Candle Label Requirements: Warnings, Net Weight, and Prop 65

Candle label requirements come from the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, which mandates three things on the front of every package sold in the United States: a product identity statement, the manufacturer or distributor’s name and address, and the net weight in both U.S. customary and metric units.¹ Beyond those three, candle makers need to think about fire safety warnings, lead-wick rules, and marketing claims — which is where most sellers actually get in trouble.

Product Identity

The front of the package must say what the product is. “Soy candle,” “scented candle,” and “wax melt” all work. Federal regulations call this side the principal display panel, meaning whichever face a shopper would normally see first on a shelf.²

The identity statement must be the most prominent text on that panel and run parallel to the base the candle sits on. The regulation requires it to be “conspicuous and easily legible” with clear contrast against the background. Bold type is not specifically required, and you have flexibility with font style as long as the identity stands out from surrounding design elements and stays proportional to the package.³

Business Name and Address

The label must show the name and location of whoever is responsible for the product: company name, city, state, and ZIP code. A street address is also required unless your business appears in a readily accessible public resource such as a printed directory, online database, or website.⁴

If you did not pour the candle yourself, the label has to say so. “Distributed by,” “Manufactured for,” or comparable language that accurately describes the relationship is required. Putting your brand name alone on a candle someone else made violates the regulation.³ Private-label sellers often miss this rule until a retailer flags it.

Net Weight in Both Units

You must declare how much wax the buyer is getting, in ounces (or pounds) and in grams (or kilograms). The weight covers wax, fragrance, and dye only. It does not include the container, wick, or packaging.⁵

Placement is prescribed. The net quantity declaration sits in the bottom 30 percent of the principal display panel, in lines parallel to the base, separated from other printed information by at least a space equal to the height of the lettering. Packages with a principal display panel of 5 square inches or smaller are exempt from the bottom-30-percent rule, but the weight still has to appear on the front panel.⁶

Minimum type height depends on the display panel size:

5 square inches or less: at least 1/16 inch tall
Over 5 to 25 square inches: at least 1/8 inch tall
Over 25 to 100 square inches: at least 3/16 inch tall
Over 100 to 400 square inches: at least 1/4 inch tall
Over 400 square inches: at least 1/2 inch tall

If the weight is blown or embossed into glass instead of printed, add 1/16 inch to each minimum.⁷

Fire Safety Warning

ASTM F2058 is the industry standard for candle fire safety labeling. It is voluntary, not a federal mandate, but retailers, insurers, and product liability attorneys treat it as the baseline. Skipping it does not trigger a fine, but it leaves you exposed if a fire happens and your label lacked standard warnings.⁸

The warning starts with a safety alert symbol (an exclamation point inside a triangle) followed by the word “WARNING” in uppercase bold letters.⁹ After the signal word, three cautionary statements appear in this order:

Burn within sight.
Keep away from things that catch fire.
Keep away from children.

Candles with warning panels of 3.3 square inches or less, and individually labeled tapers, can use an abbreviated version with the safety alert symbol and “Burn within sight” only. The warning should be visible before the consumer lights the wick. For jar candles, the bottom of the container is a common spot. For wax melts, the inside of the clamshell works.

Lead Wick Rule

Federal law bans candles and candlewicks with metal cores containing more than 0.06 percent lead by weight. The rule has been in force since October 2003 and applies to domestic manufacturers and importers alike.¹⁰

If your wicks have metal cores that meet the lead limit, every outer shipping container must be labeled “Conforms to 16 CFR 1500.17(a)(13).” That label goes on the box you ship to retailers, not on the candle’s retail packaging. You also need to issue a General Certificate of Conformity certifying compliance. Candles with cotton, wood, or other non-metal wicks are exempt from the labeling, testing, and certification requirements entirely.⁸

“Made in USA” Claims

Putting “Made in USA” on a candle label triggers a specific FTC rule. You can only make an unqualified claim if final assembly happens in the United States, all significant processing is domestic, and all or virtually all ingredients and components are made and sourced here.¹¹ For a candle, that covers the wax, fragrance oils, wicks, dyes, and containers.

