Aura Candles

What Aura Candles does

Aura Candles is a Carlsbad, California-based, founder-led home fragrance company that designs, hand-pours, and sells premium scented candles and adjacent fragrance products. Founded in 2009 by Chelsea, a former personal finance professional, the business operates from a studio and warehouse at 3129 Tiger Run Court and has grown from a kitchen project to a dedicated facility while preserving a hand-poured, hand-labeled production process. The core product line is Everyday Candles in 8.5 oz glass vessels at $36 each, spanning 16+ named fragrance variants (Bloom, Blush, Swell, Chill, Luscious, etc.), supplemented by Everyday 2-Wick Candles (13 oz, $46), Travel Candles (6 oz tins, $20), Reed Diffusers ($28-$48), Room Sprays ($10-$26), Wax Melts ($8), curated third-party incense and accessories ($5.50-$26), and digital gift cards ($25-$100). All candles use a proprietary blend of coconut and food-grade paraffin wax with lead-free cotton wicks and phthalate-free, cruelty-free fragrance oils infused with essential oils; the company advertises burn times of 25-55 hours depending on format.

The company monetizes primarily through direct-to-consumer e-commerce at shopauracandles.com, fulfilled via USPS and UPS, and secondarily through a wholesale program distributed via the Faire marketplace and direct retail applications. Marketing is concentrated on Instagram organic content, an "Aura Insider" email newsletter offering 15% off first order, and a blog featuring industry fragrance trend content. Customer segments include home fragrance enthusiasts (primary), gift shoppers (use-case), and wholesale/retail boutique partners (secondary). The company holds no disclosed patents or trademarks, has not raised external capital, and reports no AI/ML capabilities.

Name

Aura Candles

Legal name

AURA CANDLES

Website

https://shopauracandles.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aura Candles is a Carlsbad, California-based, founder-led home fragrance brand that hand-pours coconut-paraffin wax candles and sells reed diffusers, room sprays, wax melts, and curated accessories direct-to-consumer via shopauracandles.com and to boutique retailers through the Faire wholesale marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Home Fragrance & Candles

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRADAKAI

Air Care & Home Fragrance (Air Fresheners, Candles, Plug-ins, Diffusers)

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Home & Fabric Care Products

SECONDARYCRAJAEAD

Scented Candles & Wax Melts (Home Fragrance)

Consumer Products & Retail/Household Products & Cleaning Supplies/Air Care & Odor Control

SECONDARYCRAIACAC

Candles, Home Fragrance & Diffusers Retail

Consumer Products & Retail/Home & Furniture Retail/Home Décor & Accessories Retail

Keywords

• Hand-poured candles
• Home fragrance products
• Coconut wax candles
• Reed diffusers
• Aromatherapy accessories

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlsbad

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. Candle Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling hand-poured candles in various formats including Everyday Candles (8.5 oz), Travel Candles (6 oz tin), and 2-Wick Candles (13 oz).
2. Reed Diffusers: Sale of reed diffusers in standard (7.5 fl oz) and petite (3.75 fl oz) sizes, lasting 4-6 months and 3-4 months respectively.
3. Room Sprays: Sale of room sprays in standard (3.4 oz) and travel (10mL) formats for instant space fragrance.
4. Wax Melts: Sale of scented wax melts (2.5 oz, 6 cubes per pack) for use with wax warmers, providing flameless fragrance options.
5. Accessories & Incense: Sale of curated accessories including wick trimmers, incense holders, and various incense products from brands like Looshi, Shoyeido, and Norden.
6. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards available in denominations of $25, $50, $75, and $100, with no expiration.
7. Wholesale: Wholesale distribution of candles, diffusers, and wax melts to retail partners through their wholesale program and Faire marketplace.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aura Candles manufactures and sells hand-poured, non-toxic home fragrance products made with a proprietary coconut and food-grade paraffin wax blend, lead-free cotton wicks, and phthalate-free fragrance oils infused with essential oils. The product line includes Everyday Candles (8.5 oz), 2-Wick Candles (13 oz), Travel Candles (6 oz tins), Reed Diffusers, Room Sprays, Wax Melts, curated incense and accessories, and digital Gift Cards, sold direct-to-consumer online and through wholesale to select retail and hospitality partners.

