Bayberry candles are derived from the wax of the bayberry. It is a messy and time-consuming process that produces a wax with a greenish tint. According to Thomas Jefferson's records, he purchased a large batch of Myrtle (bayberry) candles in April of 1791, and continued to repurchase an annual supply.
Benjamin Franklin noted the Bayberry Candle as a distinctly American art while away in London; "I thank you for the Receipts; they are as full and particular as one could wish; but can easily be practis’d only in America, no Bayberry-wax, nor any Brasiletto being here to be had, at least to my Knowledge..."



