2013 Wax Year in Review - A Retrospective of the Top Trends, Vendors, and Scents of the Year

Good morrow my waxy friends! It’s been a long time, and I have missed you all dearly. These past few months have been more crazy than I ever could have anticipated, from a close family member falling ill, to my own health scare and having my first (and hopefully last!) surgery ever, to FINALLY graduating from college! Sometimes when life happens, other things just have to take a backseat. I can’t promise that I will be blogging regularly again because I don’t want you all to be disappointed when I don’t. So let’s just enjoy the time we have together here now, shall we?! =D

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It’s also been a crazy year in the wax world too, hasn’t it? I started getting into wax around late summer/early fall of 2012, and comparing the way things are now to the way things were back then, it’s definitely a different environment. This blog entry is just my own reflections on the general happenings in the wax community in 2013, so please remember that these are just my opinions and yours may vary vastly from my own. I’d love to hear what you think were the significant happenings this year in the wax world too!

WAX COMMUNITY TRENDS IN 2013

1. Perhaps the most significant and obvious (or maybe not-so-obvious) event of the year is the massive expansion of the wax community. New members are joining us every day, each one falling as head over heels as the rest of us with the vast array of scents available from our beloved online wax vendors. Several FB wax groups are up to over 1k members and beyond. I wonder if as many people will find us in the coming year! I am looking forward to finding out.

2. With the ever-expanding wax world, there is also an ever-expanding want for more wax. It is now very difficult to place orders with the more popular vendors, and sometimes even with the not-so-popular ones. Vendors that used to be open all the time like LSC and CFTKR, now are only open at certain times and with a limited amount of stock. Vendors like SMT and RG that even back in the day had to close up shop every so often now have several months long TATs due to the increasing demand for their wax. There was even one vendor whose TAT was reaching the 8 month point that had to close down permanently because there was no conceivable way they could have completed the rest of the orders in a reasonable time frame. Now, please know that I’m not complaining. I will forever order from my favorite vendors, whether their TAT is months long or not. There’s nothing quite as exciting as opening up a long-awaited wax package!

3. Another significant trend of 2013 seems to be the flourishing of Facebook. Back when I started getting into wax, YouTube was where it was at. Sure, there were still several Facebook groups back then but they really took off in 2013. I cannot think of any vendors that don’t have at least a Facebook page, and the vast majority have Facebook groups as well. There are a HUGE amount of non-vendor wax groups on FB also, groups just for chatting or groups dedicated solely to swapping or destashing. I’m not particularly active on the FB groups myself but they are basically the ultimate source for all the goings-on in the wax world today. Not much seems to happen on YT anymore as FB seems to be where the action is. Don’t get me wrong, I still love watching my fav YT wax sistas, but the new wax videos seem to be coming at a slower and slower pace these days.

4.  Also with the expansion of the wax community came a significant influx of new vendors, many of whom are fellow wax addicts themselves. These new vendors are giving some of our tried and true vendors a run for their money for sure!  While no new vendors of 2013 have managed to nab a spot in my top favorite vendors yet, most of the new kids on the block seem very interested in the continuing improvement of their products. I see big things happening for several new vendors next year. In fact, some of the new vendors already have larger fan followings on FB that some vendors that have been around for much longer. I look forward to seeing what new vendors and products pop up in the coming year.

5. Perhaps the biggest trend in the wax world product-wise, is the growing popularity of bulk wax products such as pies, loaves and scoopables. Gone are the days where one scallop or one scent shot will suffice. We want our favorite scents and we want them in mass quantities! Give me scoopables or give me death! Why buy a 4-pack when you can buy a whole pound? You get the idea. These large quantities are also helpful in situations where a vendor is only open every so often and you can be sure to have enough of a scent to last you until the next opening.  I know I’m super glad to have my giant pie of RG’s Monster Cookie Fluff Puffs there so I never have to worry about running out until they open again.

6.  The most heartwarming trend I’ve seen this year is the wax community coming together in times of need for our fellow wax addicts. Sadly, the wax community has been hit with a few major tragedies this year, the most recent of which being a very well-loved member losing her life over the Christmas holiday (rest in peace sweet Jill). But through these tragedies, we will always rise up, by organizing fundraisers and offering our help to people in need in whatever ways we can. There have been several fundraisers this year that have raised several thousands of dollars for those affected by those tragedies and for several different charity organizations as well. Heck, when one of our favorite vendors fell ill this year we were able to pull together and raise enough money to send her days worth of gifts, from flowers to sweets to gift cards and more! With all the drama aside, the wax world can really be an amazing place to not only find people to share our love for wax with, but to share our lives with as well. The wax community is nothing short of a family and I hope we continue to focus on the positive in the coming year.

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Now on to the fun part, the top scents of the year!! Now, if I went with the overall most popular scents ever, it would be the obvious: zucchini bread, pink sugar, vanilla bean noel, marshmallow, serendipity, fruit loops, pumpkin, etc. What I really want to focus on are the new-ish scents that took the wax world by storm this year, the ones that really have stood out to me as the ultimate new kids on the block.

