Eco-Friendly Candles, Greenwashing, and What We’re Really Buying Into
The terms eco-friendly candle, are candles eco friendly and what is the most eco friendly candle wax are searched hundreds, if not thousands, of times a month - a fact in itself which tells you something.
We’re not just looking to buy better, we’re trying to understand what “better” even means. Eco-friendly is an easy to understand phrase which suggests something is good, responsible and considered without ever quite explaining why. It's a reduction of something complex into a single phrase, and candles sit right at the centre of that confusion.
What Candles Used to Be Made Of
Before candles became objects of atmosphere, they were objects of necessity.
Early candles were made from tallow, a rendered animal fat that burned with a heavy, smoky scent.
Later came beeswax, cleaner, slower-burning, and often associated with churches and ritual. Despite the theatre of their use in these spaces, candles were still more than decorative. They were functional, tied to light, time, and ceremony.
The shift came with industrialisation, and later, with the rise of paraffin wax, a petroleum byproduct that allowed candles to be produced cheaply, consistently, and at scale. This was the moment that quietly separated candles from ritual and placed them into consumption.
And now, in a quieter way, we are seeing a resurgence, a desire to find our way back.
The Problem With “Eco-Friendly”
Today, “eco-friendly” is everywhere. It appears on packaging, in product descriptions, in brand messaging. But it is rarely defined.
In the context of candles, it is often reduced to a single change. A shift from paraffin wax to, usually, soy, presented as a complete solution - but sustainability does not work like that.
A candle is not just its wax. It is the vessel it sits in, the packaging it arrives in, the inks used to print that packaging, the wick, the fragrance, the way it is transported, and where it has travelled from.
A candle can be made from soy, but still be poured into energy-intensive heavy glass that is discarded after one use. It can be wrapped in multiple layers of packaging shipped from the other side of the world, printed with non-considered materials, and produced within systems that prioritise cost over care. And yet the label will still proudly state: eco-friendly.
We have taken something layered and reduced it to a single ingredient, when in truth sustainability sits across the entire lifecycle of an object. From sourcing to making, to shipping, to how it is used, and what happens after.
Wax, Materials, and the Illusion of a Perfect Choice
Sadly there isn’t one perfect wax, though there are, of course, better choices.
Paraffin, while widely used - and suprisingly found in many best-selling brands marketed as premium or luxury under the label “blend”, is derived from petroleum.
Soy wax, often positioned as the more sustainable alternative, depends heavily on agricultural systems that can involve monocropping and land use concerns.
And beeswax, long associated with natural purity, raises its own questions around scale, farming practices, and the potential impact on bee populations when demand increases.
Even the most “natural” material is not without consequence.
Beyond Materials: The Social Side of Sustainability
What is often missing from the conversation though is the social aspect. Who is making the product. Under what conditions. Whether they are being paid fairly. Where materials are coming from, and who benefits from their extraction.
It is easier to talk about wax than it is to talk about labour. Easier to label something natural than to examine the systems behind it - but true sustainability sits across both.
The Rise of the Eco-Conscious Consumer
Alongside this confusion, something else has been happening.
There has been a broader cultural shift towards slower living, towards ritual, towards a desire to feel more considered in how we move through the world. Homes are no longer just styled, they are experienced. Objects are chosen not just for how they look, but for what they represent, and buying becomes part of that.
A candle is no longer just a candle. It is a signal of care, of intention, of how we want a space, and perhaps ourselves, to feel. “Eco-friendly” has become part of that language, a reassurance for what many of us are looking for - but if we accept that there is no perfect material, then the focus shifts from perfection, to intention.
What matters is not whether something claims to be eco-friendly, but whether it has been made with care. Whether the materials have been chosen thoughtfully. Whether the object is designed to last, to be used, to be kept.
Our Approach at Ouverture London
At Ouverture London, we tend to use the term eco-conscious rather than eco-friendly - not because it sounds better, but because it feels more accurate.
Eco-friendly suggests a fixed state, something resolved, complete, without compromise. But as we’ve touched on here, that is not the reality of sustainability.
Eco-conscious, for us, reflects a more thoughtful approach. One that takes into account not just materials, but the wider systems behind them. Environmental impact, yes, but also social considerations, sourcing, longevity, and use.
It acknowledges that every decision carries weight, and it is one of our guiding principles.
We currently use ProTerra-certified soy wax, chosen for its cleaner burn and the standards behind its sourcing. This certification ensures non-GMO supply chains, no deforestation, and stronger social standards within production.
Our metal vessels are designed to be kept, not discarded, with refillable intentions built into their design. The material is considered not just for how it looks, but for its full lifecycle, including production, reuse, and recyclability.
Our packaging is printed in the UK using FSC-certified materials, meaning the wood used is responsibly sourced, alongside vegetable-based inks, which are biodegradable in contrast to traditional petroleum-based alternatives.
These decisions, and many others, are part of an ongoing process, because for us, sustainability is not a label - it's a practice.
Read more about our eco journey, and if you'd like to see the final product of our hard work then you can discover our full candle collection.