The truth about the eternal battle for eco supremacy between mineral (paraffin) wax and soy wax
Hello. Black Phillip here. I am currently possessing my human avatar, in order to write this truthful document. The truth is something I am forever searching for and is something I will uphold at any cost. This document will shine the bright light of truth, onto a question I am asked a lot; “why do you use paraffin wax?”
The wax we use (Sasol Container Wax 6213) does indeed begin it's life as paraffin. You probably already know that paraffin is a petrochemical. It is a by-product of creating petrol. This by-product is then bought by Sasol (a market-leading wax company based in Germany) who infuse the paraffin with stabilisers and triglycerides. This turns the by-product into mineral wax, which we then buy from Sasol. The infusion of stabilisers and triglycerides not only prime the wax molecules to accept high and complex scent combinations, but they also negate the petrochemical elements of the paraffin. It is then more of a mineral wax as a pose to paraffin wax, as once Sasol have worked on it, it becomes rich in earth minerals, meaning that it is no longer simply paraffin. It becomes a tangible, usable product, which is used by many scented candle makers, all over the world.
Paraffin has an unfortunate negative stigma attached to it. When people think of paraffin, they think of grubby street urchins in Victorian England, scuttling up and down lamp posts to light/extinguish the flame within. People who had the job of a lamplighter, were usually not very well paid and therefore didn’t have a very healthy lifestyle. I believe this is where the negative associations to the substance, and indeed the burning of it, originate.
I prefer to call paraffin wax “mineral wax”, because it is made of many natural earth minerals. “Paraffin” is the name given to it by human beings. In fact, it was the German chemist Karl Von Reichenback who first coined the term in 1830. So “mineral wax” suits it better, as that is what it is actually made of.
We use the same mineral wax as the companies that we aspire to be the dark version of. True Grace are a huge inspiration to us, and so are Neom. Both of these companies use the exact same mineral wax that we use. How do I know this? I sent them emails at the very beginning, to get a bit of a head-start on candle components!
A lot of people out in the world, think that mineral wax will make them sick if they burn it. But it simply isn’t true. There are carcinogens involved, which are harmful, but these are created by the process of burning a candle in your home. It doesn’t matter at all which wax you are burning – it is the actual burning process that releases the carcinogens into the air. Sooting is the main cause of carcinogens being released into the air – but if you keep an eye on the wick and trim it regularly, sooting does not occur. This drastically reduces the chances of carcinogens being released into your home.
There are some people, some of whom are also candle makers, that believe soy wax to be better for the environment. However, mineral wax has a much lower carbon footprint; it is still just a by-product of making petroleum, that would usually be put into landfill. Soy wax USED TO be a by-product, but it is now actually manufactured in large quantities, specifically for use by thousands of candle makers, who all think they are being “eco friendly” by using it. So mineral wax is still a by-product, but soy wax is being created from scratch, in order to meet the demand for it. This means that mineral wax is by far the better option, for both the scented candle product and the world's carbon footprint.
Furthermore, there are people out there, who think that the molecules of mineral wax are harmful to the ozone layer when they are burnt, and that they contribute to global warming. If any of them genuinely believe this, then I hope that none of them drive a car that uses petrol, because that gives much more harmful gases to the ozone layer, than any scented candle could ever possibly do in it’s lifespan.
Finally, there are those that claim mineral wax is harmful to your skin, if you are unfortunate enough to touch it by accident. But paraffin has been used in skincare products for centuries, so this point of view doesn’t make any sense.
Finally, do you think that I would be able to buy a type of wax if it was dangerous? Surely if mineral wax is so bad for humans, it would not be able to be bought? Or you would at least need a licence to buy it.? There are no such safety precautions in place, because there is no need.
As I hope you now see, mineral wax, which is what we use, is absolutely fine, and it is also the better choice.
Be the thorn, not the flower. Challenge, disrupt and question everything.
This is Black Phillip, signing off and returning control to my human host.
The wax we use (Sasol Container Wax 6213) does indeed begin it's life as paraffin. You probably already know that paraffin is a petrochemical. It is a by-product of creating petrol. This by-product is then bought by Sasol (a market-leading wax company based in Germany) who infuse the paraffin with stabilisers and triglycerides. This turns the by-product into mineral wax, which we then buy from Sasol. The infusion of stabilisers and triglycerides not only prime the wax molecules to accept high and complex scent combinations, but they also negate the petrochemical elements of the paraffin. It is then more of a mineral wax as a pose to paraffin wax, as once Sasol have worked on it, it becomes rich in earth minerals, meaning that it is no longer simply paraffin. It becomes a tangible, usable product, which is used by many scented candle makers, all over the world.
Paraffin has an unfortunate negative stigma attached to it. When people think of paraffin, they think of grubby street urchins in Victorian England, scuttling up and down lamp posts to light/extinguish the flame within. People who had the job of a lamplighter, were usually not very well paid and therefore didn’t have a very healthy lifestyle. I believe this is where the negative associations to the substance, and indeed the burning of it, originate.
I prefer to call paraffin wax “mineral wax”, because it is made of many natural earth minerals. “Paraffin” is the name given to it by human beings. In fact, it was the German chemist Karl Von Reichenback who first coined the term in 1830. So “mineral wax” suits it better, as that is what it is actually made of.
We use the same mineral wax as the companies that we aspire to be the dark version of. True Grace are a huge inspiration to us, and so are Neom. Both of these companies use the exact same mineral wax that we use. How do I know this? I sent them emails at the very beginning, to get a bit of a head-start on candle components!
A lot of people out in the world, think that mineral wax will make them sick if they burn it. But it simply isn’t true. There are carcinogens involved, which are harmful, but these are created by the process of burning a candle in your home. It doesn’t matter at all which wax you are burning – it is the actual burning process that releases the carcinogens into the air. Sooting is the main cause of carcinogens being released into the air – but if you keep an eye on the wick and trim it regularly, sooting does not occur. This drastically reduces the chances of carcinogens being released into your home.
There are some people, some of whom are also candle makers, that believe soy wax to be better for the environment. However, mineral wax has a much lower carbon footprint; it is still just a by-product of making petroleum, that would usually be put into landfill. Soy wax USED TO be a by-product, but it is now actually manufactured in large quantities, specifically for use by thousands of candle makers, who all think they are being “eco friendly” by using it. So mineral wax is still a by-product, but soy wax is being created from scratch, in order to meet the demand for it. This means that mineral wax is by far the better option, for both the scented candle product and the world's carbon footprint.
Furthermore, there are people out there, who think that the molecules of mineral wax are harmful to the ozone layer when they are burnt, and that they contribute to global warming. If any of them genuinely believe this, then I hope that none of them drive a car that uses petrol, because that gives much more harmful gases to the ozone layer, than any scented candle could ever possibly do in it’s lifespan.
Finally, there are those that claim mineral wax is harmful to your skin, if you are unfortunate enough to touch it by accident. But paraffin has been used in skincare products for centuries, so this point of view doesn’t make any sense.
Finally, do you think that I would be able to buy a type of wax if it was dangerous? Surely if mineral wax is so bad for humans, it would not be able to be bought? Or you would at least need a licence to buy it.? There are no such safety precautions in place, because there is no need.
As I hope you now see, mineral wax, which is what we use, is absolutely fine, and it is also the better choice.
Be the thorn, not the flower. Challenge, disrupt and question everything.
This is Black Phillip, signing off and returning control to my human host.