2013 SCENTS OF THE YEAR

1. Twinkies - Without a doubt, this is the #1 scent that popped into my head when thinking about what the most popular scents for the year were. Every vendor has a Twinkies scent along with about 80 billion different Twinkies blends. And for the RTS vendors, Twinkies scents are generally the first ones to sell out, every time. There’s just something about the sweet, cake-y scent that us wax fiends can’t get enough of!

2. Strawberry Satsuma - As far as blends go, this is by far the winner of the year. I am not 100% sure, but I believe this blend was concocted by a fan on the SMT page? Or maybe the VDC page? Either way, it wasn’t long before nearly every vendor started carrying this scent blend on their sites as well. Personally, I’m not the hugest fan of this blend (though I do like RG’s and VDC’s versions) but those who do love it swear that it resembles the scent of Starburst candies.

3. Blonde Moment - This is another scent that is having a moment in the spotlight this year. It seems to have become a staple in most vendors’ repertoires as of late, and us waxies can’t seem to get enough of this fruity, slightly grape-y, and energetic blend. Again, not one of my favorites but I’ve heard that it blends really well with pretty much anything, even zucchini bread.

4. Donut scents - Although there are many different types of donut scents out there, I wanted to include them all together because donut scents in general are really having a moment this year. From CFTKR’s jelly donut blends extravaganza, to RG’s cinnamon-based Dunk My Donut scent to LSC’s spicy, powdered sugar Beignets blend, we wax addicts are always eager to add more donut scents to our collections.

5.  Honeydew Cotton Candy - This is another blend that I believe came to life on the SMT group page. This blend of sweet cotton candy with the fresh scent of honeydew is damn near perfection. Whoever created this blend, I thank you, because my life would not have been the same without it. I am glad to see more and more vendors carrying this blend these days.

6. Circus Concession/Summer Boardwalk - Fair and circus scents definitely saw a rise in popularity this year with the 2nd year of BBW releasing it’s ever popular Summer Boardwalk candle. Each vendor seems to have a bit of a different version of this scent. Some vendors carry the Summer Boardwalk dupe stock oil or the Circus Concession stock oil while others blend it themselves. Either way, the blends generally consist of most or all of the following scents: caramel apple, caramel corn, funnel cake and cotton candy. And they are delicious.

7. Vanilla Butter Fudge - VBF was definitely having it’s 15 minutes of fame more towards the beginning of the year, and though you don’t hear about it as much anymore, I still wanted to include it in this list. With a name like “fudge” you’d expect there to be some chocolate in this scent, but that isn’t the case. It is just a beautiful, rich vanilla scent with a heavy buttery undertone. It’s very versatile and is a great blender!

8.  Pumpkin Pecan Waffles and Blueberry Pumpkin Patch - I am grouping these two scents together because they are both popular BBW fall scents that came out this year. Everyone about damn near lost their minds when these scents were duped by the popular fragrance oil companies. ALL PUMPKIN ALL THE TIME. While I don’t know if these scents will stand the test of time since they are seasonal blends, I do know that they had a huge fan base this fall. Only time will tell what the next “hot” pumpkin blends will be.

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This last section was definitely the one I thought long and hard about, and in the end, I couldn’t just pick one. This category is VERY SUBJECTIVE, so please do not get mad at me if I didn’t pick one of your favorite vendors. It doesn’t mean that I don’t like them or that I don’t think they are awesome. I picked these two vendors by gauging not only how effectively they do business, but also by how popular they are in the wax community. I wanted to recognize the vendors that have gone above and beyond the normal craft or hobby business, the ones that have turned into true powerhouses of the wax world. So, without further ado…

2013 VENDOR OF THE YEAR (it’s a tie!)

Rosegirls - Rosegirls has officially earned itself a spot as the number one elite vendor in the wax community. Whether you like Rosegirls or not, you have to admit that there is not one vendor’s wax that is more sought after than RG - and for good reason. Their wax is absolutely gorgeous. Their blends are unique and well thought out. Their scents are to die for. Their wax throws like crazy. The custom blending options are endless. The excitement in the wax community prior to an RG opening is an energy that nothing else in the wax world can rival. I could go on and on, but you catch my drift. RG has been so successful over the past year that they were able to open a retail store with their goods! Just amazing. Congratulations to Jenny and Kathy for building not only a business, but the most highly recognizable brand in the wax world today. I cannot wait to see what is on the horizon for Rosegirls. I know it will be big.

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Front Porch - Front Porch has turned into the most accessible and most well-stocked company in the business. When I first entered the wax community last year, it was nearly impossible to get my hands on FP products. While the rest of the wax world seems to be struggling to keep products in stock, FP just keeps GROWING their stock day in and day out. I can safely say they are the absolute most successful RTS company in the wax world. There is never a day now where you can’t go onto the FP website and have hundreds of options of wax products to choose from. From grubbies to loaves to scoopables to chunks top candles, they have it all. And not only do they have every product under the sun, their product is fantastic. One ounce of FP wax throws better than most wax I’ve tried. The scent blends are endless. And like RG, with their massive success this year, they were able to open a retail storefront too! Congrats to Angie and team for building such a strong company that runs like a well-oiled machine. I can’t wait to see what 2014 brings!

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And that, my friends, is what stood out in 2013 in the wax world to me. I’d love to hear what were significant moments, products and vendors for you this year! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and I hope you have a great new year <3 I have one more post I’d like to do before year end so stay tuned =)