100% Pure Yellow Beeswax

Aurum Naturals beeswax candles are made entirely of pure beeswax. No other wax or material is added. All of our yellow beeswax is sourced from beekeepers in Michigan and Wisconsin, whose hives are surrounded by unfertilized and unsprayed wildflower fields. Pure beeswax produces a brighter, stronger flame that lasts five times longer than paraffin, without releasing any toxins into the air. Our beeswax is extracted from cappings which are produced by worker bees near the top of the hive, without disturbing the queen bee deeper in the hive. The high-quality capping wax imparts a golden-yellow color and a naturally sweet honey aroma. This yellow wax is also used in our red, orange, green, brown, and black dyed candles.

100% Pure Unbleached Triple-Filtered White Beeswax

The beeswax used in our white beeswax candles comes from North Carolina. It is never bleached with chemicals, but is instead triple-filtered to remove the pollen and propolis that contribute to beeswax's natural yellow color. We have sampled dozens of other white beeswaxes that claim to be solar-bleached or filtered, but which have an artificially bright color and smell strongly of man-made chemicals. We have been using this new beeswax since 2025 and are very pleased with its warm ivory color and mild but delightfully sweet vanilla-like aroma. This white wax is also used in our pink, blue, and purple dyed candles.

Authentic Bayberry Wax

Real bayberry candles are difficult to find. You can find them here! Our bayberry candles are handmade from a blend of bayberry and yellow beeswax, which is required to prevent brittleness. The lower melting-point makes this wax suitable for tapers, but not for wider candles such as pillars. Bayberry wax is obtained by boiling myrtle shrub berries and extracting the wax from the surface. Some customers report that its distinctive spicy aroma is milder than what they are accustomed to from fragrance oils, and that the color is an earthy green. For us, the subtle fragrance and color are proof of authenticity. Please note that the entire commercial supply of bayberry wax in the USA comes from Columbia. A few candle companies advertise American bayberry wax, but upon further investigation the bayberry is merely processed and packaged in the USA, but still grown in Columbia.

100% Natural Cotton Wicks

Most commercial candles contain metal core wicks. Even the "cotton" wicks sold in craft stores to home candlemakers are bleached and chemically treated. We have searched the country to find a source of unbleached American-grown 100% cotton wicks, and are proud to be one of the few candlemakers dedicated to using all-natural wicks.

We "prime" the wick spools by dipping them in melted beeswax, allowing the wax to saturate through the cotton, and then pulling the spools taut to stiffen the wick as the wax hardens. Priming helps the wick stay upright during burning, without the need for a metal core or so-called burn-enhancing chemicals.

Off-centered wicks are the bane of candle-makers and candle users! To ensure a properly centered wick, each of our votives and tealights are poured around a wick pin. These pins create a narrow hole through the center of the candle as the poured wax cools in the mold. When the candle is cool, we remove the wick pin and string the wick through the opening, which ensures that it remains exactly centered. We also add a wick tab to the bottom of each votive or tealight so that the candle can be burned safely to the base without wasting any wax. For columns and pillars, which require wider wicks, we use a wick-tightening bar to help carefully center each wick by hand. Attention to detail, and many hours of practice, have helped us perfect this skill!

Beeswax melts at a higher temperature than other waxes and is best suited for a thick, square-braided wick. Like Goldilocks and her chairs, a candle wick can be too small, too large, or just right. An underwicked candle will have a small blue flame that may be extinguished by the wax pool. Significant unmelted wax will remain on the sides of the candle, creating "tunneling." An overwicked candle will have an excessively large flame that flickers erratically. A "mushroom cap" may form on the top of the wick, and carbon balls may fall into the deep wax pool as the candle burns too quickly. A properly wicked candle will be "just right," with a steady, even flame and warm glow. This scenario results in the optimum burn time and helps produce an appropriate throw of aroma into the room. We perform dozens of burn tests to ensure we are using the appropriate wick for each candle that we offer.

EcoReach Candle Dye

All of our yellow and white beeswax candles are completely free of any dyes or colorants. For those who prefer colored candles, we are pleased to use EcoReach liquid dye. Manufactured in New Jersey by a French company, the EcoReach dye is:

• unscented
• free of phthalates and parabens
• vegan-friendly, using a vegetable solvent
• REACH compliant (REACH being the European Union's Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals regulation)
• RAL compliant (RAL being Germany's Institute for Quality Assurance and Labeling, which is an optional certification for products that exceed the standard legal requirements)
• free of any chemicals that fall under California's Proposition 65.

We switched to this dye in 2025 and are very pleased with the rich colors it produces.

100% Pure Organic Essential Oils

Our 100% pure beeswax and bayberry candles contain no added fragrance. These natural waxes offer a soft, gentle warmth into the room. For those who prefer a stronger fragrance experience, we offer a beeswax + aromatherapy line of votive candles. The scent in our aromatherapy candles comes from 100% pure Certified Organic essential oils-- NEVER fragrance oils or so-called "natural fragrances." Essential oils are volatile essences extracted from plants that impart the pure, true fragrance of the plant. Depending on the plant, 100-4,000 pounds of plant material are required to extract one pound of essential oil! All of the essential oils used in Aurum Naturals candles are steam-distilled to protect the the integrity of the compounds found in each oil. All of our essential oils are purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs in Oregon. The country of origin for each essential oil is listed on the individual candle product pages.