The warm glow of a candle can transform a space, creating ambiance and comfort with just a flicker. For Tamara Mayne of Brooklyn Candle, that glow of candle light ignited a fire to start a candle business. “I started making candles for fun and it was really a hobby at first,” Tamara says. “It was something I started making as gifts for Christmas the year before.”
Little did she know her hobby would soon illuminate a path to entrepreneurship, turning a passion project into a flourishing enterprise.
Whether you’re a DIY candle enthusiast looking to scale or an aspiring entrepreneur ready to run a full-fledged candle business, get ready to dive into the warm, inviting world of candle manufacturers—where creativity meets commerce, and every sale helps spread a little more light in the world.
If you’re looking for wholesale candle vendors, this article will provide recommendations and help you find the best one for your needs.
9 best wholesale candle vendors
- Faire
- Private Label by Velavida
- Match Fragrance
- Seventh Avenue Apothecary
- Bulk Apothecary
- Tropical Labs
- Zooby
- Kalamazoo Candle Company
- A Candle Co.
The best wholesale candle vendor for you will depend on your budget, brand, and inventory needs. To help you get started selling candles, here are some of the top wholesale candle vendors to explore:
1. Faire
Faire has thousands of candles to choose from—plus complementary home décor, clothing, jewelry, and more for your online store. Simply search “candles,” or use a more specific query, like “pumpkin candles,” and browse the different candle makers available.
On Faire, you can find private-label candles, soy wax candles, festive candles, and creative candles that look like skillets of apple crisp. It’s a good marketplace if you’re looking for candles to sell that are outside the standard glass or matte black jar.
2. Private Label by Velavida
Private Label by Velavida is a Richardson, Texas-based candle supplier that specializes in unlabeled or private-label candles. With more than 15 containers and 40 fragrances to choose from, you can customize your candles to your heart’s content.
This supplier has a low order minimum of 12 candles, so it’s possible to do a small-scale test run before committing to a large wholesale order.
3. Match Fragrance
Match Fragrance is a UK-based supplier that offers soy candles, wax melts, and melters.
Every product is made in the supplier’s 10,000-square-foot factory in Plymouth. You can use its white-label May & Maple products or private-label option with your own branding.
4. Seventh Avenue Apothecary
Seventh Avenue Apothecary operates out of Tampa, Florida. Its niche is in candles and fragrances, including products like room sprays and fragrance oils. Its candles are 100% soy and come in a range of sizes.
Seventh Avenue Apothecary’s premium, hand-poured candles are available in a variety of scents, including basics like pumpkin and lavender. Since they specialize in scented candles, these fragrances can be blended to create something that feels custom to your brand, such as eucalyptus and bergamot or pineapple and ginger. You have to fill out an application to become a wholesale partner with the brand.
5. Bulk Apothecary
Headquartered in Aurora, Ohio, Bulk Apothecary has all the raw materials you need to create your own candles. Find fragrances, wax, containers, essential oils, and more to formulate the perfect candle.
The supplier also has a line of private-label products, including candles, as well as bath bombs, cold process soaps, and other personal care products—especially appealing if you’re not interested in making the candles yourself.
6. Tropical Labs
Tropical Labs is a Tampa, Florida-based wholesale business specializing in plant-based and organic personal care products. You can start with a foundation of organic and plant-based ingestible candles and tweak their ready formulations to get a distinct-to-you candle smell to market in record time.
In addition to candles, Tropical Labs makes skin creams and lotions, shave gels, and hair care products. Tropical Labs offers private-label products or an opportunity to tap into Tropical Labs’ research and development offerings.
7. Zooby
Zooby has a range of candles to choose from, including essential oils scented and unscented, soy wax and beeswax, in containers like aluminum, glass, and ceramic. You can also order corporate swag candles in a variety of containers perfect for employee gifts.
The Dallas-based wholesaler also offers wholesale complementary products. They’re perfect if you want to expand your product line beyond candles, you can tap into Zooby for apparel, notebooks and writing implements, consumer electronics, and more.
8. Kalamazoo Candle Company
Kalamazoo Candle Company offers a range of handmade soy candles, including classic, botanical, and Michigan-themed collections, with a focus on quality and long burn times. The “Wolverine State” candles have scents inspired by and named after landmarks such as the Mackinac Bridge, Isle Royal National Park, and Little Sable Point Lighthouse.
