Scented candles have become incredibly popular over the past few decades. Walk into any home decor or gift store and you’ll find shelves upon shelves filled with scented candles in every shape, size and color. While they make a house smell nice and look pretty, traditional paraffin wax candles release potentially harmful chemicals into the air when burned. As more consumers become concerned about their health and the ingredients in the products they bring into their homes, finding alternative waxes may enable manufacturers to create cleaner burning candles.
Paraffin wax is inexpensive and easy to work with, which makes it the best choice for candle making. However, paraffin wax produces significant amounts of volatile organic compounds such as toluene, benzene, acetaldehyde and ethyl-benzene. Prolonged exposure to VOCs can cause headaches, dizziness, loss of coordination and damage to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system.
Seeking healthier wax alternatives, many candle makers have turned to soy wax. As a renewable resource, soy wax appeals to sustainability-focused consumers. It’s made from hydrogenated soybean oil and has a lower melting point than paraffin, so it produces less soot. Soy wax contains no VOCs or phthalates, and it’s biodegradable. The downsides are that soy wax is more expensive than paraffin, The wax can also get brittle in cold weather.
Beeswax is another alternative gaining popularity. Beeswax is a natural wax made by honey bees to build their honeycombs. It’s hypoallergenic and emits no petroleum-based VOCs when burned. Beeswax has a pleasant, honey-like scent on its own, so candles made from it require less added fragrance. However, beeswax has drawbacks too. It’s very expensive, making 100% beeswax candles cost prohibitive for many buyers. Beeswax is also quite hard, so it can be difficult to work with. In addition, the wax has a low melting point and candles may burn unevenly or drip.
Other waxes being explored include vegetable-based waxes made from rapeseed, palm, and coconut oils. These vegetable waxes have the appeal of being renewable and biodegradable like soy wax. Palm wax, for example, comes from the fruit of palm trees and is vegan as well as kosher and halal certified. Each vegetable wax has slightly different properties in terms of burning temperature, melting point, texture and scent throw. Finding the right wax blends enables candle makers to create customized clean-burning candles.
No wax is perfect, so many candle makers opt for wax blends to capitalize on the beneficial properties of each material. Common blends include mixing soy wax with paraffin to improve soy’s brittle texture in cold weather. Paraffin and beeswax blended together raise paraffin’s melting point to produce less soot. Soy wax and beeswax combined make candles that are clean burning, non-toxic and cost effective.
Candle Testing and Certification
Reputable candle makers send their products to independent labs for testing to ensure they meet safety and performance standards. Three key organizations in the United States that test and certify candles are the National Candle Association, UL (Underwriters Laboratories) and IFRA (International Fragrance Association).
The National Candle Association (NCA) offers a voluntary testing and certification program for candle manufacturers. To receive NCA certification, candles must pass a series of safety tests including but not limited to:
Sooting – Candles should not excessively smoke or emit soot when burned.
Stability – Candles should not tip over, fall out of holders, or bend and distort while burning.
Lead content – Wicks, dyes and pigments must not leach dangerous levels of lead into the melted wax.
Combustibility – Candles must be able to burn properly without repeatedly self-extinguishing.
Fragrance and dye retention – Candles should continue smelling and maintain their color throughout the burn time.
The NCA seal assures consumers that candles were made with care using high quality materials and passed critical safety tests.
UL (Underwriters Laboratories), offers candle testing and certification for fire safety and accidental ignition concerns. UL looks at things like a candle’s potential to catch nearby objects on fire if left unattended or tipped over. For electric candles, UL evaluates the risk of sparks, shocks and overheating. Earning the UL mark indicates that a candle meets or exceeds safety standards for its intended use.
IFRA (International Fragrance Association) provides safety certification for fragrances. IFRA scientists evaluate fragrance ingredients for potential health risks and issue usage standards that candle makers must follow. Fragrances approved by IFRA have been screened for sensitizing effects, phototoxicity, endocrine disruption and other adverse reactions. Using IFRA approved fragrances reduces a candle’s irritancy for people with allergies or chemical sensitivities.
The Future of Candle Making
Many consumers want candles that are not only safer and cleaner burning but ethically sourced as well. Beeswax and palm wax, for example, should come from responsibly managed supplier networks to prevent harming bee populations or destroying rainforests. Sustainably farmed soybeans and other food-based waxes are preferable to petroleum derivatives. Cruelty-free candles use no animal products and haven’t been tested on animals.
Technology is enabling candle makers to analyze wax blends and model candle performance at a deeper level. Computer modeling can predict how factors like wax texture, fragrance load and wick type will influence how a candle burns, smells and melts. This takes much of the guesswork out of developing candle formulas. Digital manufacturing techniques like 3D printing allow rapid prototyping of candle molds, wicks and accessories.
Data analytics help candle companies understand customer preferences so they can create the scents, colors, shapes and packaging consumers want. Market intelligence aids strategic decisions about which product lines and fragrance profiles show the most promise. With a constantly improving ability to respond to trends and make data-driven choices, the candle industry can likely look forward to strong growth and robust product innovation in the years ahead.
The popularity of scented candles doesn’t appear to be waning anytime soon. But health and environmental consciousness has prompted many candle manufacturers to reexamine traditional paraffin wax and improve the cleanliness of their candles. Thanks to emerging alternative waxes, wicks and manufacturing techniques, companies today can produce candles that are safer, sustainable and better smelling than ever. The leaders in the candle industry will likely be those keeping pace with the latest innovations and understanding consumer demand for candles that don’t compromise quality or health.
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