Imported fragrance oils are common, and if you use them you cannot make an unqualified claim. A qualified version like “Made in USA with imported fragrance oils” is fine as long as it is accurate. The FTC treats violations as unfair or deceptive trade practices under Section 5 of the FTC Act.¹²

“Non-Toxic,” “Natural,” and “Organic”

Labels calling a candle “non-toxic,” “eco-friendly,” or similar fall under the FTC’s Green Guides. A “non-toxic” claim implies the product is safe for people and the environment, and you need competent, reliable scientific evidence to support it. Without testing data, the FTC considers the claim deceptive.¹³

“Natural” is not specifically defined by the Green Guides, but the general principle applies: claims must be truthful, substantiated, and not misleading in context. Calling a paraffin candle “all natural” invites enforcement, since paraffin is a petroleum byproduct. If a claim really applies only to the wax and not the whole product, the label needs to say so.

“Organic” is different. The USDA’s National Organic Program governs that term, and using the USDA organic seal without formal certification under 7 CFR Part 205 is a violation, even if your soy or beeswax could theoretically qualify.

Hazardous Substance Warnings

If a candle contains an ingredient classified as hazardous under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act — certain fragrance compounds, dyes, or chemical additives that are toxic, irritating, or sensitizing — cautionary labeling beyond the FPLA basics is required.⁸ Most small makers never hit this because typical wax, fragrance oil, and dye formulations sit below the hazardous thresholds. If you use unusual chemical compounds, verifying your ingredients against the FHSA definitions is worth doing.

Proposition 65 (California)

California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, known as Proposition 65, is a state law, not federal. It requires warnings on products that expose consumers to chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm. In practice it operates as a national requirement for anyone selling candles online or through retailers that distribute into California.

Candles can trigger Prop 65 through certain fragrance compounds, dyes, or soot-producing formulations. The required warning includes a triangular caution symbol and language identifying at least one listed chemical. Businesses with ten or more employees that fail to warn face private enforcement lawsuits, which are common and can carry significant settlement costs. If you sell into California by any channel, checking your ingredients against the Prop 65 list is a practical necessity.

Wax Melts and Very Small Packages

Wax melts, tarts, and other flameless products still fall under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act. They need the same three core elements: product identity, business name and location, and net weight in dual units.¹ The declared weight covers the wax, fragrance, and dye, not the clamshell.

Fire safety warnings differ because melts have no open flame in normal use, but many manufacturers still include a warning that addresses the warmer’s heat source. Small warning panels of 3.3 square inches or less qualify for the abbreviated ASTM F2058 warning.⁹ Small principal display panels also get relief from the bottom-30-percent placement rule for net weight, though the weight still has to appear on the front panel at the correct minimum type size.⁶

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1453 – Requirements of Labeling, Noncoverage of Certain Packages
2
eCFR. 16 CFR 500.4 – Statement of Identity
3
eCFR. 16 CFR Part 500 – Regulations Under Section 4 of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act
4
eCFR. 16 CFR 500.5 – Name and Place of Business of Manufacturer, Packer or Distributor
5
Federal Trade Commission. Fair Packaging and Labeling Act – Regulations Under Section 4
6
eCFR. 16 CFR 500.6 – Net Quantity of Contents Declaration, Location
7
eCFR. 16 CFR 500.21 – Type Size in Relationship to the Area of the Principal Display Panel
8
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Candles Business Guidance
9
ASTM International. ASTM F2058-07(2021) Standard Specification for Candle Fire Safety Labeling
10
Federal Register. Metal-Cored Candlewicks Containing Lead and Candles With Such Wicks
11
Federal Register. Made in USA Labeling Rule
12
eCFR. 16 CFR Part 323 – Made in USA Labeling
13
eCFR. 16 CFR Part 260 – Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims