Soy Wax Vs Paraffin Wax
Main Story Candles
One of our core values when our family created Main Story was to bring to life clean burning, all-natural candles while using as much Non-Toxic , U.S made supplies as possible. We are proud to say we have been able to uphold this value for each and everyone of our products - To achieve our goal we knew the key to success was in the choice of Wax itself, and boy were there way more to choose from than we first thought!
As we began our candle making journey we experimented with all kinds of different wax choices, eventually settling on a 100% plant based wax, to provide a truly close to Non-Toxic burn as possible. Candle lovers may recognize on their favorite products the seller often lists what type of Wax they used to pour the candle, I can't speak for all brands but many times you may find yourself reading "Paraffin Blend" or "Soy Wax Blend" on even your supposed "All-Natural" candles!
The truth is despite marketing as "All-Natural", with candles that doesn't necessarily mean "Non-Toxic" - Brands that opt to use Paraffin in their candles are examples of this! Even if their blend is only approximately 10% Paraffin, I say "any amount is too much" and once you learn more about it, you may feel the same way!
Paraffin Wax - What is it?
Paraffin Wax, also known as Petroleum Wax is a byproduct of the Petroleum Refinement process, and can also be derived from processing Coal and Oil Shale. The byproduct is then refined again and purified into what is commonly known as Paraffin Wax.
At it's purest quality Paraffin wax still contains roughly 0.5% Petroleum, and though technically Petroleum is a naturally occurring resource, due to its presence in such a popular wax, those with sensitive noses and prone to scent related headaches often have unpleasant experiences when near a candle.
Paraffin Wax is also a popular component in many other industries, and is present in other products like some Moisturizers and Crayons as well as various other applications - Paraffin wax is an extremely versatile product with great applications that helps our society in incredible ways, but adding it to our candles was not one we wanted to participate in.
Lets take a look at the process of manufacturing Paraffin Wax.
Paraffin Wax - How It's Made
Crude oil is the precursor to many different products due to its complex mixture of Hydrocarbons, which results in various sources of fuel when refined such as Gasoline, Diesel, as well as Paraffin wax - Hydrocarbons themselves are essentially rings of carbon atoms, bonded with hydrogen atoms attached to those carbon rings and act as the building blocks for other organic compounds like Methane for another example.
When processing Crude Oil for the purpose of manufacturing Paraffin Wax, the process begins with what is essentially heating these Hydrocarbons and separating them based on their boiling point through a procedure known as fractional distillation - The byproduct of this first initial step creates what's called a Slack Wax which is the first step into forming Paraffin Wax.
The next important step is to then separate and extract the wax from the rest of the oil content, this is achieved by adding various solvents such as Ketone to the mixture while its still heated, then allowing it to cool. Once the mixture has cooled the Wax crystalizes into solids leaving behind only Oil which will continue it's refinement elsewhere.
To extract the wax, the mixture is drained through two separate streams or use of a centrifuge and then distilled to recover the solvent added to the mixture previously - what's left behind is called "Product Wax" which is then refined further with Hydrogen to remove impurities and further stabilize the wax through a process called Hydro-finishing.
Typically the Wax is then bleached for to create it's pale color, and other additives are introduced based on the desired toughness of the manufacturer - Finally you have Paraffin Wax commonly used in various candle brand.
Plant Based Vs Hydrocarbons
Unlike paraffin, which is refined from crude oil, soybean oil is turned into wax through a process called hydrogenation. This involves reacting hydrogen with the oil in the presence of a nickel catalyst. The result? The poly- and monounsaturated fats in the oil solidify, creating the 100% soy wax that some candle brands use.
To improve performance, soy wax is often blended with other plant-based ingredients. At Main Story, we’ve chosen a creamy mix of coconut wax and soy wax—keeping our candles 100% plant-based and free from toxins.
So when you shop with us, you can feel good knowing that each handmade candle offers a clean burn and a beautifully immersive experience that wont overpower your senses.
~Thank you for taking the time to read our story, we hope you consider supporting us in the future and take the time to subscribe to our news letter for more blog posts from us as well as any updates we may have - Feel free to reach out to us and learn more about our family business!