Choosing the Right Candle Wax: A Comparison of Popular Wax Types

If you've searched for buying new candles, you might have noticed that there's a few different popular wax types. While each one has their unique benefits and characteristics, they all offer a slightly different burn experience.

In this post, we're going to compare some of the popular wax types head to head. We'll be taking a look at soy wax, coconut wax, beeswax and paraffin wax.

Soy Wax

Soy is a popular choice, arguably the most popular these days, and it's exclusively what we use here at Midwest Glow. There are numerous benefits to soy, ranging from ecological benefits to health benefits.

One of the most notable benefits to soy is that it is all natural and biodegradable. Being a plant based wax, its renewable nature makes it desirable for both marketing and general air quality.

While all candles have the potential to emit some soot into the air, soy wax is also well known for being a clean and gentle burning wax. In fact, its burn time is often compared to paraffin, because soy has on average a 50% longer burn time.

Speaking of paraffin...

Paraffin Wax

Weighing in as the single most used candle wax in the world, paraffin is a wax made from petroleum and coal. Paraffin is used widely by major brands, such as Bath and Body Works, and famously Yankee Candle.

It's known for its incredible ability to hold fragrance and throw it far when burning. It's relatively inexpensive to produce and great for making candles (among other products.) However, these benefits don't come without their cautions as well.

Paraffin is non-biodegradable and responsible for tons of CO2 emissions around the globe from its production. Studies also show that while generally safe to burn with FDA regulations, paraffin wax may release harmful chemicals, particularly in less ventilated spaces. VOC's (volatile organic compounds) such as Toluene and phthalates are common toxins released when burning paraffin, and can pose health risks when inhaled in excess. 

While it makes for strong smelling, and often times less expensive candles, paraffin is often not a choice we would recommend.

Coconut Wax

Coconut wax is in many ways similar to soy, but with some subtle key differences. While both waxes are natural and biodegradable resources, coconut has a higher burning point than soy, which allows it to burn longer and more evenly.

Coconut also holds and throws a scent closer to that of paraffin, making it a tremendous choice for people wanting a fragrance that can fill a room. Coconut wax, however, is not as affordable as soy, which often is a big deterrent when choosing the right type of wax for small candle makers such as ourselves. 

Coconut is found very often as a blend with soy, or "coco-soy" as people refer to it. This gives you the benefits of both wax types, while creating an even more unique product in the end result. 

Beeswax

The last wax type we're looking at is one that everybody is fairly familiar with: Beeswax. Yes, that's the same wax that is produced from honey bees. Needless to say, this is a very natural wax product, with a lot of benefits.

Beeswax produces a much warmer glow, and this can be quite easier on the eyes for some people. It also has a slightly subtle honey scent which can be relaxing on its own, even without fragrance. Beeswax also is a great way to clean the air of any pollutants, as burning it releases negative ions that are odorless, but bind to things like dust and pollen in the air and neutralize them. 

That being said, Beeswax candles are not quite as common as any of the other types. The reason for this largely comes down to cost and specialization. Beeswax is much more expensive than soy or paraffin, making it not an ideal choice for a lot of candle makers. It's also a significantly harder consistency, which makes it more difficult to work with. 

When you find a quality beeswax maker, you can be sure that you're getting a well crafted and natural product. 

In Conclusion

While there are plenty of other wax types out there, and endless ways to blend and mix waxes, we believe these are the most common types on the market today. Hopefully this blog gives you some insight into the pros and cons of each type, to help you make a comparison of the popular waxes and choose which is right for you. 

 

Happy burning!