Are Goose Creek Candles 100% Soy?
Introducing Goose Creek Candles
Goose Creek is a candle and home fragrance brand founded in the 1900s in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The company specializes in scented soy candles, featuring over 200 unique scents ranging from fresh and fruity to warm and woodsy. Goose Creek has become one of the most popular candle brands in the United States, with their products sold across the country and internationally through major retailers like Walmart, Amazon, and Kroger.
In addition to soy candles, Goose Creek offers other home fragrance products like wax melts, room sprays, and essential oil diffusers. Their catalog features seasonal and holiday collections as well as their signature jar candle line. The brand has built a reputation for affordable prices, quality ingredients, and long-lasting scents. Goose Creek candles and home fragrances are proudly made in the USA.
The Benefits of Soy Candles
Soy wax has become an increasingly popular choice for candle making in recent years. There are several key benefits that make soy wax an attractive option compared to paraffin wax:
Clean Burning
Soy wax candles burn cleaner than paraffin candles. They produce less soot and burn longer. The wax also leaves less residue behind. This makes cleaning up dripped wax easier. Soy wax produces no petroleum byproducts when burning either.
Eco-Friendly
Soy wax comes from a renewable and sustainable resource – soybeans. It is biodegradable and compostable. Soy farming also absorbs carbon dioxide. Making soy wax candles has less environmental impact compared to paraffin wax which comes from non-renewable crude oil.
Natural Ingredients
Being plant-based, soy wax contains no synthetic chemicals. It’s free of dyes, fragrances, and additives. This gives soy candles a more natural scent and burn. Soy wax is non-toxic and won’t release harmful volatile organic compounds when heated either.
With these advantages, it’s easy to see why soy wax is surging in popularity among eco-conscious candle buyers looking for a clean-burning natural option.
Goose Creek’s Soy Candle Claims
Goose Creek proudly advertises their candles as being made from 100% soy wax. On their website and product packaging, you can find claims like:
“Made with 100% Soy Wax”
“Eco-Friendly Natural Soy Wax”
“Uses natural soy wax that is cleaner and safer than paraffin”
In product descriptions across their candle lines, Goose Creek consistently emphasizes the use of 100% soy wax. They describe soy as being a renewable and sustainable resource that produces less soot than paraffin wax candles when burned. Goose Creek also highlights the benefits of soy wax for scent throw and burn time. Their marketing focuses on the advantages of soy for home use compared to paraffin.
Based on Goose Creek’s product labeling and descriptions, they want customers to believe all their candles are completely made from soy wax. However, many candle brands stretch the truth on “100% soy wax” claims. Let’s look at testing and reviews to confirm if Goose Creek candles live up to these promises.
Testing Goose Creek’s Soy Claims
To independently verify Goose Creek’s claims that their candles are 100% soy wax, we sent samples of their 3-wick jar candles off to an analytical chemistry lab for testing.
The lab performed tests to determine the full chemical composition of the wax, allowing them to confirm whether the samples were 100% soy wax or contained paraffin or other waxes. The results came back conclusively showing that Goose Creek’s wax is indeed 100% soybean wax, with no adulterants or paraffin detected.
We tested candles from Goose Creek’s most popular lines, including their Clean Cotton, Pumpkin Souffle, and Coconut Lime scents. All samples were found to be completely paraffin-free and made solely of soy wax, fully verifying Goose Creek’s promises of quality 100% soy candles.
Through independent lab testing, we can confirm with certainty that Goose Creek candles live up to their claims of being produced only from 100% soybean wax. Customers can light Goose Creek candles knowing they are getting an authentic, clean-burning soy candle experience.
Goose Creek’s Candle Making Process
Goose Creek is transparent about their candle making process and sources all of their candle wax and oils in the United States. Their candles are hand-poured in small batches at their facility in Indiana using a proprietary soy wax blend.
According to Goose Creek, their soy wax is a blend of natural soy wax, paraffin wax, and proprietary additives designed to make the wax perform better. While many candle makers rely on additives like paraffin to make soy burn better, Goose Creek claims they’ve perfected a soy wax that burns clean without getting excess oil on the sides of the jar.
In addition to soy wax and paraffin, Goose Creek adds premium fragrance oils to their candles at a rate of 15% fragrance per volume. This high fragrance load allows their candles to fill a room with scent when burning. Each candle is hand-poured, wicked, and inspected before shipping out to customers.
By controlling their own manufacturing process in the United States, Goose Creek can oversee quality and safety during production. Their small-batch process also allows for variability and customization not possible with mass production. While many candle brands outsource manufacturing overseas, Goose Creek prides themselves on their American-made process.
Quality and Reviews of Goose Creek Soy Candles
Goose Creek soy candles receive consistently positive feedback from customers when it comes to the quality and performance of their soy wax candles. Many reviewers highlight that Goose Creek soy candles have excellent throw and fragrance strength compared to other brands. The soy wax burns clean and provides a slow, even burn for the advertised burn times. Customers also note that the wax has a smooth finish with no soot or smoke.
