Candle Waxes for Scented Candles
There are numerous types of scented candle available on the market today. The most common is a paraffin scented candle such as Yankee Candles or Price's Candles. These use paraffin as their fuel and are made from a fast depleting resource, crude oil. Paraffin is a hydrocarbon similar to petrol, diesel and other crude oil derivatives and burns very well (as you would expect). In burning, paraffin releases all manner of toxic substances such as benzene and carbon monoxide. Not good from a health and environmental stand point. More on this later.
Other more natural waxes are available. Soy wax is one such product. It is a natural plant based wax made by crushing soy beans and hydrogenating the soy oil by passing hydrogen through it. This forms a solid wax (at regular temperatures). The remains of the crushed soy beans are not wasted. They are fed to cattle who in turn return the goodness to their pasture. The process of making Soy wax is similar to that of making margarine. The finished product is not too dissimilar either. Soy wax is creamy and soft, burns very well and makes for a clean, non toxic fuel for a scented candle. The resultant gases from burning soy wax based waxes are clean in that they have been tested and found not to contain the toxins and carcinogens associated with paraffin.
Other natural waxes are available. These include palm wax and beeswax. Both of these do suffer from some disadvantages. Some carry their own scent such as beeswax, others are too unstable at room temperature and the remainder are just plain expensive. These problematic issues render these other natural waxes unsuitable for the vast majority of scented candle making.
Paraffin Wax
Paraffin is undoubtedly a fine burning wax. It ignites well and produces a good strong flame. So it should given its origins as a derivative of crude oil. The major drawbacks to using this wax in scented candle manufacture are the sustainability of the resource from whence it came and also the toxicity of the products of combustion in its use. Who would knowingly burn something in their home that the scientific community recommends be used in a well ventilated space? Surely that defeats the point of a scented candle.
The primary reason that the large candle manufacturers continue to use paraffin waxes is cost. Paraffin is typically one third the cost of a good quality soy wax. The increased profits on each candle made sees the large companies continuing to use this product irrespective of its drawbacks.
The toxic and carcinogenic emissions from burning paraffin candles were recently put forward by numerous UK newspaper articles. The same articles indicated that burning soy wax candles did not emit unsafe substances. This is a clear reason for the use of soy wax in scented candles and discontinuing the use of paraffin.
Soy wax
Soy wax creates a wide and deep melt pool in scented container candles. This launches the fragrance into the air. Besides these excellent burn qualities, soy wax is from a sustainable resource, is safe and clean to handle and is carbon neutral. The obvious comparison is wood to heat our homes. As tree is to wood is to heat, so soy wax can be described as plant to wax to candle.
Remaining Waxes
Other waxes such as palm wax and beeswax suffer some problems. The stability of the wax at normal room temperature and the intrinsic scent of the wax can be overcome by costly additives. When these factors are combined with the elevated cost of these waxes and the lack of consistent quality, it no longer becomes viable to consider these waxes in scented candle manufacture.
In Summary
Based on the authors experience and the articles mentioned in the review, soy wax has been clearly found to be the most suitable scented candle base wax. The green credentials, burn characteristics and safety in use all contribute to and support this conclusion.
Background Information
If you would like to find out more about the health issues regarding paraffin and soy candles, go to the Author's website to read the various articles.
There are numerous types of scented candle available on the market today. The most common is a paraffin scented candle such as Yankee Candles or Price's Candles. These use paraffin as their fuel and are made from a fast depleting resource, crude oil. Paraffin is a hydrocarbon similar to petrol, diesel and other crude oil derivatives and burns very well (as you would expect). In burning, paraffin releases all manner of toxic substances such as benzene and carbon monoxide. Not good from a health and environmental stand point. More on this later.
Other more natural waxes are available. Soy wax is one such product. It is a natural plant based wax made by crushing soy beans and hydrogenating the soy oil by passing hydrogen through it. This forms a solid wax (at regular temperatures). The remains of the crushed soy beans are not wasted. They are fed to cattle who in turn return the goodness to their pasture. The process of making Soy wax is similar to that of making margarine. The finished product is not too dissimilar either. Soy wax is creamy and soft, burns very well and makes for a clean, non toxic fuel for a scented candle. The resultant gases from burning soy wax based waxes are clean in that they have been tested and found not to contain the toxins and carcinogens associated with paraffin.
Other natural waxes are available. These include palm wax and beeswax. Both of these do suffer from some disadvantages. Some carry their own scent such as beeswax, others are too unstable at room temperature and the remainder are just plain expensive. These problematic issues render these other natural waxes unsuitable for the vast majority of scented candle making.
Paraffin Wax
Paraffin is undoubtedly a fine burning wax. It ignites well and produces a good strong flame. So it should given its origins as a derivative of crude oil. The major drawbacks to using this wax in scented candle manufacture are the sustainability of the resource from whence it came and also the toxicity of the products of combustion in its use. Who would knowingly burn something in their home that the scientific community recommends be used in a well ventilated space? Surely that defeats the point of a scented candle.
The primary reason that the large candle manufacturers continue to use paraffin waxes is cost. Paraffin is typically one third the cost of a good quality soy wax. The increased profits on each candle made sees the large companies continuing to use this product irrespective of its drawbacks.
The toxic and carcinogenic emissions from burning paraffin candles were recently put forward by numerous UK newspaper articles. The same articles indicated that burning soy wax candles did not emit unsafe substances. This is a clear reason for the use of soy wax in scented candles and discontinuing the use of paraffin.
Soy wax
Soy wax creates a wide and deep melt pool in scented container candles. This launches the fragrance into the air. Besides these excellent burn qualities, soy wax is from a sustainable resource, is safe and clean to handle and is carbon neutral. The obvious comparison is wood to heat our homes. As tree is to wood is to heat, so soy wax can be described as plant to wax to candle.
Remaining Waxes
Other waxes such as palm wax and beeswax suffer some problems. The stability of the wax at normal room temperature and the intrinsic scent of the wax can be overcome by costly additives. When these factors are combined with the elevated cost of these waxes and the lack of consistent quality, it no longer becomes viable to consider these waxes in scented candle manufacture.
In Summary
Based on the authors experience and the articles mentioned in the review, soy wax has been clearly found to be the most suitable scented candle base wax. The green credentials, burn characteristics and safety in use all contribute to and support this conclusion.
Background Information
If you would like to find out more about the health issues regarding paraffin and soy candles, go to the Author's website to read the various articles.
About the Author:
The Author is the owner of Busy Bee Candles, a premium handmade fragranced candle manufacturer. He has extensive experience and expertise in the manufacture of fragranced candles, wholesale distribution and retail sales. Go to Busy Bee Candles or go to the On line Shop.
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