Scents (for candles and melts)
With today’s emphasis on natural, non-toxic products, many find themselves searching for scented candles that are safe for you and your family to enjoy. That’s great as you should be concerned… not all candles are created equally and marketing can be very deceiving.
There is a lot of controversy about fragrance oils and essential oils… a lot of manipulated marketing can make people think that one is better than the other. Some top (most expensive) brands will say that they only use essential oils, but our research shows that’s not totally true!
Fragrances Oils vs. Essential Oils in Candles
Essential oils and fragrance oils are not the same thing, although many of the best fragrance oils are infused with essential oils.
Although fragrance oils tend to get a bad rap because they’re not “natural,” the good ones are thoroughly tested and scientifically approved to be safe for use in candles and body products like soaps and lotions.
The fact is, that in some instances, fragrance oils are even safer for use in candles than essential oils!
What do Gorgeous Gower Candles use?
After extensive research to identify what is really the best (considering all factors) and testing, we have chosen to use a mixture of both essential oils and quality tested fragrance oils, all responsibly sourced and for all the right reasons.
Some essential oils are sustainable, are effective in candles and their benefits can be used with a candle, others not so safe, nor suitable... in fact, can create a hazard.
Essential oils come in various qualities, but what we choose to use, like our high quality, safety tested/approved fragrance oils, are more expensive and this is why we cannot (and will not) make cheap harmful products that are often sold in volumes.
Both the essential and fragrance oils we use come from reputable companies with great ethics towards safety, sustainability and an all-round eco-friendly outlook.
We need to use a mixture of these oils to obtain the smells you love, a great balance with the environment while creating a sense of joy and well-being.
Like our waxes, using the best ingredients means that we are buying the best… quality candles mean much higher costs than the commercially available ones you see in the high streets. With Gorgeous Gower Candles you can be sure that you have the very best in your home or office.
We use these in our own home and respect that you will be using them in yours with your loved ones… we have done our best to create safe candles that are wonderful for the ambience they create, the environment, your mind, body and soul.
It is an interesting subject, so please do read on to learn more...
What are Essential Oils?
You’ve probably heard about the power of essential oils, and it’s true that they have been used for thousands of years to improve physical, mental, and even spiritual well-being.
However, if you’re trying to find a candle made exclusively with essential oils, your options are going to be severely limited.
All essential oils have differing compositions. When each oil is heated, they react differently and some will break down, some will evaporate and some will lose any therapeutic benefits and even become toxic.
The lack of consistency with essential oils in candles can pose other problems, limited variations in aromas, not generating a great ‘hot throw,’ and the need to use much more oil (opening the door to other problems) and making them very difficult for even the most dedicated believer to afford.
Although these oils are all-natural because they are extracted directly from the plant, they are not automatically good for you, or sustainable for the earth and it’s important to remember that they, too, are chemical compounds and should be treated with care. Tea-tree oil, for example, is treated as a hazardous waste if a spill of it happens.
According to aromatherapist Mindy Green, founder of Green Scentsations and author of books like Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art, "It often takes hundreds of pounds of plant material to make 1 pound of essential oil.”
For instance, it takes around 50 pounds of eucalyptus to create 1 pound of eucalyptus oil, around 250 pounds of lavender for 1 pound of lavender oil, and a whopping 10,000 pounds of roses for 1 pound or rose oil.
So, although we do have the Enlightenment range that uses ONLY pure essential oils, the truth is that there are several problems with scenting all candles purely with essential oils... so don't be fooled by 'clever' marketing, some points to note are:
1. Cost.
The cost of the oil can put these candles out of most people's price range. A tiny 5ml jar of quality rose essential oil can cost around £200-£250 thanks to the 22 pounds of rose petals that went into that jar!
2. Essential oils don’t always react well to heat.
Even if you are willing to pay the extra money for an essential oil candle, not all essential oils can survive the heat of a candle burning. So, while the candle may have an okay cold throw (how it smells when it’s not lit), the oil can burn right up and you won’t even smell any of that expensive essential oil when it’s lit. Also, some essential oils cannot be burned, it simply isn't safe to use all essential oils in candles.
3. They’re not sustainable.
In a world full of hunger, with clean water at a premium in many areas, taking up so much land and water to grow and harvest 10,000 pounds of roses for a mere one pound of rose oil, it is not exactly eco-friendly or that sustainable. We are careful to choose suppliers who have a caring and morally correct ethical code to production.
4. Limited smells!
Based on the above points, not many essentials oils are able to be used in candles, so the variations and mixtures of smells that are able to be created are very limited. So many of the companies who claim to use 'only' essential oils, do actually use fragranced oils to achieve the finished aromas that they sell... they may put just a drop of essential in and word it very cleverly... not ethically!
Another serious downside to needing a lot of essential oil in a candle is that essential oils typically have a really low flashpoint, meaning that if there’s a high concentration of essentials oil in a candle, the oil can combust and cause a fire hazard!
All of this means that a quality and approved fragrance oil that is infused with smaller amounts of essential oils designed to be used in a candle, is a much more effective and sustainable option than using pure essential oils. This is why we clearly have two ranges, our normal range and the Enlightenment range.
What are Fragrance Oils?
Fragrance oils are synthetic oils developed for their scent, for use in candles and body products. Many quality fragrance oils will be infused with quality essential oils.
Their safety is governed by scientific bodies such as the RIFM (Research Institute for Fragrance Materials) and the IFRA (International Fragrance Association).
The process for determining if a fragrance oil is safe involves each individual ingredient being tested by the RIFM, with their findings being published.
From there, the IFRA takes this data and publishes their recommendations and usage guidelines. These guidelines will include whether or not the oil is safe to use in bath and body products as well as in candles or diffusers.
So, what’s the bottom line when it comes to scented candles and melts?
The truthful answer is that essential oils are great for some uses, but not necessarily effective, efficient, cost-effective nor necessarily even safe to use in candles and melts.
Fragrance oils that have been approved by the scientific community (specifically, the RIFM and IFRA) are actually a more eco-friendly, safe and wallet-friendly alternative.