*New* Online Courses

Our very first online course is here! Accessible on mobile, tablet or PC, the world of candle-making is now at your fingertips. Dive in and learn the theory of candle-making and become a pro on making container candles.

Our courses are currently only offered in English but we'll work on adding more languages depending on the demand!

Explore The Online Academy

Academy online: What Will you Learn?

Tune in to our first course, Introduction To Container Candles, and get ready to learn...

✅ The fundamentals of container candle making - from how your component selection affects the way your candle burns, to the science behind each component

✅ Learning the Candle Shack four-stage candle-making process we use on high-quality candles for top brands

✅ Legislation and testing to make safe candles

✅ Moving from using recipes to developing your own candles

✅ Troubleshooting your candles, plus tips and tricks from candle experts

Start Learning Now

Who are our courses for?

Our courses are suitable for complete beginners. Our online course equips you with the fundamental knowledge behind making candles to enable you to make stunning candles that work perfectly every time, which is the cornerstone of being able to eventually grow a successful candle business.

Alternatively, if you've tried making candles and not found success, or you're looking to solidify your knowledge and take your candles to the next level, our Introduction To Container Candles course is for you!

Benefits of our online courses

Accesible From Anywhere

Accessible on-the-go from laptops, tablets and mobiles, the Candle Shack Academy Online is truly the easiest way to upskill your candle making.

Go At your own pace

Once you buy our course, it's yours for life!* So go at your own pace, rewatch videos if you're still unsure on a certain topic.

*While the platform is still active, minimum 12 months guaranteed.

Meet Our Instructors

  • Duncan MacLean 

    It's been a decade since Duncan walked away from the army to embrace his creative flair. That's when - along with Cheryl, his wife - Candle Shack was born.

    The journey from candle enthusiast to Candle Shack CEO and Head Of Innovation has been long and full of special miletones.

    From the first successful candle, filling a room with a beautiful scent and a perfect burn to the first good feedback on a candle sale, the learnings from the journey were invaluable.

    Going through the arduous process of trial and error, Duncan has become an expert in candle-making, especially in wax! He even designed his own wax melter, the iMelt. 

    Seeing the ailes of Selfridges filled with products made by Candle Shack, Duncan realised they were now European home fragrance experts and trusted advisors to leading home fragrance brands, but the journey was no easy feat. 

    Hence the academy, a way to share all the knowledge and experience he gained to now help you master your own process, which made it feel like the culmination of all these years of hard work.   

  • Cheryl MacLean

    For Cheryl, smell has always evoked memories. As a child, she concocted fragrances and later, when she owned a hair salon and beauty salon. Smell was always a consistent aspect of her changing life and a uniting factor. 

    When Candle Shack started, fragrance went from being Cheryl’s passion to playing a more central role in her life. Without any formal training, she remembers the struggle of learning about fragrance families, creating collections, choosing waxes... As the company grew, Cheryl began to focus on fragrance, her passion. Through the Grasse Institute of Perfumery, in France, she's working on becoming a fully qualified perfumer.  

    Cheryl is now a leading expert in all things fragrance and is responsible for creating Candle Shack’s new fragrances. Going from experimenting with candle scents in her garage to leading a laboratory of home fragrance experts gave her a unique outlook on the industry and the hardship enthusiasts and small businesses face when they start out. 

    She developed the fragrance elements of the course that she wishes she had when she started out. 

  • Chris Edwards  

    Chris has always been passionate about education and development. Throughout his life, Chris has created hundreds of courses on a plethora of topics, including establishing the military technological college for the Oman government and getting it accredited with the Portsmouth University.  

    Working in accordance with the UK Qualification Comparison Chart, Chris is a specialist in course-making with a focus on training (for certainty) and educating (for uncertainty) so his students are equipped to deal with any potential situation. Influenced by his military background, his work is concise and thorough, and he knows the most efficient way to educate online using various tools to maximise engagement and understanding. 

    When Chris joined Candle Shack as Director of Learning and Development, he worked tirelessly to train and develop the team as well as getting them certified for all the skills they had already acquired. With Duncan and Cheryl, he created the Candle Shack Academy in 2022 to train the next generation of home fragrance creators.

Don't Just Take Our Word For It