FAQs

General Information

Where are Serena Basics candles made?

Our candles are proudly made in the Chicagoland area western suburbs.

Do you offer discounts?

Retail customers can subscribe to our email to receive certain discounts & promotions throughout the year!

Note: You may only use 1 discount code per order. Discount codes cannot be used on previous purchases and are only valid on new orders during the timeframe the coupon is valid in. We cannot retroactively apply coupons to previous orders.

Do you offer bulk order discounts for large order purchases?

Yes, for more information on large bulk or corporate gift orders, please contact us at info@serenabasics.com and we can help bring your plan to life.

Can I order a custom product?

We don’t currently offer single custom products but will accommodate with larger bulk/corporate orders. If you have an idea for your business or a wedding & want to add something custom, please reach out to us at info@serenabasics.com and we can try to accommodate.

Candles

What are your products made of?

Our candles are made from 100% natural soy wax with 100% cotton and/or wood crackling wicks. We have a line of fragrance oil candles and an essential oil line.

What is the white chalky coating on the top/sides of my candle?

This is commonly known as “Frosting” and is a natural occurrence of soy candles during the cooling off process. The faster a candle cools due to cooler room temperatures, the higher degree of frosting that may occur. This is an aesthetic issue and does not affect the performance of the candle.

Why does my candle have a rough/pitted/craters on top after burning?

This phenomenon, after burning a soy wax candle, is caused when the hot wax in the melt pool cools and solidifies at an inconsistent rate. This is a feature of natural soy wax and does not affect the performance of the candle.

What can affect this? Burning your candle in a room cooler than 70 degrees or placing a candle near a cold window during the winter alters the rate of cooling around and inside the candle causing this issue to appear. You may also see what appears to be “wet spots” on the sides of a clear glass jar after cooling a candle. This is wax separation from the inner glass from this dynamic cooling process. Again, there is nothing wrong with your candle as it will melt as expected on the next burn when you light.

Why is there black smoke (or soot) when I light my candle?

This is normally due to over burn: burning your candles too long and/or not trimming the wick to ¼” before each burn. Candle over burn causes your wick to “mushroom” or develop carbon buildup. Lighting a “mushroom” wick releases soot into the air and onto your candle container. Trim your wick to ¼” before each lighting and burn for no more than 4 hours at a time should fix this issue.

A second reason could be burning the candle in an area that is receiving a draft from a window or vent. Try moving your candle to another location and monitor from there.

Are your candles vegan and cruelty-free?

Yes, they are. The fragrances we source are cruelty free and vegan-friendly. Our ingredients are not tested on animals. We vendors we source from are also Leaping Bunny certified.

Do You Use Synthetic Fragrances?

We use premium fragrance oil products, meticulously sourced to be Toxin-free, Gluten-free, Paraben-free, Phthalate-free, Cruelty free (no testing on animals or humans) & Vegan-friendly. Rest assured that our candles are free from Carcinogens, Reproductive Toxins, and common Hazardous Chemicals and comply with the strictest global RIFM and IFRA standards.

We also have a line of pure essential oils for those looking for a natural fragrance line of products. Keep in mind that, due to their natural origin, essential oil candles performance can vary greatly from fragrance oil products and are more costly than fragrance oils.

Our essential oil line follows the same philosophy as our fragrance line but is a much smaller collection of scents to offer as the essential oils are extracted from seeds, flowers, roots, stems, or bark of plants through steam distillation, expression, or extraction. There are only a small subset of scents that can be derived from this mix and they must work well in a soy wax candle setting.

How long do your candles burn?

Following the proper candle care guidelines our candles will last as follows:

Candle Round Tin 6oz: 30/35 hours

How Fragrant Are Your Candles?

We fragrance our candles closer to the highest oil to wax ratio to promote a wider hot throw coverage in a room. People buy scented candles to fragrance their homes and we align our candle chemistry makeup to support that goal. Note: We do not use toxic chemical boosters, found in many commercial candle brands, in any of our candle lines.

Keep in mind that a smaller ounce candle is intended for a smaller spaced room (bathroom, bedroom). The larger the ounces and wicks, the more area coverage the fragrance scent will reach. To ensure your space is well-scented, we suggest using each product in the appropriately sized space of your home.

Also note that fragrance relies on air circulation in the room and even placement of the candle. You may find better circulation on one side of a room versus another just based on air currents in your home. Keeping in mind you don’t want to be in a drafty area ir by an open window. Air currents and drafts are two drastically different things.

What Are Your Candle Safety Guidelines?

