choosing a soy wax

Soy wax candles have many advantages: an extended burn time, no unsightly black soot, and a reputation as a desirable, naturally-derived product. It’s no surprise that soy candles make up more than half of the candles on the market today.

Soy wax is best for container candles and tealights, but it’s also popular for making wax melts and tarts. CandleScience carries 3 varieties of container soy waxes and 1 soy wax for melts and tarts. So, which soy wax is best to use? Let's take a look.

The main thing to consider is the type of candle you want to make...

In order to choose the best soy candle wax for your container candles and tealights, you want to consider which attributes are the most important. We’ve defined these attributes and the best waxes for each below:

For the majority of consumers, the most important feature of a candle is the fragrance. The strength of the scent of a burning candle—referred to as the fragrance throw—and how well it fills a space depends on several variables, including the type of wax.

Getting a strong fragrance throw with soy wax flakes can be a little tricker than with paraffin, but it’s very achievable when you start with a great wax. These are our picks for best-throwing soy waxes:

• AAK Golden Brands 464
  Our favorite wax and longtime best seller. We use 464 for all of our fragrance testing because we found it produces the strongest scent while burning.
  
  
• AAK Golden Brands 444
  Very similar to 464, but with a slightly higher melt point. This is a good option if you will be shipping your finished candles or selling in outdoor markets in hot weather.

The opaque, semi-matte finish of soy candles is appealing to many consumers. While soy wax is known for often having a bumpy or cratered surface after burning compared to the very smooth post-burn surface of paraffin, this can be a benefit to those who want to be sure they are burning a naturally-derived product.

Another feature of soy wax to note is how well, and how easily, it adheres to the walls of the container once solidified. Glass adhesion is usually only important to those using clear containers.

We can’t talk about the appearance of soy wax candles without talking about frosting. Frosting is what we call the tiny crystal formations that appear on the top and sides of the wax. It does not affect the performance of the candle. All soy waxes will frost to some extent over time, but some waxes are less prone to visible frosting than others.

If you spend the time perfecting your process to make a top-quality soy candle, you should take the time to market it to customers in a persuasive, enticing way. Soy wax has lots of advantages, so use your packaging, web presence, and literature to show your target customers why your soy candles are worth buying. For example, any of the waxes mentioned in this article can be referred to as “all-natural soy waxes.” Here are a few other points you might want to use in your marketing:

• AAK Golden Brands 415
  If you love the appeal of marketing your candles as 100% soy, this is a great choice. You may not find the finish of 415 candles as consistently pleasing as a wax like 464, but the fragrance throw is still excellent.
  
  
• AAK Golden Brands 464
  This wax is made from American-grown soybeans, something you may wish to display in your marketing materials proudly!
  
  

Wax melts are widely appealing and the opportunity for creativity is endless! Best of all, they are incredibly easy to make. With no wick involved, the trickiest part of making soy wax melts is deciding what fragrance to use! Melts and tarts require a wax that is a little bit harder with a higher melting point than container waxes so that they hold their shape and release it from molds and/or packaging easily.

• Ecosoya PB Pillar Soy Wax
  This all-natural, 100% soy wax exhibits very good scent throw, achieves vibrant colors, and releases easily from molds.
  
  
• Blended Waxes Pillar Soy Wax (BW-921)
  This wax exhibits very good scent throw, vibrant colors, and minimal frosting.

Pillar candles can be a little trickier to make but have the added benefit of being used as decor items. Since pillar wax doesn't go into a container, it will need to stand on its own in the hot sun and while burning. Ideally, the wax will need to have a melting point of at least 135°F or higher.

• Blended Waxes Pillar Soy Wax (BW-921)
  This wax exhibits very good scent throw, vibrant colors, and minimal frosting.

• Ecosoya PB Pillar Soy Wax
  This is an all-natural, 100% soy pillar wax that exhibits very good scent throw, achieves vibrant colors, and releases easily from molds.