When it comes to bringing fragrance and a soft glow to any room in your home, there’s nothing better than candles. They can also mask odors from pets or cooking and even decrease stress. That’s why we did extensive research to find candles that are made in the USA. Below, you’ll find our full list along with extensive details about each product. For all of our research, scroll to the bottom of the article and you’ll see a list of all the candle brands that are not made in the USA.
Complete List of Candle Brands Made in the USA
This Montrose, Colorado company, founded in 1991, makes candles from clean, natural ingredients. They sell aromatherapy, tea lights, tapers, pillars, votives, glassware, travel tins, lanterns, holiday, ceremony candles, and bulk beeswax.
Bluecorn uses only premium beeswax cappings, a sustainable byproduct of the honey harvest that leaves the comb intact for the bees to reuse. Their wax is naturally and lightly filtered using a filter press. This process removes particulates from the wax that would otherwise make their way into the wick and weaken the flame.
Bluecorn’s wicks are always cotton or a blend of paper and cotton. They never use zinc or lead-core wicks.
The company uses 100% pure essential oils for its candles. To color their candles, Bluecorn uses a liquid aniline dye that contains no chemicals classified as harmful or toxic nor any CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic) or PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic) substances.
Mike visited Bluecorn Beeswax out in Colorado recently too! Check out our YouTube channel for a full behind-the-scenes tour.
Founded in 2003 by brothers, this family-run business makes blended paraffin wax candles using the maximum amount of fragrance to create long-lasting products. They offer a range of scents as well as sizes of candles and often sell quirky designs too, such as their pumpkin-shaped candles around fall time. They also sell home decor products alongside their candle range.
1803 Candles are U.S. based manufacturers of soy candles that are on a mission to create sustainably-produced soy candles that smell as good from being opened to being burned to the bottom. Founded in 2006, this family-run business tested its products for over a year and a half to ensure they were creating the highest quality soy candles they could for their customers.
They sell soy candles and soy melts in a variety of natural scents, typically that of baked goods or nature.
Upstate Stock has lots of great coconut wax candles that they pour at their Brooklyn, New York, headquarters. Not all of the ingredients are sourced from the US, but many are, and they come in a wide variety of scents.
Bradley Mountain has a great selection of candles made in the USA in a variety of scents. Just be cautious shopping their entire store – not everything they offer is made in the USA.
Amina Mack, an attorney from the Philadelphia area, founded the Lucky Thirteen Candle Company in 2020. She hand-crafts 3-in-1 aromatherapy candles. Once a candle has been burning for a while and the scent has you feeling relaxed, you can blow it out and use the wax as a massage oil that improves circulation and relieves muscle aches as well as moisturizes your skin.
These candles are poured at a Greensboro, North Carolina factory using a proprietary, natural soy wax formula. The cotton wicks are lead-free and all products are phthalate-free and paraben-free.
David Oreck’s most popular lines include Pure Air Odor Eliminating candles and melts, Pet Odor Eliminating Candles and melts, Oreck Select and Oreck Select Lux Candles and melts, Three Wick scented soy candles and melts, and Aromatherapy blended essential oil candles.
Made solely of USA-made products, with nothing imported, American Story Candle is a family-run business, passionate about its home country. They support American workers, share USA history with its customers, and contribute profits to a veteran charity.
Their hand-poured candles are a blend of soy and paraffin, all in a creamy color. Candle scents are typically of foods and flowers and each jar (true to its name) features a story on the back of it, sharing a piece of American history.
Apple Valley Candle Co. hand pours all of its 100% soy candles in small batches using the maximum amount of fragrance oil. They don’t use any chemicals, additives, or dyes. Each one of made with a wooden wick and rotates its inventory regularly. Their aim is to create long-lasting great-smelling candles.
What started as a hobby quickly grew into a successful business after the owner of Candelles found out her grandmother was sick and she sold candles to help raise money for medical costs. Deciding to ‘shine a light’ as her grandmother had, Candelles continued creating candles. Eight years later, the woman-led business works out of a 7,000-square-foot warehouse in the North East mountains of Pennsylvania. It’s developed over 150 candle scents and is sold in over 350 stores nationwide.
