Selling candles in the UK: CPSR, SDS, and insurance
Selling a candle in the UK is regulated under the General Product Safety Regulations and CLP. There is no candle-specific licence, but there are documents you must produce on request, and a label you must affix. Here is the practical checklist for your first sale.
Documentation you must produce on request
Trading Standards may ask for these. Keep them on file:
- SDS for every fragrance oil and dye used.
- IFRA certificate for each fragrance, at the load you used.
- Burn test records (the 4-burn protocol from the wick guide).
- Calculations showing your allergen concentrations are below or correctly declared above 0.01%.
- Proof of CLP-compliant labelling (a saved PDF is fine).
Public liability insurance
Required by most craft markets and online platforms. Typical cover starts at $1.3M to $2.5M. Specialist crafter insurers in the UK include A-N, Coversure, and Direct Line for Business. Premiums scale with declared turnover.
Distance selling rules
Online sales fall under the Consumer Contracts Regulations: 14-day cancellation right, clear pricing, and a return address. Candles are not exempt because they are bespoke; only candles personalised with the buyer's name or design are.
The first-sale label checklist
A compliant candle label carries every one of these:
- Product name and net weight.
- Your business name, address, and contact.
- Batch code.
- CLP hazard block (signal word, pictograms, H- and P-statements).
- Allergen list at ≥0.01% finished product.
- BS EN 15494 warning pictograms (do not leave unattended, keep away from children and pets, keep away from flammable materials).
Put this guide to work.
Generate your CLP label now →Sources
- Office for Product Safety and Standards: candles guidance
- HSE: CLP for SMEs
- Trading Standards: how to comply with GPSR
This guide is editorial content from Waxverse, not legal advice. Verify all regulatory claims against the current text of the law and your fragrance supplier's SDS before commercial sale.