Your guide to starting your own candle making business from home (2024)

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5-minute read

There’s been a surge in people wanting to work from home selling candles, whether that’s as a new way to make money or simply to enjoy some creative escapism.

Are you an artisan candle maker? Find out how to turn your hobby into a business with our step-by-step guide.

• A guide to going self-employed in the UK

• How to start an online shop

• What types of small business grants are available in the UK?

• How to do a self-employed tax return

• What type of business insurance do I need?

When starting your own business, it can be hard to know where to begin. Read our nine-step plan for how to make your own candles and start selling them from home. Or for a more general guide to getting set up, check out our step-by-step guide to starting a business.

A step-by-step guide to starting a candle making business

Use the links below to check out specific sections of the guide.

1. Design beautiful candles

2. Making your first candle

3. Name your business

4. Find your niche

5. Write a business plan and budget

6. Buy the right equipment

7. Check legal requirements

8. Organise insurance

9. Start marketing and selling

Design beautiful candles

Designing and making your candles is the fun part, and probably why you’re looking to make this artisan craft your side hustle or even a full-time business.

Candle making gives you the chance to play with shape, fragrance, and colours to create eye-catching products. For example:

• try making personalised candles with photo memories

• use colours and moulds to create candles inspired by anything from desserts to landscapes

• design centre-pieces for festive tables or weddings

Making your first candle

Are you planning on making candles at home? Or do you have a workshop or commercial premises? Either way, YouTube has some useful video tutorials on how to make candles from home.

The process is fairly straightforward but, a lot like baking, the temperature and ingredients are important – pouring too hot or cold and you could end up with lumpy wax.

At this stage it can be useful to create some samples and gather feedback from a small group of target customers. Conducting thorough research during the product development phases will help you evaluate your initial concepts and bring the best version to market.

What about candle business names?

There’s a lot to a name. It conveys your brand’s personality and helps you stand out against your competitors. You should also be aware of intellectual property and copyright laws that protect products and brands.

Here are our tips for finding the right name for your business:

• choose something unique – make sure no one else has had your idea first

• make it memorable

• consider SEO – search your name in Google to see what what else comes up

• check the web domain is available – even if you’re not making a website just yet

• don’t limit yourself – make sure the brand name works if you decide to expand your product offering in the future

If you’re still stuck for candle business names, try our Business Name Generator for a bit of light-hearted inspiration.

Find your niche

Eco-friendly candles? Scented candles? Luxury candles? Decide on your product and who your target audience is and go from there.

It’s a good idea to look at what your competitors are doing to see if there are any gaps in the market. You might even find it useful to do a SWOT analysis of your business and main competitors to identify core areas to focus on.

Read our guide to starting a business from home for more tips.

Write a business plan and budget

Although we could all do without business admin, a business plan helps you understand your purpose, your strategic objectives, and your competitors. It can also help if you’re planning on applying for a start-up loan.

Next you’ll need to consider costs and make a budget.

It’s not expensive to set up your own candle making business – initial start-up costs can be about £50, depending on the candle supplies you go for.

To work out your budget, you’ll need to think about:

• set-up costs (including equipment and supplies)

• how much time it takes to make your product

• how much each candle costs you to make

• shipping costs (if you’re selling online)

Buy the right candle supplies UK

Here’s a list of the equipment and supplies you’ll need for your candle business:

• candle wax – soy wax, paraffin wax, beeswax, coconut wax (or a combination)

• candle wicks – usually made of braided cotton or paper

• scents – choose from a mix of organic and synthetic fragrances

• dyes – liquid or powdered dyes can be added to your melted wax

• moulds – these come in all shapes and sizes, or you can make your own

• candle glasses – you can use these instead of moulds if you prefer

• thermometer – to make sure your wax doesn’t heat above 80°C

• saucepan and heat proof bowl – for melting your wax using the ‘double boiler’ method

You’ll also want to think about how you’re going to package your candles and get branded labels and gift boxes.

Check legal requirements for selling candles

There are no specific legal requirements for selling candles in the UK, but you should be aware of:

• the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 – check the government’s guidance on product safety

• specific guidelines from your local trading standards office

• safety and testing regulations – the British Candlemakers Federation has published guidelines on product testing and safety labelling for candle businesses

Organise insurance

Whether you run a craft stall or are just selling online, your customers will expect your products to be safe. That’s why it’s important to get insurance for crafters.

You can select from a range of covers:

• public liability insurance – in case a member of the public gets injured, for example by tripping in your shop

• product liability insurance – in case your product causes injury or financial loss, for example if your candle includes hazardous ingredients

• stock insurance – to protect any stock you’re storing

Start marketing and selling your candles

When it comes to how to make money selling homemade candles, think about where you’ll be selling and how you plan to market your business. For example, are you going to be selling online or in a bricks-and-mortar shop? Or perhaps you want to start selling candles at flea markets and craft fairs? It’s easy to set up an online shop using platforms like Shopify or Etsy, or even start selling on Amazon.

Writing a marketing plan can help you determine your strategic approach.

Use social media to your advantage

Candle businesses naturally lend themselves to social media marketing as you can take beautiful pictures to promote your brand and build a following. For tips on getting the most out of social media for your business, read our guides on:

• How to sell on Instagram

• How to sell on Facebook Shops

Consider expanding into the wax melt business

Once you’ve nailed making candles, you might want to expand your product offering. For example, wax melts are popular on Etsy and Not On The High Street and you won’t need anything extra to make them.

How to make wax melts to sell

Wax melts are wickless candles that you heat with a burner or tealight to release the fragrance. And they’re super simple to make:

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer

2. Put wax into heatproof bowl over the saucepan and stir with a spoon

3. Add your fragrance or essential oils

4. Pour melted wax into ice cube trays

5. Beyond candle making

Still not sure if candle making is for you? Here are some other top business ideas you could consider instead:

• cake and baking

• clothing line

• dog grooming

Are you thinking of starting your own candle making business? Let us know in the comments.