. Remove the plastic from the glue dot and put it in your container. Make sure you push it down so it is securely in place. Now you can decide whether you want to trim the length of the wick now or after you have added the wax to make the candle. Remember to have around 1cm of wick above the candle.