Candles
How do I safely burn candles?
Naturally, the glass of the candle will be hot because of the fire. Please be very careful when moving the candle during or right after burning. It’s best to let it cool down first.
Make sure to keep the wick in the centre of the glass. When the candle has almost burned up, the wick might start floating if you move the candle. Always check if the wick is still in the centre of the glass after moving the candle. If not, carefully move it with a match or stick.
Burn your candle on a fire resistant surface at all times. Use a fire resistant coaster if you are not sure whether your table, closet or shelf can handle the heat.
We’ve put together a list of tips to burn your candles sustainably and safely: https://brandtkaarsen.nl/en/safety/
The wick flickers during burning. What do I do?
When you notice that the wick smokes, flickers or kind of looks like a mushroom when lighting your candle, please make sure to cut the wick down to a maximum of 1 cm.
Of course we test all wicks, and mostly they break off by themselves to maintain the right length. However, they might sometimes need your help. The best way to take care of the wick is to trim it before every lighting. It might sound weird to make it short, but trust us, it will definitely help and make your candle burn longer.
The glass has white spots. Is that a problem?
This is no problem at all. These white spots sometimes occur when pouring hot wax into a cold glass. We might be able to prevent that from happening by pre-heating the glasses, but that wouldn’t be very sustainable and practical.
So these white spots are nothing to worry about: they aren’t hollow spaces in the glass and if you burn your candle for a while, they will disappear automatically. It might not be the most pretty sight, but it’s an indication that we use 100% soy wax. And soy wax is a natural product which might have it’s oddities.
I think something might be wrong with my candle my candle?
We hope that’s not the case! But if you think your candle doesn’t burn as intended, please let us know by sending us an e-mail with a picture and description of the problem. All our candles are made by hand, and we can’t test your candles before shipping them out (although we do test new batches), so we’re happy to help you however we can. It’s a great way for us to learn and we want you to enjoy your candles to the fullest.
Are the candles vegan?
All our candles are completely vegan and therefore cruelty-free.
Do you use 100% essential oils?
We use oils that have natural components and natural pure oils, but not 100% essential. Part of it is based on components of a fragrance. The reason we don’t use 100% essential oils is not all oils are suitable for burning or you don’t smell them when you burn them. But the biggest one is that the ingredient becomes so pricey that the candle would become unaffordable.
All of this doesn’t mean that we don’t search for the right oils or a great balance of infusions. Take our grapefruit in the Sage & Rose candle for example: this scent is completely natural. We take great pride in continuously improving our candles!
Of course our oils aren’t toxic. They are perfectly suited for candles and their burning process. Another reason we don’t use essential oils (or ethereal oils) even if they were suitable for burning in candles, is that they would drive up the price of our candles significantly. This way, it wouldn’t be fun for anyone. We do however always use scents which are most true to nature, so you won’t find chemical scents in our business.
Do you use 100% soy wax?
Absolutely! We use 100% soy wax from North-America. It’s an everlasting search for the best and most sustainable wax. For example, we’ve also looked into a type of wax which is partly processed in Europe. But we couldn’t track down the origin of the soy beans, so we decided to stick with the North-American type of soy wax for now.
We also got the Nomad Collection which is made from 100% rapeseed wax. This wax comes from rapeseed plants in Europa!
Is the scent of the candles strong?
Of course this is a matter of personal taste and it differs per candle, but we’re pretty sure we are somewhere inbetween strong and mild. Let’s call it subtle. Our Jasmine candle has a strong scent for example. while the Wild Tobacco and Sandalwood & Patchouli are a lot more subtle.
Is it possible to buy a pack of tea lights with 6 different scents?
Unfortunately that’s not possible logistically because it requires a great amount of extra time to wrap everything separately. But we’re glad to help you find out which scent suits you best. Please call or email us and we’ll make it work!
Do you do candle making workshops?
At the moment we don’t do workshops, but who knows what the future brings.
What is the best way to reuse my Brandt glass?
We’re great fans of reuse, so we’ve thought of some ways that might inspire you. One way is to refill them with tea lights from our Refill Collection. Another way is to use the glass as a pot for plants or to keep homemade creme in. Did you find another way to reuse your glass? We would love for you to email us a photo or post it on our social media!
Orders
Can you ship my order to another address?
Sure! We provide an option at the checkout screen to fill out another shipping address. Don’t worry, we won’t attach the invoice when shipping to that address. Instead, we will email it to you.
My order is a present, can you gift wrap it for me?
When adding a product to your basket, you can use the checkbox ‘Is this a gift?’ to let us know which candles are presents. We’ll make sure the recipient will get a beautifully gift wrapped present. Want us to write a note that comes along with it? Please let us know at the ‘additional information’ field at the checkout. We love hand writing notes!
Can I pick up my order in the candle studio?
Normally it would be possible for you to come inside the studio, but because of COVID-19 we can leave it in the open window for you to safely pick it up. Please use “Pick up in Utrecht” at the check out and send us an email to make an appointment.
