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Our Journey of Discovering the Art and Science of Safe Candle Making
What a frustration it was for our family to shop for candles, perfumes and lotions only to bring them home and have my dear hubby have an allergic reaction to them.
No matter how "natural" or "organic" or "essential" they were, we had the same result. I could do without scented lotions and stick with my one high dollar perfume to keep the peace but no candles? There had to be a solution.
The more I looked, the more I began to realize this wasn't going to be an easy task as by law, candles are not required to have an ingredient label on them. Eventually, I felt that ping from above: Dive in, do the research and YOU make a safely, scented candle.
As you'll soon see that was easier said than done... below are the nuts and bolts of what I found and how our family eventually became the founders of My Atmosphere Candle Co.
Sooooo let's just break it down knowing candles have 3 Parts: Wicks, Wax, Scent. I'll detail each part and show you how we developed the safest scented candles on the market!
Wicks: Many overseas candle makers will insert metals such as lead, nickel or zinc to easily keep wicks upright for mass production. When we began candle making all 3 metals were not regulated. To date, burning lead-laced wicks has now been banned in by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. However, that doesn't mean they don't slip on to the shelves and there are still zinc and nickel that are legal. Hopefully eventually we'll see a complete ban on burning wicks with metals that irritate the lungs, nose and throat causing an inflammatory response at minimum.
1. Until that becomes standard, My Atmosphere Candle Co consistently and diligently sources it's all-cotton wicks from known, reputable, made in the USA suppliers.
Wax: This piece of the puzzle gets quite interesting. In the name of wanting "all-natural" products, much of the labeling of wax on candles has been misleading to the general public. There are 5 types of waxes on the market today: Beeswax, Soy Wax, Coconut Wax, Apricot Wax & Paraffin Wax.
Let's start with the most common wax used:
Paraffin wax is the by-product of gas and oil refineries with potentially severe consequences. Researchers at South Carolina State University found that two harmful cancer causing carcinogens, toluene & benzene, are released into the air when melting paraffin wax based candles. These by-products also release a black sooty residue found inside the candle vessel walls and the walls of lungs and airwaves trapping the coinciding carcinogens there too.
There have been major strides in making food grade paraffin wax usable for candle making. These food grade waxes do not release compounds like benzene and toluene. However, most makers will not note which paraffin they are using in their candles. In addition, paraffin burns twice as fast as most other candle waxes, meaning you will be replacing them twice as fast as other wax candles, which is why they are often cheaper in cost.
My next target of research was Beeswax which is a go-to among "all-natural" candle makers. It comes from nature right, what could be more safe than that?
Technically, Beeswax is 70–80% wax esters. These esters are derived from C12-C20 fatty acids. The remaining contents of beeswax are wax acids (>C20) and paraffins. Esters are formed by a condensation reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid. Your body can ingest them, but burning them can cause nausea and headaches, especially for those who are allergic to fish oils or shellfish… esters found naturally in fish oils.
Desiring to have a non-toxic, allergen prohibitive product, My Atmosphere Candle Co. does not use beeswax.
Soy Wax: Highly popular and generally safer than paraffin wax. Soy wax is procured in such a way that it doesn’t hold those same hormone altering properties found in soy food products. It really shouldn’t even be called soy wax. We don’t call paraffin wax – petroleum wax … because it’s been altered and has become a different compound. So it is with soy wax. The main step in making soy wax is hydrogenation. Yes bad for eating but not for burning. Hydrogenation is the process whereby the poly- and monounsaturated oils are solidified in order to increase the viscosity. This is done by reaction of hydrogen with the oil at elevated temperature (140-225°C) in the presence of a nickel catalyst.
So, yes, it can still contain a small amount of metal residual which is why we do not use Soy wax.
Coconut Wax: What a relief to find out this wax is non-toxic and burns clean! Coconut wax emits zero soot particles and does not blacken walls, or airways nor does it emit toxic carcinogens into the air. In addition, it burns slower and longer than most waxes and is a natural anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, mold remediator! Yes this wax actually emits air cleaning properties as it burns, protecting your favorite spaces from toxins, molds and other airborne assailants to your health. Coconut wax is a colorless and odorless wax made from cold-pressed coconut meat. There is no chemical processing like soy wax. So, this wax doesn't produce soot like other types of waxes. Coconut wax is considered one of the best and healthiest types of wax to make candles.
Big bummer is that this wax is too soft all by itself. Alone, it cannot hold form nor does it hold and a throw a consistent scent. It must be paired with a stronger wax like paraffin, soy or apricot.
Oh Apricot Wax, the little known and more expensive gemstone of waxes! Like Soy wax, Apricot wax is produced by hydrogenation, but unlike soy it is done non-chemically, Apricot wax is cold-press extracted like coconut wax.
We've poured our heart and soul into a long journey of learning, outsourcing and finally bringing the whole process in-house so that we can confidently ensure the highest and best quality possible for our family, friends and customers.
Welcome to My Atmosphere,
