Why We Only Use Phthalate-Free Fragrances (And What That Actually Means for You)
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When you light a Hope & Wild candle, you're inviting that fragrance into your home, your air, your everyday moments. That's not something we take lightly.
You probably already know that we use 100% rapeseed and coconut wax, that our fragrances are paraben-free, and that every vessel is designed to be refilled rather than thrown away. But there's another commitment we want to talk about openly — one that quietly shapes every scent we create: we only ever use phthalate-free fragrance oils.
Here's what that means, why it matters, and why we made the decision before we ever sold a single candle.
So… what are phthalates?
Phthalates (pronounced thal-ates — don't worry, we had to look it up too) are a group of synthetic chemicals that have historically been added to fragrance oils to help scent last longer and travel further through a room. They act as a fixative, binding the fragrance to the wax and improving what makers call "scent throw."
They've been used in all kinds of products for decades — from plastics and vinyl flooring to perfumes, lotions, and yes, scented candles.
The problem? Research has increasingly linked certain phthalates to hormone disruption, reproductive issues, and other health concerns. And here's the part that surprises most people: you won't find them listed on the label. Under current regulations, phthalates can hide behind the single word "fragrance" — which means unless a brand specifically tells you their fragrances are phthalate-free, you simply don't know.
Why this matters more than you might think
When you burn a candle, you're not just creating ambience. You're releasing molecules into the air in your home — the air you and your family breathe every day. Unlike a moisturiser you wash off or a perfume you spritz once, a candle burns for hours. The cumulative exposure is real.
This is exactly why we feel so strongly about it.
The customers who find their way to Hope & Wild aren't looking for just any candle. They're people who read ingredient labels. Who care as much about what they burn in their home as what they put on their skin. Who've made the conscious choice to do things a little differently — to refill rather than replace, to slow down and be intentional.
Those people deserve to know exactly what they're burning. And they deserve better than "fragrance."
The choice we made before we launched
We decided to go phthalate-free before Hope & Wild had even made its first sale.
It wasn't the easiest path — limiting ourselves to phthalate-free fragrance oils does mean being more selective about the scents we work with. But we genuinely believe that if we're asking you to trust us — to invite our products into your home, to make them part of your rituals — we owe you that level of care.
What we've discovered along the way is that modern phthalate-free fragrance oils are genuinely exceptional. The technology has come a long way. You don't have to sacrifice a rich, complex, room-filling scent to avoid synthetic chemicals. You just have to care enough to look for the right ones — and we do.
What we use instead
Every fragrance blend we work with is:
- ✓ Phthalate-free
- ✓ Paraben-free
- ✓ Vegan and cruelty-free
- ✓ Palm-free
- ✓ Blended to IFRA safety standards
Our candles are made with 100% natural rapeseed and coconut wax — one of the cleanest-burning wax combinations available. Our reed diffusers use a 100% vegan diffuser base, free from anything that shouldn't be in your home. And because our hand-thrown ceramic vessel works as both a candle and a reed diffuser, you get to choose how you scent your space — with the same commitment to clean ingredients either way.
A note from me
When I started Hope & Wild, I kept asking myself: what would I want to know if I were the customer? The answer was always — everything. Every ingredient, every decision, every reason why.
Choosing phthalate-free fragrances was never really a debate for me. It just felt like the only honest option for a brand built around the idea that luxury and responsibility aren't opposites — they belong together.
I hope that every time you light one of our candles, you feel that.
Alison x
Ready to explore the collection?
Every Hope & Wild candle and reed diffuser is made with phthalate-free, paraben-free fragrance — in a hand-thrown ceramic vessel designed to last a lifetime.
Come and join the home fragrance revolution!