DIY Champagne Candle

This DIY champagne candle is an elegant air freshener and features the fruity scent of sparkling wine. The easy candle-making tutorial explains how to pour natural soy wax candles and includes a recipe for a champagne-scented essential oil blend.

DIY champagne toast candle

I’ve been wanting to add a champagne candle recipe to my collection for quite a while now and finally got around to doing it.

At first, I thought champagne was kinda odd as a candle scent. But my friend Anna kept going on and on about how much she adores Bath and Body Works champagne toast candle until finally I caved and got one for myself.

It was love at first smell! The candle scent is phenomenal yet hard to describe if you’ve never experienced it. It’s a fruity and light aroma, sweet and citrusy but not overpowering.

Of course, I could not resist to create a homemade version. I think I poured 6 batches, testing different essential oil blends and ratios, before settling on the perfect champagne-scented candle.

If you enjoy gourmand scents, definitely put this DIY soy candle on your project list! The candle would also be a lovely Valentine’s Day gift or cute bridesmaid proposal favor.

For more all-natural essential oil candles, be sure to try my DIY lemon candle, eucalyptus candle, lavender candles, and stress-relief candle.

Champagne candle scent

What does champagne smell like?

But hold the phone. What does champagne smell like, anyway?

Champagne, a sparkling wine from France, features a lively fruit smell reminiscent of grapes, apples, and pears.

You’ll also notice a subtle yeasty quality resulting from the fermentation process, and hints of oak from the wooden barrels where champagne is stored.

Let’s see how to recreate that scent with essential oils!

Champagne essential oil blend

To make a natural champagne candle scent, combine the following essential oils. The amounts are enough to scent one 8-oz candle. You’ll need:

• 140 drops pink grapefruit essential oil
• 65 drops davana essential oil
• 30 drops green cognac essential oil
• 25 drops lime essential oil

Pink grapefruit essential oil makes up the main component in this blend. The oil smells lighter than other citrus oils, tangy and sweet.

Davana essential oil is made from Artemisia pallens, an herb native to Southern India. My friend Cari of Everything Pretty suggested the oil in her apple pie essential oil recipe. It provides a strong, fruity, boozy aroma with woodsy undertones, perfect for a champagne candle scent.

Green cognac essential oil might be an oil you’ve never heard before. I discovered it when I created an apple cinnamon scent in my cinnamon candle recipe. The oil has a tart, wine-like smell reminiscent of green apples and adds a refreshing fruity note.

Lime essential oil rounds out the scent and provides a soft citrusy vanilla note.

I want to mention that the candle scent is delicate. No matter how much you add, it isn’t as strong as other candle fragrances and won’t fill a large room. If you like subtle scents, you’ll appreciate this blend!

To enjoy the candle, I recommend burning it in close proximity to where you are staying. I have my champagne candle burning next to me on my desk as I write this post and the scent throw is absolutely lovely.

Champagne toast candle dupe

Bath & Body Works describe the scent of their champagne toast candle as a mix of “bubbly champagne, sparkling berries, and juicy tangerine.”

If you want your candle to smell exactly like the B&BW champagne toast candle, replace the lime EO with 25 drops mandarin essential oil. It’s the closest match to their scent as I could get.

Please let me know how you like it if you try it!

Champagne fragrance oil

Consider synthetic fragrance oils if you’re after that champagne scent of commercial candles, and the smell doesn’t have to be natural. These oils are pre-blended and formulated explicitly for candles.

Wholesales Supplies Plus offers different champagne fragrance oils. They have a classic champagne scent, strawberry champagne oil, a pink champagne fragrance, and an apple honey champagne scent.

Other materials and supplies

Aside from the champagne candle scent, you’ll need your usual candle-making supplies. Here’s a rundown of the materials and tools in detail!

• Container wax: Buy a good-quality container candle wax. I used my favorite 646 soy wax from Golden Brand.
• Candlewick: You need a wick that is appropriate for your container sizes. This pre-tabbed cotton wick is suitable for containers with a diameter of approx. 3 in / 7.5 cm.
• Candle container like a canning jar or a heat-safe glass vessel. I bought a pink frosted glass container to go with the theme of a pink champagne candle.
• Glue dots or a hot glue gun and hot glue to adhere the wick to the container.

