Sweet benefits (and vulnerability) of honey and beeswax

Pure beeswax has a cleaner burn than paraffin, contains no petroleum by-products, and is carbon-neutral. It produces less smoke and drips less than commercial candles, and gives off a sweet wholesome smell—without the artificiality of commercial fragrances. Our oatmeal honey soap is natural and age-old, made from oils and alkali without the synthetic detergents of most "beauty bars" on the shelves— which the FDA calls "syndet bars."

 Burning beeswax produces negative ions that neutralize and attach to pollutants in the air—reducing atmospheric dust, odors, and mold, and easing allergy and asthma symptoms. Beeswax has non-allergenic properties that can protect the skin, with subtle anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities. And honey is naturally antibacterial, valued for its healing properties in salves and bandages.

Bee  populations are in critical decline, with colony collapse, climate change, pesticides, and loss of environment all under the microscope. One third of our food depends on pollination by apis mellifera. But the natural cycle has been so disrupted that we now truck millions of hives around the US to support seasonal crops—an upheaval that's literally working bees to death. The Hive Lives donates 10% of profits to bee research, education, and advocacy through the Urban Beekeeping Laboratory & Sanctuary.

Old bottles are simply unlike any packaging used today—the intricacy of their design, the durability of antique containers, and the dramatic stories behind the people whose lifeblood went into the pharmacies and family businesses whose names are immortalized in glass.
Using casting materials similar to those in theater arts, we experimented until we found a molding technique that recreates the vintage beauty in beeswax—and celebrates the life and spirit of these entrepreneurs.

The color of beeswax, which ranges from pale yellow to rich amber, is determined by the time spent storing honey in the comb, absorbing its hue and scent from pollen, nectar, and propolis (bee resin). Like honey, each batch of wax is determined by the company it keeps (bees visiting sage, lavender, goldenrod, apple, sumac, aster, blueberry, clover...). Since they are handmade, each candle settles into the molds a little differently. And each slice of soap forms, colors, and scents uniquely in the saponification process.