FAQ

I encourage you to read the About link, but the short story is — Dude Candle® is a one man small business based in Greer, South Carolina.

I work full time in the off road industry while growing Dude Candle after hours and on weekends. It initially started as a question mark. I had an idea, I thought it had some potential, but who knew for sure. I perform every aspect of the business – product development, photography, web design, packaging design, order processing, and shipping.

This little “experiment” surprised me since it’s initial launch in 2019, it surprisingly found a strong and enthusiastic response from consumers like you, so thank you! And that, is the short story answer.

I don't chase trends or release dozens of fragrances every month. Every scent starts with a real place, memory, hobby, or experience that I personally enjoy. Whether it's Race Fuel, Rain on the Driveway, Pipe Tobacco, or Sawdust, I build candles around recognition—the moment someone smells it and immediately says, "Yep... that's it."

Yes, Dude Candle offers wholesale accounts. Visit our Wholesale Application page (link at bottom of page) for details.

Yes, Dude Candle can provide a custom production run of candles with a minimum order of 30. Custom orders are perfect for office events, weddings, teams, clubs, organizations, special events, and more. Labels can also be customized to your liking, but will bear the Dude Candle brand name and logo in some form for branding and marketing.

Be aware that if you need a custom scent (not just a custom label on an existing scent), some are easily created. However, some scents may too difficult or time consuming to produce, get approved, and manufactured. In those cases, a custom order may not be possible or practical - for either of us.

So, send me as many details as you can and we'll go from there.

• Coupon codes cannot be stacked. That means if you have two codes, you cannot use them both.

• Coupons are valid for retail customers only and are not valid for wholesale accounts.

• During sale events, most codes will be deactivated to prevent confusion of double stacking discounts. Codes will be reactivated after the sale event.

The short answer is - likely not. I've struggled with this for some time, so I think it's best to post my official policy. The growing reach of the brand and its product line has brought an influx of requests every day. The costs, both financial and in time, are not practical for Dude Candle at this time.

Now, admittedly, I have some things in life I'm passionate about. Things that matter to me. And in those cases, I make an exception. You can certainly submit a request via the contact form, but please understand the likely outcome and why. And I want to be honest, I likely won't reply to submissions unless the cause is near and dear to me. But with that said, I do sincerely thank you for the consideration and I'm glad I somehow made it on your radar.

Dude Candles are made with high-quality fragrance oils that meet industry safety standards and are free of phthalates.

I use premium cotton wicks made from a coreless, flat-braided cotton with interwoven paper threads that promote a clean, consistent, self-trimming burn. They do not contain lead or zinc.

As with any scented candle, I recommend burning in a well-ventilated area and never allowing pets to come into direct contact with the flame or melted wax. Every pet is different, and some animals may be more sensitive to fragrances than others. If your pet has a known respiratory condition or other medical concern, consult your veterinarian before using any scented products in your home.

WAX
Dude Candle uses a soy blend that combines both soy and paraffin wax. I do this because, quite simply, it makes the best burning and best scented candle. If I truly produce a 100% soy candle, it will be clearly labeled as such. Otherwise, I label it a soy blend. I believe in honesty. You can read more on our blog post here.

WICKS
I use various wick types depending on the wax and fragrance formulation blend, but in most instances, they are all cotton or paper core wicks. I never use lead or zinc wicks. In other words - safe, legal, and meeting industry requirements.

FRAGRANCE OILS
Each scent is a careful blend of fragrance oil to create my own unique line of candles. It’s often thought that candles use Essential Oils for fragrance and this is somewhat incorrect.

In order for fragrance to bond with the wax molecules, it must be a specialty type of oil. If I use essential oils in any of our candles, it’s typically as an accent fragrance and does not constitute the “base” or “bulk” of the fragrance’s scent.

PHTHALATE FREE
All fragrance oils we use are phthalate free. This is a positive step forward in ensuring I reduce and risks to human health.

Dude Candle 8oz jars features an average burn time of about 40 hours while our 16oz amber jars can reach up to 80 hours.

Each candle is made in an amber jar with a vintage label. They arrive in a Dude Candle box and memorable tissue.

It makes for a great presentation as a gift or on a store shelf. The tissue is worth a good read when you get your hands on one!

Although I don't use these terms a lot in the descriptions, a "note" describes how a candle scent will smell when you burn it. It’s a similar to the language used to describe fine wines or whiskeys. There’s the way a whiskey smells, the way it tastes, and then the aftertaste it leave you when you’re done drinking. Describing candle fragrance uses the same technique.

Top Note

This is the first note you sense when you smell a candle. This will indicate the overall direction of the intended scent and deliver your first impression.

Middle Note

These are the more complex elements of the overall scent. Often representing the largest portion of a candle’s fragrance delivery, the complexity of the combined scents to make the “heart” of the fragrance make the middle notes the most descriptive and variant.

