Why I Don’t Use Scented Candles

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The problem with most scented candles and non-toxic alternatives
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I’ll admit- sometimes, I wish I could climb back into my years of ignorance is bliss and forget everything I’ve learned about real food and natural living. It would be so easy to go back to before I knew about the problems with vegetable oils, or sugar, or processed grains.

It would be so easy to feed my kids cereal out of a bag and use regular laundry detergent. But I can’t.

One of the areas I most wish this about is scented candles. Even innocent looking scented candles with their soft warm glow have their dirty secrets. Ready to throw your hands up in despair that everything is toxic?

Hear me out:

How are Scented Candles Made?

Though they seem safe, regular scented candles are a huge source of indoor air pollution and they put off chemicals that are considered just as dangerous as second-hand smoke. Paraffin is a petroleum waste product and has to be deodorized and chemically bleached before it can be made in to wax. (source)

Most candles are made of paraffin wax, which creates highly toxic benzene and toluene when burned (both are known carcinogens). In fact, the toxins released from paraffin candles are the same as those found in diesel fuel fumes.

On top of that, many scented candles also have wicks that contain heavy metals like lead, and even a few hours of burning them can create levels of airborne heavy metals that are much higher than the acceptable limits. In the US, candle wicks are supposed to be made of cotton or paper, but studies have found that as much as 30% of candles contain heavy metals in the wicks.

“A candle with a lead-core wick releases five times the amount of lead considered hazardous for children and exceeds EPA pollution standards for outdoor air, says the CPSC, which is why they banned lead wicks in 2003. Exposure to high amounts of lead has been linked to hormone disruption, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, and numerous health problems.” (source)

Many candles also contain artificial scents and dyes, which release additional chemicals when burned. (source)

“Other toxic chemicals that may be present in the paraffin mixture and released through burning include: Acetone, Trichlorofluoromethane, Carbon Disulfide, 2-Butanone, Trichloroethane, Trichloroethene, Carbon Tetrachloride, Tetrachloroethene, Chlorobenzene, Ethylbenzene, Styrene, Xylene, Phenol, Cresol, Cyclopentene. Some of the toxins are found in other products such as paint, laquer and varnish removers– that’s potent and powerful stuff!” (from Keeper of the Home)

Additionally:

“Petro-soot from paraffin candles gives off the same soot as the exhaust of a diesel engine, and is considered just as dangerous as second hand smoke, causing problems from headaches to lung cancer. Paraffin fumes have been found to cause tumors in the kidneys and liver of lab animals.” (source)

When I first realized all the problems with scented (and unscented paraffin based candles) candles, I was really disappointed. Thankfully, I found some great alternatives…

Alternatives to Scented Candles

Fortunately, there are some great alternatives to scented candles and after trying them, I realize I like the alternatives more.

One alternative is soy-based candles, but the majority of soy is genetically modified, and I prefer to not use soy at all. The best alternative I’ve found is beeswax candles, which are not only safe, but have the added benefit of helping clean indoor air.

I’ve talked about how we use them to help purify indoor air, and beeswax candles give off the warm glow of candles without the toxic effects.

Beeswax candles emit negative ions, which help reduce positively charged ions in the air. From the dictionary:

“Positive ions, or cations, are formed by the loss of electrons; negative ions, or anions, are formed by the gain of electrons. An atom that has either lost or gained one or more electrons, so that it has an electrical charge. Ions can be either positively or negatively charged.”

Positive ions are generated by electrical devices, by scented candles, by walking across carpet, and even by heating/cooling systems. They are a fact of life, but they can carry everything from dust to pollen to toxic mold, so it is important to reduce them. Indoor air typically has a higher concentration of positive ions.

This is where negatively charged ions come in. They bind together and have a heavier molecular weight so they are no longer floating around the air.

Beeswax candles are a source of negative ions, and can help reduce indoor air pollution. (Here are some other ways to improve indoor air quality)

What we Use

I threw out all of our scented candles and now just keep on hand:

I also found beeswax birthday candles to use in place of conventional birthday candles. (We sometimes put candles in our banana nut muffins at birthday breakfasts)

The one thing I did miss about scented candles was the scent, so I also started diffusing essential oils to freshen indoor air. My favorite oils to diffuse are peppermint, citrus and lavender.

