Start a Candle Making Business: UK Edition!

You love candles and want to start your own candle making business in the UK. Congratulations on your first step in becoming a business owner. 

Yes, you can start your own candle making business in the UK! There is nothing stopping you. In this article we will discuss the ins and outs below of how to start this business as well as some tips and tricks to starting a candle making business in the UK.

If you want to find out more about how to start a candle making business in the UK, then keep reading. I am going to discuss the ins and outs including legalities.

Know the Law

There is no license needed to sell or make candles in the UK if you own a candle making business, however, per the Companies Act of 2006, you must make sure that your customers know exactly who they are buying from. As an entrepreneur you must be available to show your customers your Business Name, Legal Ownership Name, and Business Address. All of this information must be in your business documents. These documents include invoices and correspondence via email.

This information means protection for your customers as long as this information is listed on your business documents.

In the technological world that we live in, you must have a website in order to have a successful business. Make sure your website has a 14-day return policy and that you offer supply pre-contract information. Your website should also have this information discussed above. However, it will also need to include the following:

• Your business geographical address
• Your British Candlemakers Federation membership
• Email address
• VAT number is a value-added tax identification number. It is an identifier used in many countries, including the countries of the European Union, for value-added tax purposes. It can be verified online at the EU’s official VIES website if you are in Europe.

Custom Blends

If you are going to sell and market custom blends and melts, mixing fragrance oils and using over-pours, you need to be aware of the regulations. Every fragrance has its own Safety Data Sheet. This is used to create a CLP label (Classification, Labelling and Packaging. It is a regulation that aligns the European Union system of classification, labelling and packaging of chemical substances and mixtures to the Globally Harmonised System. It is to facilitate global trade and the harmonised communication of hazard information of chemicals and to promote regulatory efficiency).

The law prohibits combining information from each separate fragrance’s CPL and putting them on CPL in a product list. Combining information is potentially illegal. If the labels are wrong, and there is an incident involving your customers, the courts could render your insurance invalid and that would make you personally liable.

Before selling custom blends and melts, make sure each fragrance has its own Safety Data Sheet. The Safety Data Sheet will allow you to create a compliant CPL label for your candles.

Food and Insect Labels

In today’s candle market, most candles are being made at a high demand and selling like hot cakes are the ones that are scented as fruits, sweets, cakes and other desserts. As much as we love our candles smelling like food, it is common for them to have food labels. But before you label your candles with images of food and desserts, you will need to make sure you are following the regulations that go along with it.

The main reason these regulations exist is for our children. Children will put anything in their mouths and for a young child that can reach the candle, and it smells like food or even worse, looks like food, they are inclined to think it is edible and in their mouths it goes. If they eat the candles there is a huge possibility that it may cause injury or even death. The law applies to using images that especially look like foods such as cakes, sweets, fruits and other desserts.

Now if you are looking to sell and market insect repellent candles, you must register with the Health & Safety Executive. The HSE controls insect repellents. If you’ve not given any scientific studies or your insect repellent candles are not on the official register, you could get into legal trouble. Even if you put insect repellent on your candle labels and on the packaging, the HSE considers it misleading if you did not officially register.

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Insurance Is a Must

One of the most important things you can invest in for your candle making business is craft insurance. The insurance protects your business against unforeseen circumstances such as a house fire.

You’re mailing out thousands of candles every week to customers to use mainly in their homes and in some businesses. It’s wonderful! Your business is growing daily, but a single house fire can literally close your business down. 

For whatever reason, one of your customer’s houses catches on fire and burns to the ground. Hat customer has lost everything. They decided to sue you claiming that one of your candles was the source that started the fire. Even if your candle comes with a warning label, they could still file a lawsuit against your business that will ruin it.

Protect your business before you start distributing your candles.

Money Invested and Potential Earnings

Capital, investment, startup costs, however you decide to call the money you will spend to start your business, you will have to put some money into it in order to make any money. Keep in mind that on average all startup businesses spend the first three to five years upside down. Meaning in the red and not in the black. Or if you prefer, they are not making a profit.

When it comes to the costs involved in starting a candle business it can average $44,000 at the very least. The good news is that Candles have a profit margin of between 25% and 50%. 

Candle prices range from $10 to $15 per 8-ounces on average. There are a number of advantages to investing in the candle making industry, including its relatively low entry barriers and everyone loves candles.

Tips on How to Start Your Business

Here are a few helpful tips to help you start your candle making business.

1. Learn how to make candles and melts – to succeed in your candle making business, you need to learn the craft with the right knowledge. 
2. Choose your business name – Your business name represents your brand and because it does, you need to really spend some time thinking of the right name.  Avoid hard to spell words and conduct an internet search and trademark search on the name you are contemplating. And don’t pick a business name that limits your business as it grows.
3. Make your candles – You first need to select the type of wax you are going to use. The most popular ones are: coconut wax, paraffin wax and soy wax. Most candle makers mix these waxes. Second, select what containers you are going to put your candles in. Third, it is time to start making your candles. Last, it is time to design and create your own labels.
4. Choose your retail selling platform – how you want to sell your candles can depend on your business plan and target market. This can be anywhere from Etsy, Amazon, your own website, etc. It can also be a combination of ways.
5. Take photos of your candles – take some really good photos that you can use in your marketing.
6. Market your candles – marketing is important and with social media and technology the marketing world has been made easier.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is owning a candle making business a profitable investment in the UK?

Yes, it definitely can be very lucrative to start your own candle making business in the UK. Just make sure you follow the laws so that you don’t risk the chance of getting sued. 

Why do I have to put food labels on my candles?

One thing is like above you don’t want children to eat them, and then you can be sued. Second, you don’t want someone to buy something that they may be allergic to the smell of. Once again this could cause you to get sued.

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Looking to start your own candle making business, check out my startup documents here

Please note that the contents of this blog are for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Any action taken based on the information provided in this blog is solely at your own risk. Additionally, all images used in this blog are generated under the CC0 license of Creative Commons, which means they are free to use for any purpose without attribution.

Meet Shawn Chun: Entrepreneur and Candle Business Fan.

I’m a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online candle business resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a candle business owner at a craft fair, farmers market, retail location or anywhere else I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to obtain and retain clients, finding good employees all while trying to stay competitive. That’s why I created Candle Business Boss: I want to help candle business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.