THE NEW CEDAR: MUCH MORE THAN A GLOW-UP

WHY MY CANDLE BRAND CHANGED

This year’s reinvention goes way deeper than a pretty new logo and a punchier look. It’s about taking everything I’ve learnt over seven years of running an independent business, and using that to make Cedar products that offer so much more. More quality. More longevity. More fun, and a more sustainable practice as I go.

Want to know more? Then read on.

NEW REFILLABLE JARS

In the UK alone, over 300 million glass containers are discarded annually. Unsurprisingly, this has never sat well with me, so a few years ago I decided to explore running a candle refill scheme. The thing was, at the time Cedar jars were frosted, but it turns out frosted glass doesn’t wash cleanly when it’s had wax inside. No matter how hard I tried, they just didn’t make for a practical refill system.

Fast forward to this year and I’m now using sleeker vessels made of thick, durable glass that washes beautifully and can be used again — and again. Once your candle’s done, rinse it out then order a wax refill.

MORE SUSTAINABLE INGREDIENTS

The last time I switched up Cedar was back in 2020 when I moved to rapeseed, a far more sustainable and locally grown alternative to soy wax. This change reflected the way I like to run things. Nothing is ever fixed. If there’s a better way forward, I take it because when it comes to materials and their impact, “natural” doesn’t always mean “better.”

Take frankincense, for example. The Guardian recently reported that up to 90% of Boswellia trees (where frankincense resin is sourced) could disappear by 2060 if we keep harvesting at the current rate. And it’s not just the trees that are under threat. The communities that gather and sort the resin often do so for poor pay in unsafe working conditions. When we discover things like that, it’s up to us as makers and consumers to be responsible and react.

With that in mind, here’s two ways that the refresh has tightened up on ingredients.

1. Essential oils that can’t be verified as sustainable — scents like patchouli and the aforementioned frankincense — have been phased out. In their place, organic, responsibly sourced oils like lavender and may chang are in.
2. To improve the scent depth and lifespan of every Cedar candle or blend, I now work with natural isolates and carefully chosen perfume materials. These are man-made but sustainably created, replicating molecules found in nature without harming fragile ecosystems.

IMPROVED SCENTS

When I began to think about a Cedar upgrade and what it might mean, I went back to what I love about scent, what it’s given me over the years, and I kept returning to its incredible power to shift mood and transport us places. Into memories, far flung locations, places we’d like to go. Better headspaces, basically.

The new scents are all designed to move your mind in some way, and they build on and improve on those that came before. So, for example, the soothing Selene evolved into the more considered Eve. The reflective Torii became Centre, a blend that helps you feel grounded, with added smokiness to improve the depth and make it meditative.

The new scents are soft, nuanced and layered to ensure they never overpower. They all offer something different, and they’re more ethical than ever. So I’m one happy maker.

STRAIGHT TALKING AROMATHERAPY

I am now trained in perfumery and qualified as an aromatherapist, so I wanted to bring that knowledge into the latest products. I worked hard on the new scents designing them specifically to move the mind in different ways. They do this through a combination of the science-backed benefits of essential oils and the beautiful, personal distinction of fragrance blends.

Cedar is also about making aromatherapy and perfumery open to all. I wanted to get rid of the waffle surrounding these ancient crafts so that they’re no longer seen as spacy or pretentious, but as important and contemporary, because that’s what they are.

Across the site and packaging you’ll see this approach writ large. I’ll always lay out the benefits and thinking behind the scents, and I’ll do that in a way that’s down to earth and honest, demystifying aromatherapy and making it accessible.

FRAGRANCE AND AROMATHERAPY WORKSHOPS

This reinvention is about making Cedar work better — for you, for me, and our planet. From jars designed to be reused to ingredients chosen with care, it reflects the changes I’ve been making behind the scenes and the lessons I’ve learned along the way.

If you’d like to be join me and become part of this ongoing process of learning and scent exploration, you can join me for a candle-making workshop in Manchester, which I run under my Cedar Apothecary moniker. The workshops are a chance to experiment with scent, learn about a craft, and make something of your own to take home and enjoy. As well as candle making I can show you how to make all kinds of natural beauty products and natural perfume. There’s more to beauty than you imagine, but it’s easier than you think!