Candle Standards
Update of BS EN 15494: Candles - Product safety labels
Many of you will know that CEN have been working on agreeing updates to the three main European candle standards for a couple of years now, including EN 15494 (Safety Labels). Well the latest revision has now been released and was approved by CEN on 9 September 2019. National standards bodies have been given until April 2020 to publish updates and BSI has already done so, with the 30 November 2019 update now available in the BSI store.
BS EN 15494:2019
What does this mean for me?
It is important to remember that the three European candle standards are voluntary and not legally required. So, whilst we would recommend that you update your product labels as soon as you can, to refelect best practice, you should do so when convenient. I.e., do not throw out any labels or packaging.
What are the changes?
The changes that have been aprroved by CEN include a few changes as follows:
- New terms and definitions
- New pictograms and text information
- Going from 5 to 4 mandatory pictograms
- Additional mandatory pictograms for certain types of candles
- Additional optional supplementary dafety information
- New minimum height of 5mm for pictograms
The reason for these changes is two-fold. Firstly, the original pictograms were created a number of years ago and times have changed. So, the rocking chair and old analog television (for example) were less identifiable to many younger people. It also acknowledges new formats of products, such as wax warmers.
The new pictograms were selected from a wider set of submissions, following controlled tests with a broad range of people. We first saw these pictograms in Barcelona at the 2019 World Candle Congress and have been keen to switch since then, as these are far clearer than the old ones, especially the "Never leave a burning candle unattended" pictogram.
Mandatory Pictograms/Terms
The 5 mandatory pictograms from the now superceded BS EN 15494:2007 are show below.
This has now been reduced to 4 in EN 15494:2019 which are shown below:
1. WARNING
The warning triangle remains mandatory, but can be left off if the candle has CLP labelling including the GHS 07 (Harmful) pictogram. If GHS 07 is not present, we would recommend you include the yellow warning symbol.
or
2. NEVER LEAVE A BURNING CANDLE UNATTENDED
The "Never leave a burning candle unattended" term will remain the same, but the associated pictogram has been made clearer.
 |
 |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 2019 |
3. KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN AND PETS
 |
2007 | "Burn candle out of reach of children and pets" |
|---|---|---|
 |
2019 | "Keep away from children and pets" |
4. KEEP AWAY FROM THINGS THAT CAN CATCH FIRE
 |
2007 | "Do not burn candles on or near anything that can catch fire" |
|---|---|---|
 |
2019 | "Keep away from things that can catch fire" |
Optional Pictograms/Terms
1. KEEP CANDLES X CM APART
In EN 15494:2007, there was a 5th mandatory pictogram relating to the safe distance between candles. As container candles have become more popular, this has now been changed to be an optional warning.
 |
2007 | "Always leave xx cm between burning candles" |
|---|---|---|
 |
2019 | "Keep candles x cm apart" |
Other Changes
There are several other changes in the 2019 standard, relating to more optional terms/pictograms and there are now mandatory pictograms for floating candles and candles that require a candleholder (i.e. votives).
BS EN 15494:2019 can be purchased via the BSI website here. At the time of writing, the price was £130 for non-members and £65 for members.
Candle Shack Fragrances
Are your fragrances safe, vegan and paraben free?
All of our fragrance oils are vegan friendly, cruelty free and paraben free.
Please refer to the SDS for each fragrance for information on phthalates.
Please refer to the PDF files at the bottom of every fragrance page for the SDS, IFRA and Allergen Declarations.
There are also template labels available for candles, diffusers and melts. These templates show all of the information you must have on your product.
Are your fragrances safe for pets?
Our fragrances have been created in line with IFRA standards, which are there to ensure the safe use of fragrances ingredients, however; IFRA’s standards are aimed at humans, and they do not produce standards regarding the safety of suitability of fragrance ingredients in relation to pets. We recommend contacting a veterinarian with any concerns or for advice.
AN OIL I’M USING SAYS ‘SUSPECTED OF DAMAGING FERTILITY OF THE UNBORN CHILD (EXPOSURE ROUTE). IS IT SAFE FOR USE IN CANDLES?
Some of our fragrances do carry this hazard in their raw form. Once diluted, this hazard is no longer applicable. If ever in doubt, check the 8% or 10% SDS that is available via the website for hazards applicable to your candles or wax melts. In any case, we recommend using the appropriate PPE when handling ALL fragrances.
Fragrances
What is the difference between fragrance oils and essential oils?
