The Rise of Coconut Wax Candles.
Similar to why soy wax candles have reigned supreme in the minds of the candles industry, coconut wax offers users eco-friendliness, plant-based and a clean burn. Coconut wax has been available for industries to use for years but it started gaining popularity around 2015 which coincides with the start of the increase in popularity of eco-friendly and sustainable products. The candle industry needed another wax alternative (besides soy) to the non-eco friendly, cheap, traditional paraffin wax that many commercialized brands were using at the time, and still use unfortunately. Coconut wax is generally more expensive that soy wax, which makes it not the first choice for brands looking for the best profit margins for a cheaper priced brand. Many coconut wax using brands market themselves towards the higher priced end of the candle market. Soy wax also offers the same benefits but coconut wax has been found to offer a creamy unrivaled finish when poured and made correctly. It is also noted that it has a better "scent throw" than soy wax. Its worth noting that the type of fragrance and blends also effect "scent throw". As a candle consumer, it is on you to find out more about the brand you are purchasing from. Candle suppliers offer a wide variety of waxes and wax blends for brands to select from when curating their candles. Many candles are advertised as "coconut wax candles" or "coconut wax blend candles". The issue with that is that many brands are using paraffin/coconut wax blends but they leave out the paraffin wax part when marketing their products! The reasons that candle users want to support brands offering coconut wax is often negated by that same brand using a paraffin/coconut wax blend. Blending paraffin wax with coconut wax is purely for the benefit of the brand and not the consumer. It makes the wax blend more affordable for the brand's profit margin, but still allows them to market their candles as a coconut wax candle. The reason why brands need a coconut wax blend is because it is difficult to use 100% pure coconut wax. The blend chosen can affect the candle's scent throw, burn time, appearance, and other properties. More importantly but less mentioned, the blend chosen also affects pricing, sustainability and the marketing!
The issues candle-makers experience when using 100% pure coconut wax:
- Brittleness - prone to cracking during curing process.
- Uneven Burning - results in tunneling and other issues when used.
- Cost - blended with cheaper paraffin wax (should be avoided by candle users)
- Fragrance load - lower "load" capacity so usually mixed with additives and/or paraffin wax to hold more scent.
These issues are usually overcome by blending the coconut wax with additives and other types of waxes. For some candles brands, dealing with these issues and using paraffin wax is worth it to them in order to have the marketability of coconut wax and the creamy finish that a well made coconut wax candle can have. With that being said, if candle brands are looking for a 100% natural wax, not blended and no additives, the best option is soy wax. During my time researching and deciding which type of wax blend would be best for my brand I went through this struggle of the type of wax I would want to offer. Ultimately I wanted to be able to use a type of wax that was pure, no additives and not a wax I needed to blend or buy blended. Therefore, at Summerfield Candle Co. we only use 100% all-natural soy wax for all our candles no matter the size or container. We decided to take on the struggles of using an all-natural wax in hopes that our consumers would connect with the same reasons why we choose to use a pure all-natural wax. Some candle makers choose to use only natural waxes like coconut wax or soy wax in their candles, even if it means a higher cost or some additional challenges in the candle-making process. Other using a blend of coconut wax and paraffin wax will negate some of the eco-friendliness and benefits of using coconut wax, as paraffin wax is not a natural or eco-friendly material. Paraffin wax is a byproduct of petroleum and is not a renewable resource, making it less sustainable than natural waxes like coconut wax or soy wax. While blending coconut wax with paraffin wax can help to reduce costs and improve some properties of the wax, such as its ability to hold fragrance oils, it is important to consider the environmental impact of using paraffin wax. There are some recommended coconut-soy wax blends that a lot of brands are using but be mindful and find out what the brand is blending their coconut wax with before purchasing.
Examples of a brand using a coconut-soy blend blend and properly disclosing their wax blend, note the description of the candle and the prices.
These descriptions do not necessarily rule out the use of additives in their wax blend but they at least reassure you that the coconut is not blended with paraffin.
Examples of branding/marketing to avoid because I believe that candle brands should not be vague and there is usually a reason for the vagueness:
*brand not noted because I do not intend to tarnish a brands name for the sake of this example of marketing and product describing.