What's the big deal about beeswax?

Since the launch of our organic beeswax birthday candles, we've had a lot of great questions.

So in this blog post, we wanted to answer some for you, and showcase the beauty of natural beeswax products.

Choosing our organic beeswax birthday candles isn’t just a beautiful gift to yourself. It's giving back in many more ways than that – boosting your health by clearing the air you breathe, steering clear of toxic smoke, supporting Aussie beekeepers and their communities, and backing a talented crew of craftspeople who help create these beauties.

What's the problem with most birthday candles?

Most candles are made from either paraffin (a byproduct of petrochemicals) or a hydrogenated oil-based soy or palm wax. As well as being not-great for the environment, we're concerned about burning these toxic substances on our little ones' birthday cakes!

Why beeswax?

Working with natural beeswax is like diving into a box of Favourites – each time is a surprise! It comes in a range of colours, from creamy white to vibrant yellows and even dark browns, depending on what flowers the bees have been buzzing around.

And hey, because it's all-natural, it's a bit of an adventure each time you work with it! In saying that, the consistent thing is that beeswax candles will always burn better than a candle made from paraffin, soy, or palm wax.

Why? 'Cause beeswax boasts the highest known melting point. So, when a beeswax candle's made right (and not burned in a breeze), it won't smoke or drip, and those wicks won't pull a vanishing act or get drowned in their own wax (You know what we're talking about – so annoying!).

Also, beeswax candles work as a natural air purifier. It zaps dust, pollen, odours, toxins, mould, and mildew, leaving behind a sweet, natural honey scent.

How are the candles made?

Well, to take you back to the beginning, let's talk about the bees themselves. To craft a kilo of beeswax, a worker bee chows down about 20 kilos of honey, flies a whopping 240,000 kilometers, and visits around 33 million flower blossoms!

Once our (human) partners in Western Australia get their organic beeswax from local beekeepers, they handroll each piece into the candles you see here. Then they're packaged up in sets of seven, and sent over to our warehouse in Queensland to await your order!

What's this white film thing?

Over time, especially when it's chilly, beeswax gets a 'bloom' – a white film that appears on the candle. No sweat, it's totally natural and won't mess with your candle's quality or how it burns. In fact, it's a sign that you've got 100% beeswax goodness. To zap the bloom, roll the candle between your hands to warm it back up. 

Now, the catch – why isn't everyone gushing over pure beeswax candles?

It's all about the dollars. Beeswax costs around 50 times more than paraffin and 20 times more than soy or palm wax at wholesale. Trouble is, folks don't always realise they're burning petrochemicals or bleached, hydrogenated oils on their sweet birthday cakes – so, they hesitate when it comes to paying for a beeswax candle.

Here's a quick economics lesson: Say you're shelling out $5 for a set of birthday candles. With beeswax at 50 times the price, to match the margins, we'd need to charge $250 for that same box! And that's before considering our handmade efforts and production (labour costs are higher than the 41 cents/hour in China).

We've kept our costs as low as possible considering the value of the beautiful materials we work with, the fact that everyone is paid properly, and that these candles will last considerably longer (140 renditions of Happy Birthday! by our count!). At $13.95, we actually think it's a great bargain!

Ready to grab some beeswax candles? Shop for them here.

Birthday cake photography by Hayley at Scarlett's 7th birthday party this year, featuring a delicious cake by @thesecret_kitchen. It was gluten-, dairy- and refined sugar-free, using organic local and seasonal produce. Professional candle photography by Sabine Bannard.