Essential oils are made from natural ingredients using processes such as steam distillation and solvent extraction. The intention is to capture the "essence" of the plants.
Fragrance oils are made from synthetic fragrance molecules. Although they are man-made, many synthetic molecules are identical to molecules found in nature, but many more are designed by fragrance chemists to give specific aromas that can be used to produce unique and novel fragrance oils.
Both essential oils and fragrance oils are blends of many different types of fragrance molecules.
What are nature-derived fragrances?
Nature-derived fragrances are complex compounds, derived from natural aromatics extracted from nature including trees, plants, and flowers, that also include a small amount of replicated natural accords harnessed without harming the environment.
These natural accords are processed from natural sources by physical or biotechnical procedures to harness the ingredients and consist of materials that can be physically isolated from plants through distillation expression and extraction.
Nature-derived materials can be extracted from plants - one oil can have several different isolates from several plants.
How much fragrance should I use?
Essential oils can have different viscosity than fragrance oils as they are made from natural ingredients, while fragrance oils mainly contain synthetic components. As natural oils tend to be more viscous, we recommend using them at a lower ratio.
If you are looking to make a candle using essential oils, we advise testing your candles with 6-8% oil, while 15% would be a good starting point for your diffusers, subject to any IFRA or CLP restrictions.
If you prefer fragrance oils, you can start testing your candles with 8-10% but you can add up to 14% in some plant waxes, and our recommended diffuser ratio is 15-20% subject to any IFRA or CLP restrictions.
Please always check the IFRA conformity certificate on the product page for each essential oil or fragrance oil, as all oils have maximum permitted percentages for candles, diffusers and rom sprays under IFRA/CLP guidelines.
For concentrated fragrance oils, you can use a lower percentage of oil and still get excellent cold and hot throw. Depending on your wax, our recommended ratio is 3-5% for candles, whilst with diffusers we would advise you to start testing with 8-10%.
What wick should I use with my fragrance?
The choice of wick will depend on which wax is being used. LX or TG wicks work well with mineral waxes. Stabilo, CL, V, TB, ECO or PGS wicks can be used with mineral or vegetable blends, while VRL wicks are suited to blends containing a high percentage of plant wax.
Overwicking can cause larger flames which can then form larger melt pools and generate more soot. Overwicking is the term used to describe the use of a larger wick than necessary for a particular candle.
CLP
What is CLP?
CLP is an EU and UK regulation which requires hazardous chemicals to be classified, labelled and packaged accordingly to ensure a high level of protection for consumers, workers and the environment.
Is CLP LABEL DESIGN tool free?
Yes! We know how difficult and time-consuming adhering to CLP regulations can be. As such, we designed this tool to help you quickly get an accurate label at the click of a few buttons.
Can I access CLP DESIGN TOOL on mobile?
It has been specifically designed for desktop devices and is optimised for Chrome and Microsoft Edge Internet browsers.
What fragrance oils are included?
All Candle Shack fragrance and natural oils have been included.
What type of products can I generate CLP labels for?
This tool can generate labels for Candles (10%), Candles (8%), Candles (6%), Diffusers (15% in Augeo), Diffusers (20% in Augeo), and Room Sprays (5% in non-hazardous base).
What if some of the label templates are missing?
If you can't find the CLP label you are looking for, please check the fragrance description and Safety Data Sheets, as it may be the case that there is no CLP requirement at the chosen scent content or the fragrance can't be used above a certain percentage.
Can this tool be used for custom bases, scent contents or sizes?
At the moment our CLP Design Tool can only be used to generate the labels mentioned above, however, we do offer services for custom SDS and CLP labels using Candle Shack oils or custom essential oil blends.
Can this tool generate CLP labels in other languages?
You can design your CLP labels in 24 different languages: English, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Swedish.
Will 60mm labels fit on all Candle Shack containers?
Yes, they will. You can use this size of label for all Candle Shack containers apart from 9cl.
What mass/volume information should I include in my CLP label?
You should always include NET weight. This is the weight of wax and fragrance, excluding the weight of the container.
Can I combine CLP label with safety information using this tool?
Yes, you can! If you choose to do so, pictograms on the left are mandatory. Pictograms on the right-optional, and can be chosen if they are relevant to the product. Please select the maximum of 5 safety pictograms.
Once I finished designing my labels where can I print them?
We recommend using PRINTED.COM. They offer great prices and fast delivery service.