At Clive’s Candles, every candle is more than just a fragrance; it’s a story of creativity, reinvention, and a deep-rooted love for artisan home fragrance.

Founded in 2014, Clive’s Candles was born from what was meant to be a quiet retirement. After stepping back from a career in psychology, Clive realised he wasn’t quite ready to stop working. Craving a new challenge and always having had an interest in scent and home ambiance, he decided to turn a long-time hobby into something more.

The earliest versions of Clive’s hand-poured candles were made on the dining table at home, truly the essence of a cottage industry. Although he’d been making candles for over 20 years, he was committed to finding the perfect, long-lasting candle burn. Through time, research, and a lot of hands-on experimentation, he developed a method that delivered a clean, consistent burn and an exceptional fragrance throw.

Today, Clive’s Candles offers over 30 exciting fragrances, each with a scent throw that carries up to 12–14 feet and an impressive burn time of approximately 40 hours. These are among the strongest candles you can buy and every single one is made by hand, with care.

Though it started as a one-man project, Clive’s Candles has always had family at its heart. His wife and two sons were all involved in the early stages, helping with everything from pouring candles to managing the till. While they now have their own careers, they still step in when needed, with Charlie helping pour and Thomas keeping the retail side running.

The Fragrance Behind the Flame

Fragrance ideas at Clive’s Candles often start with the people who matter most: the customers. Many of the brand’s most popular scents have come directly from customer requests, like the apothecary-style blends that have become a signature of the collection.

Clive himself has a soft spot for Christmas-inspired scents and nostalgic blends like Liquorice & Blackcurrant, which remind him of black jack sweets. But choosing a fragrance is only the start. Every fragrance goes through a detailed development process: initial blending, professional formulation, colour selection, and perhaps most importantly – choosing the perfect name. Every candle name follows a strict two-word format, designed to reflect and evoke the character of the fragrance.

Product quality is non-negotiable. Every new fragrance, whether for candles, reed diffusers, wax melts, or room sprays, is tested extensively in-house and with trusted customers. Clive’s bi-annual reviews ensure every home fragrance product stays true to the high standards his customers expect.

Life in the Studio

A typical day at the Clive’s Candles studio is a blend of creativity, craftsmanship, and customer connection. From pouring and labelling to chatting with customers in-store, there’s always something happening. One of Clive’s favourite aspects of the job is watching how people react to different fragrances, whether it’s the ones that spark joy, nostalgia, or sometimes even strong opinions!

A Growing Brand with Heart

Over the last decade, Clive’s Candles has grown into a thriving Leicestershire-based shop and online store with a loyal UK-wide customer base. The range now includes artisan candles, wax melts, reed diffusers, essential oils, hand and body washes, lotions, and room sprays and they are all crafted with care to bring beautiful, long-lasting fragrance into every corner of the home.

Looking ahead, the focus remains on consistency, creativity, and community. The goal? To keep creating thoughtful, high-quality home fragrance products that customers love to return to, year after year.

Interested in learning more, visiting the studio, or exploring our artisan fragrance range? Follow Clive’s Candles on social media or browse the collection online at www.clivescandles.co.uk