Candle Products in the EU & UK
CERT provides specialist regulatory and technical support across all product sectors, including candles. We help businesses navigate complex EU and UK requirements with clarity and confidence.
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Candles supplied in the EU and UK must meet general product safety requirements, control restricted substances in waxes, fragrances, colourants, and wicks, and provide appropriate burning performance and safety information for their intended users and environments.
What counts as a candle
Candles cover all products designed to burn with a flame to provide light, fragrance or ambience, including container candles, pillar and taper candles, tealights, wax melts and tarts used with warmers, and decorative novelty candles.
Products may be unscented, highly fragranced, or shaped and decorated for celebrations and seasonal use, sometimes supplied in sets with holders, lids or other accessories.
The intended user and use setting (for example indoor living spaces, bathrooms, dining tables or outdoor areas), and features such as scenting, refillable formats or decorative coatings, determine which product‑safety, fire‑safety, chemical and, where relevant, electrical requirements apply.
Core obligations include:
Ensure candles provide stable, predictable burning behaviour, with controlled flame height, no dangerous flare‑ups or secondary flames, and containers that remain intact without cracking, shattering or leaking molten wax.
Assess and manage risks such as ignition of nearby materials, tip‑over, overheating of holders and lids, sooting and smoke production, and access to hot surfaces, especially for children and vulnerable users.
Control restricted substances in waxes, fragrances, colourants, wick cores and treatments, ensuring compliance with EU/UK chemical law and any applicable classification, labelling and packaging rules for mixtures.
Evaluate fragrances and volatile components for sensitisation and other health hazards and communicate relevant allergens and hazard information where required.
Metals in wicks and decorative components, as well as certain solvents and additives in coatings, inks, and glues, should be controlled so that products are free from prohibited substances and do not release unsafe levels of chemicals during normal burning conditions.
Maintain technical documentation, including design and burning‑test data, SDSs, risk assessments, bills of materials and supplier declarations, to support regulatory enquiries and retailer due‑diligence checks.