Little Bit Different is a small family business creating soy wax candles on the outskirts of Gower in South Wales. Vicky and Chris strive to provide the very best soy wax candles for the Welsh gift and tourism market and beyond. We often get asked about the information we put on the bottom of our candles so we though we would explain a bit about it and why CLP labelling is so important
A bit about CLP labelling
So, CLP labelling is the European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures came into force on 20 January 2009 in all European Union (EU) Member States, including the UK. It is known by its abbreviated form, ‘the CLP Regulation’ or just plain ‘CLP’
Products, including candles, reed diffusers and wax melts must be labelled in accordance with CLP regulations. As a small Welsh candle making business Little Bit Different take this regulation very seriously. Turn any of our candles upside down (not when lit) and you will see a list of ingredients, pictorial warning symbols and our contact details.
Do all businesses label correctly?
Many UK candle manufacturers (including some big names) are still not CLP compliant. Even though we are a small business we take our responsibility seriously and ensure each product is fully labelled. You can find it at the base of each product. Next time you are shopping for candles either for yourself, as a gift , or for you shop check that this vital information is provided. This is particularly important if you are buying the candle to sell. Trading standards will look for this information. It is your responsibility to ensure products you are selling are as safe as possible for your customers. If the manufacturer is cutting corners when it comes to CLP labeling where else might they also be? Wax and fragrance quality and origin? Insurance?
Creating CLP labels
In order to create the labels Chris obtains safety data sheets from our oil suppliers (reputable suppliers will make this readily available) and creates each label. Each label must contain the name of the candle not the fragrance oil name. We use two UK manufacturers who provide all the information we require including label templates. Many of the cheaper oil alternatives do not come with the information required. We also keep files of this information in our production areas and available to stockists. It is important that details of anything potentially harmful is included. The potential harm is in the quantities we have access to in the candle kitchen not the much smaller percentage within a candle.
Ensuring the safety of Little Bit Different candles is at the forefront of our work. Fragrance and design are essential but if a candle is unsafe it really doesn’t matter how great it smells. When you shop with Little Bit Different you know that Vicky and Chris comply with all safety legislation and put the very best ingredients into each of candles.