Do Candles Expire?

Candles do not expire the way yoghurt does. There is no hidden bacteria date. What happens is slower: dust on the top, a bit of fragrance fade, sometimes a white film on the surface (bloom), sometimes the colour looks tired. The wax itself is still wax.

What actually changes

• Scent. Citrus goes first. Resins and vanillas hang around for years if the lid stayed on.
• Dust and grot. An unlidded jar on a bookshelf becomes a filter. Burn that and you are lighting dust. Wipe it.
• Bloom. A pale film, common on soy. Harmless. Wax bloom.
• Sweating. Oil beads on the surface if it got hot in a car or a windowsill. Sweating.

Should you still burn it?

If it smells vaguely of what it used to, and the wick is clean, yes. Trim, first pool, same as a new one. If it smells of nothing, or of cupboard and damp, it will not magically throw. Use the wax for something else or recycle the glass.

We do not print a “best before” on the tin. Keep the lid on, out of the sun, not in a hot conservatory, and a Highland Candle Company jar will be fine for years. The landscape range is built to be burnt, not collected — Ullapool included.