Why Ingredients Matter…

…even in candles

We see it everywhere, on body wash, make-up, and more slogans like ‘new formula’ or ‘all organic’ have become a marketing trend. This is because most consumers are becoming more aware of the ingredients used in their everyday products. This new found awareness emerged in effort to stop using products that test on animals and contain harsh chemicals, additives, and dyes that can negatively impact a person’s health. Although many individuals have begun focusing on what is put on or into their bodies, aside from the scent, little consideration is usually given when burning candles. 

Candle ingredients are just as important as lotion or lipstick ingredients. Some candles potentially emit trace amounts of chemicals that are found within the ingredients of the wax. If the candle you are burning has the potential to cause harm to your health is it really worth burning just for the smell? Most people would say “no”. However, they unknowingly burn candles that have the potential to affect their health. This is because a majority of consumers are unaware that most of the candles on today’s market are primarily made from paraffin wax and loaded with chemical stabilizers to increase the burn life of the candle. Subsequently, many consumers are inadvertently adding a toxic burden to their indoor air quality on a daily basis as a direct result of burning paraffin candles. So, what is paraffin wax and why is it harmful?

Paraffin wax is a naturally occurring material contained in petroleum sludge. Petroleum sludge is a compound that is found from the left-overs of oil and gas production. This means that paraffin wax begins its transformative journey as crude oil and undergoes the refining process to separate the petroleum sludge. Once the petroleum sludge is separated it begins its transformation into paraffin wax. The mixture is bleached, treated, and then processed into a solid state. To put it simply, paraffin wax is a re-refined byproduct of oil and gas production. This means that paraffin based candles are a petroleum based product. But, why do most people remain naive about their candles and fragrances? 

As previously stated, most people are not aware of the ingredients that go into the final product -- this is because beauty and fragrance companies are not required by law to disclose the ingredients that they use in their product. The beauty industry has remained mostly self regulated for quite a long time. However, this is beginning to change. In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began it’s first survey pertaining to safety practices and manufacturing standards. Congress has been debating a number of bills to regulate the cosmetic industry, however, they mostly pertain to mandatory reporting and cosmetic facility registration. Unfortunately, little regulation have left us to our own conclusions, because we really have no way of knowing if the fragrance on the label is a toxic-cocktail or a natural product.