I Want to Launch Five Fragrances but Only Have ₹25,000 for Raw Materials — How Should I Divide the Budget Between Wax, Fragrance, Jars, Wicks and Testing?
Share
How many candles does that make? Ninety sellable 200 g candles, 18 per fragrance, plus ten test candles, at a suggested 8% load in CSI 464 and clear salsa jars.
Why buy 100 g bottles instead of 500 g? Each fragrance needs only 320 g including tests. Four 100 g bottles cost less cash than a 500 g bottle for every oil in this plan, which matters more on a fixed budget.
Is packaging included? No. CSI does not sell packaging, so the ₹25,000 here is raw materials and tools only. Your packaging needs its own budget.
What ₹25,000 has to cover
Your plan is a five-fragrance launch, 200 g candles, with ₹25,000 for raw materials. That figure is yours, and this page treats it as fixed: every rupee is assigned, the lines add up exactly, and nothing is left as a vague allowance. Packaging is not inside it. CSI does not sell boxes or labels, so whatever you spend there is a separate budget you set with your own suppliers.
The worked example uses Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464, the clear 200 ml salsa jar, Eco Candle Wicks to test, and five oils chosen to cover different families: Jasmine, Roasted Coffee, Bergamot Amber, British Rose and Eucalyptus Spearmint. A suggested 8% starting load makes each candle 184 g of wax and 16 g of oil. Change the oils and the method still holds; only the fragrance line moves.
Before any splitting, decide the order of priority. Testing comes first, because a launch built on an untested oil can lose more than the oil cost. Jars and wicks come second, because they must match one another. Volume comes last. On ₹25,000, volume is what flexes.
The split, line by line
| Line | What it buys | Working | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wax | 20 kg CSI 464, as 10 kg now and 10 kg after tests | 2 × ₹5,074.00 | ₹10,148.00 |
| Fragrance oil | Four 100 g bottles of each of five oils | 4 × (₹430.00 + ₹390.00 + ₹560.00 + ₹342.20 + ₹354.00) | ₹8,304.80 |
| Jars | 100 clear salsa jars | One 100-pack | ₹2,950.00 |
| Tools and wick fixing | Scale, pen thermometer, large pitcher, 5 stirrers, 3 sticker sheets, 5 wick holders | ₹354.00 + ₹354.00 + ₹708.00 + ₹118.00 + ₹300.00 + ₹118.00 | ₹1,952.00 |
| Wicks | 20 C1 and 20 C2 to test, 80 C2 as worst-case production | ₹118.00 + ₹188.80 + ₹472.00 + ₹188.80 + ₹94.40 | ₹1,062.00 |
| Reserve | Retests, a spare oil bottle, breakage | ₹25,000.00 − ₹24,416.80 | ₹583.20 |
| Total | ₹25,000.00 |
As shares, that is roughly 41% wax, 33% fragrance, 12% jars, 8% tools, 4% wicks and 2% reserve. Those percentages are an outcome of this example, not a rule; a launch in the ₹70.80 matte jar instead of the ₹29.50 salsa jar would shift several thousand rupees from volume into glass.
How sensitive the split is to the jar
Price the alternative before you fall for it. One hundred matte 200 ml jars cost 10 × ₹708.00 = ₹7,080.00, which is ₹7,080.00 − ₹2,950.00 = ₹4,130.00 more than the salsa jars. The reserve covers only ₹583.20 of that gap. The remaining ₹3,546.80 has to come from somewhere real: fewer fragrances, fewer candles per fragrance, or a later second batch. None of those is wrong, but the decision should be made on paper now, not discovered at the checkout when the jar line has already grown.
Why the wax is bought in two halves
CSI 464 costs ₹507.40 per kg in every pack, so buying 10 kg now and 10 kg after testing costs exactly what 20 kg at once would. Splitting protects you: if testing shows that a different wax suits your jar, you are holding 10 kg rather than 20. One hundred candles at 184 g use 18,400 g, which leaves 1,600 g, enough for eight more candles if you later find extra jars and oil.
