Theres is a lot of information out there about what is in our candles and the toxicity of burning candles and what they emit into the air in our homes. Non-toxic candles are out there, and they differ in what wax, and fragrance they use, as well as if they use dyes and what wick they use. Some will say burning candles entirely is too dangerous, but if lit safely in an open space and infrequently, I don’t see the harm in enjoying some candle light on a date night, or to get your home into the holiday spirit. Let’s dive into the history of candles, as well as the types of waxes available, their safety and their eco-friendliness below.
History of candles:
Candles have been used for over 5,000 years, to provide a source of light and also for celebrations. National Candle Association goes into a great review of the history of candles, which I will try to summarize for you here! If you want to skip the nerdy history section, feel free to scroll down to the next section!
It dates back to Ancient Egyptians dipping papyrus into animal fat to use as torches and Ancient Romans who were dipping papyrus repeatedly in animal fat (tallow) or beeswax to make wicked candles.
Middle Ages – candles were used as the primary source of light for centuries. During this time period most common households had candles made of tallow – which didn’t smell or burn as nicely as beeswax which the wealthy or places of worship typically burned. Candlemaking became an art and practice in Europe.
Colonial times – After bayberry wax was tried and fizzled out, Spermaceti wax was what came to be in the 18th century with the uptake of the whaling industry – and are deemed the first standardized candles.
19th Century – Big developments happened here – Michel Eugene Chevreul entered the scene, French Chemist studying organic chemistry and animal fats. He isolated fatty acids such as stearic acid which makes up approximately 30% of animal fats. By extracting stearic acid, this lead to stearin wax, and thus stearin wax candles which remain in circulation to this day in Europe.
By 1834, machines came into the game – which allowed candles to be more readily available.
By the 1850s, paraffin wax entered into play, a derivative of petroleum. Chemists could separate it out, it was cheap to make, and it burned well and clean, but melted quickly – so team it up with stearic acid and boom – a nice sturdy clean burning candle.
By 1879 the lightbulb was created, so candles as the primary light source you can imagine, declined.
20th Century – Growth of US meatpacking and oil industries provided a huge source of animal byproduct (paraffin and stearic acid) which allowed for growth of candle popularity. By the 1980s, candles began to take on new life – in gifts, decoration, colors, etc. This is when scented candles started to make their debut. In the 1990s is when new sources of wax were looked into such as soybean wax in the US and palm wax outside of the US.
So are burning candles safe?
Outside of the fire hazards if left unattended etc – what about the content that makes of the candle? What makes a good non-toxic candle? Let’s break it down further: the wax, the wick, the dyes, the fragrance.
The Wax
Traditional waxes since the 1800s:
- Paraffin – isolated from petroleum, coal or shale, inexpensive to produce. There is mixed information out there on safety – some report that when burned paraffin candles may emit Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOCs, such as benzene and toluene and possibly formaldehyde, all known to be carcinogenic or endocrine disrupting. *See note on VOCs below. However, some say the levels are so low that they are recognized as safe. If you want to avoid any risk at all, it could be best to avoid paraffin. One article had a great analogy – when you light a paraffin candle you initiate an oil combustion similar to starting a car engine.
*VOCs are compounds from typically human-made chemicals that are found in the manufacture of paints, pharmaceuticals, and refrigerants as well as found in many household things indoors such as permanent markers, printers, paints, lacquers, household cleaning products, glues and adhesives, among others. VOCs concentrations are up to 10 times higher indoors than outdoors.
What is interesting too – is that the National Candle Association claims no negative health effects, that there are no peer-reviewed studies, and that VOCs are regulated by International Fragrance Association IFRA. There is so much conflicting information out there to sift through.
- Stearin wax – isolated from animal fat as noted in the history above and more recently vegetable fats – this is considered safer than paraffin as well, and is often added to other waxes for enhancing many properties of the candle such as burn time, hardness, melting point etc.
- Beeswax – is a naturally occurring byproduct of the beekeeping industry, has a clean burn, a sweeter aroma, and is sturdy. I’ve read it also helps purify the air, not sure if this is myth or truth yet though need to do more digging! I think it may have to do with positive ions released into the air, will get back to you on that one. This would be, in my opinion, the cleanest wax you could burn!
