Are Candles Toxic? Do Non Toxic candles exist?

May 25, 2021October 10, 2022

Last Edited October 10, 2022

This is your deep-dive into the candle industry! Everything you need to know and more, candles 101 post; including over 55 candle brands ranked as worst, bad, better, and best! Are candles safe or toxic and bad for your health? What do studies show? Do non-toxic candles even exist? Let’s take a look!

We’re going to look at 4 main facets:

Regulations on candles in general
What’s the health impact of burning conventional candles (scientific studies and all)
Are there any alternatives that are safe “non-toxic” candles? How do you know which companies are truly clean?
Then, I’m going to make it easy for you guys and rank over 55 brands, including many non-toxic candles!! Doing the digging and dirty work so you don’t have to! (but my goal is to also help teach you how to research it for yourself, for those that want to!)

1. Candle Regulations

There are 6 organizations/laws etc that relate to candle regulations:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) -is an independent federal regulatory agency formed in 1972. They have the ability to ban ingredients in consumer products & instigate recalls on products they have jurisdiction over, if considered unsafe. They also administer and enforce several federal laws including the FHSA

Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) -a public law upheld by the CPSC that addresses various fire safety rules including for candle labels

Fair Packaging & Labeling Act (FPLA) -enacted in 1967, directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or FDA (in the case of candles, it’s the FTC) to issue regulations to companies to prevent consumer deception. It addresses specific labeling that would pertain to candles in title 16, chapter 1, sub-chapter E, part 500.7 and 501.7. It only specifies labeling pertaining to weight, height, measurements etc but nothing about ingredients.

The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) -is the global representative body of the fragrance industry. Their standards ban, limit or set criteria for the use of certain ingredients. Candles fall under category 12 which states, “the product types in this category are not included in the Creme RIFM model, and aggregate exposure is not taken into account when calculating the acceptable levels of fragrance ingredients.” (Because there’s no contact with skin.) In other words, there are no set regulations of any kind by them regarding fragrances in candles.

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM international) -They have over 12,000 standards used worldwide in many industries to improve product quality/ safety etc. The ASTM has developed/ published the current official national industry standards for candles. There are 6 regulations specifically for candles that ONLY pertain to fire safety, wick/container specifications, what defines a candle etc. The ASTM Subcommittee on candle products, which includes members of the CPSC, fire officials, safety organizations, NCA etc, worked together to develop these.

National Candle Association (NCA) -The “only trade association representing US candle manufacturers/suppliers that serves as the leading technical authority on candle manufacturing, science, & safety“. This is comprised of big wigs in various companies in the industry. The President is also the Senior Director/ Research Development and Engineer at Luminex Home Décor & Fragrance i.e Candle-Lite. One of THE largest brands of candles in mass retail stores across the US (also Luminex sells food & pharmaceutical DRUGS…not sketch at all lol just a side note there). Their treasurer is Steve Horenziak who is a scientist and research fellow at P&G who manages major research programs there. Not sketch at all. Other officers on staff include Christine Casper, Manager at S.C johnson Co, Daily Gist who’s the Vice President of Research And Development at Newell Brands, Home Fragrance Division (aka yankee candle Co) etc. I could go on and on, but every person on that board is monetarily involved in a candle or fragrance company. Although this IS normal for a trade association to be comprised of industry “experts”…umm conflict of interest much?! I THINK YES. To say this trade association is the biggest JOKE would be an understatement. Just to prove it, in their FAQ section when asked if certain types of candle waxes are better than others they said, “No. All types of quality candle waxes have been shown to burn cleanly, safely and in the same manner” Pssh ok lol That’s the biggest lie ever (we’ll get to the proof on that in our next point) Don’t believe a word they say.

So all this to say, the only regulations on candles are fire safety related or legalities for labels regarding warnings/manufacturer info etc. There are no regulations pertaining to ingredients or how a company labels the ingredients in a candle.

I’ve seen some other blogs claim “they can say 100% soy wax even if there’s only 50% soy” or “as little as 20%”. Well let’s just set the record straight. There’s not even regulations requiring that! Companies can pretty much put whatever they want in a candle, and they don’t have to disclose every ingredient.

The industry doesn’t consider candles to be a disruptive enough product to care about the ingredients inside it. We are 100% going off a company’s discretion and integrity when they are claiming the phrase “we sell non-toxic candles”.

What About Lead In Candle Wicks?

It’s pretty commonly claimed that back in 2003 lead was completely banned from metal core wicks by the CPSC. Metal cores used to be commonly used in conventional candles to help keep the wick upright and to improve burn time.

