There’s no way to avoid or prevent this, but it is only a cosmetic defect in the candle. The polymorphic nature of the wax means it forms crystals easily in response to time and temperature changes. Lower melt points make soy better for containers, but not as sturdy or stable for applications that require thermal hardiness.ĭespite some popular methods around the industry, it’s better to heat the wax all the way to 185 ☏ before doing anything to it.ĭue to variances in batches, sometimes it’s necessary to hold the wax at a high temperature for a slightly longer time to reduce moisture content.Ī common complaint of soy wax is visual “frosting” – white crystal-like formations on the outside of the wax. Paraffin has an average melting point of 131 ☏ for comparison. The industry average melt point for soy is about 124 ☏.

These factors cause frequent variances in wax, even wax of the same type. Plant health, farming technique, seed quality, and transportation conditions of the crop all affect the wax. Soybeans are a renewable resource, though, so that’s nice.Ĭonsistency between batches can vary, even when the wax falls in the specified ranges since the origin is a farmed crop. You can see that it may be difficult to claim the final product is “100% natural” unless you happen to grow candles on trees. Container – varies in material, if used.Wick – often made from cotton (a farmed commodity) or paper (trees).Fragrance – through synthetic or essential oils.This doesn’t account for the common components of a candle that aren’t necessarily natural either: Components like melt point, shelf life, color, and anything else that makes up the blend.Īnd then whatever amount of required transportation to suppliers or candle makers. Also at this time, chemists apply other chemical additives to refine the properties of the wax so it’s “candle friendly”.

Chemistry creates the solid wax using hydrogenation.

Scientists process the beans using hexane (instead of squeezing the bean… that would take forever) to extract oil.

Chemical processes extract oil from the bean.

These methods may or may not use sustainable energy sources, and some crops ship across the sea for processing. Once ready, farm equipment and trucking/freight transports the crop to processing facilities.

Harvesting and transporting the crops.

Most farms also use genetically modified soybeans (GMO) to increase the quality of oils and improve overall yield. Pesticides protect against bugs, whereas herbicides help protect against weeds.

Planting and caring for the soybean crops.

South America continues to boom as a source of soybean crops, which pressures soybean traders to prioritize soybean traceability to avoid supporting needless deforestation. Iowa has a lot of land already dedicated to soybean crops, as does much of the United States.

The entire pipeline, from soybean seed to candle, involves: Soy wax is only as natural as the full process allows it to be.

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