Meet the Maker: Babel Candles
As soon as co-founder Justin tested a Babel organic beeswax candle, he knew it was special. The fragrance smelled well-rounded and the candle softly 'crackled'. Made from a blend of organic beeswax and coconut oil with a natural wood wick, Babel candles purify the air. (Babel is one of just two companies in the UK making candles that have Soil Association Certified Organic status.) Made with sustainability in mind, every candle is hand-poured in London, with refills available. The candles and candle refills are exclusive to Borough Kitchen.
We spoke with Babel founder Henri Cooney to discuss his unique approach to materiality, sustainable design, and creating scents that are truly reflective of his passion for history and language.
We spoke with Babel founder Henri Cooney to discuss his unique approach to materiality, sustainable design, and creating scents that are truly reflective of his passion for history and language.
What first drew you to candle-making, and how did it become the craft you wanted to dedicate yourself to?
I studied medieval history, and researched how candles were central to life at that time. While cheaper candles were often made from animal fat and tallow, beeswax was often used by the church and symbolised divinity. It signified the best quality, and was the most expensive. It was typically used by monks and made by monks, and people who made candles for a living were called chandlers. Beyond history, I just love a candle! My goal is to create a product that doesn't harm the person lighting it or the environment.
How do you choose which materials you work with? Can you describe its sustainability in more detail?
We use all-natural ingredients and no synthetic fragrances. I chose to use wood wicks because I could guarantee its provenance through FSC certification. Cotton wicks can sometimes contain paraffin or lead, making their source hard to verify. Wood wicks also produce a crackling sound when they burn and ensure the candle burns straight, clean, and evenly in the centre.
Babel candles are made with a beeswax and coconut oil blend, rather than soy wax, because beeswax naturally purifies the air. We use 100% natural oils and extracts – not just 'nature derived'. These are inherently complex. No pesticides or synthetic fertilisers are used, allowing the true, natural scents to shine. By their nature, these ingredients change slightly from harvest to harvest, which is part of what makes them so special. I've tried and tested materials extensively because natural ingredients sometimes don't diffuse as well or burn at higher temperatures, but our blends don't have that issue.
I chose stainless steel as the candle’s vessel so I could laser engrave it, avoiding plastic or stickers. (Any stickers on the packaging is biodegradable.) While glass is much easier to engrave, stainless steel is endlessly recyclable, just like glass, but it is much lighter. Being lighter helps bring the carbon footprint down for delivery. The stainless steel container is designed to be a vessel people can keep and reuse, perhaps as whiskey, water, or tea glasses. (The stainless steel is food-safe; but be sure to clean out the candle completely before reusing it as a vessel.) The candle also comes with a paper dust cap which should be kept and used when the candle is not in use.
Babel candles are made with a beeswax and coconut oil blend, rather than soy wax, because beeswax naturally purifies the air. We use 100% natural oils and extracts – not just 'nature derived'. These are inherently complex. No pesticides or synthetic fertilisers are used, allowing the true, natural scents to shine. By their nature, these ingredients change slightly from harvest to harvest, which is part of what makes them so special. I've tried and tested materials extensively because natural ingredients sometimes don't diffuse as well or burn at higher temperatures, but our blends don't have that issue.
I chose stainless steel as the candle’s vessel so I could laser engrave it, avoiding plastic or stickers. (Any stickers on the packaging is biodegradable.) While glass is much easier to engrave, stainless steel is endlessly recyclable, just like glass, but it is much lighter. Being lighter helps bring the carbon footprint down for delivery. The stainless steel container is designed to be a vessel people can keep and reuse, perhaps as whiskey, water, or tea glasses. (The stainless steel is food-safe; but be sure to clean out the candle completely before reusing it as a vessel.) The candle also comes with a paper dust cap which should be kept and used when the candle is not in use.
Many of your scents feel transportive. Do they draw inspiration from particular places, memories, or moments?
I have always loved languages, and have a degree in Arabic. There are so many words in different languages that are unique and untranslatable, with no English equivalent. For example, the word hygge is often translated as a sort of ‘cosy’ feeling, but that doesn’t capture the complexity of the Danish term. So I try to capture that ‘untranslatable-ness’ in scent instead. I want people to remember the candle names and discuss them.
Can you tell us more about the Babel scents we carry, Samar and Ikigai?
My personal favourite is Samar, an Arabic word. Spicy, ambery, and rich, it is a celebration of my love of the Arabic language and the Middle East. The scent was inspired by my time in Morocco, and the way the heat affected everything, including the smell of the sand. This scent is beautiful for after dinner, or if you are having a cocktail party.
We also have Ikigai, which evokes a sense of balance and equilibrium. I wanted to capture that in the scent. It can be burned in the morning or evening because it’s both fresh and positive, designed to wake people up or make them feel relaxed (because it kind of does both!). It contains lavender, vetiver, and jasmine. Samar is woody, but Ikigai is fresh.
We also have Ikigai, which evokes a sense of balance and equilibrium. I wanted to capture that in the scent. It can be burned in the morning or evening because it’s both fresh and positive, designed to wake people up or make them feel relaxed (because it kind of does both!). It contains lavender, vetiver, and jasmine. Samar is woody, but Ikigai is fresh.
Your scents are well-rounded. They smell so natural and not at all flat or synthetic. How do you think you achieved that?
This is achieved through the ingredients: 100% natural oils and extracts. Natural oils and extracts are complex, evolving from the top to base notes. Because we use all certified organic ingredients, the true fragrances are allowed to shine.
Can you give some suggestions on how to clean the container and re-use it?
The candles are easy to clean, because they are designed to burn right down to the bottom. The wood wick gives it a great melt pool, so you don’t need to scrape too much from the edges. The wick has no sticker or adhesive on the bottom, so you can just pull it out. The coconut wax softens the residue a bit too. Overall, there won’t be too much to clean.
Since the stainless steel container won’t crack, you also can soak it in boiling water, like a bain marie, to loosen up the remaining wax before cleaning and reusing. It might take some time for the heat to go through, so be mindful of that.
The best way to re-use the container is to refill it with candles, but the containers are also great for using as a water tumbler, or even a whiskey glass (once the candle wax has been completely washed off).
Since the stainless steel container won’t crack, you also can soak it in boiling water, like a bain marie, to loosen up the remaining wax before cleaning and reusing. It might take some time for the heat to go through, so be mindful of that.
The best way to re-use the container is to refill it with candles, but the containers are also great for using as a water tumbler, or even a whiskey glass (once the candle wax has been completely washed off).
