E30: Crafting Clean Candles: Aria Bella Candle is Pittsburgh's Non-Toxic Candle Co.
What makes Arianna Posa with Aria Bella Candles a good neighbor?
The Art of Candle Making has Experiences a Renaissance in Pittsburgh
In recent years, consumers are increasingly concerned about the ingredients in their home fragrance products. On a recent episode of The Good Neighbor Podcast, host Leila Carter interviewed Ariana Posa, founder of Aria Bella Candles, who shared valuable insights about the industry and her entrepreneurial journey.
Arianna's story begins like many modern entrepreneurs – with a desire to chart her own path rather than follow a traditional career trajectory. As a sophomore in college majoring in integrated marketing communications, Arianna realized that agency work wasn't appealing to her future plans. This realization led to what many young professionals experience: career anxiety. Rather than letting uncertainty paralyze her, Arianna decided to channel her creativity and childhood passion into a business venture by opening an Etsy shop selling handcrafted candles. Her fond memories of visiting Yankee Candle stores during family trips served as inspiration for her business idea.
What started as a small side hustle in 2015 gradually gained momentum, with significant growth occurring in 2019 when she expanded into wedding favors. Like many small businesses, Aria Bella Candles experienced unexpected acceleration during the 2020 pandemic, a time when many people were focused on enhancing their home environments. Today, the company specializes in personalized soy candles, offering wedding favors, event gifts, corporate gifting options, and a home decor line. What sets Aria Bella Candles apart is their commitment to non-toxic ingredients, using clean-certified fragrance oils, cotton wicks, and 100% soy wax.
One of the most enlightening aspects of Arianna's interview was her explanation about candle toxicity – a subject surrounded by misconceptions. While many consumers believe that major retail brands use harmful ingredients (which is often true, as they may contain organ toxins, reproductive toxins, and carcinogens), the solution isn't necessarily what most people think. Contrary to popular belief, essential oil candles aren't automatically safer than fragrance oil candles. Ariana explained that essential oils are designed to be diffused rather than burned; when heated to certain temperatures, they can actually release toxic compounds. This is why Aria Bella Candles uses carefully sourced clean fragrance oils instead, allowing customers to "breathe a breath of fresh air" – the company's tagline.
The marketing strategy for Aria Bella Candles demonstrates how small businesses can thrive without massive advertising budgets. Arianna relies primarily on organic social media promotion, particularly Instagram Stories, where she showcases orders and tags customers. She recently began highlighting wedding favor orders and tagging customers, creating a virtuous cycle of visibility. Her target demographic is primarily women in their late twenties to late thirties, especially brides and those hosting special events. Perhaps most importantly, word-of-mouth marketing drives significant business growth, as wedding favor recipients discover the brand through the products themselves, which display the company's website. This organic approach to marketing has helped build a loyal customer base that returns for future events and celebrations.
As a new mother to a six-month-old daughter, Arianna balances her business responsibilities with family life – a reality many entrepreneur parents understand. Despite her busy schedule, she continues to innovate with her product offerings, emphasizing the company's ability to personalize anything from logos to custom candle lines. The company offers wholesale opportunities, private labeling, and various personalization options, making them versatile partners for both individual consumers and business clients. For those interested in learning more about Aria Bella Candles, Ariana directs potential customers to the company website (ariabellacandles.com), social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest @ariabellacandle), or to contact them directly via email at [email protected].
To learn more about Aria Bella Candles go to:
Aria Bella Candles
(412)781 2706
