Mole Hollow Candles Beeswax Votive Candles, box of 18 (natural)

1. Wax & wick 45% of the rating 4 of 5

   Two ingredients, USA beeswax with nothing added and no dye on a cotton wick; the purity and what “not processed” means are the maker’s word, and filtering is not stated.

2. Independent testing 15% of the rating 1 of 5

   No test of the wax, the wick or the burn has been published, by Mole Hollow or by anyone else we could find.

3. Trust 15% of the rating 4 of 5

   No CPSC recall or Prop 65 notice found, a family maker since 1969 that says where its wax is from and makes few claims; points off for “burn cleanly” with no test.

4. Value 25% of the rating 5 of 5

   About $0.30 an hour ($82 for 18 votives at the maker’s 15 hours each, in a votive cup), under the $0.36 to $0.40 of the 3 x 6 inch pillars we list.

The rating, 3.8 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank candles and our standard.

1. 100% beeswax, USA-sourced, with no color added and the wax not processed (maker’s statement)
2. 100% cotton wick

Is it really 100% beeswax?

Mole Hollow says the votives are “only 100% beeswax” and cotton, with USA-sourced wax that comes “straight from the bees”. It publishes no test. Adulteration is documented: a 2024 European Commission lab study (opens in a new tab) found commercial beeswax products, candles among them, adulterated 27% of the time against 12.5% for honeycomb samples, mostly with paraffin. We found no test of Mole Hollow’s wax by anyone.

If the wax is not processed, what else is in it?

Mole Hollow says it adds no color and does not process the wax, which is why the shade changes from batch to batch. It does not say whether the wax is filtered. Raw comb wax can carry pesticide residues: a 2010 survey of North American hives (opens in a new tab) found the miticides fluvalinate and coumaphos in 98% of comb and foundation wax samples. We found no residue test of this wax and no data on what a burning candle releases from such residues.

Does it burn “cleanly, without any smoke”?

That is the maker’s wording and no emissions test is cited. A 2021 chamber study (opens in a new tab) found that soot dominated the particles from all five pillar candle types it tested when the flame was disturbed, and a second study (opens in a new tab) found higher particle emissions in the first hour after lighting for most of its five candles, which the authors suspect comes from wick additives. Burn the votive in a ventilated room, away from drafts, with the wick trimmed.

Do votives need a holder?

Yes. Mole Hollow says they last up to 15 hours each “when burned securely in a votive candle cup”, and sells the candles without one. Use a heat-safe cup and never leave a flame unattended.

Can I return it if I do not like it?

No. Mole Hollow’s FAQ page (opens in a new tab) says every purchase is final sale and candles cannot be returned or exchanged. The color of the natural wax also varies from batch to batch.

Any recalls, Prop 65 notices or lawsuits?

None found. CPSC’s recall list returned nothing for the name, and California’s Prop 65 notice list (opens in a new tab) held no notice naming Mole Hollow, both searched 2026-11-03. We could not search court dockets.

Does anyone get paid to recommend it?

We found no affiliate or influencer program linked from the pages we read. We did not check how any individual promoter discloses a tie.

• The product page lists two things: “100% beeswax” and “100% cotton wick”. It says the wax is USA-sourced and that no color is added and the wax is not processed, so the only scent is the honey aroma of the wax.
• Its About page says the company began at farmers markets in western Massachusetts in 1969, is family owned, makes everything in Massachusetts and focuses on domestically sourced waxes, wicks and scents.
• At $82 for 18 votives of up to 15 hours each it works out to about $0.30 an hour, below the 3 x 6 inch beeswax pillars we list ($0.36 to $0.40).
• Votives are hand-poured and finished by its craftspeople, the page says; the box is sold in the maker’s own store, with free shipping over $50.

• Purity rests on the maker’s word. Mole Hollow publishes no test of its wax, and commercial beeswax is the kind of product the 2024 study found adulterated more often than comb wax.
• “Not processed” may mean the wax is unfiltered. We found no residue test, and raw comb wax can hold pesticide residues.
• The outlay is $82, the most expensive sticker price of any candle we list, and the candles are final sale. We found only the maker’s own store selling this box online. Mole Hollow’s beeswax tapers are on Amazon and Walmart, but the votive box was not, and the maker says its candles are sold at independent retailers and gourmet stores.
• Votives need a heat-safe cup, and 15 hours is a ceiling for a candle burned “securely” in one. A single votive burns much shorter than a pillar.
• The marketing says the votives burn “cleanly, day and night, without any smoke”. Any flame gives off fine particles.

Third-party tested

No

1. Mole Hollow Candles Beeswax Votive Candles, 18 Votives: product page. Maker’s page. Price, burn time, size, wax, wick and sourcing as seen on 2026-11-03. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
2. Mole Hollow Candles: Our Story. Maker’s page. Founded in western Massachusetts in 1969, family owned, made in Massachusetts, domestically sourced waxes and wicks, and sold at independent retailers and gourmet stores. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
3. Mole Hollow Candles: FAQs. Maker’s page. Says all purchases are final sale. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
4. Mole Hollow Candles: beeswax candles collection. Maker’s page. Says its beeswax candles are hand dipped and hand poured with pure USA beeswax. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
5. California Attorney General: Prop 65 60-day notice search for “Mole Hollow”. Certifier or regulator listing. No notice names the company. Searched 2026-11-03. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
6. CPSC recall list search for “Mole Hollow”. Certifier or regulator listing. Returned no recalls. Searched 2026-11-03. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
7. Chatzipanagis et al., 2024, Foods: Assessment of beeswax adulteration by paraffin and stearic acid using ATR-IR spectroscopy. Independent source. European Commission Joint Research Centre. Commercial beeswax products (candles, pearls, blocks) were adulterated 27% of the time against 12.5% for honeycomb samples; paraffin was the more common adulterant. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
8. Mullin et al., 2010, PLoS One: High levels of miticides and agrochemicals in North American apiaries. Independent source. 121 pesticides and metabolites in 887 hive samples; 98% of comb and foundation wax samples held fluvalinate and coumaphos. It did not test candles. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
9. Andersen et al., 2021, Indoor Air: Emissions of soot, PAHs, ultrafine particles, NOx and other health relevant compounds from stressed burning of candles in indoor air. Independent source. Five pillar candle types with different waxes and wicks, burned in a 21.6 m3 chamber with fluctuating air speeds. Particle mass was dominated by soot. We read the abstract only. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
10. Rasmussen et al., 2021, Indoor Air: Emissions of ultrafine particles from five types of candles during steady burn conditions. Independent source. Particle number, size and mass were higher in the first hour than later for a majority of the five candles; the authors hypothesize wick additives. We read the abstract only. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
11. Amazon listing for MOLE HOLLOW Beeswax 12 in Taper Candles. Independent source. A different Mole Hollow product (tapers, $16.99 in a search on 2026-11-03). We searched Amazon for the 18-votive box and did not find it. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
12. Walmart listing for Mole Hollow Candles Pure Beeswax 10 in Taper Candles, single-pair gift box. Independent source. A different Mole Hollow product (tapers). We found no listing for the votive box. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

• Big Dipper Pure Beeswax Pillar Candle (3 x 6 in, Natural) A single pillar at about $32 and $0.36 an hour, also sold through Amazon; it describes its wax filtration and wick priming in more detail.
• Bluecorn Pure Beeswax Pillar Candles Raw beeswax from U.S. cappings at $32 for about 90 hours, with its sourcing spelled out.

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