All about soy wax
Here at Lumos Apothecary we use 100% natural soy wax in all our hand poured candles, tea lights and melts.
Soy wax is a vegetable wax made from the oil of soy beans. The wax flakes used to make all our candles are free from synthetic material and is not blended with beeswax, palm oil or paraffin wax.
The benefits of soy wax
- Sustainable - The soy plant can be grown over and over again so our wax is derived from a renewable and sustainable source
- Vegan/Vegetarian - Because soy wax is derived from the beans of the soya plant it is totally 100% natural
- Cleaner burn - No soot... as simple as that :)
- Biodegradable - The most eco friendly of the waxes, in its purest form the wax is biodegradable. Note: Always dispose of scented wax in accordance with your local guidelines though as the fragrance oil can sometimes be harmful to aquatic life.
- Its got stamina - Because of its lower melting point soy wax candles can burn up to 50% longer than paraffin candles. Value for money right there.
- Its got power - Soy wax packs a punch when it comes to releasing the scent of your candle. Whether its cold throw (candle unlit) or hot throw (candle lit), we've found that it beats other waxes hands down.
- Easy to clean - Our grey candle jars make great candles we have to say. But when they're all burned down you can take a bit of warm soapy water and a cloth and simply wipe the vessel clean to be reused for all manner of things. A potted plant, a desk tidy or somewhere to keep your toothbrushes!
Is soy wax safe?
Because of its natural properties soy wax is the wax of choice for the health conscious candle fans. The most popular large brand candles are made using paraffin wax which is derived from petroleum and contains straight-chain hydrocarbons which combust to release a dark soot which can stain walls, fabrics and most importantly, could eventually lead to respiratory problems. Our candles don't release any of these chemicals but we still advise sensibility when it comes to burning candles as you may be particularly sensitive to certain fragrance oils and some are stronger than others.
So everyone's a winner then?
Unfortunately not. While soy wax is the wax of choice for eco friendly chandlers its not all gravy. The demand for soy based products has lead to widespread deforestation in South America. according to Statista, Brazil alone exported 124 million metric tonnes of soy beans in 2019/20, up from 82 million metric tonnes in 2012/13. For this reason we only source soy wax from sustainable sources who empower smallholders and drive sustainability.
If you'd like to know any more about this then please just get in touch.