Soy Candles - The Secret to a Cleaner Burn, Stronger Scent and Healthier Home

Derived from the humble soybean, soy wax has emerged as a renewable alternative to traditional paraffin wax, illuminating our homes with a cleaner, longer-lasting, and environmentally conscious glow. In this exploration, we delve into the world of soy wax candles, uncovering the myriad benefits that make them more than just sources of light. From their minimal environmental footprint to the enchanting fragrances they carry, soy candles are poised to redefine the very essence of candlelit moments. Join us as we illuminate the path to a greener, more enchanting world of candlelight—one soy wax flame at a time.

Soy candle benefits

There’s a multitude of health and environmental benefits of choosing soy wax candles over paraffin candles. Here’s just a few reasons to help you answer that burning question of why are soy candles better, and to help you decide which is going to be the best soy candle for you. 

• Soy (or soya wax) is a natural product derived from plant based soy beans.
• Soy wax for candle making is from a renewable and sustainable source.
• Soy wax is biodegradable whereas paraffin wax will take around 500 years to break down and degrade.
• Many people think that natural soy wax candles are cleaner burning as they contain no carcinogens, pollutants or toxins. 
• Another soy candle benefit is that fragrances last longer and stay stronger than in paraffin candles.
• Pure soy wax candles have a lower melting temperature and slower burning time so you get to enjoy your candles for longer.
• Purchasing a soy wax candle may be more expensive but they give you a burn time of around 40% longer than a paraffin candle which makes them much better value in the long run.
• Natural soy candle wax is completely animal friendly, not tested on animals and made of all vegan, plant based ingredients from renewable sources.
• Pure soy wax is a safe vegetable derived product which is used in lots of cosmetics and creams, it makes an excellent base as it contains no major allergens. 

 

Why Are Soy Wax Candles Better Than Regular Candles?

By ‘regular candle’, what I mean is a mass produced candle, made using paraffin fossil fuels from non-renewable resources. You’ll find that all high street brands will use paraffin or a blend of paraffin and soy or another vegetable wax just so they can write that it is a soy candle on the front. Rest assured Wild Venus creates only 100% pure soy wax candles and doesn't cut it with anything inferior, ever!

Using soy wax for candle making is a better choice for the ethical consumer as this renewable and sustainable candle wax places so much less stress on the environmental impact as regular candles by contrast, are derived from fossil fuels, a non renewable and non biodegradable material. 

Soy wax candles are notoriously tricky to master, but once the formula has been perfected, soy candles can offer exceptional and strong scent throws! Even inexpensive soy candles are going to outperform the most expensive mass produced paraffin candles.

How Soy Wax Enhances Your Fragrance Experience

Soy wax candles are infinitely better when it comes to giving you the best fragrance experience. As the melting temperature of a soy wax candle is around 10 celsius  lower than a regular mass produced candle. This lower temperature allows a gentle hot throw of your scented soy candles into the atmosphere. The hotter the candle, the faster the fragrance will be burnt off and with this slow release and slow burning wax, your scented soy wax candle is going to last hours longer than your average shop bought candle.

Not only is your soy wax candle going to give you a longer lasting scent when you burn your candle, but it will last longer even if you don't burn it! Paraffin candle waxes don't tend to hold onto the fragrance as well as soy candle wax.  A top soy candle benefit is that the wax truly binds with the fragrance through a thorough slow hand stirring of the mixture to ensure the wax and fragrance oils are fully combined before it is poured into their containers or moulds.

Wild Venus loves that our candles all have an incredible cold throw as well as a strong hot throw, so even if you’re not burning your candle today, you can still smell its lovely scent. One of my favourite candles for exceptional cold throw is the Thai Lime and Mangoes soy candle. It smells truly incredible, like a freshly squeezed exotic smoothie. If you are not inclined towards a fruity vibe then the Lovely Lavender gives a sweet and powdery route to floral escapism. 

