Why Are Candles So Expensive? (7 Logical Reasons)

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Most people love candles as you can use them in many different situations, be it for camping, a romantic dinner, or even just a nice bubble bath; candles will make it feel more luxurious. But some candles on the market today are extremely expensive, so why is that?

Some candles are very expensive for a number of reasons, from the responsibly sourced, environmentally friendly, 100% natural, and cruelty-free ingredients they are made from. They can also be more expensive as they are usually hand-made and not machine-made, and a luxury brand makes them.

Is there any way you can save money when buying expensive candles, or do you need to deal with paying that much for a candle? And are expensive candles worth it? Let us find out!

Why Are Candles Generally So Expensive?

There are so many different candle brands on the market today, but there are those that stand out more than others, and sometimes this is only due to their price. Certain candles can be extremely expensive, making you wonder what is so special about them that they can charge this much.

There are several reasons why these candles are more expensive than most others. Let us go through why they are costly, so you can make your mind up about if they are worth it or not.

1 – Expensive Candles Brands Have a Wide Variety of Scents

There are several reasons why people buy candles. It could be for added light during power interruptions, camping trips, or even a romantic evening for you and your partner, but these are not exactly the primary reason.

Let’s face it; most people buy candles because they smell good, and it’s only an added benefit that they can be useful in certain situations. There will always be a market for scented candles, and this market keeps growing every year.

Different candles give off distinct smells depending on their brand, and these scent ranges keep growing as the demand for scented candles grows. On the market today, you can find a candle that will smell like just about anything.

Whatever smell your heart desires, you will probably be able to find it. The immense expansion of these scented candle ranges from various brands over the years does mean that the prices of these great smelling candles will, unfortunately, go up.

This is because the brands that own these scented candles have to do a lot of market research before adding a new candle to their range.

Then they also have to research the ingredients for this new candle scent to ensure they get ingredients that match their brand’s quality expectations.

There is so much effort that goes on behind the scenes when it comes to making these high-quality scented candle ranges, which is why they are so expensive.

2 – Expensive Candles Burn Evenly

With the large amount of effort that goes into making each scented candle in these expensive candle ranges, the candles tend to burn more evenly than their non-expensive candle competitors; this is actually due to several reasons.

One reason is that they usually have multiple wicks, especially the bigger candles. This, along with the ingredients that these candles are made from, helps burn the candle evenly. This also has the advantage of helping to make the candle have a longer burning time.

These more expensive scented candles generally come in glass jars as well. These glass jars are for more than just cosmetic reasons as they also help improve the way the candle burns and the length of time one candle can last customers.

As the candle burns in these glass jars, the wax that melts from the flame gets collected in the glass jar. Then when the candle is blown out and left for a few hours, this melted wax hardens again and becomes a part of the candle once more.

When this wax becomes a part of the candle again, it dries in the right shape due to this glass jar, so it will still burn evenly when the candle is lit next time.

3 – Expensive Candles Are Usually 100% Natural

Not only do expensive candles smell good and come in a wide variety, but most of these expensive candle brands make their candles allergen-friendly, and they are usually made from 100% natural ingredients.

These 100% natural products are not tested on animals; they are sourced responsibly and are generally better for the environment.

If these higher-quality brands are going to need to pay more to produce these scented candles that are all-natural and environmentally friendly, then they are going to be more expensive for the consumer.

The reason for this is that these companies need to recoup these casts to continue to make these candles.

So, suppose you are committed to buying vegan, cruelty-free, and environmentally friendly products, including your candles. In that case, you will pay more for all the extra research that goes into making these products what they are.

Most of these higher-end and expensive candles are made from soy or beeswax, which are not exactly easy ingredients to source. So, the company needs to source these natural ingredients worldwide and ship them to their factories. This is a process that will increase their consumer price.

4 – Some Expensive Candles Are Seasonal

As most people know, when there is a seasonal product, and the product is only offered for a limited time, the product generally costs more. This is the same thing that happens with certain scent varieties from different brands of expensive candles.

There are certain seasons that candle manufacturers do take advantage of, where they make limited-edition candles, and they sometimes label them as “collectors editions.”

There are candle manufacturers that make scented candles specifically for Christmas or Halloween, for example, and these candles will only be available during these times.

Then manufacturers get cleaver, and they will make a different scented candle for these seasons the next year to further the exclusiveness of these candles, which makes people want to buy the new ones more.

But we do need to remember that the scented candle industry is not the only industry that is guilty of this; with that being said, though, people do tend to use more candles during the holidays where you have to entertain people, so they are clever in this aspect.

