Candle types, explained
Jar, pillar, tin or melt? Soy or beeswax? Cotton or wood? Here's everything you need to choose the right candle for the right room — and get the best burn from it.
The six candle forms
Each shape suits a different space and ritual. Tap any to shop that type.
Jar Candles
The heart of the collection. Generously sized, double-wick where it counts, and poured into glassware you will want to keep long after the last burn.
Shop Jar Candles →Travel Tins
Sealable tins that travel well and burn clean. A little ritual you can take anywhere.
Shop Travel Tins →Pillar Candles
Self-supporting pillars that bring height and warmth to a tablescape — with or without a holder.
Shop Pillar Candles →Tealights & Votives
Cluster them down a table or float them in glass. The most flexible way to fill a room with glow.
Shop Tealights & Votives →Wax Melts
All of the scent, none of the flame. Perfect for offices, nurseries and anywhere an open flame is not ideal.
Shop Wax Melts →Specialty & Sculptural
Bubble cubes, knots and figurative pours — candles that double as decor.
Shop Specialty & Sculptural →What's it made of?
The wax decides how a candle burns, how it carries scent and how clean it is. Here's how the main types compare.
Soy wax
Renewable, plant-based and clean-burning. Burns cooler and slower than paraffin, holds fragrance well, and cleans up with soap and water. Our house wax.
Beeswax
A natural wax with a subtle honey scent and a warm, bright flame. Long-burning and naturally air-purifying, but premium-priced.
Coconut & blends
Creamy, slow-burning and excellent for scent throw. Often blended with soy for a smooth, even melt pool.
Paraffin
The classic petroleum wax — inexpensive with a strong scent throw, but burns hotter and is non-renewable. We choose plant waxes instead.
The wick matters more than you think
It's the engine of the candle. The right wick gives a clean, even flame; the wrong one tunnels, smokes or drowns.
Cotton wick
The reliable all-rounder — a clean, steady flame. Braided cotton suits most jar and container candles.
Wooden wick
Crackles softly like a tiny fireplace and throws a wide, gentle flame. A favourite for cozy, woody scents.
Double / multi-wick
Two or more wicks help wider candles reach a full, even melt pool faster — no tunnelling.
How to get a perfect burn, every time
- Trim before every burn. Keep the wick at about 5 mm. A long wick means a tall, sooty flame.
- Honour the first burn. Let the wax melt all the way to the edges the first time — it can take a couple of hours, and it prevents tunnelling for the life of the candle.
- Cap the session at 4 hours. Longer than that and the wick can mushroom and the vessel overheat.
- Stop at 1 cm. Retire the candle when a centimetre of wax remains to protect the surface beneath it.
- Mind drafts. Keep candles away from fans, vents and open windows for a steady, even flame.
A candle is only as good as its last burn. A few seconds of wick-trimming buys you hours of clean, even glow.