Detoxing our indoor air

After I discovered the problems with scented candles, I also wanted to find out what I could do to reduce/remove the pollutants I had already released in to our home. I found out about beeswax candles (which I had already used to replace our scented candles), salt lamps and indoor plants.

I started using these methods to detox our indoor air. We now have salt lamps and indoor plants in most rooms and when I need/want to burn candles, I use beeswax.

I wish sometimes that I could use conventional scented candles, but am happy to be able to provide a healthier alternative to my family with beeswax candles and essential oils for scent.

Do you use scented candles? Ever considered the alternatives? Tell me below!

Sources

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Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

282 responses to “Why I Don’t Use Scented Candles”

  1. John Heinze Avatar
    John Heinze

    I have been following the discussion, and on behalf of the National Candle Association (NCA), want to focus on three aspects of the safety of scented candles.

    First, regarding the question of the type of wax used in candles, internationally sponsored studies have been conducted on candles consisting of soy wax, paraffin wax, beeswax or other commonly used waxes. These studies have demonstrated that the combustion products of all common waxes are virtually identical. Furthermore, the levels of combustion products are well within safety standards when burning candles in the home under normal conditions. For more information, a summary of the study is available on the NCA website.

    Regarding candle wicks, it should be noted that the 2001 EPA study (cited in the original posting) states that “the primary constituent of public health concern in candle emissions is lead.” At the time, lead wicks were still found in some candles coming from China, which were indeed a health concern. NCA members, who account for some 90 percent of all candles made in the U.S., had voluntarily discontinued the use of lead wicks in the 1970s due to health concerns, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission formally banned them from the U.S. marketplace in 2003.

    Regarding the comparison of soot from candles and secondhand smoke, no published study has ever demonstrated that candle soot causes health-related problems. The safety of scented candles is backed by decades of research, testing and a history of safe use, and summaries of the safety data may be found on the NCA website.

    John Heinze, Ph.D.
    National Candle Association

  2. Mia Avatar

    My mom loves those wax cubes that she puts in a wax burner. However the perfumes make me sick so when I moved in with her I tossed the store bought cubes, kept the containers and set about making a healthy alternative for her. I use organic bees wax and add a blend of EO’s to recreate her favorite scents and then pour the wax into the (cleaned) containers and let them cool. It works beautifully and we’re both happy! Her favorite scent is lemongrass mint.
    I didn’t know about the ions though and really appreciate the info!

  3. VICTORIA Avatar
    VICTORIA

    When it is cold out, I boil a big pot of water with fruit peels, cinnamon sticks, CLOVES or things like that. Gets some humidity back in the air too. I also keep shells from my coconuts and fill it with coffee beans, Sometimes I soak cotton balls with aromatherapy oil and dab the bottom of sofa, area rugs, places where if it leaves a oil stain is no big deal. The very best is cooking or baking. I roast my coconuts or seeds in the oven. It smells homey.

  4. John Heinze Avatar
    John Heinze

    On behalf of the National Candle Association, I would like to provide several comments:

    The article recommends that soy or natural beeswax candles should be considered as alternatives to paraffin wax candles. Internationally sponsored studies have been conducted on candles consisting of soy wax, paraffin wax, beeswax or other commonly used waxes. These studies have definitively shown that the combustion products of all common waxes are virtually identical. This means that the combustion products of soy wax or beeswax are no different than that of paraffin wax. The levels of these combustion products emitted by all candles are well within safety standards when burning candles in the home under normal conditions. For more information, please refer to a summary of the study here: http://candles.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/International-Study-Shows-All-Candle-Waxes-Burn-Alike.pdf.

    You also state that candle wicks with a lead-core wick releases hazardous levels of lead. Regarding the Environmental Protection Agency study referenced, this 2001 review of candles and incense noted that “the primary constituent of public health concern in candle emissions is lead.” At the time, lead wicks were still found in some candles coming from China, which were indeed a health concern. Members of the National Candle Association, who account for some 90 percent of all candles made in the U.S., had voluntarily discontinued the use of lead wicks in the 1970s due to health concerns, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission formally banned them from the U.S. marketplace in 2003.

