FAQ
Why Familiar Folia?
"Familiar" refers to the comforting feelings I hope to conjure with my scent creations. I am often inspired by memories or stories that I hold dear to my heart. I was also inspired by my own familiar, Renaldo, the sweetest silliest orange tabby cat around. "Folia" simply came from my love for plants, flowers, and the way fragrances can bring these to life in a whole new way. I also love alliteration.
Who is Familiar Folia?
Familiar Folia is a one woman show. I (Courtney) create the concepts, designs, and fragrances for every collection and pack them all up extra safely for you!
Are your candles available in stores?
Yes! Our candles are exclusively available at Sideshow Gallery in Bucktown, Chicago.
Do you make custom candles or scents?
I am open to custom projects if the collaboration and timing makes sense for both parties involved. There is a charge for labor, testing, and materials involved in creating a custom scent. Typical turnaround time for customs is 1-2 months. Please contact us for more information!
Do you offer wholesale?
Yes, I offer wholesale. Please email hello@familiarfolia.com for a line sheet. We are also on Faire.
What type of wax do you use?
I utilize a proprietary blend of coconut and soy waxes to achieve the highest quality scent throw and cleanest burns.
What makes a fragrance non-toxic?
Simply put, I avoid anything that can be potentially harmful to you & your environment. I seek out ingredients that are pthlathate and paraben free and Prop 65 compliant. Pthlathates and parabens are chemicals used to make plastics and are sometimes found in candles from big box stores, but not ours!
Synthetic fragrance oils can sometimes get a bad rep, but they are actually formulated to be burned unlike essential oils and are more sustainable to produce. Most high quality fragrance oils are infused with small amounts of essential oils as well. Occasionally a scent can't be replicated and I will use an essential oil, but at a level that is safe to burn and won't catch on fire or become volatile.
What are scent notes? What does Top, Middle, and Base mean?
Scent notes refer to the descriptors of the scents that can be smelled within the candle. Top, Middle, and Base doesn't mean that there's different scents at different points in your candle, rather they refer to how you smell them coming together. If you're having a hard time imaging what a scent will smell like, look towards the top and middle notes as you will notice those the most upon first smell.
- Top notes refer to the first notes you sense when you smell a candle or perfume. They're oftentimes lighter and fresher, you'll usually see a lot of citrus here. You'll notice these the most when you smell a candle unlit.
- Middle notes are a bit more complex and are the "heart" of the fragrance. They provide the link between the lighter top notes and heavier base notes, and come out a bit more when the candle is lit. These are usually floral, berry, spice, or herbaceous.
- Base notes are what bring the scent together, the foundation of the fragrance and are usually heavier and longer lasting to round out the scent. These are usually notes of vanilla, amber, musk, or woods.
Why is my wax turning yellow?
This is completely normal! Candles will discolor slightly over time if exposed to direct sunlight or when they contain a higher level of vanillin content. I don't add UV inhibitors to my candles to cut down on unnecessary chemicals, so it can happen. Luckily it won't affect the burn of your candle!
Why is my candle sooting?
Any soot you may experience is from not trimming your wicks! Although I test every candle for safety even with long burns without trims, it's an important step to make sure your candle lasts as long and safely as possible without any soot. Simply trim off any black parts of your wick for the best quality burn. Be careful not to trim the wick too short, as this can lead to tunneling.
My candle is tunneling, what should I do?
Don't panic! If it's early on in the candle, a small amount of hangup is completely normal for a coconut wax candle - the burn will get hotter as the candle burns down into the jar and the wax will catch up. If you happened to trim the wick too short, or maybe had to rush out of the door, you can wrap a small bit of tin foil around the top of the candle while it's burning for about 1-2 hours until a full melt pool has been achieved. Then you can remove the tin foil and continue burning your candle normally!
What is your return policy?
Our return policy can be found here.
If you have any other questions don't hesitate to reach out on our contact page!