Lead was such a problem that studies were showing “a child would obtain some 85% to 127% of the provisional tolerable weekly Pb intake (PTWI)” from such exposure of only several hours once per week (CPSC)

However, when you actually look at their regulations, you’ll find it’s only limited to: “The metal core of each candlewick has a lead content (calculated as the metal) of not more than 0.06 percent of the total weight of the metal core”

So lead isn’t technically totally banned but a company does have to put “Conforms to 16 CFR 1500.17(a)(13)” on the label of a candle that contains any lead…however it’s not required on the direct label that contains the candle itself, so in many cases the consumer will never even see it.

This is all ironic to me because they also claim, “The Commission estimates that the ban will reduce the potential for exposure to lead and resulting lead poisoning because there is no “safe” level of lead in the blood”. Which begs the question, why not just ban lead altogether then in the candle cores?

I wasn’t able to find any study even testing for lead in candles since 2003, but no known reports exist for unsafe levels found since then. Additionally, I will say after looking into the ingredients of hundreds of candles now, that I haven’t found a single candle that uses a metal core in their wick anymore.

2. What’s wrong with conventional candles? Are candles toxic?

The main dangers/concerns are the emitted levels of:

VOC’s (volatile organic compounds such as formaldehyde, benzene, toluene etc)
PAH’s (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)
PM (particulate matter aka soot)
undisclosed fragrance ingredients

What are the health risks?

VOC’s cause “eyes, nose and throat irritation, shortness of breath, headaches, fatigue, nausea, dizziness and skin problems. Higher concentrations may cause irritation of the lungs, as well as damage to the liver, kidney, or central nervous system and cancer” (EPA)

“Studies show that certain PAH metabolites interact with DNA and are genotoxic, causing malignancies and heritable genetic damage in humans….long term exposure to mixtures of PAHs entails a substantial risk of lung, skin, or bladder cancer” (CDC)

Long term exposure to PM includes “respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity, such as aggravation of asthma, respiratory symptoms and an increase in hospital admissions, mortality from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and from lung cancer.” (WHO)

Terminology Nit-picking: Many people in the “clean living world” over simplify this by saying “candles are toxic” or “they release toxic chemicals”. Because “toxic” has no set definition, it’s become quite the catch all greenwashing term that can mean literally anything or different things to different people. If you’re looking for an easy phrase to explain more specifically why they are harmful it can be summarized as,

“candles emit various chemicals that lower the indoor air quality.”

The more advanced ad-on

”…thus increasing your chances of hitting various toxicity thresholds that your body is able to be exposed to/withstand/ or detox out. Many of these chemicals emitted don’t even have defined “safe thresholds” to begin with.”

A Note About VOC’s in General:

I want to clarify here that not all VOC’s are created equal, or are equally harmful. VOC really just means anything that emits an odor. Technically essential oils can be classified as emiting VOC’s. (more on that below when we discuss “non-toxic” candles)

So what does this mean In Terms of Candles?

Let’s break it down. It is a universally accepted fact that indoor air quality is vastly worse than outdoor air (even in a city). “Studies on indoor air quality suggest that, within the home, people are exposed to high levels of numerous pollutants. Of particular concern are the levels of PAH and VOC’s because many of these are known carcinogens.” (Spaeth 2000)

Many factors go into increased indoor air pollution such as gas stoves, building materials (e.g. wallpaper, flooring types, paint, glues, particle board etc), dust & dirt, furniture (especially fabric ones like couches etc) and more! “VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products numbering in the thousands” (EPA)

Now, there are various organizations such as the WHO, OSHA, EPA etc that set what’s called a “toxicity threshold” for various chemicals that a human can safely be exposed to on a daily basis…but here’s the problem, many of the emitted chemicals don’t even have a recognized safe level OR the various standards differ drastically from each other OR they haven’t been updated in 30 years! Lol

When a candle is burned, due to incomplete combustion (or not burning “cleanly”), it releases various chemicals/gases into the air, therefore polluting it. One study found “68 reference compounds were detected in addition to our 24 target compounds by the ST–TD–GC/MS. These identified compounds include, but are not limited to, various aldehydes, hydrocarbons, and alcohols. A number of PAHs identified as carcinogens (e.g., naphthalene, anthrancene, and pyrene) were also observed” (Jeong-Hyeon Ahn et al. 2015)

So what’s the real risk? What do studies show? Are candles “toxic” and actually bad for you?

