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Are you allergic to paraffin?

Please read this very important information, click here.

 

 

Don’t believe the hype. All of the soy candle marketing techniques are based on scare tactics. Yes, it can be a good candle, but that doesn’t mean that all other candles are bad.

If the national governing body on candles hasn’t promoted this hype, then ask yourself, who is?

Anyone can make a soy candle that soots. Ask us, we can send you one! It is a wick issue and not a wax issue.

We have
“wax facts” not hype!
 

Fact:
Both Soy candles and Gel candles need a much hotter wick than paraffin candles.If you had a 3” round jar of paraffin wax and a 3” round jar of soy wax, the soy candle would need a wick that is 2-3 times hotter just to get it to burn.

Soy Wax versus Paraffin Wax

The Definitive Answer

You will find fact not hype. We give facts not sales pitches.
We site our sources for information.
  • Paraffin wax is toxic. False
  • Soy wax is water soluble. False.
  • Soy wax is biodegradable while Paraffin wax is not. False.
  • Candles made with “natural” ingredients are safer. False.
  • Soy candles do not soot and paraffin candles cause soot. False.
  • Soot from candles is harmful. False.

Source: The National Candle Association, the governing body of candle manufacturers in the United States.

The National Candle Association (NCA)

The NCA is the major trade association representing U.S. candle manufacturers and their suppliers.

Founded in 1974, NCA acts as the collective voice for the candle industry in promoting the safe use and enjoyment of candles, pursuing product excellence through quality formulation, monitoring and responding to issues impacting the industry, and advancing the industry as a whole.

The National Candle Association is widely recognized as the leading technical authority on candles and candle manufacturing. Its member companies account for more than 90 percent of all candles made in the United States.

The following were taken directly from the NCAs frequently asked questions web page:
http://www.candles.org/about_faq.html

Are certain candle waxes better than others?

No. All types of candle waxes perform well, and will burn cleanly and safely when they are of high quality. U.S. candle manufacturers select waxes or blends of waxes based on their suitability for specific types of candles or formulation profiles, as well as their own candle-making preferences.

Is paraffin wax toxic?

No. Paraffin wax is non-toxic. In fact, paraffin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in food, cosmetics, and medical applications. Food-grade paraffin is commonly used for manufacturing candles.

What causes a candle to smoke, and what can I do to correct it?

A well-made candle will create virtually no smoke when burning properly. However, if the wick becomes too long, or an air current disturbs the flame's teardrop shape, small amounts of unburned carbon particles (soot) will escape from the flame as a visible wisp of smoke. Any candle will soot if the flame is disturbed.

To avoid this, always trim the wick to ¼ inch before every use and be sure to place candles away from drafts, vents or air currents. If a candle continually flickers or smokes, it is not burning properly and should be extinguished. Allow the candle to cool, trim the wick, make sure the area is draft free, then re-light.

Is candle soot harmful?

No. The minuscule amount of soot produced by a candle is the natural byproduct of incomplete combustion. 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.

Are candles made with "natural" ingredients or essential oils safer?

A natural ingredient, as opposed to a manufactured or synthesized ingredient, is not necessarily any safer. In fact, scores of natural ingredients are known to be extremely toxic to humans in very small amounts. NCA members are committed to manufacturing candles that use ingredients known to be safe and approved for use in candles, whether "natural" or synthesized.

Is my candle biodegradable?

Probably. Studies have shown that beeswax, paraffin and vegetable-based waxes are biodegradable. The vast majority of candles today are made primarily from these waxes.

Are vegetable-based waxes water soluble?

No. By definition, a wax is not soluble in water.
 

Source: The largest and most respected governing body in the candle industry, the National Candle Association.


Make sure the candles you burn are made by a reputable source with many years of experience in the candle making industry.

Make sure the candles you burn have 100% cotton wicks. We do not use zinc wicks because they produce incomplete combustion. We use only 100% cotton wicks!

Say “no” to wire wicks!.

We use 100% fully refined paraffin wax which is also food-grade paraffin, stripped of all impurities. Our proprietary blend has many natural ingredients in it but we would never make the claim that it is all-natural. We use fragrance oil which is a man-made product. Premium grade candle fragrance oils are made from natural extracts and synthetic ingredients specifically designed for use in candle making.

There are no soy candles that are 100% natural. The fact that most soy candles makers claim their candles are all-natural is a flagrant misrepresentation of their products and greatly misleads the consumer.

Here is why a soy candle can not be all-natural.

 1) Soy beans are processed with chemicals added in to produce the wax-like properties needed for candlemaking.

 2) Fragrance oil is not a natural product.

 3) Beware of all “aromatherapy” claims. Only pure essential oils are considered beneficial in aromatherapy. There is not an essential oil of baked apple pie or buttercrunch.

The EPA, Environmental Protection Agency.

Article: CANDLE BURNING AS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF INDOOR AIR POLLUTION 2001
Summary: The EPA concludes that a well-designed and well-maintained candle emits negligible fine particular matter (PM). There is no mention of the type of wax used, only the type of wicks used. Lead wicks cause poor indoor air quality and were found in small numbers on the U.S. market. Incomplete combustion can cause higher than permitted PM concentrations. Candle composition and design (how well the candle is made and how well the candle burns),  how often the wick is trimmed, keeping candles out of drafty air, and blowing out the candle instead of extinguishing all contribute to indoor air pollution.
Conclusion: Purchase quality candles, purchase candles made with safe wicks, trim candles wicks, keep burning candles away from drafts, extinguish the candle by means other than “blowing” it out.