Base Note
This is the heavier, long lasting scent that remains after the candle has burned. It’s the final scent you’re left with that leaves you with your lasting impression.

Simple answer – it’s purely subjective. Each individual judges for themselves if a scent is strong, weak, or matches your interpretation of a scent.

The way you prepare a barbecue is completely different than the way your neighbor would prepare. The wood, the smoker, the marinate, the seasoning is different for everyone.

At Dude Candle, I try not to get too far off the mark for the most familiar scents. If we call it “Motor Oil”, that’s what it will smell like. And if I can’t nail the scent, I won’t produce it.

There is a lot of debate on this subject and studies on candle wax, as one can imagine, are not on the highest level of priorities or expenses for researchers and legislatures. The production of soy candle wax is a protected trade secret. However, the gist of it all is this… After being harvested, the soy beans go through a cleaning process, then bleached, then deodorized, then distilled. When complete, there is an additional process of hydrogenation to help solidify the oil and get it closer to a wax form.

The story goes on, but it should be clear by now that the production of soy is a highly processed system using GMO soy seed and chemical processes to render the soy wax.

The notion that you squeeze a soy seed to produce an all natural soy wax is a myth. That’s not to suggest soy is bad or worse than paraffin wax, but Dude Candle does not subscribe to the belief it’s “better” or “cleaner” or “safer”.
So why do we use it? Because the molecular design of soy wax (along with others we use) is different and may be a better option for certain fragrances we produce. Fragrance oils will bond differently with different types of wax, which is why some of our candles use 100% soy while others use a soy blend.

For more information on Soy Wax, read our article here.

Answer textAll products are free of phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde and Prop 65 chemicals. In addition, we do not use lead or zinc wicks.

Free shipping is offered for retail customers in the United States on orders of $100 or more.

If your subtotal is over $100, you can select the Free Shipping option at checkout. "Free shipping" shipments are sent via USPS Ground Advantage.

If you need priority shipping, simply select a paid priority shipping method. Free shipping is not available for, nor will any code apply for Priority shipping services.

All orders ship from Greer, South Carolina.

FEBRUARY THROUGH OCTOBER

• All orders typically ship within 48-72 hours via USPS Ground Advantage unless you've paid specifically for a Priority mail service option.
• Federal holidays may delay shipments by a day or two due to USPS operations being closed.
• Orders placed on weekends are processed the next business day.
• Any storewide sales event may also delay orders by an additional day or two.

NOVEMBER THROUGH JANUARY

• Due to higher than normal sales during the holiday season, anticipate up to four or five days to process although I make every effort to process orders sooner. I'm generally pretty quick, but I am trying to measure and balance the growth over time. I would rather under-promise and over deliver for you!
• Federal holidays may delay shipments by a day or two due to USPS operations being closed. Orders placed on weekends are processed the next business day
• Orders placed on weekends are processed the next business day.
• Any storewide sales event may also delay orders by an additional day or two.

USPS Priority Mail usually delivers from coast to coast within 3-4 days.

USPS Ground Advantage usually delivers from coast to coast within 4-6 days.

During peak holiday seasons and storewide sales such as Christmas,it's important to watch the website for messages at the top of the website or during checkout that will provide detailed info regarding changes in shipping schedules.

Once an order ships, you will receive an email with tracking information. Please note, tracking information for orders after 5:00pm Monday through Friday or on weekends may not provide accurate details until the shipment processes through the USPS system during the next work day. Example, an order placed at 9:00pm Friday may not show accurate tracking information until Monday.

For those of you using Gmail, please be sure to check your PROMOTIONS tab or JUNK MAIL tab for the email containing tracking information.

As soon as your order ships, you'll automatically receive an email with your tracking information. If you don't see it, check your spam folder first. If it's still missing, shoot me a message and I'll be happy to help.

Be sure to check your junk mail and spam folders for that email.

These automated emails often get filtered before reaching your inbox and your tracking info will likely be in there. You could also search for emails coming from dudecandle.com.

For those of you using Gmail, please be sure to check your PROMOTIONS tab or JUNK MAIL tab for the email containing tracking information.

If it seems like your order tracking information is longer than 2-3 days, use the contact page to send me a message.

Dude Candle will allow returns on any product or candle that has not been used, damaged, burned, or altered (such as surface scraping). I will supply a return shipping label upon request. Shipping costs are not refundable.

It is upon you, the consumer, to ensure the candle is packed safely and securely to prevent damage in transit. Dude Candle will not assume responsibility for damaged returns as a result of improper packing. When your return is received, please allow up to 72 hours for your return to be processed.

I also want to know why you're returning your item. I won't judge! Did I fail? What can I do to be better for you in the future? I'm a one-man business and feedback is so important!

Mom says "no." You've had two already and it will spoil your supper.


-did you actually click this?