Did you know that the area of our brain which recognises fragrance is right next door to the part which is responsible for memory? That’s why smell can be so evocative. Have you ever had the experience of catching a whiff of an aroma, followed by some vivid childhood memories flooding back? Maybe the smell of the cleaning products used at your primary school or perfume worn by your grandmother. These might bring back memories from the distant past, but fragrance can also have associations with more recent events. For example, the smell of pine needles may immediately bring to mind, the anticipation and excitement of Christmas, the scent of vintage roses could evoke memories of long, balmy summer evenings gathered outside with friends, and the tempting smell of baking cookies could enfold you in a homely glow as you recall chats over the kitchen table with a good friend.
This strong ability fragrance has to evoke memories and emotions within us is maybe one of the reasons why wax melts have become so popular. However, their rise in popularity has been meteoric, so there must be other reasons for this too. We’ll consider a few of them, before we then look at how to ensure you have the best insurance for wax melts in place.
Wax melts are very affordable, which in periods of economic squeezing for many make them a budget friendly treat. As times become more difficult in numerous ways, it is arguably even more important to endeavour to create a sense of beauty and peace in our homes. This could appear an impossible task and come way down the list as we juggle work demands, family pressures and all the everyday minutiae which need to be done to keep body and soul together, but the act of lighting a candle or warming up a wax melt to fill our homes with a beautiful fragrance is neither time consuming nor expensive and will immediately lift the atmosphere.
Wax melts are also safer than traditional candles, a consideration for homes with young children or pets. They can be placed on a low wattage electric plate or on a ceramic wax burner, lit by a tea light. The former does not require any flame at all, and although the latter does use a flame, a tea light is more stable and does not have a naked flame in the way a table candle does. Wax burners can themselves be beautiful objects and be part of the aesthetic of the room. Maybe you could consider teaming up with a potter and selling locally hand-crafted burners alongside your locally made melts.
Another advantage of wax melts is their versatility. You can swap melts easily and even have fun by experimenting with mixing fragrances. If the melt is coming to its end, you can simply pop another one in and revitalise the fragrance. They tend to ‘throw’ their scent further than a traditional candle, and with no wick, they burn evenly and with no wastage.
Most hand-crafted wax melts will have good eco credentials, using natural essential oils and sustainability sourced ingredients. Do make sure that you promote these well on all your advertising. It may seem like a commonsense choice to you, but to your customers it could be a winning buying pull.
As you make and use wax melts, you will be introduced to the wonderful and intriguing world of scent profiles and notes (top, middle and base). You will get to know what scents fit best in different rooms of a house, on different occasions and at different times of day. You will even discover how scents can usher in a particular atmosphere or help create a certain vibe. For example, good scents to use in the morning to invigorate and revitalise, would be zesty ones like bergamot or rosemary. If you’re looking for a fragrance with a calming overtone for the evening, you could try relaxing ones like cedar wood or lavender.
For occasions when you’re aiming to create a sense of warmth, calm and rest, then vanilla or chamomile could be good to try, and if you’re looking to wake everyone up and inspire work and creativity, then a crisp citrus, mint of eucalyptus might be just the thing.
When you’re planning your recipes for the year ahead, don’t forget to include some seasonal melts. You could create some specially shaped and packaged melts for the season; gingerbread men, Christmas trees or candy canes for Christmas; red and orange leaves and pumpkins for autumn; colourful flowers or fun seashells for summer. Teamed up with cinnamon, pumpkin spice or a fresh floral fragrance, these will be winners both for gifts or for an affordable treat for your hard-working customers.
Once you have come up with your range of tempting melts, you will need to check that you have the appropriate insurance for wax melts. If you’re just starting out, the two bread and butter insurances for selling are product and public liability. Product liability insurance applies to sales online or in person and covers you for any claims made that your product has caused harm or damage. Public liability insurance covers you for in person sales, for example at a craft fair, if a claim is made that either you or a member of your team has caused harm or damage to the member of the public or their property eg a slip or trip hazard. Even if it is not your fault, the insurance will cover you for any compensation owed and legal costs; we call it our ‘sleep easy’ insurance in that it allows you to forget about potential ‘what ifs’ and concentrate on creating beautiful products and building your business. So, check out our website and get in contact either by phone or via the contact form and either Sam or Naomi will be here to talk you through insurance for wax melts. We look forward to hearing about your business!