Why the oil is bought in 100 g bottles
Each fragrance needs 16 g × 2 test candles + 16 g × 18 sellable candles = 320 g. Four 100 g bottles give 400 g, leaving 80 g for a retest. A 500 g bottle would be cheaper per gram for most of these oils, but it costs more cash and leaves 180 g unused per scent at launch. Roasted Coffee shows it plainly: four 100 g bottles cost 4 × ₹390.00 = ₹1,560.00, while one 500 g bottle costs ₹1,890.00. On a fixed budget, cash spent now matters more than the per-gram price of oil you will not use for months.
Why the wick line assumes the worst case
CSI publishes no wick sizing chart, so you cannot know before testing whether each oil will settle on C1 or C2. The ten tests use five of each, leaving 15 C1 and 15 C2. If all five oils need C2, production needs 90 − 15 = 75 more, bought as 50 + 20 + 10 for ₹472.00 + ₹188.80 + ₹94.40 = ₹755.20. If all five settle on C1, the same 75 cost 50 + 20 + 20 at ₹531.00, and the ₹224.20 difference moves into the reserve. Budget for the expensive outcome and enjoy the cheaper one.
How much of the budget is really testing
The test round is ten candles: one per oil with C1 and one with C2. Counted generously, it costs 10 × 184 g of wax at ₹0.5074, which is ₹933.62; the five sample bottles at ₹2,076.20; the 40 test wicks at ₹306.80; and ten jars at 10 × ₹29.50 = ₹295.00. Altogether that is ₹3,611.62, about 14% of ₹25,000. The real cost is lower, because 68 g of every sample bottle carries forward into production and the unused test wicks are reused.
Cost per candle for each of the five
| Fragrance | Oil: 16 g | Wax + jar + wick | Materials total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasmine | 16 × ₹4.30 = ₹68.80 | ₹93.36 + ₹29.50 + ₹5.90 = ₹128.76 | ₹197.56 |
| Roasted Coffee | 16 × ₹3.90 = ₹62.40 | ₹128.76 | ₹191.16 |
| Bergamot Amber | 16 × ₹5.60 = ₹89.60 | ₹128.76 | ₹218.36 |
| British Rose | 16 × ₹3.422 = ₹54.75 | ₹128.76 | ₹183.51 |
| Eucalyptus Spearmint | 16 × ₹3.54 = ₹56.64 | ₹128.76 | ₹185.40 |
A C2 wick adds ₹9.44 − ₹5.90 = ₹3.54 to any row. None of these figures includes packaging, labels, labour, shipping or GST. If you later reorder a best-seller in 500 g or 1 kg, its oil cost per candle falls, which is a reason to treat the first launch prices as your ceiling.
Buy this to test, buy this once validated
Test first, ₹12,359.00: CSI 464 10 kg ₹5,074.00; one 100 g bottle each of Jasmine ₹430.00, Roasted Coffee ₹390.00, Bergamot Amber ₹560.00, British Rose ₹342.20 and Eucalyptus Spearmint ₹354.00; 100 salsa jars ₹2,950.00; 20 C1 ₹118.00 and 20 C2 ₹188.80; tools and wick fixing ₹1,952.00. All 100 jars are bought now because the 100-pack is the cheapest per jar and every one is needed either way.
Once validated: CSI 464 10 kg ₹5,074.00; three more 100 g bottles of each approved oil, 3 × ₹2,076.20 = ₹6,228.60 if all five pass; production wicks up to ₹755.20. That half is ₹12,057.80 at most, leaving the ₹583.20 reserve, or more if an oil was dropped or C1 won.
Where this page fits
CSI already has guides that cover parts of this question. This page turns the product above into a raw-material list; these go deeper on the rest:
Three things to buy for this job
| Option | Price | Status on the October 2026 pull |
|---|---|---|
| 500 g | ₹260.00 | In stock |
| 1 kg | ₹507.40 | In stock |
| 5 kg | ₹2,537.00 | In stock |
| 10 kg | ₹5,074.00 | In stock |
| Option | Price | Status on the October 2026 pull |
|---|---|---|
| 5 pcs | ₹200.60 | In stock |
| 50 pcs | ₹1,475.00 | In stock |
| 100 pcs | ₹2,950.00 | In stock |
| Option | Price | Status on the October 2026 pull |
|---|---|---|
| 15 g | ₹94.40 | In stock |
| 50 g | ₹212.40 | In stock |
| 100 g | ₹342.20 | In stock |
| 500 g | ₹1,593.00 | In stock |
| 1 kg | ₹3,068.00 | In stock |
CANDLEMAKINGSUPPLIESINDIA supplies raw materials and production equipment, not finished candles. This guide separates general candle-making practice from what CSI's own product pages state, says plainly where CSI publishes no figure (wick sizes, burn times, hardness), and labels every wick, load, test count or margin as a starting point for your own validation.
