Did you know that there are more than 1000 candle related house fires reported every year? That’s at least 20 per week! It can take just seconds for a candle flame to burn out of control. Candle safety labels are designed to inform and educate your customer on the potential dangers that may arise from improper usage of candles and in turn provides them with detailed information on how to keep themselves and others around them safe.

Knowing how to burn and use candles correctly is a must, and avoiding a devastating fire at all costs is paramount. In addition to CLP labelling as specified in our previous blog post, candles must also have a candle safety label, providing general candle safety information to the end user.

But what needs to be included on this label and how are they used when selling your handmade candles? Our blog post will provide guidance on what you need to know to ensure your candles meet the necessary safety guidelines.

What is a Candle Safety Label?

A candle safety label includes many statements related to the usage, burning, extinguishing and storage of your candles. The information included on your candle safety label should be tailored to meet the requirements of the specific candle you’ve created.

For example, safety information for floating candles may slightly differ to the information included on the label for a container candle or for a pillar candle.

An Example of a Candle Safety Label

Here’s an example of a container candle safety label just to make things a bit clearer. The layout shows all the different statements related to the usage of these types of candles. We’ve broken down some of the statements below to explain how these relate to the safety usage of a container candle.

1 Never leave a burning candle unattended

If you leave the room or are heading out for a short while, always extinguish the candle. There should be no glowing ember left on the wick.

2 Burn candles out of the reach of children and pets

All candles when in use or not, should be placed out of reach of children and pets. This could be in a locked cupboard if not in use or high up on a shelf where children and pets can’t reach if in use. A wagging tail or flailing arm could easily knock a candle over!

3 Do not burn the candle on or near anything that can catch fire

Don’t burn a candle near bedding, curtains, carpets, books, furniture and any other flammable decorative items around your home.

4 Do not burn for more than 4 hours at a time

All candles should be burned for no more than 4 hours at a time. This is to reduce the likelihood of the container shattering or becoming too hot. It also stops the wick from mushrooming which in turn could cause the release of black carbon (soot) or a high flame which may pose an increased fire risk.

5 Make sure the wick is trimmed to 5mm before lighting

A candle wick should be trimmed to 5mm before every burn. This ensures no mushroom is left remaining on the wick which may cause the wick to spit once lit again. It also reduces the likelihood of a mushroom forming whilst the candle is burning. Trimming the wick is also a vital step that will allow your candle to perform at its best.

6 Keep candles 10cm apart

This ensures that the candles don’t melt each other whilst in use or create drafts which may cause the candles to not burn properly.

7 Container may become hot when in use

Never touch or move a candle whilst in use or whilst the wax is still liquid. Wait until the wax has fully solidified before touching or moving the candle vessel.

Under the fire safety standard, statements 1-3 are mandatory for all safety labels. These must be included regardless of the type of candle made.

What Are the Pictures Included on Safety Labels?

The graphic candle images that you see on safety labels basically show some or all of your safety information wording but in picture form.

For example, the candle safety label example shown above shows the pictures relating to safety statements 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 we’ve mentioned. These are important visual reminders of the candle fire-safety rules.

It is also a requirement that the General Warning Sign (yellow diagram shown on the example above) be included in all safety labelling aspects.

Where Should You Place the Candle Safety Label?

Just like your CLP labels, a candle safety label should be firmly affixed to the packaging that houses the candle i.e. the container. It should also be attached to any external packaging boxes should you be using them.

Can I Combine my Candle Safety Label with my CLP label?

You may combine the CLP and safety information onto one label but this will require either making your own labels or if you use a business that offers this service for a small creation fee.

As long as your label contains everything your customer needs to be aware of relating to the fragrance oil used (CLP) and safety information for your candle, you are covered.

For more information on CLP information, be sure to check out our blog post, A Guide on CLP Labelling for Candles - What You Need to Know.

Where Can you find Additional Information?

Below is a very useful link that provides further information and understanding on candle safety labelling.

The British Candlemakers Federation (BCF)

It also provides an extensive insight into many other aspects surrounding the correct way to label your candle creations appropriately and according to safety regulations.

We hope this article helped clarify the aspects of a candle safety label and provided you with the information needed on why this type of label is really important to have on your candle creations .

If you do have any concerns regarding your candle safety labels or any other queries about your candles, you can always get in touch with ourselves via email, telephone or our dedicated Facebook group, your local areas Trading Standards or the British Candlemakers Federation (BCF for short).

Our dedicated team of moderators and customer service advisors would be more than happy to help should you wish to reach out to us directly.

We are offering this advice and support to the best of our knowledge. This post is for guidance purposes only. Ultimately, it’s the business owner’s responsibility to conduct their own research and to make sure they have everything in place to be able to sell their products legally.