In a cost of living crisis consumers are turning to simple common sense ways to support their wellbeing and mental health, so finds Paula McGovern, founder of Wizard & Grace Essential Oil candle company.
The Kinsale-based start-up launched in October 2022 and has just released its second Autumn Winter Range of 100% natural and sustainable essential oil candles. While the company’s core differentiator in a crowded candle market is the purity of the ingredients, as the brand has garnered more customers, founder McGovern, discovered the practice of using essential oil natural candles for self-care has become a large focus for her customers.
McGovern, a current participant of Enterprise Ireland’s New Frontiers 2 programme in the Rubicon Centre in Cork, said; “When we first launched last year my focus was predominantly on the purity and sustainability of the ingredients we use. This remains the core non-negotiable element of our brand. However, the response to the candles has been one of appreciation of the intentionality of the candles to support self-care and stress management. This has been the response particularly from busy working women, often caring for young families and older parents, for whom self-care has become another pressure point, or as someone said to me ‘another glamour metric to aspire to’.
“Anecdotally I have been told our candles make it easy for some of our customers to bring some simple measure of calm and connection into their lives. While it would be lovely to have a spa day, that’s simply not affordable or possible for most women. Instead creating conscious rituals to relax and destress using very simple common sense ways is important. Lighting a candle in your sitting room is an accessible and easy way to relax at the end of the busy day. Knowing that the candle is 100% plant-based, genuinely natural and non-toxic allows people to connect with nature while inside their own home.”
Wizard & Grace has just launched a new range of Autumn/Winter intention candles that are specifically designed to help people unwind and de-stress.
The candles, which use only essential oils to scent as well as renewable and sustainable rapeseed wax, are inspired by Irish landscape, language and life using Irish connection words and Celtic knots that can support meditation or simple quiet moments. The Autumn/Winter range includes herby Buiochas (Gratitude) – thyme and frankincense; meditative Oiche (night) – lavender, chamomile and clary sage; calming Suaimhneas (peace) – elemi and patchouli; and a festive scent Nollaig (Christmas) – orange pine and cinnamon.
In addition to the new intention candles, Wizard & Grace has also launched a range of Celtic goddess gift sets Fiain Agus Saor – Wild & Free – with original artwork representing Queen Medb, Cliona of the Sea, Rhiannon and Bridget, complete with journals made in a collaboration with fellow Cork based start-up Badly Made Books.
McGovern, a trained yoga teacher who had worked in journalism and the corporate sector for 20 years before starting the business, said she was motivated to do so by the sheer amount of greenwashing in the space of scented home products as well as pressurising ideals in terms of wellness and self-care.
“At Wizard & Grace we advocate a ‘wellness for real life’ philosophy. Getting out in nature, exercising, eating well and using only natural pure products in your home, staying away from synthetic and artificial chemicals – both in food and in what you use on your skin and in your home. We are a contemporary Irish brand inspired by Irish landscape, language and life. In Celtic mythology Ireland was a matriarchal society – women were leaders, warriors, lovers, teachers, alchemists, mothers. There is a great welcome resurgence in interest in the power and strength of women from our heritage. These goddess stories are connections – they ground us in our heritage and can help us connect to our inner strength and resilience.”
Wizard & Grace use a high-design colour aesthetic, using the colour palette from the Book of Kells for statement pieces for the home. In addition the sustainability and origin of all of its ingredients is carefully tested and examined in order to ensure it meets its goal to produce the cleanest, non-toxic candles on the market.