The Best Birthday Candles

LUTER 20 Pieces Birthday Cake Candles Rainbow Color

Color me impressed

This set comes in a rainbow of colors that will look adorable on top of any cake — even a taller one.

Best Overall

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If you are looking for a cute, colorful, high-quality birthday candle this is the best one out there. These tall, thin candles have a tip at the bottom so the wax doesn’t melt all over the cake, and there are two of each color.

These candles burn steadily and would outlast any happy birthday song. You’ll really love the coloring of these candles and you’ll be happy to know they are good for the environment, too. These candles go beyond just birthdays and would be fun for graduations, baby showers, weddings, and more.

Pros:

• Made of non-toxic paraffin
• Eco-friendly and biodegradable
• Silver tips to insert into the cake so the wax doesn’t melt into the cake
• 10 different bright colors
• Taller than “standard” birthday candles so they don’t burn as fast
• Inexpensive

Cons:

• Thinner candles mean they may break more easily

KALEFO Champagne Metallic Long Thin Birthday Candles

Ooh-la-la

This set reminds one of a luxurious birthday by a private pool, with a single candle served atop a slice of creme brulee.

Most Luxurious

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This classy birthday candle pack of 24 comes to us from KALEFO. The flame burns steadily and you’ll be happy to see that you can cut these if they’re too long for your cake.

It would be really cute to mix and match these with other candles to add more variety to the cake’s look, but they’re very elegant on their own too. We can see these being used at all kinds of parties, especially fancy affairs. In-person, the color is more of a gold than champagne, but you’ll love the hue nonetheless.

Pros:

• Non-toxic
• The bright warm gold color is nice and classy
• Biodegradeable and environmentally-friendly
• 5.5-inch candles; the last 1.25 inches are covered to prevent melting wax

Cons:

• Very thin in diameter — maybe 0.5 inches

LUTER Large Gold Glitter Birthday Candles

The passing of time

These gold glitter candles will look cute on top of any cake.

Best For Celebrating Milestones

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If you want to shout out loud how old you’re turning, check out these number candles from LUTER. They are 2.76 inches tall and about 2 inches wide, so they’ll stick in the cake easily without falling down.

The gold color is vivid enough to make you want to pick up a set of these for your next big birthday. You’ll just have to make sure you match the candle size to the cake size.

Pros:

• Sizing means that they stand up easily
• Made of smokeless wax
• Eco-friendly and non-toxic
• In white plastic candle holders
• Easy to light and insert into cake

Cons:

• After burning for about 10 minutes, the wick started to melt

Colorflame Birthday Candles with Colored Flames

Burning up

These candles deliver on their promise to give you different-colored flames, making them a hit with any child.

Most Exciting

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These are the most unique candles we found because the flames actually burn in 6 different colors, which will absolutely delight all the neighborhood kids. This pack has 12 colored candles and holders and promises to burn for 8 minutes per candle.

If you plan to use these on a birthday cake, we recommend turning all the lights off to get the maximum effect of the colorful flames.

Pros:

• Long burn time
• Non-toxic
• Eco-friendly and biodegradable

Cons:

• Some color flames are not as bright as the others

Blulu Spiral Metallic Cake Candles in Holders

Itty bitty

Add a unique twist to your birthday cake with these candles that look insanely adorable atop cupcakes.

Best For Cupcakes

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If you have a small cake or are using birthday cupcakes instead, try these smaller candles. They’re 2.3 inches long and about 0.2 inches wide. They should burn up to three minutes, more or less.

This pack includes 50 different candles, which come in 5-packs, so they can be used many times over. The spiral shape and metallic rose gold color made these very unique candles.

Pros:

• 5 color options
• Holders prevent wax from melting
• Non-toxic and odor-free
• Good value

Cons:

• Burn time was lower than expected

Frequently Asked Questions

Are birthday candles safe to use?

Yes, with adequate supervision and basic fire safety, birthday candles can be safe to use. Be sure to keep the candles away from children and 12 inches from anything that could catch on fire.

What can I do to prevent fires?

Check with your local fire authority for tips on how to prevent fires.

Here a couple of tips:

• When lighting candles, keep all hair and loose clothing away from the flames
• Blow out all candles before removing
• Don’t burn any candle all the way down
• Before discarding used candles, wait until they are fully cool
• Check the packaging to determine how long each candle can burn safely
• Have a household fire extinguisher handy in case of emergency
• Never use a candle around oxygen (for example, in oxygen tanks)

Should I be concerned about lead wicks in candles?

Lead wicks have been officially banned in the United States as of 2003, but they may still be legal in other countries so please check your local standards.