Product overview

Aura Candles is a handcrafted home fragrance company offering a unified portfolio of scented products centered around natural wax candles and complementary fragrance products. The core offering includes Everyday Candles (8.5 oz single-wick) and Everyday 2-Wick Candles (13 oz larger format) as the primary candle lines, supplemented by portable Travel Candles (6 oz tin). These are complemented by Reed Diffusers and Room Sprays for alternative fragrance delivery, plus Wax Melts & Warmers for flameless options. The Accessories & Incense line features curated third-party incense brands (Looshi, Norden, Shoyeido) and Palo Santo products. Gift Cards and a Wholesale Program extend the business model to gifting and retail channels. All products share a clean ingredient philosophy using coconut blend wax, lead-free wicks, and phthalate-free fragrances that are vegan and cruelty-free.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Everyday Candles Hand-poured 8.5 oz candles in straight-sided glass vessels made with coconut blend wax, lead-free cotton wicks, and premium fragrance oils infused with essential oils; up to 55 hours burn time across 16 fragrance varieties (Bloom, Blush, Bubbly, Chill, Dreamy, Fresh, Grounded, Happy, Luscious, Luxe, Muse, Nomad, Radiant, Swell, Tart, Unity).
• Everyday 2-Wick Candles 13 oz dual-wick candles in reusable glass vessels with coconut wax blend, providing enhanced scent throw and up to 50 hours of burn time across varieties including Bubbly, Chill, Happy, Luscious, Luxe, Radiant, and Swell.
• Travel Candles Portable 6 oz candles in matte black tin containers with lids, designed for travel with up to 25 hours of burn time.
• Reed Diffusers Hand-crafted reed diffusers with phthalate-free fine fragrance oils; standard size 7.5 fl oz lasting 4-6 months and petite size 3.75 fl oz lasting 3-4 months.
• Room Sprays Perfume-quality room sprays made with alcohol and fragrance, safe for most linens and surfaces; available in standard 3.4 oz and travel 10 mL formats.
• Wax Melts & Warmers Natural scented wax melts (2.5 oz, 6 cubes per pack) for flameless home fragrance, compatible with various electric wax warmers including pluggable and illumination models.
• Accessories & Incense Curated candle-care accessories and incense products, including wick trimmers, Looshi incense (labdanum + vanilla + amber; vetiver + musk + redwood; lavender + petitgrain + cedar), Norden incense (cedarwood + sage + vetiver + citrus; frankincense + cypress + patchouli + palo santo), Shoyeido incense (sandalwood + patchouli; myrrh + spices), Shoyeido incense holders, and Palo Santo bundles.
• Gift Cards Digital eGift cards available in $25, $50, $75, and $100 denominations, non-refundable and never expiring, redeemable on shopauracandles.com.
• Wholesale Program Wholesale partnership offering Aura Candles' candles, reed diffusers, and wax melts to qualified retailers and boutiques through an application process and the Faire marketplace.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 55 hours burn time for 8.5 oz Everyday Candles
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Diptyque: Iconic luxury French fragrance house with flagship candles, diffusers, and room sprays. Comparable on premium candle/core home fragrance categories and gifting-led merchandising, though at a far higher price tier.
• Nest Fragrances: Premium home and personal fragrance brand known for scented candles widely sold in department stores and DTC. Comparable on candle-centric portfolio, broad retail/wholesale distribution, and lifestyle brand marketing.
• Yankee Candle: Mass-market category leader in scented candles with nationwide retail distribution. Comparable on core candle product and broad scent variety, though operating at much lower price points and at industrial scale.
• Voluspa: Established premium candle brand offering coconut wax blends, diffusers, and room sprays across a much broader product line. Comparable ingredient philosophy and product categories, with a much larger distribution footprint and global retail presence.
• Bath & Body Works: Large multi-channel retailer of scented candles, room sprays, and personal/body fragrance. Comparable on candle, room spray, and home fragrance assortment, dominated by own-brand manufacturing at scale.

Direct peers

• Otherland: Premium DTC candle and home fragrance brand with curated, design-led packaging and subscription offerings. Comparable on price points ($20-$50), direct e-commerce focus, and gifting-driven positioning.
• Boy Smells: Design-forward, unisex hand-poured candle brand sold DTC and through wholesale in premium retailers. Comparable on aesthetic-led branding, multiple fragrance collections, and crossover into body/home fragrance.
• Brooklyn Candle Studio: Small-batch, hand-poured candles with minimalist aesthetic and clean ingredients. Comparable on hand-pour craft, eco-conscious positioning, and DTC + boutique wholesale model.
• P.F. Candle Co. Hand-poured, natural-soy/coconut-blend candle brand selling direct-to-consumer with a wholesale program. Directly comparable on handcraft positioning, ingredient story, and multi-format home fragrance offering.

Emerging players

• Slow North: Small-batch, clean-ingredient candle and home fragrance brand sold DTC. Comparable on natural wax positioning and curated fragrance library, though with a smaller assortment than Aura.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/auracandlebar
• Xx.com/aura_candles
• Facebookfacebook.com/auracandles
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aura-candles

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Aura Candles