Tools

• Wick bar to hold the wick in place.
• Digital scales for measuring the wax. If you don’t have a digital scale, fill your candle container twice with soy wax. This is how much wax you’ll need. Online calculators can help determine the amount of wax required for specific container sizes.
• Melting pot for melting the candle wax.
• Infrared thermometer gun to measure the temperature of the melting wax.
• Scissors to shorten the wick.

How to make a champagne candle

Making a DIY pink champagne candle is so simple! It’s an excellent project for people learning how to make candles at home or who want to replicate their own champagne toast candle.

Step 1: Set the wick

Put a glue dot or dab of hot glue on the bottom of the wick tab. Then press the wick tab into the inside center of the container bottom. Thread the wick through a wick holder balanced across the top of the container to keep the wick centered.

Step 2: Melt the wax

Fill the wax into a melting pot. Heat on the stove over medium heat until the wax is fully melted and reaches 185°F / 85°C. Then take it off the heat.

Step 3: Add champagne fragrance

Add the champagne essential oil blend or fragrance oil and stir 30 to 40 times to combine everything.

Step 4: Pour the wax

Wait until the wax cools to 150°F to 160°F / 65°C – 70°C. Then pour it into the prepared container, leaving a little space at the top.

Step 5: Cool the candle

Make sure the wick is centered and allow the candle to cool until the soy wax turns opaque. This will take 25 to 40 minutes. Wax shrinks as it cools. If you notice unevenness or a sinkhole around the wick in the center of your candle, melt additional wax and add a thin second pour.

Step 6: Cure the candle

Set the candle aside to cure overnight. If you have the time, let it cure for a couple of days. The wax binds with the essential oils during the curing process and creates a better scent performance.

Step 7: Trim the wick

Before lightening the candle for the first time, trim the wick to 1/4 in / 0.6 cm above the top of the candle.

Tips for success

To make this homemade champagne candle a success, try these easy tips! They ensure this soy wax candle recipe turns out right.

• Wicking. Wicks make or break candles.For soy wax and other natural waxes, you want to stick with natural cotton wicks. You also need to ensure that the wick has the correct size for your container of choice.
• Wax. Be sure to use a high-quality wax for a clean, long-lasting, and fragrant burn.
• Temperature. Different waxes require different temperatures. Follow the manufacturer’s directions when using a wax other than the 646 soy wax.
• Stirring. Stirring is key to properly blending the wax and scent. After adding the essential/fragrance oil to the wax, stir the mixture 30 to 40 times. Mix slowly to avoid aerating the wax, which can cause bubbles and sinkholes.

FAQ

How do you make a champagne bottle candle?

Upcycled champagne bottle candles are a great way to repurpose empty champagne and wine bottles. The glass is heat resistant, and the pretty label would look nice for a champagne-scented candle.

You need a bottle cutter for cutting the bottle and sandpaper to smooth the edges. And be sure to wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from splinters.

Brittany Bailey from Pretty Handy Girl shows how to cut wine bottles in half step-by-step.

What about champagne bottle-shaped candles?

To make candles in the shape of champagne bottles, you need a champagne bottle mold. You would also need to use wax intended for pillar candles.

Container candle wax (including Gold Brand’s 464) is too soft to maintain its shape outside a container.

Can you make candles in champagne glasses?

You could, but I don’t recommend it. Champagne flutes are tall and fragile, and they can get easily knocked over and spill hot wax everywhere.

They are also wider at the top and narrow down towards the bottom. Wicking would be an issue since wicks need to maintain the same candle diameter.

My verdict: Save champagne flutes for drinks (like these yummy sherbet mimosas) and use a candle container for candle making.

You can, however, use a sturdy wine glass. David Fisher from The Spruce Crafts has a tutorial for wine glass candles that you could adapt for homemade champagne candles.

Can I make this with gel wax?

Yes! To make a transparent champagne candle, use gel candle wax. To recreate the bubbles in sparkling wine, use a medium-density gel wax.

Gel wax holds less fragrance than soy wax, about 0.5 oz / 14 g per pound of wax.

Storage & shelf life

• Storage: When not in use, store your DIY champagne toast candle in a dry, cool location, out of reach from direct sunlight and any heat sources. Keep the lid tightly closed and wrap the container in several layers of plastic wrap/cling film to preserve the scent.
• Shelf life: The candle will keep well for 1 to 1.5 years. After that, the scent may begin to fade, and the wax’s quality might change.