Get To Know A Candle Brand: Santa’s Naturals
A confession: I used to be hesitant to gift candles for the holidays, and no, it isn’t because I wanted to keep them all for myself. (Or at least that isn’t the only reason!) With so many of my loved ones opting for more natural, chemical-free lifestyles, I was worried about gifting them candles that might not match their values or worse, give them a headache.
However, I’ve recently discovered a line of candles that can extinguish that particular problem.
Santa’s Naturals is a sub-brand of Murphy’s Naturals available for Christmas 2019. In Yuletide scents like botanical Frasier Fir and spicy-sweet Winter Berry, these candles deliver huge, room-filling aromas in eco-conscious, all-natural packaging.
Just how natural are they? I spoke to Mackenzie, a member of the Murphy’s Naturals team, to learn that even the process of making these soy/beeswax candles is chemical-free.
“Most fragrance oils are extracted through processes that use chemicals for the extraction,” Mackenzie told me. “These chemically extracted oils do not align with our passion for the value of natural ingredients. A great example of this is vanilla. It is very rare for vanilla to be extracted naturally and the few options we did fine were extremely expensive. Therefore, we had to make intentional, wise decisions that would allow our candles to be made with the correct ingredients while not having to raise the cost of our candles.”
The company sent me two of their candles for review: Frasier Fir and Winter Berry. They don’t skimp on fragrance! My living room smelled like Winter Berry’s citrus and cinnamon as soon as I opened the candle’s tin lid, and the scent lingered for hours after I snuffed out the candle.
Frasier Fir is equally strong, with a powerful cedarwood top note. If you, like me, have an artificial Christmas tree, you can light this nearby and nobody will know it isn’t real.
What both candles had in common was a distinct, singular scent as opposed to a complex blend. You really do get what it says on the tin! With four ingredients (soy, beeswax, cotton wick, and natural fragrance oil), Santa’s Naturals are minimalism in candle form.
“We believe that all-natural candles and natural products are the best and healthiest choice for our customers,” Mackenzie told me. “We carry these same values in our Santa’s Naturals candle as we create candles through responsible sourcing and honest labeling.”
Santa’s Naturals were created to give as holiday gifts: in fact, the line was born last year as a small trial batch that Mackenzie and the team gifted to their family and friends. They were so popular that this year, they made the line available to everyone! When you buy a Santa’s Naturals candle, you contribute to the company’s commitment to donating 2% of gross revenue to charities that “share our vision of a healthy environment.” Gifting these is another way to do good this holiday season. It’s an indication that for Murphy’s Naturals, it isn’t only the end product but the experience of buying that is designed to make you feel good—after all, you’re doing something good for the planet.
“Natural products remind consumers that we can do more than buying goods to meet our needs,” Mackenzie said. “They help inspire good by being intentional in what we buy and how we live.”