It’s complicated. The “body of evidence” (the majority/summary of what studies show) would say no, all candles are “non-toxic candles”…even though there are a vast amount of studies with mixed results or opposing ones. Here’s some examples:

“Scented candles may emit plenty of biologically active substances that are inhaled and gradually accumulate in urine, analogously to compounds found within tobacco smoke. Concentrations of pollutants measured indoor during burning of scented candles, exceeded background concentrations indicating that the candles were the source of contamination. Also, dyes containing benzidine which is associated with urothelial cancer development are still used to color candle waxes. (Adamowicz et al. Cancer Prev Res 2019)

“The concentration of benzopyrene, described by the EPA as one of the most mutagenic & genotoxic aromatic hydrocarbons, emitted by burned scented candle indoor may reach about 40% of the recommended value”

“Among tested scented candles there was usually one in each report which emitted VOC exceeding legal values in terms of at least one pollutant (benzopyrene, chrysene, etc)”

“It has been found that the BTEX and PAHs emission factors show large differences in similar candles without any clear correlations.” (M. Derudi et al. 2012)

One study even showed VOC emission from candles to be continually polluting the air even when the candles weren’t lit!

“in terms of TVOC (ppbC), the highest concentrations were observed from the KW product with their values of 12,742 (on) and 2766 ppbC (off). As such, the results suggest that certain scented candle products should act as potent sources of VOC emission in indoor environment, regardless of conditions–whether being lit or not. The concentration of Formaldehyde in three samples exceeded the WHO and EU criteria considerably ” (John E Heinze et al.2016)

“Paraffin wax with fragrance candles ranged anywhere roughly from 10-323.50 ug/m3 in formaldehyde emission” (Petry et al. 2014) (the most generous guidelines are 100 btw)

“Burning several candles exceeded the US EPA’s 10−6 increased risk for cancer for acetaldehyde and formaldehyde, and exceeded the Reference Concentration (RfC) for acrolein.” (S.C Lee, B. Wang 2005)

“Most of researches…indicate that results should be critically interpreted and further research is necessary due to current methodology limitations” (Adamowicz et al. 2019)

*(all studies mentioned above are from peer reviewed journals)

So, as you can see above from the various studies, not so cut and dry.

Here are the main problems with the studies we have now on candles :

candle brands used in the studies are almost never mentioned (I could only find 1 study that did) & ingredients outside of just the wax type & if it’s scented with fragrance or not are never looked into more
the amount of emissions of the various chemicals varied GREATLY… even among the same combo of ingredients (e.g paraffin w/ synthetic fragrance)
“as no validated standardized protocol for the measurement of candle emissions is available, the…investigations differ in conditions & test set-up, making it difficult to compare & estimate consumer exposure on the basis of the presented data” (Petry 2014) There needs to be a study testing urine samples! A lot of studies go into how much is being emitted, but not so much on what is actually getting inside of our bodies!
there are so many different standards for levels, so what they compare the emissions to to determine safety will differ each study! It’s like comparing apples to oranges each time because the standard changes every time!
they never take into consideration aggregate exposure from other products also emitting these VOC, PAH etc!! (which, granted would be nearly impossible to do)

Deciphering the “Body of Evidence” when It Comes to “Toxic” or “Non-toxic” Candles

I quoted Petry a few times above so I’m going to use his work as my main example since he’s cited among many in the “scientific community” for why candles are fine. He did a large compilation study analyzing 3 publications (including one of his own) that concluded candles are safe. (Petry T, Vitale D, Joachim FJ, et al. Human health risk evaluation of selected VOC, SVOC and particulate emissions from scented candles)

It’s worth noting that Petry worked as a head scientist at P&G & a director at The Weinberg Group (a ProPharma company) & when you dig a little on the colleagues that cowrote this paper with him, you’ll find a few work for P&G & S.C Johnson and that funding in part came from those companies as well for these studies.

All these studies that say it’s fine also use varying standards to evaluate the safety. Petry himself says, “Regulatory indoor air guideline values are not available for the volatile fragrance materials considered in this investigation” …so they have to make them up!
Plus the guidelines vary greatly (e.g WHO formaldehyde is 100 ug/m3 & EU is 30) so how can you possibly determine true safety with that wide a gap!?
They also contradict themselves all the time! WHO has a guideline set at .17ug/m3 for benzene but then states in that same official guideline document that, “there is no known exposure threshold for the risks of benzene exposure. Therefore, from a practical standpoint, it is expedient to reduce indoor exposure levels to as low as possible”
None of these studies have EVER taken into consideration aggregate exposure of other emitting products or materials in the home when determining safety. Granted that would be difficult, but that needs to be accounted for when determining safety

Again, not so cut and dry! And this is why even when scientists and “professionals” claim that “because the body of evidence says it’s safe, it’s fine!” I DON’T JUST AUTOMATICALLY TRUST THAT!! It’s never that black and white!

