Quality
Distinguishing between good and bad candles based on appearance alone can be quite difficult. As a consumer, we are often led by the price. Meaning we tend to forget what's really important: a good quality.
Recognize the quality of your candle
With the growing range of candles available, it is becoming increasingly difficult to choose a quality candle. Consumers regularly ask us how to distinguish a good candle from a bad one. From the look of the candle, it is hard to tell whether you have bought quality or not.
Spaas has an excellent reputation when it comes to the quality of candles. We believe it is important to offer products that meet the highest quality and safety standards. Check out some tips to recognise the quality of candles.
- Burn time
The packaging should state the burning time of the candle. The burn time is largely determined by the mixture and the wick. If these are well balanced, the candle will burn as it should. If they are not, the candle will not achieve its burning time.
The burn time is always an indication, it is rarely achieved exactly. A variation of about 10% is common.
- Size of the flame
The flame of the candle should be sufficiently large. A flame that is too big causes the candle to burn out too quickly. A flame that is too small is predominantly blue and naturally creates little atmosphere and warmth.
- Soot
A quality candle should give off as little soot as possible. You see bad candles get a black soot tail to the flame. This spreads too many soot particles in the room. Spaas therefore tests his candles for soot emission in a lab.
Outdoor candles are an exception: these often have a thicker wick to prevent the candle from blowing out. Consequently, they emit more soot. Outdoor candles must therefore meet different requirements than indoor candles. If in doubt, read the icons on the label.
- Dripping
Table candles and pillar candles, if you burn them appropriately (e.g. draught-free, at least 10cm distance between candles), should not drip or should drip minimally. This has the great advantage that your table or tablecloth will not get dirty. There is nothing more annoying than having to scrape or iron out candle wax from the tablecloth after a party. At Spaas, we strive to develop high-quality candles that don't drip.
Beware, placing a candle in front of an open window or fan causes dripping even with good candles.
- Candles in a glass
You find more and more candles in glass. For optimal burning results, it is recommended to burn the candle until the entire surface is liquid. This can take around 3-4 hours. This ensures that the wax melts off evenly and no ‘pitting’ forms and the sides do not melt off nicely.
- Glass breakage
You sometimes hear that the glass of the candles jumps because of the heat. This should not happen. Glass must meet certain quality standards so that it does not break when heated. Under price pressure, some manufacturers sometimes choose unapproved glass. If a flame is held against the glass for too long, there is a chance that the glass will jump. The cradle plate should therefore not move when the candle wax melts completely.
- Scented candles
You can expect a scented candle to smell pleasant. If not, the perfume is of poor quality or the candle's mixture (the blend) contains a faulty component (e.g. petrol or heating oil). The perfume percentage in candles varies and says nothing about quality. Odour perception is, of course, subjective. However, it is normal that a better perfume or higher perfume percentage makes the candle more expensive. So be careful with cheap scented candles. When candles contain too much perfume, they can start sweating or crystals form in the candle, but this in itself has little effect on burning behaviour.
- Safety symbols on the packaging
On all our Spaas candles, we put icons indicating how to burn the candle. We often get complaints because people do not respect the safety symbols. So please read carefully the symbols put on the labels/packaging.
Some people are sensitive to certain ingredients in perfumes. Our labels clearly indicate which ingredients can trigger allergies, for example.
- Quality certificate
Spaas is certified for both ISO 9001 and BRC consumer products. This shows that our quality management system is on point and we strive for continuous improvement of our processes and products. Making high-quality and safe products that meet customer requirements is therefore our top priority. Our products undergo stringent checks in accordance with current international and European standards. For example, each batch is checked for burning time, burning behaviour, residual content ...
We appreciate your feedback
With our Spaas team, we are committed every day to bringing candles on the market that meet the highest quality and safety standards. Still have feedback about one of our products? If so, please leave your details below.