Let's begin by defining the characteristics of our candles. Our candles are made ethically in small batches using sustainable materials and packaging. All of our candles are vegan, cruelty-free and are made without the use of phthalates, parabens and petroleum or carcinogenic ingredients. We also make use of 100% soy candle that is harvested from sustainable crops in the USA. But what is soy wax, and why does it matter?

Soy wax is made from soybeans (shocking you, isn't it?). They make this happen by removing clean cracked, cracked, and dehulled soybeans, and then rolling them into pieces. At this point, the oil can be extracted and hydrogenated. As a bonus the remaining flakes are able to be used for animal feed! The procedure alters the melting point making it solid at room temperature and suitable for candles. If being 100% natural, renewable biodegradable, biodegradable and vegan weren't enough, soy wax generally has the longest burn time , and does not emit indoor air pollution.

What about other waxes? In reality, there are three different waxes which are frequently employed in candles. They are; paraffin wax, beeswax and coconut wax. Let's talk about these. Paraffin wax is, perhaps the most popular wax for candles especially scented candles, because it is very fragrant and has a long throw. So, why are increasing number of businesses turning to alternate waxes? Because they aren't renewable! Paraffin wax comes from coal, petroleum or oil and is a carcinogen! We care about the planet as well as our customers' health here at Brand & Iron, so environmentally sustainable, renewable, and ethically sourced ingredients are essential.

Beeswax is is a well-known naturally sourced wax that works extremely well with candles generally. However, beeswax has an intense natural scent which isn't compatible with other scents. However, the most important thing is that beeswax is created with bees (obviously), and as a candle manufacturer that is vegan, this makes it unattainable.

Lastly is the coconut oil. Apart from the high cost, it's also difficult to obtain authentic coconut oil. This is primarily because of how soft coconut wax is. Because it has such a very low melting temperature, the majority of coconut waxes are blended with one or more of the mentioned waxes. This isn't a problem however, due to insufficient transparency by manufacturers and the jargon that they employ, it's almost impossible to determine which waxes are mixed, or even if they are mixed in the first place. We want to guarantee a pure and renewable, vegan, and ethical candle, therefore we have chosen to make use of soy wax.

We don't stop there. We use soy wax to create a safe and renewable candle. We use a lead and zinc-free cotton candle wick which is non-toxic and simple to use and requires less maintenance than the wooden wick. What makes our candles different? We take our values right down to our packaging. This is why even our packing vancouver candle co peanuts are biodegradable. in actual fact, all of our packing is recyclable. We also love encouraging the customers we serve to recycle or reuse empty candle vessels. We'll discuss some of our top ways to do that next month, so make sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter in order to keep up-to-date.