What Was NOT Debated in the various studies on candles…

it was certain that gel, paraffin & palm wax candles DID omit several VOC’s to some degree…just to what levels & are those levels safe or not was what was debated on
across the board formaldehyde was the highest emitting VOC (especially in scented candles)
it’s agreed upon that it’s significantly worse when burned in smaller rooms with less ventilation (e.g bathrooms etc), when more than one candle is burned at once (the more candles burned the exponential increase of indoor pollution), & that burning for longer periods of time increases soot especially (PM)
in order of worst (emitting highest amounts of everything) to cleanest burning it was consistently: gel wax (worst), paraffin & palm wax, soy wax, then beeswax (cleanest burning).
Non scented candles always burned cleaner then those with fragrances added
soywax & beeswax candles always burned the cleanest in every study however it’s worth noting that it still emitted some VOC’s & PM at minuscule amounts “formaldehyde was detected at levels similar to or slightly higher than that of the blank, but its presence could not be confidently associated with the combustion of these waxes”(Rezaei 2002)
scientists agree there needs to be studies done in vivo to see what effect it really has on the human body (e.g testing urine) because right now there aren’t any

3. So Is There Such A Thing As Safe Candle Alternatives/”non-toxic” Candles? If so, what are they?

The most common wax alternatives are:

soywax
beeswax
coconut wax

Let’s talk about each as used in non-toxic candles:

Soywax:

The most common alternative in non-toxic candles because it holds scents the best, but debated in the “clean living world” for whether or not it’s truly cleaner. So here’s everything you need to know about soy wax…

all studies did consistently show soy wax to burn cleaner than the conventional waxes, however there are very few studies in general that study soy wax on it’s own and no studies whatsoever comparing quality of soy wax. It’s also worth mentioning here that when compared to beeswax, beeswax always burned even cleaner then soy. (Here’s one example)
there was not one study I could find linking the burning of a soy wax candle to endocrine disruption. (Which is also debated whether or not soy actually does by the way) If you’d rather be safe & avoid it then do you, but it’s HIGHLY unlikely for soy in this form when inhaled to be able to alter hormone levels…(let me know if you know of a study that does link it tho!)
soy wax is derived from soybeans but there’s quite the chemically treated process typically before it becomes a candle…the beans are harvested, cleaned, cracked, de-hulled, & rolled into flakes. The oil is then extracted from the flakes; separated from the solid components by solvent extraction (often by the chemical hexane) or by mechanical pressing, hydrogenated, then refined & bleached w/chlorine (sometimes also deodorized)
All soy wax is going to be GMO and that’s never been studied before in relation to candles and the potential harmful effects!…every industry expert, candle maker, or vendor I’ve talked to on this topic have all said its actually impossible to get true non GMO soy because all non GMO soy goes straight to the food industry because of lack of supply and wouldn’t be wasted for candles. There were 2 candle companies I researched that originally claimed to be “non GMO” soy, but after pressing them on it, they found that their supplier never gave them any documentation proving it and/or refused to. Legit suppliers will always provide documentation.
eco friendly wise, this is the least sustainable alternative for non-toxic candles (there’s a lot to this that would go down a whole rabbit trail that would take too long to explain, but feel free to explore that one yourself!)

For these reasons of the beeswax outperforming the soy in studies and the unexplored GMO aspect, I’d consider soy wax an overall better option for sure, but not the very best.

For cleanest burning soy, make sure to ask the company if their soy is:

not treated with any chemicals (like hexane or bleach/chlorine etc)
and ask how they clean it

Beeswax:

In my opinion, the cleanest burning because there’s not as much of a process to get it from point of harvesting, to wax form. (also, all studies that test beeswax confirm that!) Here’s everything you need to know…

there are different places to harvest wax in a beehive but the highest quality & most common is the super (collected from the top and has the brightest yellow color)
studies showed beeswax to produce the least amount of soot (even compared to soy wax)
more sustainable option then soy wax

Here’s what to ask companies for the highest quality beeswax:

Is your beeswax harvested from the super?
How is it cleaned/ is it treated with anything or bleached? (If it’s whiter/lighter in color it may have been bleached)

BONUS beeswax non-toxic candles myth:

There is a claim I’ve seen floating around that beeswax candles clean the air because it emits negative ions. After thoroughly researching this, I was shocked to find that this is a baseless & RIDICULOUS claim that is FALSE. I’m ASHAMED at big holistic names like Wellness Mama, Dr. Axe etc for spreading this. You’re great, but do better guys. You’re discrediting yourselves.

