World Candle Month – September 2023

History of World Candle Month

World Candle Month was founded by The National Candle Association (NCA) in 2013. Established in 1974, the organization is widely recognized as the leading technical authority on candle manufacturing, science, and safety, and is the major trade association representing U.S. candle manufacturers and their suppliers. Its mission is to promote the global usage of candles and bring awareness to the benefits of candles. Candles are beautiful, fun, and can be used safely in most environments.

Candles have been around for a very long time. There’s evidence that the ancient Egyptians used a rudimentary form of a candle wick as far back as 3000 B.C. and it is well-known that the ancient Romans developed candles with wicks. Once made with animal fat called tallow, candle-making evolved over the years and in different parts of the globe to include the use of wax from many different plants, insects, and even certain tree nuts.

Throughout the millennia, progress was slow. In middle-age Europe, improvements came in the form of using the cleaner-burning and better-smelling beeswax rather than tallow. However, its cost made it prohibitive outside of church ceremonies and the homes of the very rich. In the late colonial era, the growth of the whaling industry led to the use of crystallized sperm whale oil known as spermaceti wax.

However, it wasn’t until the 19th century that candles and the process we’re most familiar with today took shape. The 1830s saw the mechanization of candle-making (or ‘chandling’) making them significantly less expensive to produce and opening their use up to a larger population. In the 1850s the nascent petroleum industry developed a way to separate a waxy substance called paraffin from petroleum at scale. Paraffin would be the most common form of candle wax for more than a century.

It is around the turn of the 20th century that candle use changed from being a source of light to being a source of entertainment. The light bulb displaced the candle as the primary light-bringer in the late 19th century and their numbers stayed steady until the 1980s when candles, now often scented, saw a resurgence as decoration, mood-setters, or even gifts. The candle industry continues to grow today as advances in wax, scent, and color technology offer consumers a panoply of options for their homes.

Today, homemade candles have soared in popularity. Molded at home in different shapes and textures, indie candle stores personalize candles for a unique addition to the homes of customers.