Selecting Eco-Friendly and Non-Toxic Soy Candles

Wild Venus only chooses pure soy wax for our handmade wax melts and candles because it’s very eco-friendly and sustainable, in fact our carbon footprint is so low as our soy wax for candle making is manufactured locally in Chorley which is only 7 miles away from Wild Venus HQ in Belmont, Lancashire!

Not only do we source our wax from local Lancashire suppliers but we also love that this natural soy candle wax is completely sustainable and renewable, unlike paraffin which comes from non-renewable sources. 

Is paraffin wax really that bad for the environment?

I do want to highlight that although paraffin wax used in regular candles is derived from fossil fuels which absolutely does have a detrimental impact on the environment, paraffin is a byproduct of mining petroleum. Paraffin is then a material which would otherwise have been pure waste. Perhaps there’s a space then within candle making that could use this otherwise waste product? 

Are paraffin candles bad for you?

Lots and lots of candle makers will have you believe that paraffin emits toxic fumes, is full of carcinogens and pollutes the air. As part of the ‘green washing’ movement, marketing pure soy candles as ‘clean candles’ and non-toxic soy wax candles, has become a bit of a marketing fad and there isn’t much research which backs up the claims that paraffin creates a carcinogenic environment that is going to give you breathing difficulties.

Using candles whether they’re made from soy, coconut, rapeseed, paraffin or any other candle wax will produce emissions and soot and scented candles will produce more emissions. The chemical reaction in the candle when fragrance is applied is much more complicated and that’s why we see an increase in emissions. However, studies into the air quality when using candles have concluded that the emissions are all well within a safe zone as long as we’re not going crazy, burning a million candles in a shoebox sized space every day!

How is Soy Wax Used in Candles?

At Wild Venus we create simple scented soy wax candles with just a few ingredients, pure soy wax, a cotton wick, a wick sustainer (and stickum) plus fragrance oil. We run each candle through multiple testing phases until we’re happy that they smell great and are super safe for you all at home. 

How is Soy Wax for Candle Making Made?

Soy wax is derived from soybeans, native to South East Asia but are now also grown in South and North America as well as China.

After soybeans have been harvested, the beans are cleaned and cracked then de-hulled before being rolled into flakes. The dry husks are often used for animal feed. Oil is then extracted from the flakes and is hydrogenated. This process of hydrogenation converts the fatty acids into saturated fats which gives the wax a much higher melting point. Natural soy candle wax is very soft and although it's possible to create 100% pure natural soy wax container candles and wax melts, it’s not possible to create pillar candles without an additive to help harden and give a higher melting point. This additive could mean a blend of soy wax with paraffin or another vegetable based ingredient such as stearic acid or perhaps coconut wax which has a higher melting point than pure soy candle wax. 

How to make Soy Wax Candles

Wild Venus creates scented soy wax candles in small batches of around 4-8 candles at a time and the first step is always preparation! This includes making sure the workspace is clean and organised, having our recipes ready to hand, making sure all the ingredients are in stock, wicking our candle jars, aligning the wicks in the centre (tricky) and wrapping all wicked candle containers in tin foil!

Once all of that has been prepared, using a wax melter, we fill this very handy appliance up with around 2kg of wax until it’s heated to a temperature of 60 Celcius. Once the melted soy wax is at the right temperature I syphon off the amount we need for a batch into a smaller candle pouring jug. Then I add the amount of fragrance oil needed for this candle scent and gently stir for a couple of minutes using a spatula or a whisk: this is really important to make sure the wax has fully combined with the fragrance oil.

Once the oil and soy wax has been stirred and I’m happy, then I take our tin foil wrapped jars and heat the outside of them using a heat gun.

Now it’s time to carefully pour the melted candle wax and fragrance into our prepared candle jar. Once the batches have all been poured, then I put an insulated cardboard box over the top and let them cool.

4 hours later, I can then uncover the new hand poured soy wax candles and check for any sinkholes and run a heat gun over the top to make sure the surface is lovely, smooth and glossy! 