See our Candle Care & Burning Tips section for an in-depth review of basics and safety guidelines. Here is the cliff notes overview:

Always keep a burning candle within sight
Keep burning candles from anything that can catch fire
Keep burning candles out of the reach of children and pets
Always burn candles on a stable, heat-resistant surface
Keep the wax pool free of wick trimmings, matches and debris
Keep burning candles away from drafts, vents, ceiling fans and air currents
Always burn candles in a well-ventilated room
Stop burning your candle when only ¼” of wax remains
Never leave a burning candle unattended
Never use your candle if the container is damaged
Never touch or move a burning candle
Never extinguish candle using the candle lid
Never extinguish candles with water
Use a candle snuffer to extinguish your candle
Extinguish a candle if it smokes or the flame becomes too high & perform wick maintenance
Be very careful if using candles during a power outage
Never use a candle as a night light
Do not store in direct sunlight to avoid melting and discoloration

Note: Due to the nature of 100% soy wax, high ambient temperatures can cause the soy wax to soften or even “sweat”. This is a natural phenomenon due to natural soy wax having a low melting point. Try and keep your candle placed in a cooler / shaded area (away from direct sunlight) to prevent adverse wax reactions or spoiling.

Orders and Shipping

Do you ship internationally?

At this time, we only ship within the U.S. We are working on expanding our footprint in the future. If there is a country you would like us to ship to, please let us know at info@serenabasics.com so we can plot it on our map!

How long will it take to process my order?

Our goal is to process orders quickly to get packages on your doorstep ASAP. Once an order is placed, allow 1 to 3 business days (M-F) for most orders to be processed for shipment. During peak sales periods or holidays, order processing time may be longer.

How will my order be shipped?

Our orders are shipped via UPS for the fastest shipping times (USPS as an alternate option). Shipping times are the responsibility of the carrier are not guaranteed by Serena Basics, LLC. During summer months, orders will ship Mondays thru Wednesdays to limit heat exposer in the shipping process over a weekend in high temperature areas.

Can I track my order?

Yes, after your order has been processed, you will receive a notification via email with tracking information.

How long before I receive my order?

After the 1 to 3 day processing period, you order will ship via UPS for the fastest possible delivery time. Shipping times after the UPS handoff are the responsibility of the carrier are not guaranteed by Serena Basics, LLC.

If you have any questions about your order, please contact us via email at customercare@serenabasics.com. More information about shipping times can be found in our Shipping & Return Policies.

Please ensure you have correctly entered your shipping address details as we cannot be responsible for orders that do not arrive due to error in address.

Will my candle melt when shipped during warmer months?

There is always a possibility that your candle order could affected by heat in warmer months, as we have no control over a package once it leaves our warehouse. During summer months, orders will ship Mondays thru Wednesdays to limit heat exposer in the shipping process over a weekend in high temperature areas.

However, the best way to avoid a melted candle is to bring your candle order inside quickly once you receive notification that it has been delivered! Candles are always best stored at room temperature.

I put in the wrong shipping address; how can I change it?

If you enter a wrong shipping address, please contact us as soon as possible at customercare@serenabasics.com so we try to update the address before your item ships.

Once an order's label is created, we are unable to make any changes to the delivery address. To update your shipping info, if your order has already shipped, call UPS at 1-800-275-8777 to change your delivery address.

Returns, Missing Items & Damages

What is your return policy?

If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it to us for a refund or exchange. We have a fourteen (14) day return/exchange policy, which means you have 14 days after receiving your item to request a refund/exchange minus return shipping charges. Customers will be responsible for $5.00 flat rate return shipping fee charge.

All returned items must be in new and unused condition. All sales on Outlet items & imperfect candles are final. No returns are permitted on these items.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on gift cards.

Please view our Refund Policy for complete return details. You can always contact us for any return questions at customercare@serenabasics.com.

My candle arrived broken. Can I get a new one?

Our priority is your satisfaction. If this does happen, please be careful handling the product. Within 14 days of receipt, please take pictures of the damaged candle and report the damage via email at customercare@serenabasics.com along with your order information and pictures.

Please allow the team 48 hours to review the damage on the item
If approved, we will ship the order out within 48 hours
We will respond back to you via email with any additional instruction on the damaged item

What if I received the wrong item ordered?

We apologize for this inconvenience and definitely want to make this right. Within 14 days of receipt, contact us at customercare@serenabasics.com & send us pictures of the incorrect item shipped, along with your order information and:

We will review the order and if approved, supply you with a return shipping label for the incorrect item shipped.
Include a copy of the filled Return Form in the box.
Please pack box well to avoid damages in shipping
Once the returned item has arrived and we will ship you the correct item within 48 hours.