Candles and home fragrance brands sit at the intersection of lifestyle, gifting, and sensory products. They have strong repeat purchase rates (fragrance consumers return for refills and seasonal releases), high gift purchase rates (candles are a default gifting choice), and specific UK/EU regulatory requirements under CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging regulation). Migration from WooCommerce to Shopify is typically straightforward — the product types are simple — but the regulatory data, scent storytelling, and subscription/gifting features need careful setup.

Product types in candles and fragrance

Container candles: Jar/vessel candles. Size variants (travel/small/large), scent variants
Pillar candles: Freestanding. Size (height/diameter), colour, scent
Wax melts: Snap bars, shapes, bags. Scent variants, weight.
Reed diffusers: Room diffuser with reeds. Fragrance, size (100ml/200ml)
Room sprays: Spray bottles. Fragrance, size.
Car diffusers: Hanging, vent clip. Scent variants.
Body care (adjacent): Wax-based body products (balms, lotions). Different regulatory treatment.
Gift sets: Curated combinations of candles, diffuser, melts in gift packaging
Subscription boxes: Monthly fragrance box — candle + wax melt + diffuser

CLP compliance requirements

UK/EU CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) regulation requires specific information on candle and fragrance product labels and, by extension, product pages:

Hazard pictograms: required for products containing hazardous fragrance compounds (flammable, skin sensitizer)
Signal word: "Warning" or "Danger" depending on classification
Hazard statements: H-statements (e.g., H317 — may cause an allergic skin reaction)
Precautionary statements: P-statements (e.g., P102 — keep out of reach of children)
Fragrance allergen disclosure: if fragrance contains allergens listed in EU/UK Cosmetic Regulation Annex III at above threshold concentrations, they must be listed
Responsible person: UK Responsible Person details on label
Metafield for CLP data: product.metafields.clp.hazard_statements, product.metafields.clp.signal_word, product.metafields.clp.allergens
Display on product page: CLP data must be easily accessible to consumers online — not just on physical label

Fragrance and product metafields

Candle specifications

product.metafields.candle.wax_type (single_line_text) — "Soy wax", "Rapeseed wax", "Coconut wax", "Paraffin wax", "Beeswax blend"
product.metafields.candle.burn_time_hours (number_integer) — approximate burn time
product.metafields.candle.fragrance_load_pct (number_decimal) — fragrance load percentage
product.metafields.candle.wick_type (single_line_text) — "Cotton wick", "Wood wick", "Multiple wick"
product.metafields.candle.vessel_material (single_line_text) — "Glass jar", "Concrete", "Tin", "Ceramic"
product.metafields.candle.vessel_reusable (boolean) — vessel suitable for reuse after candle burns down
product.metafields.candle.weight_g (number_integer) — wax weight in grams

Fragrance notes

product.metafields.fragrance.top_notes (list.single_line_text) — "Bergamot", "Lemon", "Black pepper"
product.metafields.fragrance.mid_notes (list.single_line_text) — "Rose", "Jasmine", "Geranium"
product.metafields.fragrance.base_notes (list.single_line_text) — "Cedarwood", "Musk", "Amber", "Vanilla"
product.metafields.fragrance.scent_family (single_line_text) — "Floral", "Woody", "Fresh", "Gourmand", "Oriental", "Citrus"
product.metafields.fragrance.mood (list.single_line_text) — "Relaxing", "Energising", "Romantic", "Cosy"
product.metafields.fragrance.vegan (boolean) — fragrance and ingredients vegan
product.metafields.fragrance.cruelty_free (boolean) — not tested on animals
product.metafields.fragrance.allergens (list.single_line_text) — listed allergens per CLP

Scent variants

Candle brands often sell the same candle in multiple scents:

If each scent has the same price and vessel: scent is a product option (variant)
If each scent has different fragrance storytelling and different images: create as separate products (each scent is its own product with its own page and URL)
Swatch selector: for scent variants, use a text swatch selector rather than a dropdown — show the scent name clearly (not a colour swatch)
Collection grouping: create a collection that groups all scents in a fragrance family, e.g., "Botanical Collection" — all scents sharing a style

Gift sets and seasonal collections

Gift sets: create as a single product listing what's included. Use metafield to list contents if not in description: product.metafields.gift.contents
Gift wrapping: enable gift wrapping via Shopify checkout (Checkout Blocks or theme setting). Candles are a top gift category — high gift note rate.
Seasonal collections: Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day — create dated collections. Use scheduled publish/unpublish for seasonal products.
Limited edition: metafield product.metafields.candle.limited_edition (boolean) — show "Limited Edition" badge on product cards

Subscription fragrance boxes

Monthly fragrance box: subscription product via ReCharge or Seal Subscriptions
Curation model: every month the box contains a new candle + wax melt + diffuser at a bundle price
Update product description each month: show what's in the current month's box
Subscriber communication: send "Here's your November box preview" email before dispatch to reduce cancellations
Skip month: allow subscribers to skip a month. Subscription apps provide skip functionality.
Subscriber-only scents: exclusive scents only available to subscription members (creates retention incentive)

Refill and replenishment

Wax melt refills: customers who loved a scent return for wax melt replenishment at a lower price than the candle
Post-purchase email: Klaviyo post-purchase flow — 30 days after candle purchase, send "Time to restock?" email with the wax melt in their purchased scent
Refill product link: metafield product.metafields.candle.refill_product_handle — links candle product to its corresponding wax melt/refill
Subscribe & Save: offer subscription for wax melts/refill products — monthly or bi-monthly replenishment

Candles and fragrance migration checklist

Create candle metafield namespace: wax type, burn time, wick type, vessel material, weight
Create fragrance metafield namespace: top/mid/base notes, scent family, mood, allergens, vegan/cruelty-free
Migrate all WooCommerce custom field fragrance data to metafields
Display CLP data (hazard statements, signal word, allergens) on product pages — compliance requirement
Set up scent variants OR separate products per scent depending on content depth per scent
Configure gift wrapping at checkout (high gift purchase rate for candles)
Set up subscription product for monthly fragrance box
Create seasonal collections with scheduled publish/unpublish dates
Set up post-purchase Klaviyo flow for wax melt refill upsell (30 days post-candle purchase)
Configure limited edition badge display on relevant products
Add Drip notification (back-in-stock) on popular scents that sell out

The fragrance notes metafields (top/mid/base notes + scent family) are not just nice-to-have — they're the primary navigation tool for fragrance discovery. A customer who loved a candle described as "woody, amber base, light citrus top notes" will search for similar scents. With fragrance notes as filterable Search & Discovery facets, that customer can find three more products that match their scent profile. Without it, they browse by name and guess. Well-structured fragrance data transforms a good product page into a genuine scent discovery experience — which is why large fragrance retailers invest heavily in scent taxonomy, and why small candle brands on Shopify can replicate it with a half-day of metafield setup.

Migrating a candles & home fragrance store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)