Coconut Wax vs. Soy Wax: Which is Better?

If you enjoy lighting your scented candles, you know that the candle’s wax plays a major part in your aromatherapy experience. It is the fuel that allows the candle to burn and determines properties such as – scent throw, the burn time and the energy or toxins released.

So, obviously choosing the right wax for your candle can make all the difference. In choosing among your many options — you may have narrowed it down to two natural contenders: coconut wax and soy wax.

These two plant-based types of wax are but obvious choices in your quest to avoid toxic ingredients in your scented candles. Let’s get to know them both a little more closely so you can better decide between them.

The Types of Wax in Scented Candles

There are a lot of options out there and the most commonly available one is paraffin wax. However, paraffin is a petroleum by-product and releases toxins when burned. The other option is beeswax and this one although it burns clean, does not have a very great scent throw and is not a sustainable option as well.

Coconut wax vs. soy wax – which one is better? A lot of candle makers who are looking for natural and sustainable options always stumble on this one. What is the better choice — soy or coconut wax for candle making?

Coconut Wax vs. Soy Wax

When choosing the candle wax for your scented candle there are 4 major parameters to be considered – burn time, scent throw, clean burn, and sustainability.

We will go ahead and compare soy wax and coconut wax against these parameters. This will give you an idea as to why we always choose coconut wax at Innerfyre.

Burn Time

When you buy your favourite scented candle, you expect it to burn for long and leave behind that beautiful aroma in your home.

While soy wax candles do burn slowly, they can look unattractive because of their crumbly texture. This can be especially unappealing when you have spent quite a bit of money on an expensive scented candle.

Coconut wax candles on the other hand have one of the longest burn times and ensure an even burn. Slow and even burn time means what you eventually get is value for money and your favorite fragrance lingering in your home for a long time.

Photo by Dasha Horoshaya on Pexels

Scent Throw

Scent throw for any scented candle means how far it can disperse its scent or whether it can fill your room with its fragrance.

Coconut wax blends seamlessly with essential oils, which means it throws scent beautifully. It can hold as much as 12% scent in its wax. That’s exactly why coconut wax works well with both fragrance oils and essential oils.

Also, coconut wax has a great hot and cold scent throw. Even if you just open the jar of a rich lavender-scented coconut wax candle, you can smell the beautiful aroma of lavender distinctly.

So, if you are looking for a scented candle to fill your room with a rich fragrance then coconut wax is definitely the way to go.

Soy wax has a lower melting point and helps release essential oils easily, however when compared to coconut wax, it cannot carry quite as much scent. It can hold only up to 10% of the scent in its wax and its scent throw is not as great as coconut wax.

Clean Burn

When you lit an aromatherapy candle, you want to lift your mood, relax those muscles and enjoy that beautiful aroma. No one definitely wants to inhale soot!

Unfortunately, a lot of scented candles do release soot and other harmful toxins in the air when lit. So, ideally, you would want something that burns clean without releasing any of those toxic fumes. And that’s exactly what coconut wax candles are!

While soy wax candles definitely produce less soot as compared to paraffin, coconut wax tops them all.

Coconut wax candles excel when compared to any other wax in terms of clean-burning and are non-toxic. They create absolutely zero soot particles when lit, so you don’t need to worry about carcinogens or toxins being released in your home.

Sustainability and Environment Friendly

Soy is a renewable and natural option but there is no non-GMO soy out there. A lot of harmful pesticides and fertilizers are used in farming and growing soy. Due to the increasing demand for soy, 94% of soy agriculture is made using genetically modified means and with high amounts of pesticides.

That’s the reason soy is so easily available and why soy wax is cheaper when compared to coconut wax.

It’s very difficult to verify and even source 100% non-GMO soy. Hence while soy wax may be a natural option, it is definitely not sustainable or environmentally friendly.

On the other hand, coconuts do not require pesticides or any kind of fertilizers to grow. They are organically made and harvested by hand, which makes them an eco-friendly option. Coconuts are also non-GMO and have no genetic modifications, unlike soy.

There are more good things about coconut wax for candle making!

Coconut wax is made using a process called hydrogenation – a natural process in which coconut oil is changed into the wax. So basically, right from growing to harvesting to manufacturing coconut wax, everything about them is natural!

And coconuts are an easily renewable crop. All of these amazing benefits make coconut wax sustainable, eco-friendly and the best wax available.

Price and Soy Wax Blends

Soy wax, because of its availability, is cheaper; whereas coconut wax is definitely more expensive. And that’s exactly why some candle makers tend to blend coconut wax with soy wax.

This brings down the cost and also helps add more structure to the wax. Blended soy wax candles are widely available but it obviously lowers the clean and natural properties of coconut wax.

So, for a cleaner and natural burn, and a beautifully rich aroma, if you are able to spend more, then we would suggest go ahead and do it. You won’t be disappointed with the results. Because expensive is the real deal here!

Takeaway: Coconut Wax for Candle Making

We can all agree that coconut wax is the way to go when it comes to coconut wax vs. soy wax! It’s natural, sustainable, and eco-friendly. Not all candle makers might see it this way, but we understand that all waxes have their issues in terms of sourcing or usability.

As such, if you want scented candles that actually work, then it definitely has to be made of coconut wax.

Scented Candles Singapore

The next time you are looking for a scented candle for your home, office, or for that uplifting aromatherapy session, then do check out the natural, vibrant and earthy coconut wax candles available at Innerfyre Co.

Shop for Scented Candles in Singapore today.