Wax Bloom, Explained

Bloom is a pale, dusty film on the surface of soy and some other natural waxes. It looks a bit like very polite mould. It is not mould. It is the wax crystals rearranging with temperature swings, the same family of thing you see on chocolate.

Do you need to do anything?

No. Burn it. Or buff it with a bit of stocking or a soft cloth if you are giving it to someone fussy. The film melts into the pool and disappears.

Keep candles out of sun and out of cold porches if you want them photogenic. We would rather they were burnt. A bloomed Crofter’s Year still smells like itself.

If the top is fuzzy, green, or smells of cellar, that is not bloom — that is a candle that has been stored badly, possibly with the lid off in a damp place. Then you can argue.