Meet the Scots entrepreneurs leading the charge in plant-based candle-making

Two Scots entrepreneurs are spearheading a move to greener candles as they look to transform a £6.5 billion global market.

Candle Shack was founded in 2010 by Duncan Maclean, a former army officer, and his wife Cheryl, a beautician, who began making candles at their kitchen table. The venture has since grown into a multi-million-pound enterprise, with its headquarters in Falkirk and a European base in the Netherlands, which was launched post-Brexit to better serve an emerging European customer base.

The firm is helping a growing number of candle companies switch from petroleum-based waxes to more sustainable plant-based alternatives in response to increasing consumer demand and environmental pressures. Chief executive Duncan Maclean said the transition had already begun, amid expectations that almost all candles will be made from plant-based waxes within the next ten years.

Cheryl and Duncan Maclean are the co-founders of Candle Shack.

“The consumer demand for plant-based products is now undeniable,” he said. “When you see major brands like Ikea and Rituals integrating plant waxes into their ranges, it’s a signal to the rest of the industry: adapt or be left behind. As the various EU Green Deal laws come into force, sustainability will be an even more significant factor.

“For decades, paraffin wax - derived from petroleum - has been the standard for candle-making. Whilst the demand for more sustainable products continues to grow, the technical hurdles of producing high-quality plant-based candles has slowed progress.

“Making plant wax candles at scale has always been the sticking point,” Maclean added. “Plant-based waxes are more challenging to work with, but we’ve shown that these barriers can be overcome with the right expertise and innovation.”

Candle Shack now handles more than 100,000 orders annually, enabling thousands of entrepreneurs to build side businesses and early-stage ventures in the candle-making industry. The company has developed an exclusive rapeseed and coconut blend, RCX, which has already become its best-selling wax and is now used by global luxury names such as Floral Street and Liz Earle.

Maclean, who is part of a cohort of entrepreneurs backed by Scottish philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter’s Scale Up Scotland programme, added: “RCX burns clean, creates a beautiful straw-coloured melt pool, and performs exceptionally well. It’s proof that plant-based waxes can meet - and even exceed - paraffin. Paraffin wax makes great candles, but ultimately, consumers are gradually demanding ever more sustainable/renewable products. It will inevitably be replaced over time with plant-based alternatives.

“Brands want to innovate, but they’re often held back by logistical challenges. Many manufacturers are locked into automated systems optimised for paraffin wax. They lack the research and development capacity and expertise to make the switch. That’s where we can hopefully help.

“We’re not just helping companies switch to plant waxes - we’re helping them future-proof their businesses. The ‘great wax transition’ will define the next decade of candle-making, and brands that embrace it now will be the ones that thrive.”

A recent survey commissioned by Candle Shack revealed that 30 per cent of Scots either have a second job or are considering one, with 47 per cent actively seeking new ways to supplement their income.

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