Hello, I’m Mags, owner of Red Moss Candles
(www.redmosscandles.com), a small artisan candle and wax melt
business based just outside Edinburgh at the foot of the Pentland Hills. I
named the business after a beautiful local nature reserve where I
regularly walk our dog. 

I make a range of candles and wax melts in fruity, fresh, floral and
woody fragrances with seasonal products added from time to time. I’ve
recently launched a personalised candle service which has been very
popular. I design and print everything myself so can be really flexible
and accommodating with messages and greetings. I’ve made candles
for weddings, retirements, birthdays, anniversaries, new mums, new
homes and even bridesmaid proposals to name but a few.

A love of ethically sourced, natural wax candles with minimal packaging
inspired me to start the business in 2021. I really struggled to find good
quality, sustainably produced candles in shops, markets and online and
was often disappointed when candles I’d bought gave off little or no
fragrance or tunnelled and ended up leaving lots of wasted wax.

Candle making is a blend of chemistry and craft. Before I launched the
business I spent over a year researching and testing out different wax,
oil and wick combinations and production processes. I wanted to make
sure that my candles produced a beautiful fragrance and burned
efficiently and safely.  I have a background in Food and Agricultural
Product Quality Certification and am very used to writing and following
procedures and processes so this element of the business really
resonated!

I chose to work with 100% pure coconut and rapeseed wax as it’s free
from paraffin, soy, beeswax, palm oil, and synthetic additives. All my
inputs are vegan and not tested on animals. Sustainability is at the heart
of the brand, I use Italian glass jars which are very sturdy and can be
repurposed as make-up brush/stationery organisers, small vases, herb
planters, tea light holders and matchstick caddies. The wax is ethically
sourced and all packaging is reuseable, recyclable or compostable and
plastic free. I don’t use individual candle boxes as I find these go
straight in to the recycling bin!

Each small batch of candles starts with gently melting the wax until it has
reached the required temperature. I add just the right amount of
carefully selected fragrance oil to ensure the candle gives a good scent
throw without being too strong and overloading the wick or wax.  Each
fragrance has its own specific recipe and wick family/size. I finish each

candle by hand to make sure the tops are smooth and that there are no
air bubbles lurking under the surface which can affect the burn quality.
I love everything about being a small, independent maker. One of the
most satisfying things about running a business is having total creative
control over what you do and when I receive great feedback from
customers who love my products it really makes my day.

My working days include production, chatting to customers and
stockists, social media, and testing new products and fragrances.
There’s always a candle or two on the go in my house which is definitely
a perk of the trade!

I recently took part in the Support The Makers pop-up shop in St James
Quarter which was a fantastic experience. I loved helping out for a few
hours and met some lovely customers and other makers and artists. We
are so lucky to have such a friendly and creative community and I’m
looking forward to taking part in more events.

I stock several shops in Edinburgh (Scottish Design Exchange, Rose &
Ammi, The Dragonfly Gifts, Sugar Daddy’s Bakery, Molly’s
Delicatessen), Glasgow (The Clydeside Collective), and Anstruther (Fifi
At Home).

Website: www.redmosscandles.com
Instagram: red_moss_candles