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GPSR compliance for candles & home fragrance sellers
Since 13 December 2024, the EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR, Regulation (EU) 2023/988) applies to candles & home fragrance sold online to EU buyers — including handmade items such as scented candles, pillar candles, wax melts, reed diffusers. Marketplaces enforce it themselves: Amazon can suspend non-compliant listings and Etsy removes them.
This guide covers what that means concretely for candles & home fragrance: the information every EU-facing listing must display, the safety warnings that typically apply to this category, and the rules that exist beyond GPSR.
What every EU-facing listing must display
GPSR Art. 19 requires this information to be visible before purchase — on the listing itself, not just inside the parcel:
- Manufacturer name, postal address and electronic address
- If the manufacturer is outside the EU: name and contact details of the EU Responsible Person
- Product identification: a photo, the product type, and a batch or model reference
- Any warnings and safety information, in the language(s) of each EU country you target
Typical safety warnings for candles & home fragrance
Which warnings apply depends on your exact product — these are the ones that most often apply in this category. In your kit, each one comes pre-translated in every language of the EU countries you sell to.
| Warning (English version) | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Never leave a burning candle unattended. | EN 15494 candle safety label convention |
| Always burn the candle well away from anything that can catch fire. | EN 15494 candle safety label convention |
| Keep burning candles out of reach of children and pets. | EN 15494 candle safety label convention |
| Place the candle on a stable, heat-resistant surface. | EN 15494 candle safety label convention |
| Trim the wick to about 1 cm before lighting. | EN 15494 candle safety label convention |
| Do not place the candle in a draught. | EN 15494 candle safety label convention |
| Extinguish the candle completely before leaving the room. Do not use water to extinguish. | EN 15494 candle safety label convention |
| Burn hazard: never touch a lit candle or liquid wax. | Burn prevention convention (open flame products) |
| Use wax melts only in a suitable burner. Do not add water. Never leave in use unattended. | Wax melt usage convention |
| Fragile: broken glass or ceramic can cause cuts. Handle with care. | Cut injury prevention convention (glass/ceramic) |
| Always leave at least 10 cm between burning candles. | EN 15494 candle safety label convention |
| Keep out of reach of children. | General child protection convention (cf. CLP P102) |
Risk factors to assess before listing
Scented (fragrance oils or essential oils)
Wax melts or burner products
In a glass or ceramic container
Sold as a set of several candles
Reed diffuser or liquid product
Each factor you tick adds the matching warnings and risk-assessment lines to your kit — that is how the documents stay specific to your product.
Beyond GPSR
EU candle warning labels commonly follow EN 15494 (pictograms + standard phrases). The generated warnings cover the standard text — add the pictograms on your physical label where possible.
The documents to prepare
The fields above are the easy part — what takes time is preparing what goes in them. The GPSR Kit generates all four documents for your specific product in one pass:
- Safety Information Sheet — the warning texts to paste, in every language of the countries you sell to
- Simplified Risk Assessment — pre-filled for your category, to review, adapt and sign for your technical file
- Marketplace Checklist — the field-by-field steps for your channels
- Label Template — the mandatory mentions plus a copy-paste block for your listing descriptions
Free partial preview before any payment. Around 25 products? See Pro.
FAQ
Do I need GPSR compliance to sell candles & home fragrance to the EU from outside the EU?
Yes. GPSR applies to any product offered to EU consumers, wherever the seller is based. If the manufacturer is outside the EU, you also need an EU-based Responsible Person whose contact details appear on your listings and labels.
Which languages do my safety warnings need to be in?
Warnings and safety information must be in the language(s) of every EU country you sell to. The GPSR Kit covers 8 languages across the 27 EU/EEA countries — gaps for the remaining languages are flagged honestly in your checklist.
Is more than GPSR involved for candles & home fragrance?
EU candle warning labels commonly follow EN 15494 (pictograms + standard phrases). The generated warnings cover the standard text — add the pictograms on your physical label where possible.
GPSR Kit helps you prepare product-safety compliance documents. It is not legal advice and does not guarantee compliance or marketplace approval. Review and adapt all content to your actual product before use.