Luxury scented candles are now as coveted as fragrance itself, “What is less widely appreciated is just how much careful craftsmanship and immense patience goes into creating them,” says the Jo Malone™ Creative Studio. “Made entirely by hand, our candle connoisseurs use both age-old skills and the latest technical knowledge to translate the olfactory genius of some of the world’s master perfumers into the Jo Malone™ Candles.”
THE MARRIAGE OF ART & SCIENCE
The Jo Malone™ brand’s candle making process begins in the English countryside, on the estate of Lord Cowdray, in a converted dairy. Creating a candle can require almost 2 years of creative planning and development, involving intensive testing and blending. As many as 16 people will play a role in its handmade creation. No two fragrances burn in exactly the same way, waxes are custom-blended for a specific scent and then married to the perfect wick; which is why the Jo Malone™ brand has over 400 varieties of lead free wicks at its disposal.
The wick forms the heart of the candle, drawing the liquid wax up through its core. It is vital to the performance of a candle, which contains such a high percentage of fragrance. Even more so if amber, woods or citrus essences are incorporated, these elements being harder to burn. In such cases, a wick with a different core – perhaps one that includes paper – might be selected.
The flame must also consume the components of the wax at the same rate as the fragrance. If, for example, the wax was burning off faster, the amount of botanicals left in the remaining wax would increase. And the candle would go out. If the wax doesn’t burn out far enough, tunneling occurs (when a rim - and eventually a wall - of wax, develops and surrounds the centre of the candle). This is why Jo Malone™ candles have a Clean Burn Finish, designed to leave minimal wax at the side of the glass. “We use Liquid Burn Technology and what we want to see is an 80 per cent wax pool within one hour,” explains the Creative Studio. “If we can achieve this, we are close to obtaining an optimum burn pattern.”
Testing never ceases. Even when a candle formulation has been finalised, monitoring continues because a different harvest of raw materials – a new supply of basil or bergamot - could affect this delicate balance.
MADE BY HAND
The process starts with precise measuring of the quantities of fragrance to be used. Blended into slowly warmed wax, the molten mix is hand poured into individual glasses. After settling, every wick is placed centrally into the still-soft wax. Then, the candle is left to cool and crystallise. After 72 hours, the candle is flashed with intense heat, melting it to a depth of 5-10mm from the surface and the sides of the glass to ensure the top of the candle is pristine. Wicks are trimmed to 6mm, labels are applied and glass is polished before they are wrapped in cellophane and secured with the iconic black grosgrain ribbon.
Through its intricate candle making process, Jo Malone™ fragrances celebrates traditional artisanal skills adapting them for the modern market place.
The attention to detail, quality and skill of its craftsmanship establishes the Jo Malone™ brand as a pioneer of new British luxury.