The company provides wholesale opportunities for retailers, boasting growth from a one-person operation to supplying more than a thousand stores nationwide. With options for custom labeling and various sizes, the brand shows its commitment to customer satisfaction, fast shipping, and sustainability.
9. A Candle Co.
A Candle Co. only provides custom private-label candles and aromatic products. Since the company specializes in producing products for others, it has streamlined its ordering process, making it easy to customize products by choosing from various vessels, fragrances, and packaging options. As a full-service manufacturer of custom products, returns and refunds are not allowed.
How to find and choose wholesale candle vendors
- Determine what candles to sell
- Check the candle ingredients
- Find suppliers with the right products
- Choose a candle supplier to grow with you
- Factor in import fees
- Vet your final candle supplier
Here are some considerations to keep in mind as you explore candle vendors:
1. Determine what candles to sell
The variety of candles out there is practically endless:
- Scented vs. unscented. There are candles for ambiance while others offer olfactory benefits.
- Candle type. Votives, container candles, and pillars are the most popular types of candles, but there are many other kinds. You can also sell tea lights, floating candles, and tapers.
- Ingredients. Common materials include soy, beeswax, and paraffin wax.
It’s OK to start with one type of candle with plans for expansion in the future. If that’s your plan of attack, make sure your supplier of choice has the variety of products you’ll need.
2. Check the candle ingredients
Demand for organic and natural wax candle products is rising. So it’s equally important to make yourself aware of what’s in the products you plan to sell.
The most common types of wax used in candles are:
- Paraffin. Paraffin is affordable, easy to work with, and water-resistant (ideal for floating candles). However, it’s a petroleum by-product, so environmentally conscious customers may be averse to it.
- Soy. Soy wax has a high melting point, so it burns slowly, which makes it ideal for fragrance and colored candles. It’s also more environmentally friendly, as it’s manufactured from soybeans. It doesn’t hold its shape well, which means it works better in containers.
- Beeswax. Another environmentally friendly (and cruelty-free) ingredient, beeswax is natural, non-toxic, renewable, and hypoallergenic. A lot goes into producing this type of wax, so it can be pricier than other options. Beeswax holds its shape well, meaning it can be used as a standalone candle without a container—votives, pillars, sticks, etc.
- Coconut wax. Coconut wax is renewable, natural, holds scent well, and burns slowly. It has a low melting point, so it’s best in containers. It’s also more expensive than other waxes.
Many candles also have scents in the form of natural ingredients, essential oils, or synthetic concoctions. Generally speaking, synthetic fragrances and ingredients are on their way out. They’re harmful to the environment and to people’s health.
You might see synthetic ingredients disguised as “fragrance.” While the FDA allows for this vague language to protect trade secrets, some manufacturers have taken advantage of the loophole to omit listing certain ingredients. Fragrance can mean synthetic, so it’s best to avoid it. Instead, look for natural ingredients.
3. Find suppliers with the right products
If you have an existing business, you likely already know about your customers and their preferences.
You might be looking to launch a new business dedicated solely to selling candles. In that case, look for a wholesale supplier that has a variety of candle offerings.
Maybe you own a salon or spa that has retail as a component and want to test the candles in your space and for sale. In that case, look for a supplier with a focus on aromatherapy. Or maybe you want to add candles to your subscription boxes, in which case you’ll want small and fun votives or tin candles that match the other products featured in your boxes.
It’s always a good idea to define who you plan to sell to and the types of candles they will want to buy before you choose a candle supplier.
4. Choose a candle supplier to grow with you
As your business grows, you’ll reach more customers and make more sales. This means you’ll need to place bigger orders with your suppliers and potentially introduce new candle products. Some suppliers offer candles as an adjacent offering to other products, while other suppliers focus exclusively on candles.
It’s also important to note the seasonal trends and holidays that affect the candle industry and ensure your supplier can fulfill your needs during periods of peak demand. Inquire about lead times and how quickly their operations can scale to fulfill large orders—as well as what the maximum order size is.
5. Factor in import fees
International selling comes with additional taxes and tariffs. These import fees, or customs and duties, are applied to both the seller and the buyer in some cases. This affects you, your suppliers, and your customers.
Each country has its own product classification system, which helps them determine associated duties and fees:
- US:USITC tariff database
- UK: GOV.UK trade tariff service
- EU countries:Trade market access database
When you research and plan for import fees ahead of time, you’ll be able to more accurately determine the profitability of your products.