Finally, a label is placed on the front and a warning label on the bottom of the soy wax candle which details any allergens in the fragrance oil. 

Best Healthy Soy Wax Candles

Whether you decide to use pure soy candles, a coconut blend or a paraffin candle in a container, pillar or tea light, I just want you to know that the amount of carcinogens and toxins released are absolutely minimal.

Carcinogens can occur with soot build up so it’s worth taking care of your candle in-between uses. 

Hopefully, your candle will come with its wick trimmed at the right length which should be around 0.5 cm. Some more budget friendly candles from high street stores might need a little trim. 

In between burning your soy wax candles, you should also trim the wick to ½ a centimetre. You can either pinch the end with your finger tips or invest in a wick trimmer if you burn a lot of candles. Wick trimmers can be found from around £10 and you can find them in a number of finishes from silver, gold, matt black and probably every colour in the rainbow if you look hard enough. 

When extinguishing your Wild Venus scented soy candle we recommend blowing or snuff out your flame and then replacing your lid to keep dust out of your candle. If you like to have the cold throw scent of the candle when it’s not burning,  I don't blame you… just check the inside for fluff, dust or debris and gently wipe with a slightly damp cloth before relighting next time.

Don’t ever extinguish your soy candle by replacing the lid. This will trap carbon build up inside the candle so the next time you use your candle, it probably won't smell very pleasant! 

 

Where Can You Buy Quality Soy Wax Candles?

When we say soy wax candles we are of course talking about our own wonderful small batch handmade scented soy candles but there’s also hundreds of small candle businesses who put their heart and soul into making sure they’ve created the best soy candles that will be sustainable and deliver a long clean burn and a delightful hot scent throw. 

But I do think that we all talk about what we know best. Wild Venus scented soy candles come in a simple jar with a white lid and have nice strong scents that carry well throughout both small and large spaces. 

There’s a wide variety of scents available in our scented soy candle collection and hopefully we have at least one for everyone! The best soy candles we stock are our clean scented candles! These are our most popular all year round and we have 2 main scents in this category. 

For a classic clean scented candle, I would recommend the Fresh Linen, gorgeous, very strong notes of jasmine flower and that perfectly clean laundry smell. 

Our other clean scented candle is my personal favourite, Frozen Glades, it's fresh with notes of peppermint and watery florals. It smells icy somehow. 

Of course, these aren’t for everyone and another best seller is our incredibly creamy and calming candle, classic vanilla. 

For a smoky and masculine scented candle try Havana Nights or Starry Night,  or if it’s a clean masculine you’re keen on then the clean scented candle Sea Spray is the one for you! For floral scented candles, we have our Lovely Lavender and Damson Roses scented soy candles.

The Damson Roses has a touch of fruitiness to it but it has nothing on the Lime and Mango or Lemon and Ginger! So fresh and invigorating or the opulent and daring Pomegranate Onyx. 

And if those musky, manly, fruity clean scented candles don’t sound delicious enough then I’m sure the Blueberry Muffin candle will have your heart. 

And although Wild Venus have some of the best soy candles from a handmade independent maker you will find, of course do go out, explore and find your favourites at your local markets. I can highly recommend Kirsty who makes the candles at Rowbert which is based in Harrogate, when I need a new candle, her’s are my favourites, or if I need a candle for a lady of literature or a fantasy fan then Devon at Fae Candles has some stunning scents to please. Finally, taking a short trip over to Liverpool is the wonderful Carol of the Candle Collective whose gorgeous pastel candles were born through a project to create scents for her own wedding.

 

A couple of interesting References: 

Measurement and evaluation of gaseous and particulate emissions from burning scented and unscented candles, Environment International Volume 155, October 2021, 106590 . Accessed February 22nd 2024 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412021002154

Soy wax production. https://www.soya.be/soy-wax-production.php Accessed March 5th 2024.