Local start-up Candle & Co took root during Singapore’s Covid-19 circuit breaker period last year, because of a mosquito breeding problem.

How the business started

Said founder Renee van de Bult, “When they stopped cutting the grass at our place, we had a lot of mosquitoes, so I was looking for an all-natural candle, preferably one that can help to repel the mosquitoes. I could not find any locally and the ones overseas were too expensive to ship in. So my daughter Annabel, and I experimented with soy wax and and citronella essential oils and it turned out really well.”

She continued, “So we started doing research and experiments and one morning, I woke up and I looked at Annabel, she looked at me, and we both agreed that we should be making and selling these candles. That is when we then did further research on what type of wicks, oils and wax to use and our brand name; and that is how Candle & Co was born.”

All-natural candles made with pure soy wax

Today, the home-based business, which is managed from Renee’s house in the north-eastern part of Singapore, prides themselves in producing pure soy wax, hand-poured candles made with essential oils.

Making candles in process. Credit: Candle & Co

Said Renee, “our candles are all natural and all vegan, 100 per cent natural soy wax and containing no additives, no colourings and no stabilisers. The fragrances are 100 per cent essential oils. We do not use fragrance oils because those are filled with all sorts of synthetic materials. However this means that our scents are limited and not as elaborate as some of the others out there in the market.”

Important pointers for candle usage and keeping

She added, “Candle & co is targeted at those who find it important to have a healthy environment and clean air to breathe. When they do burn the candles, they would not wind up breathing in paraffins and other synthetics that would end up in the air when you burn a regular candle.”

Credit: Candle & Co

Because the candles are made of 100 per cent soy wax, Renee stresses that they cannot be left out in the sun. She said, “They have a low melting point. It is best to put our candles in a safe place on a coaster somewhere where there is no draft as that will also influence the burning time of our candles. Also, remember to trim the wick after every use as that will affect the burning of the candle.”

She also pointed out that when burning a candle for the first time, it is important to burn it till the whole surface is melted. Explained Renee, “If you do not, the candle will end up tunnelling and you will waste a lot of wax. So in general, do not burn a candle for less than an hour, but also, you should not burn for more than three to four hours as you don’t want the wax to get too hot either.”

Renee also added that another note to remember is to not burn the candle till the very end, something that many people may not know. She said, “Leave half an inch of wax on the candle rather than burning to the end. That will make sure that the container does not get too hot. If you burn the candle all the way, the glass may shatter.”

Fragrances available 

To date, Candle & Co has four regular fragrances as follows.

Credit: Candle & Co

• Lavender + orange
• Grapefruit + Lemongrass
• Citronella
• Ginger + Lemon + Orange

According to Renee, the Citronella fragrance is good against mosquitoes, while the grapefruit + lemongrass one is invigorating. Ginger + lemon + orange has a very soothing fragrance. 

As for Renee’s personal favourite, it is the lavender + orange one. She said, “I like to use this in the bedroom because it is more soothing.”

As well, they have one premium fragrance, which is Ylang Ylang + Geranium. Said Renee, “This is because these oils are much more expensive to produce.”

The two favourite fragrances that I chose from the Candle & Co range were the lavender + orange and ylang ylang + geranium fragrances. This had been a decision between myself and my dad, and we chose the ones that both of us liked the most.

Packaging

The packing of the candles is simple yet pretty at the same time, with each candle inside either a metal or clear container and with a lovely metal lid emblazoned with the Candle & Co logo on it. A paper bag, rather than a plastic bag, was used to hold the candles.

Says Renee, “We try to be as eco-friendly as possible so as to be conscious of the environment. Our paper packaging and boxes are made using recycled paper.”

Credit: Candle & Co

Burning the candles

As soon as I opened the lids of the candles, the distinctive scents of the candles already wafted out, even without burning them.

Says Renee, “This is the thing about soy wax candles. When you do not burn them, there will still be a scent being given off.”

And burning the candles definitely enhances the fragrances by several times over. 

For the Lavender + Orange fragrance, when the candle is burned, the Lavender smell seems to comes out more strongly at the beginning, with the citrusy orange notes slowing and gradually wafting into the air as the candle continues burning. 

I found it to be a sweet and fresh, floral and fragrant smell and is great for calming my mood and soothing my mind whenever I am beginning to feel stressed from work or other stuff.

The Ylang Ylang + Geranium candle on the other hand, has a strong earthy scent as soon as the candle begins burning, with floral and fruity notes seeping into the air and lingering on as the candle burns. 

Then after extinguishing the candle, I found the floral and fruity notes to remain in the air for several moments. This, I found to be a very calming and uplifting smell that both my dad and I rather enjoyed at the dining table over a meal.

The aroma of the fragrances are neither subtle nor overpowering, rather they are just right and they will not get into your nose or make you feel queasy, even after an hour or two of burning the candles.

Said Renee, “One of the misconceptions is that people expect our candles to smell like a yankee candle; in fact the scent is not as strong because you are dealing with pure essential oils.”

Future outlooks and special requests

Besides the standard range of fragrances, Renee adds that special requests also be accommodated. She said, “I had one customer who did not like geranium so I made her a candle with just ylang ylang in it. However, because we are dealing with pure essential oils, our range of fragrances is quite limited.”

Credit: Candle & Co

And regarding the introduction of some local fragrances to Candle & Co, Renee is open to the idea, but adds that she is limited by the availability of the essential oils. 

She said, “We source our oils and the soy wax from the USA and the wicks are from Australia; if there are any locally produced essential oils, it would definitely be interesting to experiment with that. But essential oils are rather limited, because they are extracted from fruits, flowers, spices and herbs, and these are generally not available in Singaporean based fragrances.”

Candle & Co is on Instagram at @withcandle.co.