Candles look beautiful, smell wonderful and make wonderful gifts. But have you ever wondered about the ingredients you breathe in every time you light one? Harpenden Sustainability Market newcomers Fragrance & Light will be back at the next market on the 16th of November with their range of sustainable fragranced candles and wax melts in a range of scents and floral shapes.
Suzanne is the creator of Fragrance & Light and she set up the company in July as a creative outlet when she gave up work and moved back ‘home’ to care for her mother. Her candle-loving mother inspired her to dabble with candle making in the afternoons and this eventually evolved into a business that allows her to do something for herself while also being there for her mother.
Less harmful than traditional candles
Many of Fragrance & Light’s beautiful candles are shaped into floral or coastal motifs before being decorated with eco dyes and eco glitter. They are made from 100% golden soy or a mix of cocoa and soy, and all ingredients are sourced from the UK. Traditional candles use paraffin, a by-product of petroleum, and then scented with fragrance.
Fragrance in products often lacks ingredient transparency, allowing companies to hide potentially harmful chemicals which many candle-lovers are unaware of. All Fragrance & Light’s fragrances are sustainable, vegan-friendly and paraben-free. Suzanne also uses a cotton fibre instead of a zinc core wick. As a mined product, zinc extraction can involve environmental degradation and worker exploitation.
Although Fragrance & Light does use some plastic packaging for their wax melts, this is made from 87% recycled plastic and is 100% recyclable. Suzanne encourages customers to reuse the pots for planting or storing beads, or otherwise return them to her in a good state for reuse in the business.
Market newcomers
As a very young business, September was Fragrance & Light’s first time at the market. What did they think? Suzanne says, ‘as much as you can sell online, people do need to see and smell the products.’
She loved seeing the sustainable goods on display at the market and was particularly impressed by Thai restaurant Sala Thai, whose passionate chef Thippi generously offered out delicious samples of her culinary creations.
Suzanne’s top eco tip? ‘Buy products made locally from sustainable ingredients. There’s no need to buy anything made from paraffin – it’s bad for your health and bad for the environment.’
If you can’t make the next market, you can browse Fragrance & Light’s candles on their website, Facebook, Instagram or Tik Tok. Need a gift and need it now? They offer free shipping for any households with an AL5 postcode.
Join us at the next Sustainability Market on Sunday the 16th of November to discover Fragrance & Light and other local eco and food stalls that promote a more sustainable lifestyle. It’ll be the perfect opportunity to source sustainable stocking fillers as you enjoy the festive atmosphere. Visit our markets page for the full schedule of dates.