Newer waxes:
- Coconut wax – from coconuts, sustainable and eco-friendly, considered a non-toxic wax, has a clean burn, carries scent well. Downsides: more expensive than others, low melting point often mixed with soy or beeswax or paraffin for enhanced hardness and increased melting point. One of the most eco-friendly and sustainable options outside of beeswax.
- Soy wax – a byproduct of the soybean industry, has a longer burn time and carries scent better than paraffin, and is considered a safer option compared to paraffin. If sustainably sourced and from grown organically and can vouch for that, soy can be a safe option. However, due to the fact that most soy is genetically modified and goes through extensive processing and bleaching, it isn’t the most natural after all. Soy wax could be tainted with pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, which can be harmful to the environment and traces might be in the wax. The soybean industry is also linked to environmental issues such as deforestation.
- Palm wax – made from palm trees, is considered a safe and non-toxic wax as well. Downside is that it may not be as eco-friendly as one would think – issues such as deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia, make this potentially a less eco-friendly option – you may have to vet where the palm wax is sourced sustainably and RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certified. It’s also hard to source palm wax outside of a few regions in the world, whereas soy wax can be sourced in the USA.
Bottom line: look at the sourcing of the wax, and look for 100% pureness or 100% pure blends - even the so-called “non-toxic” waxes could be mixed with paraffin.. If you’re trying to avoid toxins in candles and choose a cleaner option, make sure you read the fine print! Check out the companies FAQ section, check out their blog if they have one. Truly transparent companies are the ones to go for.
The Wick
Lead was banned in metal core wicks in 2003, so now there are a few different wicks available: 100% cotton, wood, and hemp are the ones I am seeing as safest nowadays – would probably steer clear of the metal core ones that are used to keep the wicks upright and extend burn time, who knows what the metal is if they don’t disclose.
The Dyes
We like to avoid dyes in our food right? Dyes in candles can also emit VOCs similar to the paraffin wax. Let’s steer clear if possible, or perhaps go for plant based sources of dyes, or just go for the festive votive!
The Fragrance
Fragrances are not regulated, can contain tons of different chemicals, and most of all contain phthalates (hormone disruptors!). A small study from 2015 (PMID: 25588193) on scented candles found that certain scented candle products act as potent sources of VOC emission indoors, whether they are lit or unlit even. Steer clear unless they can tell you their fragrances are from high quality essential oils, and definitely phthalate free if using synthetic fragrances. I haven’t doven into the essential oils or oil warmers yet, or which brands are best yet – I’m going to save that for another day!
Some brands to consider for non-toxic candles are below
A bunch of you had great recommendations for me to look into and honestly all of them check my boxes of being transparent with their ingredients and sourcing from what I can see. I also found a couple others to add to the list!
- The Beeswax co: 100% beeswax candles from local Texas beekeepers – nothing else added, just natural beeswax scent!
- The Skinny: 100%: coconut and beeswax candles and essential oils
- Fly Paper Products: soy candles and essential oils, cotton wicks
- Primally pure: soy and coconut oil blend candle, wild crafted essential oils
- Grow Fragrance: 100% soy and coconut wax from USA and 100% plant based fragrance and also reusable votives and cotton wicks
- Fontana: coconut and beeswax candles with essential oils only – and MADESAFE certified to be toxin free
- Snif candles: soy wax and vegetable wax made in USA – scents from natural and synthetic sources but they do note “Our candles are formulated to the same industry-clean standards as our fragrances and are non-toxic, which means no phthalates, parabens, formaldehydes or endocrine-disrupting ingredients (amongst others).” – I have one candle from here so far and like it, although I don’t know what the vegetable wax is I will have to look into that!
- L’or de Seraphine: RSPO certified palm wax, essential oils, phthalate free no dyes, reusable ceramic vessels.
What candle brands have you tried? What have you liked? What else do I need to look into? Wax melts and diffusers were questions that came up – let me know if you’re interested!
Cheers to the holiday candle season!
Xo – Sarah