Kalamazoo Candle Company handcrafts its 100% natural soy candles using American-made products. It’s dedicated to sustainability, ensuring that its candle vessels are recyclable and can be repurposed. They also offer a Wood Lid Return Program and have initiatives within its warehouse to encourage more sustainable practices.
Kalamazoo is dedicated to its artisan craft, but also its roots. Built on small-town values, they regularly work with their community, run fundraisers and donate to non-profit organizations.
Using premium soy wax and wooden wicks, Pozē Candle Co. is committed to creating luxury candles that have a clean burn and a warming crackling sound when used. Hand poured from their site in Maryland, Pozē Candle Co. uses fragrances designed to transport you away from real life to paradise. This could be a remote island to an Egyptian market. Their minimal design also offers a bit of mystery to your relaxation time. They sell both candles and wax melts.
As their name suggests, The Beeswax Co. makes all of their candles using 100% pure beeswax from Texas beekeepers, using their grandfather’s hand-me-down beekeeping tools. Their candles are entirely hand-crafted, using only the natural scents of beeswax, which smelled of Texas wildflowers, wild berries, prairie grass, and herbs. Each candle is then burnished by hand using their grandfather’s tools.
The Beeswax Co. sells its candles in a range of sizes and shapes with a choice of wicks numbers too. You can get pillar candles, tealights, votives, candlesticks, and container candles. They also run a recycling program to ensure that all beeswax is used and nothing is wasted, donating this to Texas charity organizations.
Michigan-based True North Candle Company handmakes eco-friendly soy candles using soybeans produced by American farmers. They use cotton braid wicks and premium-grade phthalate-free scents, aiming to create a product that smells strongly throughout the entire burn.
Made in small batches, True North Candle Company replicates the natural scents of Michigan lakes and forestry in its candles and also has Holiday ones for the season. Passionate about being USA-made and its hometown, they also support their local community and businesses.
Idaho Candle Company handmakes luxury soy candles that are non-toxic and come in a variety of scents and styles. All the candle names are also Idaho-inspired.
Mike’s YouTube Video on American Made Candles
How To Find Candles Made In The USA
Candles not only make your room smell good, but they are also great decorations for any space. Unfortunately, good candles can get expensive, so you may be tempted to buy cheap ones from the dollar store. But you get what you pay for, good quality candles smell better, last longer, are safer, and are made ethically. An excellent place to start when looking for good quality candles is candles made and sourced in the USA. But with most production taking place abroad, finding candles made in the USA may be difficult. Here are some tips to help you and insights into the candle manufacturing industry.
What Does “Made in the USA” Mean?
To know how to look for products made in the USA, you must first understand what that phrase means. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a product can be labeled as “made in the USA ” if “all or virtually all” of the product is made in the United States of America. This means everything from the materials used to the assembly of the product must occur in the United States.
So, for example, if some of the materials are sourced from overseas, even if the product is assembled domestically, then it cannot be considered made in the USA.
Check out our detailed labeling guide for more information on the FTC’s “made in the USA” standards and how to find products made in the USA.
Materials
The first step to finding candles made in the USA is to research the materials used. If the materials are not sourced domestically, the candle cannot be considered “made in the USA.”
Candles are typically made from paraffin wax, soy wax, and beeswax. The wicks in the candles are made from cotton.
Paraffin Wax
Paraffin wax is the cheapest type of wax used, which is why it is the most popular choice in candles. This type of wax originated in Germany in 1830, but the USA also manufactures its own paraffin wax. Most paraffin wax will be sourced from China or Germany, so companies looking to cut manufacturing costs will normally source paraffin wax from abroad. So, it’s worth double-checking the country of origin when looking for a paraffin wax candle.
