Which laws apply to candles, and who enforces them?

Updated October 2026

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The agencies, what triggers each, and what you do Mandatory and voluntary, side by side When a candle needs cautionary labeling under the FHSA Three makers, three different lists Where to start: the wick you use References

Two federal agencies cover an ordinary scented candle. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) bans metal-cored wicks with more than 0.06 percent lead, requires cautionary labeling if a candle contains a hazardous substance, and receives reports of products that may be dangerous. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sets the package label rules and polices claims. Everything else depends on what you add or say: a bug-repellent claim brings in EPA, a health claim brings in FDA, employees bring in OSHA, and shipping fragrance oil brings in USPS and DOT. This page lays out each agency, what triggers it and what you do, and separates what is law from what is voluntary.

The agencies, what triggers each, and what you do

Agency	What brings it in	What you file, print or keep	Where the detail lives
CPSC	Every candle sold to consumers. Metal-cored wicks trigger the lead rule	No registration. Metal-cored wicks: lead at or below 0.06 percent of the core, "Conforms to 16 CFR 1500.17(a)(13)" on the outer shipping carton, and a General Certificate of Conformity [1] [2]	Lead in wicks, certificates of conformity
CPSC, under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act	A candle that contains a hazardous substance as the Act defines it	Cautionary labeling on the candle [1] [3]	The FHSA section below
CPSC, under the Consumer Product Safety Act	Information that a candle may be defective, may present a substantial hazard, or creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death	A report to CPSC, normally within 24 hours of having the information [4]	If a candle you sold causes a fire
FTC	Every packaged candle sold to consumers	Identity, net quantity in both inch-pound and metric units, and name and place of business on the label [5]	What a candle label has to say
FTC	Environmental claims, "Made in USA," any claim at all	Claims you can substantiate; Made in USA only when the rule's conditions are met [6] [7]	What you can claim
EPA	A claim that the candle repels mosquitoes or other pests	Federal registration, unless the product meets every minimum-risk condition in 40 CFR 152.25(f) [8]	Citronella and bug candles
FDA	A claim that the candle treats or relieves a condition, or a candle sold for use on skin	FDA judges by intended use; drug claims make a product a drug [9]	What you can claim, massage candles
OSHA	Employees who handle fragrance oil or other hazardous chemicals	Written hazard communication program, safety data sheets on hand, training [10]	Reading a fragrance oil safety data sheet
USPS and DOT	Shipping fragrance oil, diffuser bases or room sprays	USPS treats a liquid with a flash point of 140°F (60°C) or less as flammable and one above 140°F and below 200°F as combustible [11]; DOT draws its Class 3 lines at the same 60°C and 93°C (200°F) [12]. These shipping lines differ from the FHSA labeling lines below	Flash point
U.S. Customs and Border Protection	Importing candles or wicks	Country of origin marking [13]; from July 8, 2026, importers eFile certificate data for products that need a certificate [14]	Certificates of conformity
States	Selling into a state with a topic-specific law	Prop 65 warnings in California for businesses with 10 or more employees, pesticide registration for citronella candles in some states, and others	State rules

FDA says plainly which side of the line an ordinary candle sits on. Its aromatherapy page states that some fragrance products are regulated by CPSC, and lists "air fresheners, scented candles, laundry detergents, and household cleansers" as examples (content current as of September 8, 2023) [9]. A scented candle with no health claim is a CPSC and FTC product, outside FDA's cosmetic rules.

Mandatory and voluntary, side by side

Most of what candle makers are told they "must" do comes from voluntary standards that buyers write into contracts. Keep the two columns separate when you read advice.

Required by federal law	Voluntary in law, often required by buyers
Lead limit for metal-cored wicks and the carton statement, 16 CFR 1500.17(a)(13) [2]	ASTM F2417 fire safety, including flame height, secondary ignition, end of life and stability [15]
A General Certificate of Conformity for metal-cored wicks and candles that use them [1]	ASTM F2058 warning label, which CPSC lists among the standards it follows [1]
FHSA cautionary labeling when a candle contains a hazardous substance [1]	ASTM F2179 for glass candle containers, F2601 for accessories, F2326 for soot, F1972 for terminology [1]
FPLA identity, net quantity and name and place of business [5]	Retailer protocols such as Kohl's Test Protocol 100-Z, February 2025 [16]
Truthful claims; environmental claims under the Green Guides [6]	IFRA limits on fragrance materials, an industry self-regulatory system (IFRA certificates)
Reporting a possible substantial hazard to CPSC [4]	Insurance carriers' questions about testing and standards (insurance)

CPSC's business guidance lists the six ASTM candle standards under voluntary standards [1]. Buyers still hold you to them. Kohl's, for one, requires each candle to carry a label meeting F2058 and tests against criteria built on F2417-17 [16]. The ASTM candle standards page explains each one.

When a candle needs cautionary labeling under the FHSA

CPSC's candle guidance says candles that contain a hazardous substance under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act "must bear cautionary labeling" [1]. The Act defines a hazardous substance as one that is toxic, corrosive, an irritant, a strong sensitizer, flammable or combustible, or generates pressure, where it "may cause substantial personal injury or substantial illness" in customary or reasonably foreseeable handling or use, including reasonably foreseeable ingestion by children [3].

