We both love candles and the magical ambiance of their flickering light mingled with the alluring scents. They can set the mood, relax the mind and body or invoke cozy and indulgent memories. They can also cause headaches, trigger allergic reactions and contribute to the environmental destruction of our planet if they are made of the wrong ingredients – and most candles are.

Unable to tolerate the synthetic and chemical scents of the candles available to us and the toxic emissions of paraffin wax, we set out on a mission to craft a candle using only the purest of natures ingredients.

Together, we spent a long period of time researching, sourcing and testing. We chose every element of our candles carefully. We wanted to ensure a beautifully scented, clean burning and healthy candle that would not contribute to deforestation or genetic engineering.

Why We Use Candelilla Wax and Organic Coconut Oil for Our Luxury Candles

We hit many roadblocks in our candle development. We wanted our candles to be vegan and cruelty free, so we could not use beeswax. We did not want to contribute to deforestation or threaten animal habitats, so we could not use palm wax. Paraffin wax, a petroleum product, was out of the question with its know carcinogens, toxic emissions and environmental issues.

This left only soy wax, but we were not open to using that either. Though many soy candles will state they are non GMO, if you contact the wax suppliers, there is no proof they are able to offer that the soybeans used to produce soy wax are indeed from all non GMO soybeans, which are very hard to come by. There is not yet solid evidence on the effects genetically modified organisms will have on us. Our generations are the lab rats and only time will tell, but we don’t have a good feeling about it.

There is evidence of the destruction the leading soy producer has had on the planet and the environment, as well as on small farmers and their families. We did not want to contribute to that and increase demand for GMO products.

We had to forge a new path and craft candles from a wax that nobody else was using. We chose candelilla wax, a wildcrafted and sustainable wax handcrafted from the candelilla shrub (Euphorbia Cerifera) whose name means little candles. Candelilla wax was used in the 20th century but eventually paraffin wax, a cheaper, softer and easier to find wax made from petroleum by-products replaced it.

Candelilla wax is a very hard wax with a high melting point and a beautiful creamy color. Brett spent many weeks in the kitchen testing it and came up with the right proprietary blend of candelilla wax and organic coconut oil to create a beautiful, clean burning and eco friendly candle.

Why We Use Plant Based Essential Oil Extracts in Our Luxury Candles

We are those people. Those people who cant stand walking down the aisle of the laundry soap at the grocers where the air is laden with synthetic fragrances. Those people who instantly get a headache from a passing cloud of toxic perfume or the inhale of a chemically scented candle. A lot of you are those people too! So neither we, nor you, could have a candle with toxic chemicals to give it scent.

Most candles are scented with toxic and synthetic chemicals containing petroleum by-products. When lit, they emit known carcinogens.

Why does this happen? We can tell you why. They are a fraction of the price and allow you to create thousands of variations of synthetic scents. They are formulated for candles with additional additives for maximum scent load and burning properties. Available everywhere.

We were not going to compromise your candle enjoyment, or our beautiful, eco-friendly, natural candles because of cost or convenience. We scent our luxury candles with a natural formulation of essential oils and true flower essences, extracted in coconut oil for beautiful, delicate and pure aromas that you can confidently scent your home with. A true scent experience that you can deeply enjoy.

 

The Rest of the Story

We completed our candle components with organic ECO wicks and elegant glass containers that you could reuse in your home or recycle.

We crafted our luxury candles and gave them as gifts. We passionately melted and poured, burned and recorded, tested and tweaked for months. We fell in love with our candles and created a candle studio in our home and an office to build the Natural Zen business in.

We decided to turn this into our livelihood and life's work. It is a joy to work together as a husband and wife team, in a space we created with love and intention to craft a candle we are delighted with for both its beauty and its environmental difference.

We are excited to launch our Natural Zen Candelilla and Coconut Candles so that you can enjoy the ultimate candle experience with the cleanest candles on the planet. We know you will love their beautiful fragrances, warm flickering light and soothing ambience as much as we do.

 

To many moments of Natural Zen,

 

 

PS - Learn more in this video and blog post with Brett, our chandler where he explains the process in depth along with some fascinating information you don;t want to miss!
Why We Chose Candelilla and Coconut Oil