Aren't all candle waxes created equal?

In order to better understand the differences in candle waxes, lets first look at your options!

Paraffin Wax started becoming a popular candle fuel in the 1800's and still remains one of the most common types of fuels today. The reason for this is simple, paraffin wax is inexpensive and provide excellent scent throw when your candle is burning. Given this information, what's not to love? Well, did you know that paraffin is a by-product of refining gasoline? That's right, your favorite candle might be made from petroleum and is suspected of releasing carcinogens into the air you breathe.

Beeswax is another very popular candle fuel, even dating back to the pyramids! It is a by-product of when bees produce honey. The wax is excreted by the bees into "combs" in order to incubate their larvae. When the wax is harvested from the hive, it is melted, then filtered a few times in order to remove organic material. Due to it being infused with honey, beeswax has a naturally sweet smell to the wax. This is an excellent natural resource, right? Well to be honest, honey technically food for bees. Once they produce the honey the cover it with beeswax until they need the food, most often during the winter or during drought. Since bees are such an important part of our ecosystem, some believe that taking their food source might not only effect their abilities to survive, but also out ability to grow new plant life.

Palm wax is yet another option for a natural wax. It is made from palm oil trees, which are typically found in Southeast Asia and South America. The good news about this type of candle fuel is that it is a renewable resource! Palm wax has a high melting point, so candles made from this material burn longer and are more cost-effective. Since they are naturally made, they also burn cleanly and don’t send toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. What's not to love about this renewable resource? Candle makers concerned with environmental issues have been aware of the problems with palm wax for many years. Desperate to improve economic conditions, the Indonesian and Malaysian governments have allowed palm producers to ravage the local environment.

"Between 1967 and 2000 the area under cultivation in Indonesia expanded from less than 2,000 square kilometers (770 square miles) to more than 30,000 square kilometers. Deforestation in Indonesia for palm oil and illegal logging is so rapid that a report in 2007 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said most of the country's forest might be destroyed by 2022."

Soy wax is also natural, but it is made from soybean oil rather than palm oil. Most of the world’s soybeans are grown in the midwest United States, where they are converted into flakes and the oil is extracted to make soy wax candles. Like palm wax, soy is a renewable resource, so it’s environmentally friendly and biodegradable. Soy wax is biodegradable and cleans up with plain old soap and water. It has a lower melting point than paraffin wax and because of this, soy candles will burn slower or longer than paraffin candles.

After learning about the pro's and con's of some of the most popular candle fuels, we opted to make all of our wax products with 100% all natural soy wax since it is a renewable resource and is a healthy alternative of paraffin wax!