Aztec Candle

What Aztec Candle does

Aztec Candle & Soap Supplies, operating legally as Aztec International, Inc., is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based wholesale distributor of candle and soap making supplies founded in 1984. The company sells a comprehensive catalog of craft-making raw materials and finished supplies — including fragrance oils, multiple wax types (soy, paraffin blend, container, pillar, gel, beeswax, specialty), jars and lids, wicks, dyes, melt-and-pour glycerin soap bases, skin-safe fragrances, cold process oils and butters, essential oils, soap colorants and micas, soap molds, lip balm bases, bath and body bases, melters, and packaging supplies — through the e-commerce platform candlemaking.com and a physical showroom in Knoxville. The company holds master distributor relationships with four major industry brands: IGI Waxes, AAK, Crafter's Choice, and Candle Warmers.

The business runs on a direct-to-consumer and small-business e-commerce model under a one-time purchase (pay-as-you-go) pricing structure, with unit prices ranging from approximately $1.49 for small colorant items to $109.60 for larger soap bases. It serves two primary customer segments: craft hobbyists and DIY enthusiasts making candles and soaps for personal use, and small business craft producers making products for resale. Demand generation is supported by an email newsletter, SMS/text marketing, and Trustpilot third-party reviews; distribution covers the United States via nationwide shipping plus a Knoxville showroom for local pickup.

Aztec Candle is a privately held, bootstrapped, family-owned business that has organically operated for over 40 years without external private equity or venture capital funding. Headcount is reported at 1–10 employees, and the source material discloses no proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, mobile applications, APIs, or third-party platform integrations — the storefront is a standard e-commerce site with catalog browsing, search, and account functionality.

Name

Aztec Candle

Legal name

Aztec International, Inc.

Website

https://candlemaking.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aztec Candle & Soap Supplies (Aztec International, Inc.) is a Knoxville, Tennessee wholesale distributor of candle and soap making raw materials and supplies, serving U.S. craft hobbyists and small-business producers via candlemaking.com e-commerce and a local showroom under master distributor agreements with IGI Waxes, AAK, Crafter's Choice, and Candle Warmers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Making Supplies

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Soap, Cleaning Compound, and Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (3256)

SIC

Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840), Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Fragrance (Candles, Diffusers, Room Sprays) (CRABADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bath & Shower Products (Soaps, Body Wash, Bath Additives) (CRADANAB)

Keywords

• Wholesale candle supplies
• Soap making supplies
• Candle fragrance oils
• Wax and wicks
• Craft making materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct product sales of candle and soap making supplies including fragrance oils, wax, jars, wicks, dyes, molds, soap bases, colorants, and equipment. Products are sold at wholesale/multi-unit prices to hobbyists and small businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aztec Candle & Soap Supplies is a wholesale distributor of candle making and soap making supplies, operating via e-commerce (candlemaking.com) and a Knoxville, TN showroom. The company offers fragrance oils, waxes (soy, paraffin, gel, beeswax, AAK), jars, wicks, dyes, molds, melt-and-pour soap bases, cold process oils/butters, colorants, essential oils, packaging, and melters/equipment, serving both hobbyist crafters and small business producers.