Seasonal candles are also a bit more expensive to produce as they change every year, so new market research needs to be done along with new ingredient sourcing, which does cost the manufacturers a lot and will increase the price.

5 – Expensive Candles Carry Brand Recognition

One of the reasons why some candles are more expensive than others does depend on the brand of the candle itself. With scented candles, brand recognition seems to be a big thing, and many people will only trust candles from brands they have heard of or know a lot about.

So, brand recognition is extremely important for expensive candle brands and goes a long way in their customer sales.

This means that the big candle-making brands will spend a large sum of money on advertising their name and products to their customers and potential customers to ensure that their products are recognized as the best on the market.

As candles are not considered an essential product in any home, candle brands need to make you want their candles, so they have to make themselves and their products look appealing and seem like a highly luxurious item.

With most of the expensive candle brands on the market today, the amount of effort they put into their advertising and their products tends to justify their pricing, as they spent a lot of money just for you to know their name.

But there are still some brands that could maybe tone it down just a little, as they have seemed to go a bit overboard with their prices.

6 – Scented Candles Are More Expensive

We all love scented candles as they always bring a smile to your face, and they make your home smell magical. However, with these expensive candles, the scents they use are usually the most costly ingredient in their candles, as they only go for the best ingredients and fragrances.

Most of the scents that are in these expensive candles are scents blended from different essential oils. The essential oils for these candles are directly derived from plants, and they will generally only use essential oils that have been responsibly sourced.

If you have ever tried purchasing some essential oils, then you already know how expensive these oils can be, now you need to remember that the essential oils used in these expensive candles are of the highest quality.

So, you can only imagine the prices these candle manufacturers pay for the privilege of having these scents included in their candles.

Not only are these essential oils very expensive, but every one of these scented candles requires a large amount of essential oils to be mixed into them if you want to be able to smell the scent when the candles are burning.

This large amount needed for the scented candles drives up their price and can make them extremely expensive.

7 – Price Depends on How the Candle Was Made

Sometimes the exorbitant prices of a few candles from a certain brand are due to how the candles are made and not the ingredients used to make them.

The extremely expensive candles tend to have a more labor-intensive method to produce; this labor will require a lot of workers that need to be trained in the candle-making techniques of the company. This takes lots of money and time for the company to do.

Many of these expensive candles are made by a hand-poring method, rather than a machine-poured method like the cheaper candles on the market. This candle-making method requires a lot of skill and time to ensure the candles are of the utmost quality that you expect from these brands.

Not only do these candles get made by hand, but usually, when the hand-pouring method is used, the rest of the process, including packaging and shipping the candles out, are also all done by hand.

All of this extra workforce needed to make these candles and get them to you increases the cost of the candle.

How to Save Money When Buying Candles

Now that we have gone through what makes certain candles so expensive, we can look at ways you can potentially save some money when buying candles, even some of the extremely expensive ones.

When you are looking to buy an expensive candle, but you do not want to spend so much money on them, you’re in luck because most of these expensive candles go on sale at some point in the year.

You can look for these sales and then time your candle purchases every year around that time. When they do go on sale, ensure that you buy multiple so that you can store them in your home for when you want them.

Another option that may help you save money on these candles is to buy them in bulk. You can get an order together with some of your friends and family and buy the candles straight from the factory so that you will get the factory cost instead of the retail price.

Save some money by going for the larger, more expensive candle, as you will only need to buy these candles once a year, depending on how much you use them. These larger candles have a longer burning time, so you do end up getting more value for your money.

Are Expensive Candles Worth the Extra Cost?

So, the big question is, are expensive candles worth buying in the first place? Candles are usually considered a luxury item, especially expensive scented candles. If you want a luxurious candle experience, and you can afford to buy one or two of these candles, then yes, they are worth it.

These candles are usually environmentally friendly, cruelty-free, and responsibly sourced, so they are a lot better for you and the environment, so if you can buy them, then you should.

But as we all know, in the real world, we have budgets and bills to pay, and finding the money to splurge on these expensive candles can be challenging. If you cannot find these expensive candles on sale and you cannot afford them at their usual prices, then do not break the bank to get one; they are not that worth it.

Final Thoughts

Candles can be expensive for several reasons, so they are kind of justified to be so expensive in a way.

We need to remember that the people and brands that make these expensive scented candles are experts in their fields, and they spend a lot of money ensuring that they only use the best of the best ingredients in their candles so that their customers can have a great candle experience with their products.

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