    The article additionally mentions that soot from candles can be just as dangerous as secondhand smoke. In actuality, no study has ever demonstrated that candle soot causes health-related problems. All candle waxes, when properly formulated (and when the candle is properly burned by the consumer) will burn cleanly and safely. The industry performs testing to verify the overall safety of burning candles and is confident in the safety of burning candles with all common waxes.

    The safety of scented candles is backed by decades of research, testing and a history of safe use, and the proven data is outlined in detail here: https://candles.org/industry-standards/ the future, if you or any of your colleagues have any questions regarding the candle industry, the National Candle Association would be happy to serve as a resource. Additional information can also be found at http://www.candles.org.

  5. Donna Repsher Avatar
    Donna Repsher

    Since all our ceilings are now white, we no longer burn candles of any kind, and use a candle warmer instead. Is simply melting the candles to release their fragrance as toxic as burning them?

    1. Alexis Hadden Avatar
      Alexis Hadden

      It really depends. I haven’t been able to read deeply, so no specific answers, but I would be wary of assuming melts are safer than burnt candles.

      Here’s the rub: How is the chemical making it into the air? Benzene and Toulene are both present in paraffin prior to being burned, and are likely vaporized into the air, unburnt. So I’d imaging it depends a bit on how hot the wax gets, and what the vaporization point of the bad stuff inside paraffin is. Paraffin itself is a pretty simple hydrocarbon chain not that different from beeswax’s main burnable component, probably why they thought it’d be a good wax. But there’s a lot of trace compounds from the crude oil that make it into the final product.

      And depending on the fragrances, many are toxic in and of themselves. Many of these kind of fragrances give me terrible headaches, and just having an unused candle is releasing enough the fragrance to give me a headache without either melting or burning. So again, if the fragrance itself is part of the problem (they certainly can be), then it doesn’t matter what you do with it to release the fragrance, you are still exposing yourself to those chemicals that impart the scent.

  6. Larry Avatar

    I have read on so many sites how heating damages the therapeutic value of essential oils and that heating diffusers and candles should never be used in conducting inhalation aromatherapy. (And yet the majority of those sites will contain the one therapy option where essentials oils (of whatever particular type) are added – either singly or as part of a blend, and in very small amounts of 5-10 drops) to boiling water and one then takes container off the heat and – usually using a draped towel – inhaled the fumes. Last I checked, water boils at 220 degrees Fahrenheit).

    I enjoy candles very much and like both the aroma of particular blends as well as therapeutic values – in a smaller room, like my computer room (I use soy blocks and beeswax pellets / blocks with cotton wicks strictly)…. but if the therapeutic value is destroyed by the heat….

    (I can understand maintaining unused essential oils in dark bottles and stored in room temperature environments, neither hot nor cold, and out of light exposure

    But for the release of the active oils fairly instantaneously into the air? Is candle heat that problematic? Truly? Some of the individual EOs and blends that I use are quite expensive. No use using Frankincense or Sandalwood, etcetera if all I am getting is the aroma effect!)
    Thanks for any info.

    1. Alicia Avatar
      Alicia

      Hey! I researched this quite extensively. Diffusers do not hear the water enough to destroy the therapeutic property of the oils. When you touch the air front the diffuser, the water is still cool.

      We have changed everything in our home using essential oils and couldn’t feel healthier.

  7. Sue Avatar

    I just bought organic virgin unrefined coconut oil and put it in my wax warmers with EO. Hoping this is safe.

  8. Sara Avatar

    Thanks for the article is it safe and healthy to make and use beeswax candles with essential oils?

  9. Sharon Avatar

    Now I understand why have a headache by the time I leave my friend’s house. She uses scented candles and those plug in scent things. UGH

  10. Sarah Avatar

    Scented candles have always been a part of my life and it wasn’t until 2014
    when I was diagnosed with cancer that I began re-evaluating my lifestyle
    choices, my eating habits and my environment.