Beeswax
Beeswax is slowly becoming a popular candle wax as it is denser, burns slower, and is drip-free. India is the largest producer of beeswax in the world by far. Most beeswax comes from India, but there is a small production of this material in the United States as well. However, since the amount of production is significantly smaller, you’re more likely to end up with beeswax made in India. To find beeswax made in the USA, try searching at higher-end boutique stores that take pride in their raw materials.
Soy Wax
This is a great vegan candle option made from soybeans. Luckily, the USA is a huge soybean producer, battling for first place in the world with Brazil. So, finding soy wax candles made in the USA tends to be much easier than with candles made from other materials.
Cotton
The wicks on a candle are often made from cotton. China and India are the world’s leading cotton producers, with the USA coming in strong as the third largest producer. Cotton is a 21 billion-dollar industry in the United States, so finding US-made cotton shouldn’t be too difficult.
Labeling
Paying attention to the labels is essential when looking for candles made in the USA. Title 19 Chapter 4 Section 1304 of the United States Code states that all imported products must be labeled as such. Therefore, when looking for US-made candles, you should look specifically for the “made in the USA” label. In theory, this should help you weed out the locally-made products from the imports, but it’s not as simple as it seems.
The “made in the USA” label is protected by the FTC, but there is no pre-approval process. This means it’s up to the companies to determine whether or not their products meet the requirements to use the label.
Often, companies will use misleading language to confuse consumers into thinking their products are made in the USA. For example, labels like “assembled in the USA” or “designed in the USA” mean that only a portion of the manufacturing takes place in the United States. Labels like “made in America” are also used to trick consumers into thinking the product is made in the USA. However, America can also refer to Canada or Mexico.
One last thing to watch out for is the usage of the American flag sticker on labels. American flags on labels are not regulated, so any company can put them on a product. Just because there is an American flag does not mean it is made in the USA.
Other Tips
Here are other tips to use when finding candles made in the USA.
Visit Their Website
You should check out the company’s website to learn more about its products. There is often an About Us page that includes this kind of information. “Made in the USA” is a huge selling point, so companies are likely to advertise this fact loudly. On the other hand, since proper labeling with the country of origin is not a requirement on online or promotional materials, beware if you can’t find any information about where their products are made.
Call Them
You can always call the company and ask them directly. A representative should be able to answer your questions. However, if they refuse to answer your questions or are hesitating, chances are their products are not made in the USA.
Candles Not Made in the USA
Here are some of the brands we found that are not made here. Leave us a message if you find any others that we should add to this list! We are constantly updating it based on our research.
- 1820co. – some components are sourced from France, Germany and Spain, while some manufacturing takes place in India, China, and Mexico.
- Aunt Sadie’s – some of the wax is shipped from Canada, and the tins are sourced from China.
- Bee Hive Candles – candle accessories are made in China, and the essential oils are gathered worldwide.
- Big Dipper Wax Works – some materials are sourced from China, Canada, and Argentina.
- Archipelago Botanicals — some materials are globally sourced.
- Belle Fleur – a few materials are sourced globally; the oils are made in Grasse, France.
- Bridgewater Candle Company — materials are sourced from multiple vendors worldwide.
- Brooklyn Candle Studio – some raw materials are sourced internationally.
- Calyan Wax Co. – some glassware is ordered from China.
- Capri Blue – some of the materials are sourced globally.
- Christina Maser – some of the fragrance components are sourced internationally.
- Goose Creek — some ingredients are globally sourced.
- Himalayan Candles – the vessels are sourced from India.
- ILLUME – some vessels, components and raw materials are sourced globally.
- Le Feu De L’eau — fragrances come from ingredients sourced all over the world, including Europe and the Middle East.
- Light 4 Life Cause – a few glass vessels come from China.
- Milkhouse Candle Company – some glass and hardware is sourced outside of the USA.
- Skeem Design – some materials are sourced globally.
- Waxing Kara – the containers are from different countries all over the world.
- Way Out Wax – Some essential oils are sourced from other countries, including France, Italy and Bulgaria.
- Yankee Candle – materials are sourced from all over the world.
