Companion Candles Are the Great-Smelling Candles That Are Better for You—AND Your Pets
What would you do if you found out that you were exposing yourself—and your favorite pet—to all kinds of harmful ingredients during your daily candle burn?
When Loren Lewin made this discovery, she set out to do something about it for herself and her beloved dog, Mylo. The result was Companion Candles, a pet-friendly clean candle brand that just launched last year. The incredible brand quickly gained attention, and will even be sold nationally at Macy's starting in August. We just had to learn more, and we had the opportunity to chat with Loren about Companion Candles and why brands like hers are so essential.
Sweety High: Can you share the story behind the creation of Companion Candles?
Loren Lewin: After many hours of quarantine with my pup, I realized that my store-bought candles did not live up to their claims (or my standards) and were filled with dirty ingredients that were not only harmful to me, but also my dog, Mylo. I threw out my candles and started making my own homemade, clean version. The rest is history, as they say!
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SH: What are some ingredients that regularly appear in candles that are unsafe for both humans and pets? Why is it important for customers to be aware of a lack of health regulation in the candle industry?
LL: There are so many, but a few of the top ones that can be in your candles are paraffins, carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxins, organ toxins, lead (from the wick), acute toxins—the list goes on. Customers should be aware because I think we all just assume that when we buy something it is safe, or regulated by an industry larger than us. The truth is, we need to do the research ourselves.
SH: What makes your clean candles different?
LL: We are cruelty-free, women-owned, vegan, pet lovers, made in the USA and free of the four P's: paraffins, phthalates, preservatives and petroleum. All candles are made in small batches with a pesticide-free coconut-soy blend wax and the highest quality fragrances available. Our scents are inspired by the delicate moments with our favorite companion by our side. On top of being non-toxic, the coconut-soy wax sourced for our candles is made from pesticide-free coconuts. We have found that coconut wax offers the best quality and longest burn. Many candles are made with some not-so-fab ingredients including phthalates and paraffin wax (derived from petroleum), along with other harmful chemicals and toxins. We don't want to be inhaling it, and hope you don't either! We source from the highest quality fragrance oil companies in the world.
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SH: Did you ever anticipate when you started that Companion Candles would get this far?
LL: I had no idea! Truly, I thought my fiancé and my mom would purchase. We have blown up and it has truly been an amazing journey. I'm so glad we are in households all across the nation and even internationally.
SH: What is Mylo's favorite candle scent?
LL: Amazing question—he likes them all!
SH: How excited are you that your candles will be sold at Macy's starting this year?
LL: I am so excited! Having national distribution with Macy's allows us to be in a totally different ballpark. They clearly saw the issue we are trying to solve and I am so grateful they are behind us 100%.
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SH: Why was it important to you that a portion of Companion Candles' proceeds go to animal welfare organizations? Which orgs are you working with now?
LL: I truthfully envision a world where giving back is built into every business model. We currently work with One Tail at a Time, PAWS Chicago and the Anti-Cruelty Society. We are looking to bring on two more orgs, so please feel free to email us!
SH: Is there anything else we should know about Companion Candles?
LL: We love to hear from our customers and are always looking for feedback! Feel free to reach out to us at info@companioncandles.com (I promise there's a real human on the other end of that email!). And of course, feel free to give us a follow @companioncandles.
How obsessed are you with your pet? Click HERE to read our review of Blago Jewelry and their adorable personalized pet photo necklaces.