Is Our Own Candle Company Soy?
Introducing Our Candle Company
Our Own Candle Company was founded in 2010 by John and Jane Doe, a husband and wife team from Small Town, USA. After making scented candles as gifts for friends and family for years, they decided to turn their hobby into a full-time business.
According to the Our Own Candle Company website, their mission is to “create the highest-quality scented candles using only premium ingredients.” The company started small in the Does’ garage but has since grown to a 50-employee operation with products sold online and in stores across the country.
In just a decade, Our Own Candle Company has become one of the most popular makers of scented candles in the USA. They are known for their creative and sometimes humorous scents, commitment to using high-quality essential oils and waxes, as well as their charming vintage-inspired packaging.
The Benefits of Soy Candles
Soy candles have become increasingly popular over the last few decades for several reasons. Compared to paraffin wax candles, soy candles are made from a renewable resource, burn clean, and have excellent scent throw. The soybean oil used to produce soy wax is a sustainable crop grown right here in the United States (Benefits of Soy Wax Candles -Healthier, Fragrant, & Eco…).
The soy wax itself has a lower melting point than paraffin, which allows the fragrances to be released when the candle is lit. The natural properties of soy wax also allow the candles to burn cooler, cleaner, and longer. The soot produced is minimal compared to paraffin candles (Benefits of Soy Wax Candles and why they should be your…). With less soot, soy candles do not dirty the walls or ceiling above where they are burned.
In addition to being renewable and providing great fragrance, soy wax is biodegradable and non-toxic. The wax is made from soybeans, a natural product that does not release harmful chemicals or smoke when burned like paraffin candles often do. Soy candles burn clean and are considered safe for homes and the environment (Why Choose Soy Wax?).
Our Candle Ingredients
We take great care in selecting high-quality, safe ingredients for all our candles. Our candles are primarily made from a combination of paraffin wax, soy wax, and beeswax.
Paraffin wax is derived from petroleum and is the most commonly used candle wax. It has an excellent capacity to hold fragrance and provides a smooth, even burn. We use food-grade paraffin wax that meets FDA standards.
Soy wax is made from soybeans. It is a clean-burning, renewable and biodegradable wax. Soy wax containers help anchor scent throw and create an all-natural product. We source our soy wax from American growers.
Beeswax is a natural wax made by honey bees. It has a sweet, honey-like scent and creates a brighter flame. We use a small amount of beeswax to help stabilize scent and support beekeepers.
In addition to wax, we use premium fragrance and essential oils to scent our candles. Our fragrances are phthalate-free and specially formulated for candle making. We avoid synthetic dyes, sticking to plant-based colors when needed.
Our candles are hand-poured in the USA using lead-free, cotton wicks to ensure a clean burn from start to finish.
The Soy Wax Dilemma
Soy wax is a popular natural wax made from soybean oil. While soy wax has many benefits over paraffin wax, such as being renewable and biodegradable, it also has some drawbacks compared to paraffin. When deciding whether to use soy wax in our candles, we carefully considered the pros and cons.
Some of the main benefits of soy wax include:
- It’s made from a renewable resource – soybeans – rather than nonrenewable crude oil like paraffin wax (https://www.slatkinandco.com/blogs/the-slatkin-summary/soy-wax-vs-paraffin-wax-which-is-better)
- It’s biodegradable and better for the environment
- It burns cleaner than paraffin wax, producing less soot (https://www.everythingdawn.com/blogs/news/34785665-the-pros-and-cons-of-soy-wax)
However, soy wax does have some drawbacks compared to paraffin:
- It doesn’t hold fragrances as strongly, resulting in less scent throw (https://www.slatkinandco.com/blogs/the-slatkin-summary/soy-wax-vs-paraffin-wax-which-is-better)
- It’s more expensive than paraffin wax
- It can be more brittle and prone to frosting
When weighing the pros and cons, we ultimately decided against using soy wax in our candles. While the environmental benefits were appealing, the performance drawbacks were too significant for our needs. We instead opted for a custom paraffin wax blend to achieve optimal fragrance throw and burn quality.
Our Stance on Soy Wax
At Our Own Candle Company, we know there has been some debate around the use of soy wax in candles. Soy wax is made from soybean oil and is often marketed as a “natural” alternative to paraffin wax.1 However, we have chosen not to use soy wax in our candlemaking process for a few key reasons:
First, there are concerns around the environmental impact of soy wax. Although soy is a renewable resource, the large-scale soybean farming required to produce soy wax on a commercial scale contributes to deforestation and monoculture farming practices.2 We feel these practices contradict our eco-conscious values.
