Part 2

There are a lot of myths surrounding Soy candles. Most of these are designed to sell Soy candles and have very little truth in them. A great example is the great "no soot" myth.  Brands that sell Soy candles love to say that there is absolutely no soot produced with a soy candle. However, there is no truth and all hype to that claim. All organic compounds when burned will emit some carbon (soot) due to incomplete combustion.
Sooting is primarily a factor of wick length and disturbance of the flame's steady teardrop shape. There is no such thing as a soot-free candle.

Further, while soy wax is all-natural and will not produce the thick black soot that you see on some paraffin containers, it does produce soot. An important fact to remember is that not all soot is black. Soot can be a "white soot" that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Soy wax will produce little black soot - unless the candle is improperly wicked, made, or burnt, but it may produce white soot. 
Before you get scared of soot, let me tell you, that soot is in fact not harmful to you. Candle soot is composed primarily of elemental carbon particles and is similar to the soot given off by kitchen toasters and cooking oils. These everyday household sources of soot are not considered a health concern, and are chemically different from the soot formed by the burning of diesel fuel, coal, gasoline, etc. So the myth of "soot-free soy candles" is not only inaccurate, but simply an effort by some brands to scare the general public into buying their candles.

With that in mind, there are some benefits to purchasing soy wax candles. While petroleum-based paraffin wax is a limited resource, soy wax is a renewable resource that is limited only by how many soybeans that can be produced. It is also beneficial to farmers who sell soybean crops, as well as lasting almost twice as long as paraffin wax candle.  However, soy wax is naturally a "soft" wax. While container candles, tea lights, and small tarts may be made entirely of soy, it is extremely difficult to make good pillar candles and votives out of 100% pure soy wax. Additives are used to make them better, but in most cases, paraffin wax is still a much better solution for those types of candles.

In the end, both paraffin wax and soy wax are both good choices for candle wax. Neither is more "environmentally friendly" than the other, as there has never been enough scientific evidence that paraffin wax is harmful to your health in any way at all. It is a personal choice of which type you prefer to use, and both types hold scent and dye just as well. The only benefit that there is in all reality, is that container candles using soy wax do burn longer. And it does benefit the farmers of the Mid-Western United States. However, most other claims regarding soy wax are false and/or misleading.

At Stennah and Hope we help our clients to not only produce a quality bespoke product but feel it is really important that they understand the source of the materials they will be using and how this aligns with their overall brand and marketing strategy – ensuring authenticity in the final delivered product is one of our key objectives. In the next issue, we will be talking about fragrance: synthetic, natural or even organic and how your choice can make the difference between success and failure in landing your product in the market.

Stennah & Hope the bespoke candle maker.