BioCERE™ – the Certified Organic Candle Wax

Certified organic products must meet a stringent series of requirements. In 2009, when British Wax decided to create a certifiable organic candle wax, the challenge seemed almost impossible.

Sourcing organic components is not simple. These must have been produced without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial chemicals. All organic materials must be fully traceable from farm to candle. Unlike non-organic production, which makes wide use of manufactured and mined fertilisers and pesticides, organic materials must be produced with natural fertilisers from plants and less energy and more respect for the environment that provides it. Organic farming and production is not easy and takes real commitment and attention to detail, and is backed up by rigorous, independent inspection and certification.

Blend formulation is not simple either. Being certified organic is no excuse for performing worse than non-organic waxes. After testing and retesting, we got confident we identified a formulation that represented a true alternative to paraffin wax. In 2011 the BioCERE™ blend was born.

BioCERE is designed for organic container candles, including massage candles. It is made using pure natural waxy materials; Beeswax, Palm, Carnauba, Coconut which are all certified organic. None of the materials have been hydrogenated.

You can imagine our satisfaction when the Soil Society certified that BioCERE is an Organic Container Candle Wax.

How can you make organic candles?

By using BioCERE, you can state that your container candle contains ‘organic wax’ – if requested you would need to validate the claim with a copy of the certification. British Wax can supply the certificate of Soil Association registration for the BioCERE for our customers, it is updated annually. Unlike food and cosmetics, there is currently no harmonized standard for organic candles. In general, you will need to make sure that non just the candle wax, but also the candle wick and fragrance are organic. You won’t be able to use logos like the Soil Association logo without having gone through the certification process. In general, it is recommended not to sell a candle as organic if only a proportion of the elements of the candle are organic certified. Consumers can challenge your claim and you would risk legal action.

Let’s have a look at some of the ingredients of this truly unique wax:

A sustainable palm wax

As of 2018, all our organic palm comes from Colombia, is fully traceable and certified RSPO Identity Preserved, which is the highest level of RSPO certification we are able to obtain. We guarantee we will never use anything less than that in our organic candle wax. 

Fair traded beeswax

At British Wax, we firmly believe that Beeswax is one of the most sustainable and eco-friendly waxes in existence. We also believe that a truly sustainable wax must not just respect the environment and be renewable. We believe that sustainability must apply to communities that work with the wax.
Yet, our Beeswax does not carry the Fairtrade mark.
This is a deliberate choice as we decided to act personally, out of the Fairtrade certification scheme. So our Beeswax might not be Fairtrade market, but it is indeed fairly traded.  It is produced by individual smallholders, a fair price is paid which is revised each year (currently 30% higher than the Fairtrade price). We establish a long term, stable relationship with our suppliers. When we work with the beekeepers in Africa we are not trying to teach them anything or get them to change their traditional methods, they are experts in the gentle art of forest beekeeping, our comrades in nurturing a strong and healthy bee population.

http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/bee-movies//

please see videos of beekeepers in Africa via the Bees for Development who we support.

BioCERE™ Organic Candle Wax 4230 is a blend of 100% certified organic oils and waxes. 

PARAMETERUNITTYPICAL RESULTS
Melting Point°C44 – 54
ColourGardner scale2 – 5

Recommended pouring temperature:  55 to 70 °C

In common with most natural wax blends, BioCERE™ 4230 tends to work best with larger wicks.  To make a candle using fully organic materials, we recommend using Monterosa organic wicks.

A maximum fragrance loading of 8% is recommended.  100% Certified Organic by Soil Association Certification Ltd.

We would recommend you add the oils shortly before you pour the wax. We cannot give a maximum heating temperature but there should be no need to heat the wax above 80 degrees.

The wax needs to be heated gently. We would not recommend using a double boiler.

Please click here to purchase Biocere.

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