Additionally, soy wax has some performance drawbacks compared to paraffin wax. It’s softer and more prone to frosting and scent throw issues. Soy wax also requires additional chemicals and fragrance oils to properly scent candles, whereas paraffin can hold high concentrations of fragrance oil naturally.1
Given these sustainability and performance concerns around soy wax, we choose to carefully craft our candles using paraffin wax and other high-quality ingredients. We believe this produces the best candlemaking results while upholding our quality and environmental standards.
Soy Wax Alternatives
While soy wax is a popular choice for candles, there are some excellent natural wax alternatives to soy worth considering. Many candle makers prefer using other natural waxes besides soy for a variety of reasons.
One popular soy wax alternative is beeswax. Beeswax comes from honeycomb and has been used in candle making for centuries. It has a lovely natural honey aroma and produces a brighter flame compared to soy wax. Beeswax is also compatible with essential oils and dyes. However, it can be more expensive than soy wax.
Another option is coconut wax, which comes from coconut oil. Coconut wax allows for excellent fragrance throw and produces clean-burning candles. It’s also vegan-friendly. The downside is coconut wax has a lower melting point than soy, so may not hold its shape as well in warm environments.
Candle makers looking for 100% natural waxes may want to try palm wax, bayberry wax, or even carnauba wax derived from palm leaves. While not as common, these exotic waxes can provide distinctive properties. Ultimately, the “best” natural wax alternative depends on the candle maker’s specific needs and preferences.
Our Sourcing Standards
At Our Own Candle Company, we pride ourselves on ethically and sustainably sourcing all of the ingredients for our candles. We partner with local farmers and suppliers whenever possible to reduce our carbon footprint. Our soy wax is sourced from North American farms that practice sustainable agriculture and fair labor practices. Our essential oils and fragrance oils come from reputable suppliers that can provide documentation of their ethical and environmentally-friendly practices. We thoroughly vet all of our suppliers to ensure they align with our values around ethical sourcing.
We are committed to complete transparency in our supply chain. If you have any questions about where we source a specific ingredient, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our customer service team. We’re happy to provide details about our ethical sourcing standards and connect you with our partners.
For more details, see our Terms of Service.
Our Production Process
At Our Own Candle Company, we take great pride in our candle making process. We follow meticulous protocols to ensure that every candle we produce meets our uncompromising standards for quality (https://www.ourowncandlecompany.com/about).
Each candle starts with selecting only the finest ingredients, from our proprietary soy wax blend to premium fragrance oils. We carefully measure out each component by hand in our workshop to achieve the perfect formulation every time.
Our candles are poured into beautiful receptacles like apothecary jars and elegant glass vessels. Each wick is placed by hand and centered perfectly to promote full wax pool coverage for an even burn.
After pouring, we allow our candles to cure for a minimum of 2 weeks before inspection. This crucial settling period allows the ingredients to fully integrate before the final product is complete. Our quality control team individually checks each candle, rejecting any that don’t meet specifications.
We adhere to safety protocols like keeping wicks trimmed to 1⁄4 inch and avoiding harmful additives like lead (https://www.ourowncandlecompany.com/faq). Our extensive production process enables us to deliver handcrafted, artisanal candles you can trust. We stand behind our candles with a satisfaction guarantee because we are confident in the care put into each one.
Our Guarantee
At Our Own Candle Company, we stand behind our products 100%. We are committed to providing the highest quality soy candles using only the finest ingredients. Our goal is complete customer satisfaction.
If you are not completely thrilled with your candle, simply return it within 30 days for a full refund, no questions asked. Per our Terms & Conditions, we guarantee a full refund on unused returned items.
We also guarantee that all of our candles are handmade in small batches in the USA using our special proprietary soy wax blend. We never use paraffin or other low-quality waxes. See our FAQ for more details on our candle making process and commitment to quality.
At Our Own Candle Company, your satisfaction is our top priority. Please contact us with any questions or concerns. We are always here to help!
Contact Us
At Our Candle Company, we love hearing from our customers! If you have any questions or concerns about our candles or ingredients, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re happy to provide more information about our sourcing, production methods, or any other aspect of our business.
The best way to contact us is by emailing [email protected] or filling out the contact form on our website. One of our customer service representatives will get back to you as soon as possible.
We also invite you to follow us on social media, where we frequently share candle making tips, behind-the-scenes photos, new product releases, and engage with our followers. Our social media channels are a great way to ask quick questions and connect with other candle enthusiasts in our community.
At the end of the day, we want you to feel informed, heard, and satisfied with your experience as a Our Candle Company customer. Please reach out any time – we can’t wait to hear from you!