Product overview

Aztec Candle & Soap Supplies is a wholesale distributor of candle making and soap making supplies operating as a B2B/B2C e-commerce platform. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of craft-making products centered around two core categories: candle making supplies and soap making supplies. The candle making product line includes fragrance oils, various wax types (soy, paraffin blend, gel, beeswax), jars and lids, wicks, dyes, molds, melters, kits, and packaging materials. The soap making line features melt and pour glycerin bases (including goat's milk, shea butter, oatmeal variants), skin safe fragrances, cold process oils and butters, soap colorants and micas, bath bomb colors, essential oils, lip balm supplies, and soap molds. The company also stocks general craft supplies like cleaners and potpourri/incense. Aztec Candle operates as a master distributor for IGI Waxes, AAK, Crafter's Choice, and Candle Warmers brands, and carries its own private-label Crafters Choice product line across colorants, micas, soap bases, and butters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fragrance Oils (Candle) Concentrated scented oils for candle making, available in varieties including fruits & berries, Christmas, food & baking, nature, designer, floral, duplications (dupes), and vanilla-free options. Sold to hobbyists and small candle-making businesses.
• Wax Products Various wax types for candle making including soy, paraffin blend, container wax, pillar wax, tart waxes, votive wax, gel wax, beeswax, microcrystalline, and specialty waxes (Polyboost/Vybar substitute, duck & cheese waxes, beehive dipping waxes, wax hands wax, AAK waxes).
• Jars & Lids Containers and closures for candles including Libbey glass jars, large tumblers, candle making jars, metal tins, canning lids with seal, and overstock/closeout jars.
• Wicks Candle wicks including pre-tabbed options (cotton core Premier 700 series, CD cotton/paper, Eco series, zinc core, paper core, HTP), wooden wicks, raw wicking materials, wick tabs, and wick accessories.
• Candle Dyes Colorants for candles including liquid candle dye, dye blisters/blocks, candle dye chips, and cut & carve dyes.
• Melt and Pour Glycerin Soap Bases Pre-made soap bases for melt and pour soap making, including natural bases, SLS-free options, and regular formulations, available in varieties such as goat's milk, shea butter, oatmeal, honey, aloe vera, chamomile, green tea, and white soap.
• Skin Safe Fragrances Phthalate-free fragrance oils safe for skin applications in soap and body products, including essential oil blends, duplications, and vanilla-free options.
• Soap Colorants & Micas Colorants for soap making including Crafter's Choice brand micas, fluorescent pigments, bath bomb powder colors, stained glass color bars, matte color bars, and sparkle mica soap color bars. Also includes dyes for cold process soap making.
• Cold Process Oils and Butters Base oils and butters for cold process soap making, including coconut oil (76 degree melt), shea butter (natural, refined, ultra refined), olive oil, palm oil, castor oil, and various essential oils.
• Essential Oils Pure essential oils including Crafter's Choice brand and Airome brand single oils, blends, and roll-ons for aromatherapy and soap making applications.
• Soap Molds Molds for soap making including wooden loaf molds, bath bomb molds, basic geometry shapes, holiday molds, silicone soap molds, birds/bees/nature designs, and guest size molds.
• Lip Balm Products Lip balm supplies including bases, sticks, and pots for creating custom lip balms.
• Bath & Body Bases Pre-made bases for creating bath and body products including lotions, and other personal care items.
• Melters & Equipment Melting equipment and tools for candle and soap making including melters, dipping bears, and general equipment and tools.
• Packaging Supplies Packaging materials for finished products including shrink wrap, boxes for both candles and soap/lotions, and various containers.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IGI WaxescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAztec Candle is a master distributor for IGI Waxes, providing access to a wide range of wax products including soy, paraffin blend, container, pillar, tart, votive, gel, and specialty waxes.
• AAKcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaster distributor relationship for AAK waxes, a major international wax manufacturer, ensuring access to premium wax products for candle making.
• Crafter's ChoicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaster distributor for Crafter's Choice brand products including fragrance oils, micas, colorants, soap bases, and soap making supplies.
• Candle WarmerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMaster distributor relationship for Candle Warmers products, providing access to candle warming equipment and accessories.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• Michaels Companies: Largest US specialty retailer of arts, crafts, and DIY supplies including candle and soap making basics. Wide-portfolio competitor that overlaps on hobbyist SKUs but does not match Aztec's wholesale B2B depth or specialty inputs (gel wax, dupes, master-distributor wax ranges).
• Hobby Lobby: Major US craft retail chain carrying candle making and basic soap making supplies. Broad incumbent with overlapping shelf-stable inputs but no equivalent wholesale/B2B specialization or master-distributor wax/fragrance depth.

Direct peers

• Nature's Garden: Wholesale supplier of candle and soap making supplies including fragrance oils, waxes, colorants, and bases. Competes with Aztec across both candle and soap supply categories at similar price points.
• Rustic Escentuals: Wholesale and retail supplier of candle and soap making supplies, fragrance oils, kits, and equipment. Small-to-mid scale online distributor operating in the same horizontal craft-supply niche as Aztec.
• Wholesale Supplies Plus: Wholesale distributor of candle, soap, lotion, and cosmetic making supplies to hobbyists and small businesses. Closest direct overlap with Aztec's full catalog (wax, fragrance, colorants, bases, molds) and B2B/B2C e-commerce model.
• CandleScience: Major online wholesale distributor of candle making supplies (wax, wicks, fragrance, jars, dyes). Direct single-category peer that competes head-on with Aztec's candle-making half of the business.
• Bramble Berry: Largest US-focused supplier of soap and bath & body making supplies (oils, butters, lye, fragrance, colorants, molds). Direct overlap with Aztec's soap-making product line and target DIY/SMB customer.
• The Flaming Candle: Online candle making supplies retailer carrying fragrance oils, wax, wicks, jars, and dyes. Niche direct peer with similar DTC/wholesale model focused primarily on candle-making customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Candle_Supplies
• Facebookfacebook.com/candlemakingsupply
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aztec-candle-and-soap-making-supplies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aztec Candle