Do you also ship to other countries?
Absolutely! We ship our candles to all corners of the globe.
Can I also buy Brandt candles in local shops?
Yes! Have a look at the list of boutiques we sell to. There just might be a location around the corner. Please note that not all locations have all collections and scents.
Do I receive an order confirmation?
You’ll receive an order confirmation by email after making your purchase. Haven’t seen anything in your inbox (or spam folder)? Send an email to info@brandtkaarsen.nl.
Which payment options do you offer?
You can use IDeal, Credit Card, PayPay, Bancontact, Giropay, SOFORT, EPS and Klarna Pay Later.
I subscribed to the newsletter but didn’t receive a confirmation.
You should get an email after subscribing. Maybe the email has ended up in your spam folder. If you can’t find it anywhere, please let us through info@brandtkaarsen.nl.
Craftsmanship & Sustainability
Who makes Brandt’s candles?
All candles are handmade by owner Giselle, colleagues Luna, Moos, Nicholas, Josephine and Aunt Helga.
How big is your team?
Quite small actually. There’s Giselle (owner): she emails you, ships orders, makes candles, thinks op new concepts, does administration, posts on social media, sometimes makes photos and plays guitar for the candles. Assisted by Nicholas who also takes care of the website.
Luna also makes candles and ships orders and she’s involved in creative brainstorms for upcoming themes and content ánd is our housephotographer.
Moos has been promoted to Head Production so stays sharp on the inventory and production planning and makes and ships the orders. Aunt Helga and Josephine are both excellent candlemakers that help a ton in getting out planning done on time!
Last but not least, we work with a number of photographers who provide us with great shots of our most handsome candles.
When was Brandt founded?
Officially in March 2015, but we really launched in October 2016. We were real pioniers when it came to making more sustainable candles in the Netherlands.
What do you mean by sustainable candles?
Sustainability, Accessibility and Craftsmanship are Brandt’s values. We take great care to make each and every candle as sustainable and naturally as possible in terms of ingredients.
But we feel you can look at sustainability in more than one way. For example: soy wax burns 30-40% longer than paraffin candles. This is more sustainable in time.
Because you can see and feel the craftsmanship and passion in our candles, we hope you will burn them consciously and refill them once they’ve burned up. Which is more sustainable in usage.
We also make sustainable choices in terms of packaging. For example: we use ethically produced eco-cotton pouches for our Wood Collection candles, soluble potato-starch flakes to protect the candles during the shipping process and recycled cardboard for our gift boxes. We call this sustainable in details.
What other ‘green’ stuff do you do in your candle studio?
We take care of our literal greenery (or about 30 plants) and have created a bee garden in around our building. In addition, we buy only what we need, The website on servers that run on green power.
Shipment & Delivery
How much does shipping cost?
Shipping within The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany is €5,75. It really differs for other countries, but the price is shown at the basket and checkout based on your country.
I placed an order! When will my candles be shipped?
At the moment, we ship your candles every Monday and Thursday. Sometimes we might do an additional shipment. This is either by planning an extra pickup by the parcel service or if we can carry the packages while cycling. Either way, we do our best to ship your order as fast as possible because we know how much you are looking forward to getting your candles.
Can I track my order?
You’ll receive a track and trace code by email (please also check your spam folder) once the postal service has taken in your package. Please email us on info@brandtkaarsen.nl if you haven’t received anything.
Which postal service delivers my package?
We work together with PostNL. They will take care of delivering your package. For shipments outside of The Netherlands, PostNL works together with national partners, such as BPost for Belgium.
Damaging or returns
Can I return my candle?
You can return or exchange your order within 14 days if you’re not completely happy with it. Please contact us as soon as possible if this is the case. Additional shipping costs are for the customer. But… Maybe you can make somebody else happy with your candle?
My candle broke during shipping. What do I do?
We’re very sorry to hear that. Sometimes the journey towards your front door has just been a bit too hard. Please keep the box, packaging and candle and send us an email. We will fix it for you. It could be that PostNL needs pictures as proof, so that’s why it’s best to keep everything until it is sorted out.
Customisation
Do you also have “white label” candles?
No. We might be candle makers but only as the brand Brandt. Therefore we don’t make while label candles.
Can I personalise my candles?
We can personalise your candles for weddings or when you order 50 or more candles. Send us an email at info@brandtkaarsen.nl.
Do you offer a bulk discount?
It depends on the amount and occasion! We sure will work something out if you want to buy a lot of candles for your employees or a party. Send us an email about the occasion, amount of candles and which scent(s) and we will get back to you straight away.
Retailers & Goody bags
I would like to become a retailer. Is that possible?
Please fill in our Stockist request form. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Would you like to sponsor our goody bag with free samples?
We work hard on each and every candle, so we believe there should be a fair compensation. We get asked a lot for ‘donations’, but this is very costly. Therefore we can’t give you free samples.