Cult Candles Go Vegan

Did you ever wonder what goes into making a candle? We did, too. To launch Inside Goods, where we explore what goes into making the conscious brands we’re obsessed with, we met up with the founder of Cellar Door Candles in Huntington Beach, CA, one of our featured brands, to get the scoop on the alchemy that is candle-making. 

Because as we all know, there’s something magical about the miraculous combination of three fairly basic elements: wax, wick and scent. The perfect candle can transform a table into a celebration, a shelf into an altar, a bath into a spa—and a bedroom into a boudoir.

For centuries, candles were used to bring beautiful light into darkness. But many brought some not-so-pretty elements, too. Leaded wicks (now banned in the U.S.) and petroleum-based paraffin wax emit particulate matter that can pollute the air. Synthetic fragrances can be made up of hundreds of chemicals, many of which are highly hazardous when inhaled. You think smog is bad? Try lighting a poorly made candle and see how quickly you start to cough.

But we’re nixing all that nastiness. Made exclusively for LOVE GOODLY, Cellar Door’s vegan candles are scented with essential oils blended into pure, natural coconut and soy wax, and topped with an unbleached cotton wick.

Justine and I had so much fun creating the exclusive LOVE GOODLY Hyacinth fragrance! We spent about an hour identifying the pure essential oils we liked best and then experimenting with different blends until we found the perfect scent: A luxurious, clean floral with rustic green notes, topped with spikes of heather and a heart-note bouquet of hyacinth and gardenia. Close your eyes and inhale: It’s like walking through the English moors into a warm and sensual French garden.

Each Cellar Door candle is hand-poured with love and in addition to our beloved Hyacinth, LOVE GOODLY is also proud to offer vegan versions of their most popular scents: Tokyo Citrus and French Lavender. Seriously, we love these candles so much we have them burning in every room!

Do you know what’s in your candles? Tell us about it, in comments!