How to Shop for Nontoxic Candles
This post contains affiliate links, through which we may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase, at no additional cost to you. We only share products or services we personally use & recommend!
Despite their warm glow, pleasant scent and feel-good vibes, most scented candles are actually an unhealthy source of indoor air pollution. 😰
How candles pollute your indoor air
Candles are typically made with paraffin wax, a petroleum byproduct, that creates highly toxic benzene and toluene when burned. Both are known carcinogens—and are also found in diesel fumes.
But that’s not all. Candle wicks can contain heavy metals like lead, and their artificial scents and dyes are known allergens and respiratory irritants. Even unscented paraffin wax candles have the same health concerns (minus the artificial scents).
Burning paraffin-based candles in an enclosed indoor space pollutes air significantly enough that certain chemicals can be found in concentrations above EPA-recommended thresholds. Over time, exposure to these chemicals is damaging to the brain, lungs and central nervous system, and can lead to allergies, asthma and other health concerns.
Fortunately, there are some healthier alternatives to petroleum-based artificially-scented candles!
Healthier candles for a healthier home
When choosing healthier candles for your home, look for 100% soy wax, beeswax or coconut wax, with cotton or wood wicks. Fragrance can be okay if no one in your household is sensitive to it, but be sure to look for fragrance from only pure essential oils.
Shopping for safer, non-toxic candles can be a little tricky, as they aren’t highly regulated, and companies aren’t required to disclose their ingredients. However, companies emphasizing natural, healthier ingredients will typically let you know about that!
A note on small-batch natural candles
Note on small-batch candles: Many natural candle companies pour “small-batch” candles by hand—which gives you a healthier candle made with all natural ingredients, but does tend to cost more. However, as we mention often, cheaper is not necessarily better when it comes to your health.
Many “cheaper” products (food, cleaning supplies, beauty and personal care products, even furniture) may seem like a more affordable option upfront, but lead to health and environmental problems that are much more costly down the road. These “hidden costs”—things like allergies, autoimmune disease, cancer, air and water pollution—aren’t usually factored into our purchase decisions… though if they were, we’d find it’s actually much more affordable in the long-run to purchase non-toxic options that may be a little pricier upfront, but are ultimately the safer and more affordable option.
Shopping for healthier, non-toxic candles
Non-toxic, clean-burning candles are increasingly popular in small local shops, on Etsy, and even at large retailers like Amazon. Look for:
100% soy wax, beeswax, or coconut wax
100% cotton or wood wick
naturally derived fragrance, via essential oils or phthalate-free fragrance
Healthy Home Guide
Our Healthy Home Guide (part of our Wellness Library of healthy living guides + resources) covers all things healthy living at home:
✔️ hidden toxins in your home (uh-oh!) and ways to limit them
✔️ practical tips for purifying your indoor air, choosing nontoxic furniture, keeping your home clean + more
✔️ our favorite sources of nontoxic home products
✔️ a Healthy Home Checklist to work off of for your own home
our favorite non-toxic candles
Here are some of our favorite soy, beeswax or coconut wax candles with clean-burning wicks and natural fragrance:
These Wax & Wick small-batch 100% soy candles from Chicago are made with responsibly-sourced wood wicks and phthalate-free fragrance.
Thistle Farms soy wax candles are scented with essential oils and produced by a social enterprise offering housing, therapy, support and job training to women survivors of trafficking, prostitution and addiction.
Pretty Honest Candles is a female, Black-owned business crafting 100% soy candles with cotton wicks and phthalate-free fragrance in Charlotte, North Carolina.
If you like your candles with a sense of humor, Malicious Women Candle Co. hand pours 100% organic soy, cotton wick candles with both fun scents and fun packaging. The founder has an inspirational path to candle-making, and donates a portion of sales to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
Beeswax actually helps to purify air by emitting negative ions, which bind to positive ions, reducing indoor air pollution. Bluecorn Beeswax makes pure beeswax candles are available in various sizes, shapes and aromatherapy scents derived from pure essential oils.
Hemlock Park is a carbon-neutral company (they plant a tree for every purchase made!) handcrafting candles from organic coconut wax and essential oils.
BARE candles are hand-poured in small batches in Los Angeles, California with a non-toxic soy coconut wax blend. The labels are crafted with recycled kona coffee bags, and each candle comes with a resealable (and biodegradable!) bamboo lid.
FOUR WELLNESS TIP
Improve the indoor air quality in your home by making the switch to non-toxic soy, beeswax or coconut-based candles scented with pure essential oils or phthalate-free fragrance.