There is no mention of soy wax anywhere on the EPS’s web site. If Soy wax is “environmentally” better than paraffin, don’t you think they would mention that? Here is the web site: http://www.epa.gov./ and at the top is a search bar. Do a search on soy wax, there are no results.

From the National Candle Association http://www.candles.org/elements_wax.html
Candle Wax Facts

All waxes are primarily hydrocarbons, whether the wax is of animal, vegetable, or petroleum origin. The chemical composition of all waxes used for candle-making is similar.

Waxes burn with a yellow flame due to the presence of carbon.

No specific type of wax or wax blend is considered "best" for candlemaking. All candle waxes - when provided in high-quality format - have been shown to burn cleanly and safely.

No candle wax has ever been shown to be toxic or harmful to human health.

There is no such thing as a soot-free wax. 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.

Neither the National Candle Association nor the Environmental Protection Agency site any of the false advertising claims given by the soy candle makers. There is not one governing body that says paraffin is toxic, or that paraffin candles are bad for people, or that soy is healthier than paraffin. Not one single governing body has provided this information. These claims are falsely made by the soy wax candle makers in a effort to scare the public into buying their candles.

Anything with a flame has the potential to soot, it is not the wax that makes a candle soot it is the improper wicking of the candle and the improper making of a candle and the improper burning of a candle.

Soy wax candles are not 100% natural. Chemicals are added to the byproduct of soy to make a waxy substance and even more chemicals are added for the soy wax to be able to hold fragrance oil. Fragrance oil is not a natural substance, so if the soy candle has fragrance in it, it is even further from being 100% natural. Even soy candles made with essential oils are not “all natural” because the wax is chemically produced from a soy bean. The soy bean does not come out of the ground ready to melt down for a candle.

Sources of soot that the soy wax industry has forgotten to mention:

Fireplaces (soft wood produces more soot than hardwood) but both real wood and artificial logs produce soot, water heaters, furnaces, standing pilot lights, cigarette smoke, incense, cooking byproducts, automobile exhaust, diesel exhaust, garbage trucks, tractors, bulldozers, coal-fired power plants, oil refineries, chemical factories, cement kilns, paper mills, copper smelters, silicates, iron oxide, cellulose and cotton, dirt or clay, pollen and carbonates (typically found in airborne dust), common grease, oil lamps, kerosene lanterns, torches, nicotine, the burning of jet fuel (airplanes), improperly burning or igniting heating systems (whether fired by gas or oil). In apartment buildings near traffic or with below-grade (below ground level) garages, light-colored carpeting may acquire patterned soot stains from automobile exhaust, especially along outside walls and near door thresholds to common halls. Also gas appliances, frying raises many oils above their smoke temperatures causing soot. Anyone living near interstate highways or industrial sites gets lots of soot through their HVAC system. The burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas produces soot. Most of the world's soot now comes from burning biomass. Half is from open burning of fields and forests. Thirty percent comes from residential use of coal, firewood, and dung. Ten percent comes from diesel vehicles.

 

Allergic to paraffin wax?paraffin wax used food industry

How do you manage to eat anything and still stay alive and well? One of the largest consumers of paraffin wax is the food industry. Yes, the food industry uses paraffin wax IN foods, ON foods, and for PACKAGING foods of all types.  It is this safe “food grade” wax that we make our candles with. Paraffin wax is used in most cardboard packaging (insides of milk cartons, yes even soy milk cartons, ironic isn’t it?). It is used to saturate cardboard cartons used for packaging liquids such as milk, cream, orange juice and other liquids that come in cardboard cartons. Paraffin is the flexible “wax coated” packaging used for sliced meats and cheeses, biscuits, cereals, bread, and crackers to name a few. Paraffin is used in the packaging of chewing gum and widely used in the confectionary business.  Plus most fruits and vegetables have an edible coating of paraffin wax on them.

Cooking wax is the same as paraffin wax, which is also known as Parawax or household wax. You can also find it under the name of baker’s wax. Ever use wax paper in your kitchen?

Another large consumer of paraffin wax is the drug manufacturer’s industry. Yes, the prescription drug manufacturers use a liquid paraffin.

Other large consumers of paraffin wax include the cosmetic industry, Crayola crayons, textile production, and yes the candle industry.

We sincerely doubt that the FDA, the United States Food and Drug Administration would allow such widespread use of paraffin wax if it was potentially harmful or if it was a common or not-so-common allergen.

sources:

http://www.fda.gov

http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v50je04.htm

 

Doctors apply known allergens to paraffin strips and then apply these strips to the patient’s skin to do what is called Patch Testing.

Read the article below found at www.eczema.org, specifically page 3, paragraph 2 title Patch Testing.

Paraffin wax (patch testing) is used in allergy testing. Click here for the official article.

It seems hard to believe that the main testing strip for allergy testing would be made from paraffin if paraffin was harmful, or was thought to cause allergies.

 

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Fact: Soy is a serious known allergen, paraffin is not.

Soy or Soya is considered one of the most important food allergens. Thus soybeans and products thereof are listed in annex IIIa of the EU directive on labelling of foods. It is also listed as a major food allergen by the FDA (USA) labelling regulations. Paraffin is not.

source:

http://foodallergens.ifr.ac.uk/food.lasso?selected_food=50

www.FDA.com