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GPSR requirements for selling candles to the EU

By Karim El Achaq, founder of EUReady · Last updated: 6 July 2026

Key facts

Under the GPSR (since 13 December 2024), every candle listing sold to EU consumers must show manufacturer details, an EU responsible person for non-EU makers, and fire safety warnings.
Candles are general consumer products, not a CE category: do not put a CE mark on them.
Fire safety warnings follow the European standard EN 15494 (never leave unattended, keep away from children, 10 cm between candles).
Scented candles and wax melts are also mixtures under CLP (Regulation (EC) 1272/2008): they may need hazard and allergen labelling and a UFI code.
GPSR applies with no minimum volume, even to hand-poured candles sold a few per month.

Candles are one of the most common products in small Shopify stores, and one of the least compliant. In the stores we audit, scented candles shipped to EU customers almost never show a manufacturer address, an EU responsible person or fire safety warnings on the product page. All three have been legally required since 13 December 2024.

The General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) treats candles as general consumer products. It applies whether you pour them in a factory or in your kitchen, and whether you sell three per month or three hundred. Selling at a distance into the EU, for example from the US or the UK through your Shopify store, puts you squarely in scope.

What every candles listing must show under GPSR

Since 13 December 2024, the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 sets rules for products sold online to EU consumers. Article 19 is the part that hits your product pages directly: every online listing must display, before purchase, the following information.

Manufacturer identity: the name (or trade name) of the manufacturer, a postal address and an electronic address (email). If you make the products yourself under your own brand, that is you.
EU responsible person: if the manufacturer is not established in the EU, the name and contact details of the responsible economic operator located inside the EU.
Product identification: enough information to identify the product, such as a picture, the product type and any batch or serial reference.
Warnings and safety information: in a language easily understood by consumers of the country you sell to, not only in English.

The same information also has to travel with the physical product (on the item, its packaging or an accompanying document), so your labels and your Shopify pages need to match.

What warnings must a candle listing show?

Candle listings must carry fire safety warnings, and there is a European standard for them: EN 15494. The classic set is usually shown with pictograms on the physical label and repeated as text on the listing. The core warnings:

Never leave a burning candle unattended.
Burn the candle out of reach of children and pets.
Always leave at least 10 cm between burning candles.
Do not burn the candle on or near anything that can catch fire.
Trim the wick to about 5 mm before lighting.
Only burn the candle on a level, heat resistant surface.

What other EU rules apply to candles?

Beyond GPSR, scented candles trigger chemical labelling rules, and no candle should carry a CE mark. The two points to get right:

CLP Regulation (EC) 1272/2008: scented candles and wax melts are treated as mixtures. Depending on the fragrance load, they may need hazard labelling, allergen statements (for example limonene or linalool) and a UFI code. Your fragrance supplier's safety data sheet tells you which statements apply.
No CE marking: candles are not a CE category. Do not add a CE logo to them; using it where it does not belong is itself an infringement.

Do not forget the packaging: EPR applies too

GPSR covers the product. The box, mailer, tape and filler you ship it in fall under a different set of rules: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging. If you ship candles to consumers in Germany you must be registered in the LUCID packaging register before your first sale, and in France you need a unique identifier via an eco-organisation such as Citeo (see our France EPR guide). Marketplaces already verify these numbers and block sellers who do not have them.

How to make your Shopify store compliant, step by step

List what you sell to the EU. GPSR applies to new, used, repaired and handmade candles alike. There is no minimum volume: one parcel to an EU customer is enough to be in scope.
Gather the manufacturer information. Your business name, postal address and email if you are the maker; your supplier's details if you resell.
Appoint an EU responsible person if you are outside the EU. Authorised representative services exist from roughly 150 to 500 euros per year. Their details go on your listings and labels. Our responsible person guide explains the options.
Write the warnings and safety information relevant to your products, and translate them for the markets you sell to.
Add all of it to every product page. On Shopify this is usually done with metafields plus a theme block, so the information displays cleanly on each listing.
Sort out packaging EPR for Germany and France if you ship there.

Doing this by hand across a full catalog is where most sellers give up: it is repetitive, error-prone and easy to leave half-finished. That is the exact problem EUReady automates: scan, see what is missing per product, fix it across the catalog in one click.

Check your store for free

EUReady scans every product in your Shopify store, shows you exactly what GPSR and EPR info is missing, and fills it in for you. Join the free beta and be first in line when we launch on the Shopify App Store.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need CE marking to sell candles in the EU?

No. CE marking only exists for specific harmonised product categories such as toys or electronics. Candles are covered by the general GPSR rules plus CLP labelling for scented products, not by CE marking.

I hand-pour a few candles a month. Does GPSR really apply to me?

Yes. GPSR has no minimum volume and no small business exemption. If an EU consumer can buy from your store and you ship to them, the regulation applies to that sale.

What goes on the candle label versus the product page?

Both need to carry the safety information. The physical label carries the warnings, your identity and a batch reference. The product page must additionally show the manufacturer contact details, the EU responsible person if you are outside the EU, and the warnings, before the customer buys.

Official sources

This guide is general information for online sellers, based on publicly available EU legislation. It is not legal advice. Regulations evolve and national rules differ: for decisions that matter to your business, confirm with a qualified professional or the official sources linked above.