7 Things Most People Don’t Know About Candles

Why does your candle tunnel? Why can’t you smell it anymore? And does the type of wax really make a difference?

There’s more going on inside a candle than you might think.
After more than 27 years of making candles, here are seven things every candle lover should know.

1. Why do some candles burn better than others?

A candle might look simple, but getting one to burn beautifully takes some work.

The wax, wick, fragrance and vessel all affect one another. A wick that works beautifully with one fragrance, for example, might not perform the same way with another.

That’s why we test every fragrance individually, trying different wick sizes until we find the combination that gives us the burn we're looking for.

The details you don’t see can make all the difference once you light it.

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2. Is all candle wax the same?

Not even close.

Soy, coconut, paraffin and other waxes all have different characteristics. Even two candles labelled “soy” may use different wax formulations or blends.
And that matters, because the wax can influence the melt pool, burn and how fragrance is released.

It’s why we spent years developing our exclusive Eco Glow soy & coconut wax blend specifically for Urban Rituelle candles.

Rather than choosing wax because it sounds good on a label, we wanted a blend that performs beautifully when you actually burn it.

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3. Soy wax vs coconut wax: what’s the difference?

This is where candle labels can get confusing.
Soy and coconut are both plant-derived waxes, but they have different characteristics. Candle makers can also blend waxes to achieve particular performance qualities rather than relying on a single wax.

For Urban Rituelle, the answer wasn’t soy or coconut.
It was finding the right balance of both.

Our Eco Glow blend combines soy & coconut wax and has been refined over years to deliver the burn and fragrance performance we want from our candles.

4. Why can’t I smell my candle anymore?

You light your favourite candle. After a while, you barely notice it.
Then someone walks into the room and immediately comments on how good your home smells.

There’s a reason.

Our sense of smell naturally adapts to fragrances we're exposed to continuously. Often called nose blindness, it can mean the fragrance is still there — you're simply noticing it less.

But if a candle has weak fragrance from the beginning, that's different.

The fragrance itself, wax, wick and melt pool can all influence how effectively scent is released while a candle burns.

So a great fragrance experience isn't simply about adding more fragrance oil. It’s about getting the whole candle right.

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5. Why does my candle tunnel?

You know that annoying ring of wax left around the edge while your candle burns straight down the middle?

That’s tunnelling.

One of the most important things you can do to help prevent it happens the very first time you light your candle.

Allow enough time for the melted wax pool to reach the edges of the vessel. For our candles, we recommend allowing around two hours minimum.

But tunnelling isn't only about how you burn your candle.
The wick needs to be properly matched to the wax, fragrance and vessel too. If the combination isn't right, the melt pool may not develop as it should.

That’s one reason wick testing matters so much.

6. What does trimming the candle wick actually do?

That little instruction to “trim your wick” isn't just candle-care fussiness.

As a candle burns, the end of the wick can become longer or develop a mushroom shape.
Trimming it before your next burn helps control the flame, which can reduce smoking and soot and encourage a cleaner, more even burn.

Small trim. Better burn.

7. Why does every candle fragrance need to be tested?

This is something most people never think about.

Change the fragrance and you can change how a candle behaves.

That's why we don't simply choose one wick and use it for every candle we make.

Each fragrance is individually tested with multiple wick sizes until we're happy with its performance.

And testing doesn't stop once a candle launches.
Because natural waxes and fragrance oils can vary slightly from batch to batch, we continue test-burning our production batches too.
It takes more time.

But after 27 years of making candles, we know the little things matter.
So, what actually makes a great candle?
There isn't one magic ingredient.
It's the wax. The wick. The fragrance. The vessel. The testing. And how they all work together.

Urban Rituelle candles are hand poured in Sydney using our exclusive Eco Glow soy & coconut wax blend, with every fragrance individually tested to deliver the experience we're looking for.

Because a beautiful candle shouldn't just smell good when you first open it.
It should burn beautifully, too.

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