Here’s why:

when you look at the sources they (& other blogs etc) cite (if they even cite what sources they are getting that from), it’s always another blog claiming it or a website/ article that doesn’t exist. Never a study or even someone experienced in the beekeeping/beeswax field

there is not ONE study that proves this…or even talks about negative ions & beeswax…& I don’t even mean just not a peer reviewed study…NO STUDIES. There are no studies.
not only that but there is one study actually on paraffin wax that measures negative ions emitted and it actually found that the POSITIVE ions emitted were the same as or in most instances GREATER than the negative ions emitted. (Wright et. Al 2007)
Here’s the kicker…In order for negative ions to even work to hypothetically clean the air…there would need to be a great deal more negative then positive ions emitted…else they just cancel each other out…or get absorbed etc (there’s a lot more needed for negative ions to effectively clean the air) Seeing as how another candle wasn’t even close to emitting more negative then positive, it’s unlikely a beeswax candle would be that drastically different. It COULD be that they emit crazy high amounts of negative ions, but we have no study even studying that as of right now.

So until there is any evidence on this…let’s put this theory to bed. All that to say though, beeswax does burn very cleanly!

Coconut wax:

I couldn’t find a single study testing this type of wax for safety in a candle specifically, but we do have many studies on coconut oil in general. Here’s what you need to know:

some brands use coconut oil and some use coconut wax. There is a difference!
unrefined coconut oil has a smoke point of 350 degrees F while refined coconut oil has a smoke point of 400 degrees F. Most companies I’ve found use refined.
There actually are candle regulations on how hot the wax of a candle can get, so you can rest assured that the wax will never get that hot enough to reach that smoke point. (Most waxes melt at somewhere between 100-200F just for a point of reference)
know that coconut “wax” is *almost* always blended with other waxes, most often soy (and not a high quality one at that), because on its own it’s not the correct consistency when burned. So if you see a candle label that says coconut wax…chances are, soy is in it too.
coconut wax is also a more sustainable option then soy and also the best vegan clean burning wax of the non-toxic candles

I have found to date only ONE company that has managed to create a completely vegan, ALL coconut wax candle using all organic coconut derived ingredients with no other added waxes! So, know that’s a rare thing!! If a company claims it, be leery! See who it is below in the rankings of the best non-toxic candles!

To ensure the purest coconut oil or wax ask companies that use it:

Do your candles have coconut oil or wax in them?
does that wax have any other waxes blended with it like soywax?
Is the coconut oil unrefined or refined?
Is it organic? (USDA organic certified even better)
has it been chemically treated whatsoever?
how it is cleaned and processed?

Quick Candle Label Reading Guide/Tips:

“x wax blend” -almost always means there’s more then 1 type of wax being used…”soy wax blend” means soy is blended with another wax and it doesn’t even always mean that it was made from majority soy wax!
“made with essential oils” -this doesn’t mean it’s made with ONLY essential oils!…just that essential oils are included in the fragrance. I’ve also seen “blended with essential oils”…same thing. It can still contain synthetics.
“fragrance oils” -those are synthetically derived
“all natural” or “non-toxic” or “safe for the whole family and pets” -means nothing…absolutely nothing. Everyone’s definition of safe, toxic etc are all different and these terms have no set definition or regulation behind it.
“plant based” -also means nothing! The amount of companies I questioned that touted plant based but contained paraffin wax still! Ridiculous! which brings us to…
“food grade paraffin” -no cleaner or different then regular paraffin wax…they are the same

What to Look For to ensure the Cleanest Burning non-toxic Candles In General:

avoid any dyes, stabilizers or additional ingredients. There’s absolutely no scientific evidence to support that these burn cleanly and don’t negatively effect human health.
avoid any synthetic fragrances. This includes by the way, even synthetic scents that meet IFRA standards…because remember, there are no restrictions when it comes to candles in particular. A LOT of companies claim that, because the fragrance supplier they buy from claims it, because they create fragrance blends that can be used in multiple types of products. But, what’s good for a lotion may not be good for a candle! When you’re burning it, that’s a whole ‘nother ball game! Different routes of exposure, different combustion etc. It means NOTHING to claim it meets a standard that doesn’t even apply to the product they’re selling!! (There IS a line of “safer synthetic scents” that go beyond the IFRA standards which is at least slightly better but still not ideal…more on that below in the candle rankings)

DON’T just label read, brand research! Remember, a company can label ingredients however they want, even ones claiming to be safer. “100% soy wax blend” could mean 1% of soy & 99% paraffin. Never trust the label, always contact the company for exact ingredients list & sourcing. I can’t tell you how many companies ranked below touted “all natural” or “100% plant based” that still contained paraffin and/or synthetic scents!

look for an untreated cotton wick with no metal core (certified organic is nice but as long as it’s not chemically treated at all, it’s the same thing) or a wood wick…hemp is also good!
Palm oil by the way, showed just as high VOC emissions as paraffin wax, but not as much PM. For that reason though, I wouldn’t consider it a cleaner alternative for use in truly non-toxic candles

stick to only 100% pure essential oils for any fragrances or at the very least, naturally derived ingredients…which brings us to…

Are essential oils safe in candles? Can they still be considered “non-toxic” candles?

