From little luxuries, to religious symbols, to essential illuminators, candles have a rich and important history across the world. Likewise, candle wax has its own complex past, with ingredients and blends changing across centuries, countries, cultures.
Some waxes have proved popular for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. First used by the Ancient Romans, tallow (a rendered form of animal fat) pops up throughout history as a base for candles, although its acrid smell and low levels of light make it a less-than-optimal choice. A more reliable alternative, beeswax burns cleanly with a delicate scent, making it popular with wealthier families in Medieval Western Europe – and ensuring it is still used by candlemakers to this day.
Other ancient wax blends are a little more unusual. Early Chinese candles were created from wax made from an indigenous insect combined with seeds, while Indian candle wax was made by combining boiled cinnamon and yak butter, a blend still used to create many temple candles.
Aided by modern technology and global supply chains, today’s candlemakers (or ‘chandlers’) have access to a much wider range of ingredients and manufacturing techniques. At True Grace, we like to blend the best of old and new, tweaking our wax mixes constantly to create the highest-quality, sustainable products while being inspired by the age-old candle making methods employed by our predecessors.
'We like to blend the best of old and new to create high-quality, sustainable products.”
— roger biles, co-founder, true grace