Where are your products manufactured?
Our home fragrance products, including candles and diffusers, are proudly manufactured in Europe, primarily in Spain and Poland. We prioritise sourcing our subcomponents (such as lids, packaging, and wicks) from European suppliers whenever possible to maintain high quality standards and reduce our carbon footprint. However, due to shifts in global manufacturing, certain materials are no longer produced within Europe at scale. In such cases, we carefully source these elements from trusted partners outside of Europe, though they represent only a small fraction of our overall production. Our commitment remains to sustainable sourcing, responsible manufacturing, and delivering high-quality products.
How are the scents created?
Every single fragrance is specially developed by a master perfumer, a fragrance expert who studies the harmony between fragrance notes. Our Product Development team creates a first briefing for the perfumer after researching the destination or concept, sending over moodboards and ideas for notes which could be used to tell the story. Our fragrance houses then develop a number of options, which our Product Developer narrows down or continues to rework with the fragrance house until it is just perfect.
Are your fragrances 100% natural?
No, our fragrances are not 100% natural, as we use synthetic ingredients in addition to natural ones.
Want to know more about why we use synthetic ingredients within our blends? Natural fragrance ingredients — like essential oils and plant extracts — are beautiful and complex, but they often contain many different naturally occurring compounds, many of which are classified as allergens. Synthetic fragrance ingredients are usually single, carefully chosen molecules, so they tend to contain fewer potential allergens as they were developed with this in mind by perfumers. By including synthetic ingredients our perfumers also have vastly more creative freedom to create unique, complex fragrances as the pool to choose from is much larger.
We also choose to use a balance of synthetic vs. natural for sustainability reasons. While natural ingredients come from renewable sources, growing and harvesting them can require a lot of land, water, and energy — and in some cases has led to the overharvesting of plants like sandalwood. Although also not perfect, synthetic ingredients can be produced without impacting fragile ecosystems and can even replicate the scent of endangered plants without harvesting them.
Both natural and synthetic materials can be safe when used at the right levels — and we follow strict safety standards to make sure our blends are both enjoyable and compliant. Any potential allergens are always listed on the product page and product packaging.
Are there product or fragrance samples?
Unfortunately, we do not offer classic fragrance samples - but our mini candles are perfect for testing! They are small and handy and have a burning time of about 8 hours.
Within our trial set "Mini Mix & Match" you can choose five to twelve scents that you always wanted to try! The more minis you choose, the higher your discount!
Feel free to check out our website: Germany, Italy, France
Also, if you don't like any of our products, you can return them in unused condition within 30 days of receiving them.
Where do I find a list of ingredients of your products?
You can find the list of potential allergen or sensitiser ingredients for each product on the respective product page under “More Info" per EU CLP labelling regulations. This information is also always printed on the back of the product box.
The ingredients shown are only the potential allergen/hazard ingredients that must be declared under CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) regulations. These are provided so you can make informed choices if you have sensitivities. They are however not a complete list of every ingredient in the product, as full disclosure is not legally required. We do this to protect our unique fragrance blends from being copied by competitors—while still giving you the safety information you need. Rest assured that all our fragrances are developed according to The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) standards for the safe use of fragrance ingredients in consumer products. Together with our fragrance houses we continue to monitor developments in EU regulations to ensure our scents are always compliant with the latest ingredient limits and labelling requirements.
When are sold-out products available again?
Our product range includes both a core collection and limited-edition releases.
Our core collection features year-round favourites, ensuring our bestselling products are always available. However, some items are seasonal and only offered at specific times of the year based on demand.
If a product isn’t available on our webshop, it may be out of season and will return at the appropriate time. If an item is out of stock, it should typically be restocked within 6–8 weeks.
The product is no longer available in our webshop? Limited-edition products, such as those made with special materials are often available only while supplies last. However, if a particular product is especially loved, we may bring it back in a future release or even add it to our core collection.
If you’re looking for a specific product or have a favourite you’d love to see again, feel free to reach out to our customer care team, we’d love to hear your feedback!
Can I purchase refill packs?
Currently, we do not offer refill packs. However, as the aspect of sustainability is very important to us, we are already working on a concept. Until then, we ask for a little patience. You are welcome to recycle your candle jar (by removing the remaining wax) or the diffuser bottle from the jar and using them as flower boxes, gift boxes with lovely messages or storages for the kitchen, bathroom or bedroom. Let your ideas run wild or check out our Instagram account for inspiration!
Are the products RAL certified?
While our products do not hold RAL certification, we are committed to delivering the highest quality and safety standards. Each product undergoes rigorous testing and quality assurance to ensure it meets or exceeds industry standards. We carefully select the best materials and partner with reputable manufacturers to guarantee that our products provide exceptional performance and durability.
Are our products safe for small children, pets and pregnant women?
We attach great importance to quality and safety and try as far as possible to work only with high quality ingredients, primarily sourced within Europe. All products are safety tested and compliant with EU regulations. It is possible that in very rare cases allergic reactions occur in both humans and animals—please review the allergens listed under "More Info" and on the product packaging to be sure to avoid certain ingredients you have reacted to in the past. We also point out that you should not leave your pets and/or children alone with candles and keep them away from the fire to avoid accidents.
Do you have actual shops where you can buy your products?
For Germany: Yes! You can find our 120g scented candles nationwide exclusively at Rossmann and DM.Since we also occasionally collaborate with small retailers, you may also be able to find and purchase our products in other smaller shops or boutiques in your region. Unfortunately, we cannot currently provide information about their locations, but we are working on making this possible.
For Italy & France: Since our products can be purchased from retailers, you can find and purchase our items in some stores or boutiques in the area. Unfortunately, we are currently unable to provide you with information about their location, but we are working to make this possible.
How do I dispose of my AVA & MAY products properly?
For Germany:
Glass: Candle jars go in the Restmüll*. The jars cannot be recycled in the glass bins because they are made of heat-resistant glass material. However, customers should check the recycling information with their local authorities before disposing of the jars.
We highly recommend giving the candle jars a second life and using them for DIY purposes.
Aluminium / Plastic waste: All the candles have aluminium wick holders at the bottom of the wicks. Follow your local recycling guidelines for aluminium material. In case of room spray bottle: Please separate plastic and metal parts from the spray pump before recycling them. The spray pump parts can be recycled in the yellow/orange bin.
Wood / Rubber waste: Wooden candle lids, diffusers rubber stoppers or wooden rings can be disposed of in the grey/black trash bins designed for residual waste*. Check the local recycling guidelines.
Paper: Remove any labels from bottles. Labels can often be peeled off, or you can use warm soapy water to help loosen the adhesive. Paper labels can be recycled in the paper bins. All the shipment packaging such as shipping boxes, filling paper, and flyers are made of paper and cardboard materials. All these items can be recycled in the paper and cardboard bins as per your local recycling guidelines.
For France:
Our product packaging includes pictograms designed to help consumers easily identify how to sort their waste. Since our packaging is made up of multiple components, each recyclable item is displayed separately alongside the Triman logo. In the pictograms, glass packaging is shown in the second bin, while all other packaging is depicted in the front bin.
For Italy:
All product packaging includes alphanumeric codes to help consumers identify the different materials used and sort their waste appropriately.
Please be sure to check your local municipal guidelines for proper waste disposal.
Do you want to use our products as a gift for your event?
Do you want to make your event even more special?
You can send your request to: b2bteam@ava-may.com describing which and how many products you would like receive. Please also add your destination country in the email object. Please note that we unfortunately do not offer customised products.