6. Vet your final candle supplier
Ask potential suppliers for documents and resources to prove their legitimacy, like:
- Business license/registration
- Compliance certificates
- Proof of FDA registration
- Current customer references and their contact info
Conduct your own investigation, too. Type keyword phrases like “[supplier name] reviews” and “[supplier name] scam” into Google to help you uncover any red flags.
Benefits of buying candles wholesale
Here are some advantages of going wholesale:
Cost savings
Businesses can maximize their purchasing power when buying wholesale candles because wholesale suppliers produce in large volumes and sell at a lower cost per unit than retailers.
Say you produce your own candles, which cost between $5 and $8 per candle, including materials, labor, and overhead. You can purchase similar candles at wholesale prices of $3 to $6 per candle, depending on volume and specifications.
This cost difference might seem small at first, but it adds up quickly as your business grows. For a batch of 1,000 candles, you could save $2,000 to $5,000 by choosing wholesale.
Variety and selection
Remember the feeling you got as a kid being in a candy store? Well, if you’re a candle enthusiast, that’s how you’ll feel when browsing different wholesale candle vendors.
Wholesalers offer extensive catalogs with diverse scents, sizes, and styles. The global scented candle market is projected to grow at a 4.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2023 to 2030. Having access to a wide selection allows you to stay ahead of trends and cater to niche markets.
Whether your customers crave classic vanillas or adventurous new fragrances, wholesale purchasing ensures you can meet their demands.
Customization options
Some wholesale suppliers invite businesses to create truly unique products. This is a big opportunity, considering that one in five consumers will pay more for personalized or exclusive items.
Working with a supplier, you could:
- Develop a signature scent
- Design custom product packaging
- Create limited-edition lines
- Offer personalized labeling
With customization options that allow you to craft a distinct brand identity, your one-of-a-kind “Midnight Nachos” scented candle could be the next big thing.
Improved profit margins
Perhaps the most compelling benefit of wholesale buying is its potential to boost your bottom line. By reducing your per-unit costs, you can maintain a competitive pricing strategy while enjoying healthier profits.
For example, if you purchase a wholesale candle for $8 and retail it for $24, that’s a 200% markup. You can reinvest these funds in marketing, expand your product line, or take more profit from your business.
Understanding wholesale pricing and discounts
When sourcing candles for your business, grasping wholesale pricing structures is important to maximize profits. Wholesale prices are typically 50% to 60% lower than retail prices. However, these prices change based on order volume, product quality, and your relationship with the vendor.
Most wholesale candle vendors will operate on a tiered pricing system:
- The more you buy, the less you pay per unit
- Minimum order quantities (MOQs) often determine your pricing tier
- Some vendors offer seasonal discounts or promotions
For example, a vendor might offer these price breaks:
- 50–99 units: $10 per candle
- 100–249 units: $9 per candle
- 250+ units: $8 per candle
This setup is great because it lets you start small and save more as your business grows. If you buy candles at $10 each and sell them for $20, you’re doubling your money. But if you can buy more at $8 each and sell at $20, you’re making even more profit—if you can sell all your inventory.
💡Tip: Ask vendors about discounts, especially if you plan to order regularly. Many are happy to work with you to build a long-term relationship. Every dollar you save on wholesale prices is an extra dollar in your pocket when you make a sale.
Wholesale candle vendors FAQ
Who is the best candle supplier?
Some of the best candle suppliers are Private Label by Velavida, Match Fragrance, and Seventh Avenue Apothecary.
Is selling candles a profitable business?
Yes, selling candles can be a profitable business because candles are always in demand. If you price your products well and market strategically, you can earn a profit from a candle business.
How do you sell candles in bulk?
- Determine what types of candles you’re uniquely positioned to sell.
- Figure out your target audience.
- Factor in import and export fees.
- Price your candles, offering discounts for larger orders.
- Connect with local gift shops, spas, and online retailers that may want to buy candles in bulk.
How do I become a candle vendor?
- Determine what candles you want to sell.
- Check the candle ingredients.
- Find a supplier with products that match your needs.
- Choose a candle supplier.
- Factor in import fees.
- Vet your wholesale candle vendors.
- Start selling with an ecommerce platform like Shopify.