It’s complicated. Many things to consider here:

there are a few studies that have tested the emissions of essential oils & found various harmful VOC’s such as formaldehyde & toluene etc HOWEVER these studies don’t specify the brand of essential oils used…it says some came from a grocery store lol and there are far more bad essential oil brands out there then there are pure and high quality ones. The essential oil brand used is SO important! To be clear, yes all pure eo’s emit VOC’s (actually so does anything that smells lol) but not all VOC’s are equally harmful
I’ve seen claims that eo’s heated become toxic…this is really only the case with oils that were toxic to begin with & wouldn’t be used anyway. (like mustard or cumin for example) I’d argue that the concentration/dilution rate at which you’d inhale oils via a candle wouldn’t be potent enough. Also inhalation is arguably the safest form of exposure. Yes, some essential oils like citrus oils can be “toxic” but again, route of exposure matters here. Studies show those can be harmful when directly applied to skin then exposed to sunlight…but not when inhaled.
it IS proven that heating an oil compromises the therapeutic quality because of oxidation & how the components of the oil separate but you’re not burning a candle for the benefits of the oil so I’d say this doesn’t matter in this case
“What about the fact that essential oils are flammable?? Doesn’t that make them unsafe?” -yes they can be flammable. Here’s the thing though, that only becomes an issue if there’s too much essential oils in the candle and/or they get too hot. You’ll know this if it happens because the whole top of the wax layer, not just the wick, will be on fire…if that doesn’t happen…you’re fine! Chances are these kinks will be worked out in product development/formulation. Just because they are potentially flammable, doesn’t mean they will for sure catch on fire.

Make sure you ask the candle company if:

The essential oils are pure and unadulterated
Their eo supplier provides them with GC/MS proving purity of each batch of oils they purchase

I talk A LOT about this topic of essential oils on my blog and how to know what brands are actually pure and high quality…here’s a video breaking that all down with everything to look for HERE, if you’re interested!

In my opinion, there really needs to be more studies done on the topic of essential oils being burned in general but I’d personally feel comfortable with them in my candles if I knew the oil was pure.

What About Naturally Derived Scents in Candles?

I think we can safely assume that typically speaking something naturally derived will burn cleaner then synthetically derived. However, at least one exception is essential oil isolates. That’s when chemical components of a particular essential oil are stripped or “isolated” on it’s own for fragrant use. The problem with this is without it’s complex counterparts within that essential oil as a whole, these can, for some people, become an irritant. I’d classify these as better but not best for this reason.

I also want to address the argument, “Aren’t all candles bad for you to some degree, even the “non-toxic candles?“

Sort of. There’s an element of truth to that. The main base of that argument is that all candles have a flame and therefore produce some level of particulate matter/smoke which would degrade the air quality to some degree. However, not all candles will produce the same amount of smoke. Beeswax for instance produces far less PM then paraffin wax does, as shown clearly in this study. Actually, it produced virtually none!

There’s also some additional things you can do to reduce soot/particulate matter when burning your “non-toxic candles”:

don’t set your candle under a fan or vent where wind would be blowing on it…the less the flame flickers, the less soot produced.
when blowing out a candle the most PM/soot is produced, you can eliminate that by dunking your wick in the melted wax to extinguish it instead of blowing it out
burn the candle in a well ventilated room, the larger the better. You can also open a window!
burn a fragrance free candle. It’s true that a candle with even essential oils or naturally derived fragrances will not burn quite as cleanly as just a pure beeswax candle would, so if you’re very sensitive or worried about it, avoid the fragrance all together!
I WILL say…a cotton wick, from my observations of just trying many different types of candle brands and wicks…burns the cleanest because it flickers the least. The least amount of flickering, the least amount of soot/particulate matter produced. Wood wicks are cool but by far produce the most incomplete combustion and flicker a lot.

Overall, after assessing all the data, short answer is, no, I don’t believe all candles are bad for your health and, no, I don’t believe that “non-toxic candles” pose enough of a health threat to warrant banning candles altogether. To put it into perspective, the emissions and off-gassing shown off of a beeswax candle are far less then an oven or stove-top while cooking. If you come to a different conclusion than this though, you do you! You can always opt for diffusing high quality and pure essential oils in a diffuser if you still like the fragrance aspect!

