When I started making candles at home in Lahore, a friend asked me a simple question. Why are candles so expensive?
She had picked up a candle in a shop. She liked the smell. Then she turned it over, looking for anything that told her what was inside. No weight. No burn time. She put it back, because she had no way of knowing whether it was worth the price.
That moment is the reason Candle Studio exists. I wanted to make candles you can judge for yourself before you buy, and to offer them at every price, from a small candle for a mehndi table to a bouquet worth handing over at a wedding.
What you are really paying for
A candle is a simple thing. It is wax, a wick, and some scent. That is all.
So why does one candle cost Rs. 100 and another cost Rs. 3,000? Three things make the difference.
- How much wax is inside. More wax means more candle. This is the biggest reason for the price.
- What kind of wax it is. Soy wax costs more than paraffin wax. It burns a little slower and a little cleaner.
- What it sits in. A pretty glass jar can cost more than the wax inside it. You are paying for the jar too.
There is a fourth reason that nobody talks about. A shop in a big mall has to pay rent, staff and electricity. All of that goes into the price of the candle you pick up.
A simple way to check if a candle is worth the money
Look at the weight, then divide the price by the grams. That tells you what you are paying for each gram of wax.
Here is a real example. A well known brand sells a jar candle with 170 grams of wax for around Rs. 2,400. That comes to about Rs. 14 for every gram. Our soy wax jar candle has 125 grams and costs Rs. 850. That is under Rs. 7 a gram.
Same soy wax. Same kind of jar. Less than half the price for the same gram of wax.
And if a candle does not tell you its weight anywhere, that is worth noticing. You cannot judge value if you do not know how much is inside.
Burn time matters for some candles, not for all
This is something I wish more people knew, because it saves money.
If you are buying a candle for your bedroom or your living room, something you will light many evenings, then burn time really matters. Our pillar candles burn for around 42 hours. That is a lot of evenings from one candle costing Rs. 450.
But if you are buying candles for a mehndi table, a birthday, or a nikah, burn time hardly matters. Those candles get lit once, maybe twice. What you are really buying is how they look on the table and how they photograph. A floating daisy candle at Rs. 100 is doing its whole job in one evening.
So do not pay extra for long burn time on a candle you will light once. And do not buy the cheapest small candle for a room you sit in every night.
We tell you what is inside
Open any candle on our website and you will see two things written plainly. How many grams of wax are inside, and roughly how many hours it burns.
Most candle sellers in Pakistan do not tell you either of these. We think you have a right to know what you are buying before you pay for it.
We keep those burn times on the careful side. If a candle lasts you longer than we promised, good. I would rather that than the other way around.
What you are not paying for
We have no shop and no showroom, so there is no rent to cover. I pour every candle by hand at home, in small batches, and my husband looks after the orders and deliveries. Nothing passes through a middleman.
That is the whole secret. It is not cheaper wax and it is not less scent. It is a smaller business with fewer costs, so what you pay goes into the wax and the fragrance instead of into rent.
What you should expect to pay
- Rs. 100 to Rs. 400 for small shaped candles for events, gifts and table decoration
- Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 for pillar candles, which are the best value if you burn candles often
- Rs. 650 to Rs. 1,450 for jar and glass candles, where you are also paying for the jar
- Rs. 2,950 for a full candle bouquet, which is a gift rather than an everyday candle
Common questions
Why do two candles of the same size cost different amounts?
Usually the wax or the jar. Soy wax costs more than paraffin. A heavy matte glass jar costs more than a plain one. The shape matters too, because a detailed flower candle takes much longer to make than a plain pillar.
Which candle is best value for daily use at home?
Pillar candles, without question. You get the most hours of burning for your money. Have a look at our candles for the home, where the pillars and jars are together in one place.
Does a higher price mean a better candle?
Sometimes. A higher price is fair when it buys more wax, better fragrance, or a jar worth keeping long after the candle is finished. It is not fair when it only buys a shop’s rent and a pretty label. Ask what is inside. If the seller will not tell you the weight, be careful.
Come and have a look
Every candle in our shop has its weight and burn time written on the page, so you can judge for yourself. If you are not sure what suits your home or your event, message us on WhatsApp at 0300-122-1260 and we will help you choose.