Albina UK

We are Mike and Roxanne, two candle lovers based in Quinton, Birmingham. We started our journey into candle making when we found ourselves questioning the candles on sale at supermarkets across the UK.

We asked ourselves the following questions:

- Are these candles toxic when burning? Are they bad for us?

- Are the candles sustainable? Are they bad for the environment?

At the time, we were using both and scented and unscented paraffin and soy wax candles to set the environment for meditation, yoga practice, cosy dinners, and more. 

As we quickly found out, all effectively-scented candles are both toxic and unsustainable. The various chemicals added to boost the “throw” of the candles - jargon for the magnitude of the spread of the scent in a room - are all proven to be toxic. Worse still, fragrance manufacturers are allowed not to disclose the full list of compounds. Scented candles without these toxic but secret compounds do not carry their smell more than a foot away and have the tendency to burn unevenly.

Another quick find was that all paraffin candles release toxic fumes when burning. Not to mention that they are derived from petroleum, coal, or oil shale, which makes them unsustainable.

But what about soy candles? Unfortunately, although some think of soy candles as being sustainable, they are anything but. Experts do not validate soy candles as environmentally friendly: soy is heavily linked to deforestation, GMOs and pesticides, and soil degradation. Definitely not living up to its reputation.

Ok so what can we then use to maintain our mood setting organic glow trickery but be a responsible member of this planet? The answer was older than we thought: honey bees and the wax they naturally create.

Honey bees are the first being to be domesticated by our ancestors. Ask any beekeeper, however, and they will be quick to tell you how much of an imaginary link we humans have with the honey bee. Honey bees are picky and they will leave a bad habitat. They choose to be where the beekeeper has prepared a worthy home and they will leave should the landlord fail to maintain a high standard. Beeswax is a natural outcome of the beekeeping practice and bees are typically not hurt during the extraction process. 

The final argument for using beeswax for our candles was when we discovered that not only beeswax is not toxic when burning, but pure beeswax actually is said to purify the air in our living environment. Some studies support this but others rebuke it. What all studies agree on is that beeswax is the cleanest-burning wax.

We also quickly found that beeswax may be expensive as a raw material, especially when sustainably sourced. However, despite the comparatively larger unitary price, beeswax candles offer a brighter flame and much improved burn times. 

Better still, we found that the natural smell of beeswax completely outclassed any other toxic smell emanating from toxic mixes of perfume and throw boosters.

Once we started investigating the available options for beeswax candles in the UK, we were equal parts puzzled and dissatisfied when we received the following packaging for what was supposed to be a sustainable candle that carried a considerable price

Our drive in this journey was always to keep our candle-burning luxury but turn it into a habit that doesn’t hurt the planet we are blessed enough to call home. The only path forward was for us to start buying beeswax in bulk and start making our own candles. 

Over the next couple of years, we have tested a broad range of beeswax suppliers, wick materials types and suppliers, mold materials types and suppliers. We have made a lot of mistakes, spent many nights reading old candle making books and the latest Reddit threads. We have melted, poured, enjoyed, and sometimes spilled a lot of beeswax over two years as we were improving our craft and our vision for what the best sustainable candles look, smell, and feel like. At this point we had never thought about ever turning our hobby into a business. Both of us have careers (one in medicine and one in software) which we enjoy and selling candles to others was not immediately obvious to us as the best trajectory. In April 2024, however, it clicked: when others purchase and use our candles instead of what is generally commercially available in the UK, they are no longer

- Burning toxic paraffin, harming themselves and our planet

- Backing up large scale deforestation and soil degradation by burning soy candles

- Receiving their candles in packaging that is harming the environment 

Our pure beeswax candles are made only using the purest beeswax we can find and test in the UK and Europe. Using only cotton wicks. Poured in small batches and finished by hand in a process that is more akin to a meditative ritual than commercial practices. Packaged using fully recyclable and recycled materials. Packaged by hand by one or both cofounders. 

Profit is not our main concern with this endeavour. Which is why we have decided to donate minimum 10% but up to 20% of all orders to causes which help support wild bees and their environment. Following taxes and expenses, what is left is put right back into Albina UK so that we can reach more people and improve the sustainability of their candle burning habits while also making an impact towards helping the wild bees and their environment.

That is who we are. We won’t publicly share our names or address for the time being. We sincerely believe that our heartfelt journey summary on this page is the best way for you to get to know what Albina UK stands for and why we’re committed to.

Note that all orders are posted with full address and name details as per UK legislation.