Candle business insurance: why every candle maker needs the right cover.
Making candles and wax melts has become one of the most popular craft businesses in the UK over the past few years. What often starts as a hobby on a kitchen table can quickly turn into a thriving small business, with products selling at craft fairs, online and through local retailers. If that sounds like you, or if you are just starting out and wondering whether you need insurance, the short answer is: yes, you do.
Candle business insurance is not just a box to tick before your first craft fair. It is the thing that protects your finances, your reputation, and your peace of mind if something
unexpected goes wrong. And in a business where fire, heat and open flames are part of the process, the unexpected is always worth planning for.
Why wax melt and candle makers are more exposed than they might realise.
Here is the reality that most new candle makers do not fully consider. You can pour the
perfect candle, write clear instructions, package your products beautifully and send them out with care. But once that candle or wax melt is in a customer’s home, you cannot control what happens next.
Wax melts can be a fire risk if the wrong kind of melter is used. Candles left burning too
close to curtains, furniture or bedding can cause serious damage. Most people are sensible, but distractions happen. Electric wax melters get left on overnight. Instructions get skimmed or ignored. Fire and rescue guidelines recommend that wax melts are not left melting for longer than four hours at a time, but not every customer will read that.
As the person who made the product, you are not responsible for how a customer chooses to use it. But if that customer suffers injury or property damage and believes your product was at fault, they have the right to make a claim against you. Defending that claim, even if you have done nothing wrong, can cost thousands of pounds in legal fees alone. Without candle maker insurance in place, those costs fall entirely on you.
What wax melt and candle making insurance actually covers.
The foundation of any candle business insurance policy is public and product liability cover. This protects you if a customer or member of the public makes a claim against you for injury or property damage caused by your products or your activities. It covers your legal defence costs and any compensation awarded, even if the claim turns out not to be your fault.
You will also need proof of public liability insurance before most craft fair organisers will
allow you to take a stall. It is one of the most commonly requested documents when booking events, so having it in place means you are ready to trade wherever you want.
At Craft Insurance, we have spent the past year improving and simplifying our cover so that candle makers get more protection without more complexity. Professional indemnity is now included as standard with every liability policy, so if you teach candle making or run your own exhibition, you are covered for that too.
If you want to protect the physical side of your candle business as well, our business items cover has been simplified so you no longer need to separate saleable stock from raw materials. Tools, equipment, display stands, card readers, laptops and finished stock are all covered under one straightforward category. Insure as much or as little as you need, and there is no complicated split to worry about at claim time.
Why Craft Insurance is the right choice for candle business insurance.
This is an area where we want to be straightforward with you. Some insurers have specific exclusions that affect candle makers, home fragrance sellers and wax melt businesses. Products like room sprays and reed diffusers are excluded by certain
providers without it being obvious until you need to claim. With Craft Insurance, what you make is what we cover. We have very few exclusions and we are always upfront about what they are.
We also do not charge administration fees. If you need to change your policy, add cover or remove something, there is no extra cost. No cancellation fees either. Other insurers charge up to £15 for amendments that we handle at no charge, because we think that is simply the right way to treat customers.
We have been providing candle making insurance and craft business cover since 1986.
Nearly four decades of focus on crafters means we understand the risks involved in a candle business in a way that general insurers never could. Our policies are underwritten by Hiscox, one of the UK’s most respected specialist insurers, with an award-winning claims service if you ever need to use it.
When you call us, you will speak to Samantha or Naomi. Not a call centre. Not an automated system. Two people who know this business inside out and will take the time to make sure you have exactly the right cover for what you do.
Getting your candle maker insurance sorted is easier than you think.
Fill in our straightforward online form, give us the basic details about your candle business and what you need to cover, and you will have your quote in minutes. Your documents are issued instantly on payment, so you can be covered and ready to trade the same day.
If you get stuck or want to talk through what you need before you start, pick up the phone. Sam or Naomi will walk you through the whole thing. Getting the right candle business insurance in place is one of the most important steps you can take as a candle maker. We have been helping crafters do exactly that for nearly forty years, and we are here to help you too.