About Us
The Story of the Bearded Candle Makers
Founding The Bearded Candle Makers
The Beginning
The Bearded Candle Makers was founded by Michael in 2016. Having bounced around different careers after coming out of college with a degree in Computer Science. He lasted a day and half in a very well paid computer programming job and went on to work within the surfing and mountain climbing industries. As a keen outdoors enthusiast, this seemed like the perfect career path, but nothing seemed to fully click with him. He then started to travel the World in search for something he never quite found. From meditating in caves in Tibet to wandering lost Inca paths in Peru, what he was looking for was everything he left behind.
Upon returning home his Mam found a small notebook from his childhood. From the age of 8 or 9, Michael had been writing stories about smells. From the damp smell of their old VW camper van to the tobacco smell of his Dad’s jumpers. He had taken this fascination for granted his whole life. Growing up it was always joked that his super power was his sense of smell.
The Craft of Candle Making
Our Story
After this discovery, Michael embarked on a scent study journey. From studying natural perfumery in France to making a personal study of perfumery at home.
Scent intrigues him and he sees the world through his nose! Michael began making scented candles in a tiny shed at the back of his Mam's house. Initially it was a stepping stone into the strange world of perfumery but he fell in love with the craft of candle making and has never looked back. He has even re-introduced the traditional technique of hand dipping candles to Ireland. Unbelievably too is the name of the village he lives in; Ballykinler - meaning town of the Candle Maker! Some may say it was meant to be.
His passion lies in creating intriguing scents based on stories and memories, then carefully making them into perfectly burning candles. Being from Ireland he was brought up with and around stories, it only felt natural to bring that tradition into his candles. Often referred to as an alchemist, due to his obsession with documenting memories into true scents for his candles.
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Our Process
Our Story
Having studied Natural Perfumery, Michael’s approach to scent is quite a nuanced one. The idea comes first, then the name and then the scent. By working this way, we believe our scents are unlike any on the market. Whereas the majority of candle makers use pre-made scents, ours are each unique and we never sell our formulas to anyone (although many have tried to copy them). Some scents can take months to get right, with some tiny adjustments until it's perfect. A great example of this is Michael’s Midnight Mass scent. During the process, something was always missing and he couldn’t work out what it was. So he went to Mass! While sitting there someone was polishing the church pues, with lemon pledge wood polish! That was it, by adding a hint of lemon oil to the blend the scent came together perfectly!
By developing our own scent blending profiles and studying the science of candle making for years we truly believe our candles will smell amazing and last longer than their counterparts. We have literally tested thousands of different combinations of wicks with a range of natural waxes, in a range of different containers and finally found the ones that work beautifully together.
Our Wax & Wicks
The soy wax we use comes from sustainable farms from across Spain & France. Many soy farms from other parts of the world are destroying rainforests & prime agricultural land to grow their soy crops and in many instances there will be residue from the pesticides and herbicides used (the last thing you want to breathe in). Our soy suppliers are all family run farms with sustainable agriculture at their core and do not have any pesticide or herbicide residue.
By choosing soy you are choosing to help support the environment as it is a healthily renewable resource as it can be replaced at the same rate if not faster than it can be consumed. It is a continually producible resource without damaging the ecosystem in which it is grown. We love it! When using soy in candles, it can take a little longer to fill your room with scent as it melts at a lower temperature than its counterpart (paraffin) but it lasts at least 30% longer.
The wicks we use are unbleached cotton with a paper core and dipped in natural wax. The alternatives are wicks that have a lead core! You can easily spot them by looking down at the wick’s top and if you see a small dark point in the middle, that will be the lead core.
Our soy candles contain NO: Palm wax, beeswax, pesticides OR herbicides. Guaranteed. Our wicks contain no lead!
The entire Bearded Candle Makers range is vegan, cruelty-free, and phthalate-free — always. All of our candles are made with 100% European-grown soy wax.
By developing our own scent blending profiles and studying the science of candle making for years we truly believe our candles will smell amazing and last longer than their counterparts. We have literally tested thousands of different combinations of wicks with a range of natural waxes, in a range of different containers and finally found the ones that work beautifully together.
Tips & Best Practices
Burning Your Candle
Burning candles can create a warm and inviting ambiance in your home, but it's important to follow some tips and best practices to ensure safety and maximize your enjoyment.