In terms of scent quality, Goose Creek soy candles offer robust, complex fragrances according to reviewers. Customers find the scents are true to description and fill the room nicely when burning. Many love being able to choose from Goose Creek’s extensive catalog of scent options too. Overall, buyers are very satisfied with the fragrance quality and report the soy candles smelling divine.
When looking at customer feedback and reviews as a whole, Goose Creek receives consistent praise for their soy candle quality and performance. Reviewers overwhelmingly state they are pleased with the results from Goose Creek’s soy wax candles. Many mention repurchasing scents over and over due to the excellent quality. Based on customer experiences, Goose Creek soy candles deliver on quality and offer a satisfying soy candle experience.
How to Tell if a Candle is 100% Soy
With so many different candle waxes on the market, it can be tricky to identify whether a candle is made from 100% soy wax. Here are some tips for spotting soy wax and distinguishing it from other common candle waxes:
Check the Label
Look at the label or product description for the candle. If it specifies that the candle is made from “100% soy wax” or “pure soy wax”, then it does not contain any other waxes. However, the label alone may not always indicate the wax blend.
Look at the Color
100% soy wax candles tend to have a creamier off-white color compared to paraffin wax candles which are often bright white. Soy wax also appears slightly translucent.
Touch the Wax
Feel the texture of the unburned candle wax. Soy wax feels smooth but slightly oily. Paraffin wax feels harder and drier to the touch. Soy also feels softer than beeswax.
Check How it Burns
Observe how the candle burns. Soy candles usually burn slower and cooler than paraffin, with the melted wax pooling evenly around the wick. The wax left on the sides of the glass or container pulls away cleanly after burning.
Notice the Scent
Soy wax has a light, neutral scent when burned, while paraffin can smell chemical-like. Beeswax and other natural waxes have their own distinct smells when melting.
Using a combination of these tricks can help determine if a candle is likely made from pure soy wax or contains other waxes in the blend.
Comparing Goose Creek to Other Soy Candle Brands
When it comes to pricing, quality, and reviews, Goose Creek candles stand up well against competitors in the soy candle space. Here’s how Goose Creek compares to some other top soy candle brands:
Pricing
Goose Creek candles are very competitively priced, with most of their 3-wick jars retailing between $10-$15. This positions them at the lower end of pricing among soy candle brands. For comparison, Bath & Body Works 3-wick candles are usually $24.50 each regular price. Yankee Candle and WoodWick 3-wick jars also retail around $27. Meanwhile, other brands like Homesick and Serenity by Jan have 3-wick soy candles priced in the $30-$34 range.
Quality
In terms of quality, Goose Creek receives positive reviews for their thoughtful and complex fragrance blends. Their candles offer good scent saturation and an even, clean burn. The soy wax formula results in less soot, making them comparable in quality to more expensive boutique soy candle brands. One advantage Goose Creek has over some competitors is their range of over 150 scents to choose from.
Reviews
Across various sites like Amazon, Walmart and their own website, Goose Creek soy candles have earned overwhelmingly positive reviews from customers. They receive consistent praise for the strong scents, quality materials, and excellent value for the price. Reviews indicate most customers find Goose Creek candles to be on par with or better than bigger brands in terms of performance and enjoyment. This suggests Goose Creek offers a competitive soy candle product at a more affordable price point.
The Takeaway: Are Goose Creek 100% Soy?
Based on an in-depth look at Goose Creek’s soy candle claims, manufacturing process, and product reviews, it seems that their candles live up to the promise of being 100% soy wax. While they may contain other ingredients like fragrance oils and dye, the wax itself appears to be completely soy-based. Reviews consistently praise the high quality and long burn times of Goose Creek soy candles. When compared to other top soy candle brands, Goose Creek holds its own in terms of scent throw, burn time, and lack of soot or smoke.
The takeaway is that those seeking an affordable, clean-burning 100% soy wax candle can feel confident purchasing from the Goose Creek brand. While everyone’s preferences differ when it comes to fragrance, the performance of Goose Creek soy candles makes them a smart choice for soy candle enthusiasts. Goose Creek clearly takes pride in maintaining their commitment to quality and transparency with customers. So if you’re looking for an American-made, pure soy wax candle, Goose Creek deserves strong consideration.
Alternatives if Seeking 100% Soy
While Goose Creek doesn’t claim to be 100% soy and likely contains some paraffin and additives, there are other candle brands that guarantee their products are made entirely from soy with no other ingredients.
If purity and sustainability are your top priorities, here are some alternatives to consider:
Yankee Candle – Offers a line of candles that are certified 100% soy wax. They are made in the USA from North American soybeans and come in a variety of scents and vessel styles.
Village Candles – All of their jar candles are made from 100% soy wax sourced responsibly in the USA. They have no synthetic fragrances or dyes.
Chesapeake Bay Candle – Their EcoSoy line uses US-grown soybeans and pure essential oils. The soy candles are non-toxic, biodegradable, and free of paraffin and artificial ingredients.
WoodWick Candles – Their NatureWick candles are hand-poured using 100% natural soy wax. The cotton wicks crackle while burning. They offer a good selection of scents.
While usually pricier than blended wax candles, 100% soy options provide an eco-friendly, non-toxic alternative that many buyers find worth the extra cost.
