There are a lot of candles out there. A genuinely alarming number, if you spend any time on the internet. The problem isn't finding one. It's knowing whether it's worth the price on the label. After nine years of stocking handmade candles and talking to the people who make them, here's what we've learned about what actually matters.

Wax type matters, but not in the way most listings suggest ¶

Soy wax is popular because it's renewable and burns cleanly. Beeswax is slower-burning and has a natural honey scent that some people love and others find too sweet. Coconut wax is softer and blends well with fragrance. None of these is objectively better. What matters more is the quality of the wax within each category and how it's been handled.

Cheap soy wax can produce a rough, uneven surface and a weak scent throw. Good soy wax, poured at the right temperature, gives you a smooth top and a consistent burn. The difference is usually visible before you even light the thing. If the surface looks pitted or has a white bloom, that's not necessarily a flaw. It's a sign the wax is natural and unblended. But a very rough or sunken surface can indicate poor temperature control during pouring.

The wick is the part nobody talks about ¶

A candle with a wick that's too thin will tunnel. It burns straight down the middle and leaves a ring of unmelted wax around the edge. A wick that's too thick produces a large, sooty flame and burns through the candle too fast. Getting the wick size right for a given vessel and wax combination takes testing, and good makers do a lot of it.

Cotton wicks are standard and work well. Some makers use wood wicks, which crackle slightly as they burn and give a fireplace-adjacent effect. Both are fine. What you want to avoid is a wick with a metal core, which can overheat the base of the vessel.

• Trim the wick to about 5mm before each burn
• Let the wax pool reach the edge of the vessel on the first burn
• Don't burn for more than four hours at a stretch
• Keep candles away from draughts, which cause uneven burning

Fragrance: synthetic versus natural, and why it's complicated ¶

Natural fragrance oils sound better, but the reality is more nuanced. Some synthetic fragrance compounds are safer and more stable than their natural equivalents. What you're really looking for is a maker who is transparent about what they use and why. If a candle listing just says 'fragrance', that tells you very little. If it says 'fragrance blend including cedarwood essential oil and synthetic amber accord', that's a maker who knows what they're doing.

Scent throw. How much fragrance a candle releases when burning. Depends on the fragrance load (how much oil is in the wax), the wax type, and the room size. A candle that smells strong cold doesn't always perform well when lit, and vice versa. The best way to judge is to burn it.

If you're buying a candle as a gift and you're not sure where to start, the questions we'd ask are: what wax, what wick, and does the maker say anything about how they test their batches. The rest is mostly personal preference.