Do candles expire? Not the way food does. An old candle will still light and burn. What fades is the scent. Fragrance slowly escapes from wax over time, so a candle that sat open on a shelf for years may burn with very little smell.
How long does a candle last on the shelf?
Most scented candles smell their best within the first year or so. How long yours keeps its scent depends mostly on storage. A candle with its lid on, kept somewhere cool and dark, holds its fragrance much longer than one left open in a sunny window.
Signs a candle is past its best
- A weak cold scent. If you can barely smell it unlit, it will be faint when lit too.
- Faded or yellowed color. Sunlight changes the color of wax over time, especially light colors.
- White frosting. Soy wax can grow a white, crystal-like coating. This is natural and only cosmetic. It does not change how the candle burns or smells.
An old candle is still safe to burn as long as the wax and wick look sound.
How long does a candle burn?
Burn time depends on how much wax the candle holds, the size of the wick, and how you burn it. A bigger candle burns longer, and soy burns slower than paraffin. How you burn it matters just as much. A candle that tunnels in the first burn can lose a good share of its wax to the unmelted wall around the edge.
How to make a candle last longer
- Let the first burn melt to the edge. It sets up an even burn for the life of the candle. See how to fix candle tunneling.
- Trim the wick to 1/4 inch before every burn. A long wick burns hot and fast.
- Burn for up to about 4 hours at a time.
- Keep it out of drafts, which make the flame burn unevenly.
- Put the lid on once the candle has cooled.
How to store candles
- Keep them somewhere cool and dark, like a closet or a drawer.
- Keep the lid on to hold in the scent and keep out dust.
- Keep them out of direct sun, hot cars and attics, where wax can soften and fragrance escapes faster.
- Store them upright so the wax and wick stay level.
Do wax melts expire?
The same rules apply: the wax keeps and the scent slowly fades. Read how long wax melts last for more.
Candles poured fresh
We hand-pour our candles in small batches and usually ship the same day you order, so your candle reaches you at its freshest. Our apothecary candle has a cork lid, the canning jar candle has a metal lid, and the travel tin candle closes up tight, so each one keeps its scent between burns. Browse all of our soy candles.
Questions people ask
Yes. As long as the wax and wick look sound, an old candle burns fine. It may just smell weaker than it did when new.
Most smell their best within the first year or so. Keep the lid on and store the candle somewhere cool and dark to hold the scent longer.
That is frosting, a natural crystal bloom on soy wax. It is cosmetic and does not change how the candle burns or smells.
Heat can soften or melt the wax and drive off fragrance faster. Keep candles out of hot cars, attics and direct sun.