Getting, gifting, or buying a candle for yourself is a timeless and often timely thing. We’re huge fans of Wooly Wax Candles, and not just because we personally love them and they tend to fly off the shelves of the MCA Denver shop, but because of the pure artistry of the company itself. 

Wooly Wax says they have an “insatiable curiosity to understand the correlation between taste and scent profile.” This local company has a host of alluring scents that cultivate a deeply somatic, calming, and often nostalgic experience. Many of the scents are suggestive of a memory or a place. The company also collaborates with others to create custom scents. You didn’t hear it from us, but word on the street is that we’re collaborating with them to create an MCA Denver candle. ;) 

We interviewed Rachel from Wooly Wax Candles, located in Denver, to learn a little more about the process of candle making, how Rachel’s experience as a chef informs the creations at Wooly Wax, and Rachel’s take on what kind of candle is best for our health.

You’ve said that scents evoke a strong connection to memory...

Sometimes I’ll create a scent profile in my head that I think works really well together and then that scent becomes the memory! In other instances, the memory or experience will evoke a scent formula idea and then the memory gets associated with that fragrance. 

Both Mile High and San Francisco Fog are based on the experience of traveling and hiking which inspired the scent formulas for both.

Can you walk us through the process of making a candle and a scent profile? 

The process of making a candle is quite simple as far as the production is concerned. The interesting and unique part of making candles, in my opinion, are the scent profiles. I think my experience as a chef for over 25 years has contributed to the interesting, unique and creative ways our candles stand out from all the other candle companies out there.

What’s one wild or unexpected custom scent that you’ve created?

One of the coolest scent profiles I’ve created came from a ranch in Southern Colorado. We collected some herbs and botanicals off the ranch, steam distilled the oil out, and created candles from the oil. It was a one of a kind and so site-specific! I wish I could do that with all of my scent formulas. 

The best part of Wooly Wax, however, is our collaborations with other makers and business owners. It is those collaborations in which some truly unique scent profiles are created.

Are all natural soy wax candles better for us than other waxes?

No, not necessarily, it depends upon a few factors. One of the biggest factors is who you are sourcing from. Naturally, beeswax would be the “best for us”, but it is extremely expensive and not a great conductor for fine fragrance oils. Below are a few practical facts about soy wax:

Soy wax candles generally burn longer than paraffin candles.

• Soy wax is derived from natural vegetables while paraffin is a refined gasoline by-product. 

• Soy wax is 100% biodegradable while paraffin is not

• Soy wax releases fragrance easier than paraffin candles.

What’s your favorite candle we carry here at MCA Denver?

My favorite candle you carry at MCA will be the MCA Collaborative Custom Scent we finally get to do!!!!! 

Shop on the Wooly Wax website here, and make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the MCA Denver collaboration candle!