Tried & Tested
The £25 sustainable Christmas candle you’ll struggle to part with
Perfect as an emergency gift or hostess present, you should have this candle on standby every Christmas. Trouble is, will you manage to give it away?
With parents who live in Sweden and every summer and Christmas spent in the forests and lakes of Götaland, I consider myself not only a Scandiphile, but also a bit of a social commentator on nordic traditions. One habit I’ve imported into my UK life is a love of candles. At all times. Candles at breakfast, candles at my desk, candles by the bedside.
This commitment to cosiness is reflected in the Danish word ‘hygge’, or the Swedish term ‘mysig’, a philosophy that’s firmly grounded in the ethos of skincare and scent firm Skandinavisk. The brainchild of Brit Shaun Russell, who fell in love with the frozen north and decided to create a skincare and scent firm that reflected mysig values, the Jul candle is one of John Lewis’s Christmas heroes, thanks to its please-anyone scent and price point.
What is it?
Skandinavisk has been a certified B Corp since 2019 which means it balances profit with sustainable practices. Scents for example are from organic natural essential oils where possible, and the wax is from sustainably farmed, non-GMO Swedish rapeseed. For Christmas there are three seasonal-specific scents, Snö (Swedish for snow), Skog (Forest) and Jul (Christmas).
The beech wood lids are from FSC-certified European forests (the wood is grown using environmentally sound principles) and doubles as a coaster for the candle when burning. What’s more, 30% of the glass in the container is recycled.
What does it smell like?
In a sentence, like the kitchen of a Swedish mormor (grandmother): baked gingerbread and winter cloves, spiced oranges and mulled wine. It sounds like it might be overpowering, but it’s actually a pretty gentle aroma, with none of the cloying sweetness of cheaper candles. In fact, my 10-year-old who recently had norovirus, found the smell super comforting when she was sick, and you don’t get higher praise than that.
Is it worth it?
The adults in my life have opted for no gifts this year to save money and our carbon footprint. But this sustainable candle feels a thoroughly justifiable communal present. Its scent wafts through the whole house, meaning we all get to enjoy it, and thinking about the amazing ability of scents to transport you back in your memory, I’m hoping this is what my children’s happy Christmases smell like.