My candle Research Conclusions:

When determining “are candles toxic?” It basically all boils down to improving your indoor air quality and lowering your chances of hitting various toxicity thresholds. Conventional candles do lower the air quality (even if only by a small amount)⁣, and obviously if you’re sensitive to certain fragrances or ingredients in a candle etc, then it’s also about eliminating triggers.
I really think there’s something to be said for aggregate exposure and how many other things off-gas VOC’s and other chemicals etc in our homes and how that’s NEVER been taken into account when people say “candles aren’t harmful to health”
If you’re going to burn a conventional candle especially, burn only 1 at a time in a big room with a window open to make it safer
Hardly ever burn a candle or even keep candles in your house? You probably have nothing to worry about. If you’re a frequent candle user, I’d recommend switching to cleaner burning “non-toxic” candles
soy wax is a “good” option but beeswax has been shown to burn the cleanest!
The “science” is very mixed and more studies need to be done, but from what we have currently, No, I don’t think the body of evidence is correct in assuming that, “All types of quality candle waxes have been shown to burn cleanly, safely and in the same manner”. There’s a lot of nuance and varying finds within studies, but that doesn’t magically negate the studies that did show serious concern and high emissions of various harmful chemicals!

4. Candle Brands Ranked: Worst, Bad, Better, Best!

Set out to find safe candles, I contacted almost every single one of these brands to ensure accurate information.

Worst:

Criteria: Brands in this category contained paraffin wax, synthetic scents, and any additional ingredients such as dyes/colorants etc. (even if it was “blended” with additional waxes or even naturally derived scents)

Yankee Candle
WoodWick
Chesapeake Bay Candle
NEST
Bath & Body Works
Candle Lite
Better Homes and Gardens
Illume
DW Home
Himalayan Handmade Candles
Pink Zebra
Sand and Fog

Bad:

Criteria: Brands in this category contained either paraffin wax (at any amount) and/or any synthetic scents, but no additional ingredients

Capri Blue
Votivo
Perma Earth (made of tallow and beeswax which was promising but uses synthetically derived colorants and a mix of synthetically derived and naturally derived scents)
Hearth and Hand
Project 62 (Target Brand)
Mrs. Meyers
The Good Candle
Trader Joe’s
Paddywax
Voluspa
La Jolie Muse
Milk House Candles
Hearth and Craft Candle Co.
Farmhouse Candle Shop
Antique Candle
Sweet Water Decor
Peacesake Candles & Co.
P.F Candle Co.
Lake & Skye (Echo Lake candle would make the “Better” list)
Satya + Sage
1803 Candles
Trudon Candles
Homesick

Not Quite “Better” but not as “Bad” as the others in this category:

While researching brands, I found a few brands that claimed to use a “cleaner synthetic scent” like CleanScience Clean Scents for instance, that go beyond the IFRA scent standards and claim to stay away from carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and meet CA Prop 65 standards etc…I was tempted to put this in the “Better category” and call them non-toxic candles, however, there are several studies (as shown in sources section below) that prove synthetic scents DON’T burn cleanly. In fact, this study and this study show that synthetic scents produced the most and highest chemical emissions, even over pure paraffin wax.

So, while I like the idea of it…and would chose these brands over others in this category, I can’t in good conscience call them better when I know, and have evidence to prove, other things burn much cleaner! However, I WILL say…if you’re going to choose a brand in this category…it would be one of these!! Brands that used 100% soy wax and used “cleaner” synthetic scents:

**Soft Serenity Candle Co.
**Five Sisters Co.
Sealove
Get A Whiff Candle
Colorado Candle Co.

(**these 2 brands above were the only 2 that fully disclosed they used CleanScience Clean Scents line…so I’d choose them first since you can clearly look into the standards of this company! I applaud their transparency, as it’s a huge plus in determining candle safety.)

Better:

Criteria: brands in this category used only 100% soy wax or soy wax mixed with beeswax or coconut and either essential oils or naturally derived fragrance ingredients with no additional ingredients (no synthetics whatsoever)

Grow Fragrance (mix of soy wax and coconut oil with a mix of essential oils and other naturally derived ingredients. The ONLY “better” brand to fully disclose it’s ingredients!!)
Life In Lilac (soy wax and coconut wax with a mix of essential oils and other naturally derived ingredients)
Public Goods (only soy wax and essential oils)
Grove Co. (only soy wax and essential oils)
Honest Co. (soy wax and coconut oil with essential oils)
Terralite (coconut wax and “vegetable oil” with a mix of essential oils and other naturally derived ingredients…they also have a rice bran derived wax which is interesting)
Everspring (100% soy wax with a mix of essential oils and other naturally derived ingredients)
Plant Therapy (soy wax and coconut wax with a mix of essential oils and other naturally derived ingredients)
Sanari Candle (mainly coconut wax with some soy wax and essential oils)

(out of this list of “non-toxic candles”, I’d favor Sanari Candle because it’s mainly coconut, with only some soy and only essential oils or grow fragrance because you could see all the ingredients used )

*I’d like to make one small additional note about soy wax used solely with essential oils. Apparently, it’s pretty well known among candle makers and suppliers that straight soy wax and essential oils don’t burn as well together and can become a fire hazard. It’s apparently rare to have a candle only comprised of soy and essential oils for this reason. So, just know I questioned VERY heavily all the companies listed here that claimed to be 100% soy and eo’s to make sure no other ingredients were used. I also asked what tests were done to ensure fire safety.

