What makes a candle a really good one?
Candles here, candles there—if there are already so many candles from local brands out there, why’d we make our own? It’s because we’d like to share our wonderful and unique blends with you that use the best ingredients available. What makes up most of the candle—the wax—has more to do than you think! So, if you’re thinking about which type you should go for, here’s everything you need to know about wax!
What’s wax, and how does it affect my candle?
Wax is basically the candle’s fuel that mixes with essential oils (where fragrance comes from) to produce aroma. When burnt and melted, wax releases water, carbon dioxide, and other compounds. Almost any kind of oil can be turned into wax, which is why there are plenty of choices when it comes to choosing the types we want for our candles.
Starting with the most versatile and commonly used wax in the market: paraffin wax. If you’ve bought cult-favourite candles from bigger brands, they’re probably using paraffin due to its low cost, accessibility, and ability to achieve a strong scent throw (how well the scent circulates through a space). Paraffin is the by-product of the crude oil refinement process, and though studies regarding the toxicity of this wax have been inconclusive, we’d rather not contribute to the industry. If you don’t already know, all our candles are free from paraffin wax!
The second most popular wax would be soy wax—a natural vegetable wax derived from soybeans. It burns cleaner and is more environmentally friendly than paraffin, but we’ve chosen not to completely use soy as we want to produce our own blend that gives a long-lasting scent throw. How does that sound?
Our wax: Coconut & Rapeseed!
After doing much R&D and toying around in the lab, we’ve gone for our special vegan wax blend which includes coconut-rapeseed and other vegan waxes. Coconut wax is made from coconut oil, and rapeseed wax, a fairly new variety, comes from the seed of the rapeseed plant (also known for canola oil). Here’s why we’ve chosen these:
- Remarkable scent throw: both rapeseed and coconut wax have amazing hot and cold scent throws. Hot scent throw refers to the fragrance released from the melted wax pool (when a candle is lit), and cold refers to the release of scent when the candle is unlit at room temperature. Rapeseed wax also burns at a lower temperature, making its fragrance evaporate slower and more gently, which means your candle’s scent will linger in the atmosphere for longer.
- Long lasting: when wax burns cleaner and slower, you wouldn’t have to change out your candles as quickly. And of course, our candles last reaaaaaaaaally long.
- Good for the environment: As we know, coconut is a sustainable, easily renewable crop that can be found in the tropics within the region. Rapeseed wax is also non-hazardous for humans and animals, making it an ideal choice to be mixed into our wax blend.
Here at Soul Good Project, all our candles are hand-poured in Singapore, made with a 100% vegan-friendly combination of coconut wax and rapeseed wax imported from the UK, devoid of any synthetic accompaniments. We also commit to using carefully selected Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-approved wood wick, as well as unbleached eco-friendly bamboo lids to minimise environmental impact and reduce carbon footprint.
If you’ve loved our three signature scents, we’ll be releasing an exciting line-up of new flavours just in time for summer—keep your eyes peeled! For now you can buy our candles here 😊