Having a melting moment - Folk Features

Amee Gollop launched her wax melts business in the Spring. Here she explains how she has gone the extra mile by sourcing ethical and sustainable coconut wax and is even offering a wax recycling service

I have been very blessed to have such a supportive and loving family around me. I’ve always been a hard worker and most of my life I have focused on my studies and academia. The last few years I have started to step away from that professional persona and I am exploring what actually makes me happy, as an individual.

At the start of the pandemic, I felt very lost, and ironically, not due to the looming pandemic. I had a four-month-old baby – and I was desperately trying to balance the pressure of returning to work with my new role as a mum.

The idea for Melting Waxes first popped into my head when I visited my Mum during January of this year. She was excitedly waving around something that I had never seen before. This mystery item was a snap bar, which is a wax melt where you snap a cube off and melt it to release gorgeous home fragrance. I just looked at it and was blown away! It smelt lovely and I thought there was so much potential with this! I could create a high-quality home fragrance solution that was a lot more sustainable than products I had encountered to date.

After a few months of researching sustainable solutions and making small samples I officially launched Melting Waxes in April of this year. I started with product tester packs to ensure the wax melts performed well in a variety of home environments and to get feedback on them. Then in mid-May my wax melts were made available to the general public. So far, the feedback has been incredibly positive. People are really loving the scents available and sustainability of the product. It’s always nerve-wracking putting yourself out there, I am really happy that people are as enthusiastic about my melts as I am!

I’ve worked in a climatic research unit and if we continue to behave the way we have been then the implications are quite worrying. We have such tremendous strength as a community. Small changes, made by each and every one of us, can ensure a positive future for many generations to come.

I’ve spent months researching the wax available on the UK market. It was really important to me that my wax had no links to deforestation, so I decided soy wasn’t for me. I have managed to source a wax that I am absolutely in love with. My wax is made using coconuts; there are no links to deforestation and all the coconuts come from small holders. The farmers are paid a fair wage and provided training opportunities in sustainable practices. The wax is vegan, contains no additives or preservatives and it is specially designed for melts.

I have just launched a wax recycling service that makes my wax melts zero waste. I am hoping to develop this service further. I am also in the process off sponsoring a carbon neutral project and I am very excited about the programmes they fund. Finally, I am looking to expand my range of fragrances to introduce even more gorgeous home scents.