Best:

Criteria: brands in this category ONLY contain beeswax or pure coconut wax/oil with no other waxes and ONLY essential oils as fragrance (no synthetics whatsoever and IMO are the best of the non-toxic candles)

Basic Bee Candle Co. -My top pick because IMO they are the strongest smelling scents of all these brands! Organic coconut oil, pure local beeswax, cotton wicks, and pure high quality essential oils only! Small biz, woman owned, amazing scents, and very affordable prices. Use discount code CLEANLIVINGMOM for 10% off your order! (Want to read my review of this brand and some of their scents? Check out that blog HERE)
Natural Sloth -one of only 2 non-toxic candles brand that has the made safe certification!! (on select candles) They fully disclose their ingredients, which is rare, only use essential oils for scents, and beeswax and coconut oil for wax. I’ve tried a few of their candles/scents and Love them! Would say they have a medium scent throw. Very unique, wood wicks, small biz and family owned. Use code READ10 for 10% off!
Pure Plant Home and Meaningful Mantras -My top vegan picks!! These are THE ONLY brands I’ve found that use truly 100% coconut derived wax. (they make it themselves in house) Woman owned/mother daughter team and the mother is an experienced aromatherapist that uses very high quality essential oils only for the fragrances! Pure Plant Home is mostly run by the mom, and Meaningful Mantras is mainly run by the daughter. Both companies are owned by the same family and manufactured with the same ingredients. I’ve tried many of their candles (you can read my review HERE) and love their unique scents and more affordable prices! Use discount code cleanlivingmom for 15% off your order!
Wellness By Ari Candles -this is the only brand I’ve ever come across who uses hemp wicks in their non-toxic candles! Great scent throw (strong to medium), I love the larger sized candles they sell and the scents I’ve tried so far! All beeswax and essential oils, small biz and woman owned. Use code CANDLES for 10% off your order!
Elizabeth Candle Co. -all beeswax and coconut wax (includes no soy) and fragranced with essential oils. All ingredients are disclosed and the only brand I’ve seen yet to have a stone/cement candle container! Love the scents I’ve tried (see my review of them HERE). The candles have a medium to stronger scent throw. Small biz and woman owned. Use discount code cleanlivingmom10 for 10% off your order!
Fontana Candle Co. -only brand I haven’t personally tried but LOVE that they are completely made safe certified, leaping bunny certified and disclose every ingredient! They are made from beeswax, coconut oil, essential oils and a wood wick. (I hear these candles have a slightly lighter scent to them)
Welch Candle Co. -ONLY locally sourced beeswax, family run, no scents added. 10% of their proceeds goes to an organization that helps fight modern day human trafficking! I’ve tried one of their candles and it’s definitely pure and high quality! Smells like honey!

You made it to the end! Congratulations! You must really love candles.

If you found this post educational and the ranking non-toxic candles helpful and informative, share it with a friend! Any questions, comments, or thoughts? Comment below!

Sources:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24582651/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23695106/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11746-002-0562-y

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/BF02582327.pdf (soy burning not safety)

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015043251746&view=1up&seq=9

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25588193/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Domenico_Cavallo/publication/259249337_Emission_of_air_pollutants_from_burning_candles_with_different_composition_in_indoor_environments/links/5458e6730cf2cf516483c0e9/Emission-of-air-pollutants-from-burning-candles-with-different-composition-in-indoor-environments.pdf?origin=publication_detail

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3824304/

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.1068.8746&rep=rep1&type=pdf

https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/P1009D5G.TXT?ZyActionD=ZyDocument&Client=EPA&Index=2000+Thru+2005&Docs=&Query=&Time=&EndTime=&SearchMethod=1&TocRestrict=n&Toc=&TocEntry=&QField=&QFieldYear=&QFieldMonth=&QFieldDay=&IntQFieldOp=0&ExtQFieldOp=0&XmlQuery=&File=D%3A%5Czyfiles%5CIndex%20Data%5C00thru05%5CTxt%5C00000026%5CP1009D5G.txt&User=ANONYMOUS&Password=anonymous&SortMethod=h%7C-&MaximumDocuments=1&FuzzyDegree=0&ImageQuality=r75g8/r75g8/x150y150g16/i425&Display=hpfr&DefSeekPage=x&SearchBack=ZyActionL&Back=ZyActionS&BackDesc=Results%20page&MaximumPages=1&ZyEntry=1&SeekPage=x&ZyPURL

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-013-2394-2#Tab2