A finished candle usually is not labeled this way, and the fragrance oil you buy is a separate product with its own safety data sheet. For liquids such as diffuser bases and room sprays, CPSC's FHSA guidance sets the flammability classes used for this labeling: extremely flammable at a flash point of 20°F or below, flammable above 20°F and below 100°F, and combustible from 100°F to 150°F [18]. These labeling lines are separate from the USPS and DOT shipping lines of 140°F and 200°F in the table above, so name the right set for the purpose. Where the FHSA does apply, the statute lists the label elements [3]:

the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, distributor or seller
the common or chemical name of each component that contributes substantially to the hazard
the signal word "DANGER" for extremely flammable, corrosive or highly toxic substances, otherwise "WARNING" or "CAUTION"
a statement of the principal hazard, such as "Flammable"
precautionary measures, first aid instructions where needed, and handling and storage instructions where needed
the word "poison" for highly toxic substances
the statement "Keep out of the reach of children" or its practical equivalent

If you are unsure whether something you make is a hazardous substance, ask CPSC's Small Business Ombudsman, (888) 531-9070 or SBO@cpsc.gov [1]. A liquid household product that is a hazardous substance, contains 10 percent or more hydrocarbons by weight and is thin (under 100 SUS at 100°F) also needs child-resistant packaging under 16 CFR 1700.14(a)(31) [19]. Products like room sprays and reed diffusers are more likely to cross these lines than a candle; see room sprays and reed diffusers.

Three makers, three different lists

A hobbyist selling soy candles with cotton wicks at a local market. CPSC: no certificate, because CPSC states that no certification requirement applies to nonmetal-cored wicks or to candles that use them [1]. FTC: a label with identity, net weight in two units and a name and address [5]. Reporting duty if a candle fails dangerously [4]. Local business basics, covered on do you need a license.

A maker who switches to zinc-cored wicks. Everything above, plus the lead limit, the carton statement and a General Certificate of Conformity [1] [2].

A small brand selling a "mosquito-repelling" citronella candle online to customers in California. Everything in the first case, plus EPA's minimum-risk conditions or federal registration [8], state pesticide registration where a state requires it, and Prop 65 if the business has 10 or more employees [17]. Each of those lives on state rules and citronella candles.

These are the rules as their sources stated them in October 2026; confirm anything you rely on with the agency named in the table.

Where to start: the wick you use

The first question that changes your obligations is the wick. If any wick you use has a metal core, read lead in wicks: the one federal candle rule next; if not, go to what a candle label has to say.

References

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Candles Business Guidance, undated, read October 22, 2026. https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/Candles
16 CFR 1500.17, Banned hazardous substances (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), as amended at 68 FR 19147, April 18, 2003, read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/1500.17
15 U.S.C. 1261, Definitions (Federal Hazardous Substances Act) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1261
16 CFR 1115.14, Time computations (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/1115.14
15 U.S.C. 1453, Requirement of label (Fair Packaging and Labeling Act) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1453
16 CFR Part 260, Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/part-260
16 CFR 323.2, Prohibited acts (Made in USA Labeling) (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/16/323.2
40 CFR 152.25, Exemptions for pesticides of a character not requiring FIFRA regulation (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/152.25
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Aromatherapy, content current as of September 8, 2023. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/products/aromatherapy
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 29 CFR 1910.1200, Hazard Communication, as amended through 91 FR 1696 (January 15, 2026), read October 22, 2026. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1200
United States Postal Service, Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail, section 343 Flammable and Combustible Liquids, undated page, read October 22, 2026. https://pe.usps.com/TEXT/pub52/pub52c3_022.htm
49 CFR 173.120, Class 3, Definitions (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/173.120
19 U.S.C. 1304, Marking of imported articles and containers (Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School), read October 22, 2026. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/19/1304
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, General Certificate of Conformity, undated, read October 22, 2026. https://www.cpsc.gov/GCC
Doug Clauson, Increasing Candle Safety, ASTM Standardization News, March/April 2013 (posted July 26, 2016). https://www.astm.org/news/increasing-candle-safety-ma13
Kohl's, Private Brands Performance Claims Test Protocols 100, Protocol 100-Z: Candle (including freestanding, taper, tealight, votive, filled and novelty candles), revised February 2025 (candle limits unchanged from 100-Y, February 2023; adds a Hardlines Regulatory Supplement). https://link.kohls.com/content/dam/klink/100-Z-CANDLE.pdf
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Frequently Asked Questions for Businesses (Proposition 65), undated, read October 22, 2026. https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/businesses/frequently-asked-questions-businesses
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, FHSA Requirements (business guidance), undated, read October 22, 2026. https://www.cpsc.gov/Business--Manufacturing/Business-Education/Business-Guidance/FHSA-Requirements
16 CFR 1700.14, Substances requiring special packaging (eCFR), up to date as of October 20, 2026. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-II/subchapter-E/part-1700/section-1700.14