Prices are live CSI prices from October 2026; product pages are authoritative. Where a spec is not published — such as a wick size for your jar, a mould's cycle life or a wax's survival temperature — this guide says so rather than filling the gap.
For bulk quotes, GST invoicing, IFRA and MSDS documents, message us on WhatsApp at +91 7397976926.
Frequently asked questions
- I Want to Launch a Premium Candle Brand With ₹50,000 — Which Raw Materials Should I Buy in Bulk and Which Should I Initially Buy in Small Quantities?
- I Want to Sell Candles on Instagram but Have Never Formulated One — Should I First Buy Small Quantities of Several Waxes and Wicks Rather Than Committing to Wholesale Packs?
- I Want to Sell Candles on Amazon India — Which Raw Materials Should I Choose If the Finished Product May Sit in Warehouses and Courier Vehicles During Summer?
- I Want to Make Candles for Indian Weddings — Which Wax, Fragrance and Container Formats Are Practical for Producing Hundreds of Identical Pieces?
- I Want to Make Corporate Gift Candles With Custom Fragrances — What Materials Should I Test Before Promising a 1,000-Piece Order?
- I Want to Supply Candles to Hotels and Spas — Should I Prioritise Strong Fragrance, Long Burn Time, Consistent Appearance or Lower Cost When Selecting Materials?
- I Want to Make Diwali Candles Several Months Before the Festival — What Raw-Material Characteristics Should I Prioritise for Storage Through Indian Weather?
- I Want to Make a Candle That Retails at ₹499 — How Do I Choose Jar, Wax and Fragrance Costs so Enough Margin Remains After Packaging?
- How Much Does Soy Wax Cost Per Candle?
- Five Fragrance Oils for a Luxury Candle Collection
Customer reviews: The reviews at the top are genuine, published Judge.me reviews — Antara Srinivas Iyer (5★, verified); Dipali Sable (5★, verified); Subhankar Roy (4★, verified); Tina Lynette Lazaro Moganti (5★, verified); Sraddha (5★, verified); Urvashi Patel (4★, verified). Names, ratings, dates and products as recorded by Judge.me.
Product facts (October 2026, CSI live store): Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 (flakes): 500 g ₹260.00, 1 kg ₹507.40, 5 kg ₹2,537.00, 10 kg ₹5,074.00 — 100% soy container wax in flakes · single pour · stated fragrance load up to 10% · stated shelf life 60 months (cool, dry storage). 200 ml Salsa Glass Jar with 63 mm Lug Cap (Clear): 5 pcs ₹200.60, 50 pcs ₹1,475.00, 100 pcs ₹2,950.00 — golden lug cap; coloured versions ₹310.00 / ₹3,100.00 / ₹6,200.00. British Rose Fragrance Oil: 15 g ₹94.40, 50 g ₹212.40, 100 g ₹342.20, 500 g ₹1,593.00, 1 kg ₹3,068.00 — flashpoint 192°C · 0% vanillin · up to 10% soy, up to 6% paraffin · cure 48–72 h.
Assumptions: Fragrance load is a percentage of total candle weight (200 g = 184 g wax + 16 g oil at 8%); CSI wax pages phrase their ceilings as a share of wax weight. Material cost per candle covers wax, oil, vessel, wick and dye only — it excludes packaging, labels, labour, shipping and GST. CSI publishes no wick sizing chart, burn times or wax survival temperatures, so every wick named is a candidate to test. Retail prices, budgets, margins and packaging costs are the reader's own figures. Test counts and loads are suggested starting points. Prices re-checked 1 October 2026; product pages are authoritative.