What is soy wax?
This post tells the story of the soy wax we use in The Pure Candle Company candles.
What is soy wax?
Soy wax is a natural wax made from the soya bean.
Soybeans are grown around the world.
They are used in all sorts of food products, including tofu.
You might also have eaten young soya beans and not even realised it.
They are called edamame.
How is the wax made?
The soya beans are pressed under great pressure to release the oil from the bean.
The oil is filtered to purify it.
It then needs to be solidified.
This process is done by hydrogen being passed through the oil.
Hydrogen is a naturally occurring element.
The process of using hydrogen to solidify the oil is much like how margarine is made.
Soy wax versus paraffin wax
A lot of luxury and well-known candle brands use paraffin wax or a blend that includes paraffin wax.
So why do we prefer soy?
We love soy wax because it is a totally natural wax.
It is odourless, which means it is great for carrying fragrances.
But by far the biggest plus for soy wax is that it so much more environmentally friendly to burn than paraffin wax.
There are no harmful toxins produced when soy wax is burnt.
On the other hand, paraffin wax candle emissions can be likened to emissions from a burning cigarette.
Not nice.
Paraffin wax is made from petroleum or shale.
Its emissions include toluene and benzene, which are both known carcinogens.
So if you burn a candle made from paraffin wax or a blend that includes paraffin wax, you might be enjoying its beautiful fragrance, but you will also be getting a dose of toxins.
Our soy wax
The wax we use is manufactured in the States.
We source the wax from a company based in the UK.
The wax we use is 100% plant based, so therefore 100% free of animal or insect products.
It has not been tested on animals.
So our soy wax is 100% vegan friendly.
It is sustainable, renewable and biodegradable.
It is free of pesticide and herbicide residue.
Read our post on the 5 big benefits of soy wax for more details.
Why use U.S soy wax?
We choose wax produced in the U.S because the farmers that grow the soy promote the growth of resources, not depletion of resources by things such as deforestation to make room for crops.
They do this by growing soy in a sustainable way using crop rotation.
Crop rotation involves growing soybean crops in rotation with corn and wheat crops, allowing the land to remain fertile.
Use of nitrogen fertiliser is reduced by planting soybean which helps replenish nitrogen in the soil.
If any potential pesticides and herbicides are present, they are removed in the manufacturing process.
This ensures that the soy waxes we use in our candles are free from any of these substances.
Find out more about our candles and how we make them on our story page.