Candlemakers insurance

Get the perfect blend of covers for your candle making business

Build a business insurance policy to suit your needs with public liability and more
Cover your equipment against accidental damage and theft
Access expert help from the 24/7 legal and tax helpline*

What is candle maker insurance?

Business insurance for candlemakers is typically made up of several covers. Below, we’ve outline the main covers most candlemakers consider.

Public liability insurance is the most common cover type for candle making and wax melt businesses due to the protection it offers against claims made by third parties. Public liability will protect you if someone accidentally gets injured as a result of using your products negligently. As part of your public liability cover you’ll also be covered by products liability.

Some candle making businesses may also benefit from other covers, such as employers’ liability insurance, contents cover, business equipment cover and more.

Which covers you need will depend on the scale of your business, its activities, and whether your business has a premises or is online only.

What covers do I need?

Below are some of the covers that candlemakers oftens choose to include in their policy.

Public and products liability

This cover protects you if a third party makes a claim against you. If someone gets accidentally injured as a result of using your product negligently, visiting your store or has their property damaged after using your product, then you’ll be responsible for any claims.

Business contents insurance

If you have any stock or contents, this cover will protect them. You’ll get accidental damage cover for your contents, 24-hour glass replacement and a 24-hour emergency helpline.

It also offers a 30% increase in stock cover added atomically as a seasonal increase or at a time of your choosing.

If you self from a shop and you have taken contents cover then you may also consider buildings insurance as an optional extra to protect your premises.

Business equipement insurance

Every business has different tech and equipment that they need to keep business booming and this cover allows you to protect that equipment in case of theft or accidental damage. You can cover a range of items with this cover such as laptops, phones, wax burners, mixers – whatever equipment keeps your business running, we’ve got it covered.

Do I need business insurance to make and sell candles or wax melts?

Business insurance isn’t a legal requirement; however, it is extremely important for business to have insurance.

Without it, your business is solely responsible for handle the cost of any claims, including any legal fees, court proceedings and settlements. The same goes for any equipment or stock you have that isn’t covered by insurance – if something were to happen and that equipment or stock is damaged or stolen, you’ll have no way to recover the costs.

Here are just a few examples of where business insurance could come in useful for a business like yours:

Your shop was broken into, and your equipment has been stolen or damaged
Hundreds of pounds worth of stock was stolen during shipment
A batch of your products has been contaminated and is giving customers burns

In all of these scenarios, without business insurance your business would be left to foot the bill.

What are the legal requirements for selling homemade candles?

Unless you have employees, business insurance isn’t a legal requirement to sell candles in the UK. However, if you have employees, then you’re legally required to have employers liability insurance.

It is also worth bearing in mind that if you sell your candles or wax melts at places such as craft fairs or markets then the organisers may ask their sellers to have a certain level of business insurance.

In these cases, make sure you enquire beforehand and allow yourself time to get cover if you don’t already have it.

What if I expand my business beyond just candles and wax melts?

If you find your business is expanding beyond selling solely candles and wax melts, then you may need to add different covers to your policy or change the level of cover.

If you find this is the case, check out our crafts insurance page for more details on what types of cover arts and crafts business might need.

How much is business insurance for candlemakers?

The price you pay will depend on the covers you chose to take combined with some key factors about your business.

These factors include:

Your occupation can affect the cost of your insurance. For example, trades occupations use complex equipment or dangerous machinery regularly and are therefore considered higher risk.
Where you complete your work can affect your premium because business that are in areas with heavy footfall, or who interact more consistently with members of the pubic, are at higher risk of accidents occurring.
How many staff you have will affect your premium as more employees opens to up to more possibilities of claims resulting in negligence or accidental injury.
Your turnover affects your policy price as a higher turnover suggests that you work with a large volume of clients, expensive contracts, or a combination of both. This means your risk factor for an insurer is higher.

The quickest and easiest way to find out what your price would be is to get a quote with us – and if you chose to get a quote online, you’ll also save 10%** on the cost of your policy.

Get a business insurance quote

When should I get candlemakers insurance?

As soon as you begin the process of setting up your business, that would be the best time to get cover.

If you’re selling products – whether online or via craft stalls, fetes, or markets – it’s important to protect yourself against any risks as soon as possible.