About Us

Welcome!! My name is Melissa and I am the owner of Caribou Candles. 

I’m a mom, a wife, a chemistry teacher of 20 years and an animal lover.  At home my husband, son and I have 7 pets.  We have 4 cats (Rupert, Willow, Onyx & Remi), 2 goats (Pancake & Waffles), and a puppy (Rusty). 

I started my journey to healthier candle-making when the smoke from the Canadian wildfires made it difficult to breathe.  I realized just how much “stuff” is in the air that we breathe daily that’s not so good for us (including the beloved candles I’d buy at local stores).  Being a chemistry teacher, I am around chemicals ALL day long and I figured it’s about time I eliminate some of that in my life.  So, I started my own research on which type of wax and scents would be best for the “healthiest” candles.  

I learned that paraffin wax is made of hydrocarbons, so when it is burned it releases toluene and benzene-which are carcinogens- into the air.  It also releases black soot!  Now who wants to breathe that?!  

Some of the scents in those candles also have phthalates.  While phthalates are inexpensive chemicals that give the candles their strong scent, they are endocrine disruptors. Research has linked these phthalates to cancer and fertility problems.  

For our candles, I chose to use soy wax, because it is made from soybeans.  They are environmentally friendly, a renewable resource, and vegan!  There’s no black soot and no toxins being released into the air.  In addition, the soy wax candles burn longer!  All of our scents are phthalate free and they can have a positive effect on your mood.

 The candle symbolizes light in the darkness of life. “It is better to light one little candle, than to curse the darkness” -Eleanor Roosevelt.

Every detail goes into making a quality product that is clean and leaves all those harmful chemicals behind.  Check them out today! 🙂

From our family to yours…

Thank you for visiting Caribou Candles!

-Melissa

PS- Yes, I know that’s not a Caribou in my logo-  I just liked it 😉