    I don’t know whether the frequent use of scented candles had any influence
    on my health prior to my diagnosis, but I do know that I will NEVER again
    use any scented candle/wax melt that isn’t 100% organic and natural. My
    health and that of my family and pets is far too precious to take the risk.

    Sarah

  11. Karen Avatar

    I love red current and pomegranate. What essential oils can I use to replicate that smell

  12. Mary Avatar

    Great post! What kind of plants do you use around the home to improve indoor air quality? Can you get scented beeswax candles? Thank you!

    1. Robert Avatar

      Limonene is also in citrus fruit. When you peel citrus, you release limonene in the air. Are you concerned about that as well?

      I’m not.

      The article you reference is based on ONE study. Hardly convincing.

      Go ahead and eat your citrus, drink your juice and, if so inclined, enjoy your citrus essential oils.

  13. April Avatar

    How did you diffuse essential oils with your beeswax candle to create a healthful and nontoxic aromatic scent? I would like to fill my house with pleasant clean smells with the beeswax candles.

  14. Chris Avatar

    While I respect many of the posts and opinions here honestly so much misinformation is flying around. For starters I think Drew replied correctly above. Lead wicks are a thing of the past. As for fragrances vs. Essential Oils both are safe. Essential Oils have just as many allergens in them and if you think EO’s are completely safe you are wrong. Different people are sensitive to different things and all natural EO blends and straight EO’s themselves will cause allergies.

      1. Robert Avatar

        Synthetic fragrances are safe, otherwise their use would be prohibited by law.

        1. Wellness Mama Avatar

          Sensing sarcasm? (Last time I checked, cigarettes, prescription drugs, and small batteries are all perfectly legal but they all lead to the deaths of many people each year).

          1. Robert Avatar

            You’ve offered a false equivalence.

            Synthetic fragrance ISN’T cigarettes, which are known to cause cancer in some people. Typically, people don’t die from the proper use of prescription drugs. And, as you know, batteries are legal.

            Does your research (here I mean real research based on peer-reviewed articles written by scientists) prove that synthetic fragrances kill?

            Or just you cherry-picking of articles you find on the Web?

          2. Wellness Mama Avatar

            There is definitely research about the problems with synthetic fragrances. I actually did think you were kidding by asserting that if something wasn’t safe, it must be prohibited by law and was addressing that particular point. Just to clarify- do you actually think that the government and lawmakers have enacted laws that protect us from anything that could be harmful?

    1. Kandi T. Avatar
      Kandi T.

      Speaking of allergies, ANYTHING can cause an allergic reaction, artificial OR natural……. EVERYTHING has the potential to be an allergen. As a matter of fact, serious reactions often require steroids, and I am ALLERGIC to STEROIDS (leave it to ME!).

      I make and sell soy based wax melts. They do not burn, there is no soot, nothing in a wick that might be dangerous etc. and I don’t use any type of additive other than the scent. And as people pointed out above lead wicking is illegal in the US, it CANNOT be imported in candles and hasn’t been used FOR YEARS. If there is a little bit of metal in your wick, it is zinc. But many companies like to scare people by still using the term “lead free” as if that means something. Of course they are lead free, since you cannot buy a lead wick from any supplier in the US, so you probably aren’t buying a candle with one. I’d pretty much guarantee it. High temperature paper has always been the best performing wicks I have ever seen or used to make candles for myself. (I don’t sell candles, just melts.)

      The soy wax I use is from a company that is well known for NOT modifying it at the molecular level, and it is grown organically. (Meaning they do not use pesticides. Normally spiders are used to keep pests off of ANYTHING organically grown.) There ARE chemicals that have been used in scented oils in the past, called phytates, that are, AGAIN, illegal in the US as far as I know because I have never found a fragrance supplier PERSONALLY that carries any oil that contains that chemical. My supplier also uses safe plastics for the packaging of their oils. No BPA or other chemicals that leach into the oils.

      If you enjoy the SCENT of a candle, and don’t care about the ambient light, just want the scent, then I highly recommend you try melts. And I was a bit confused by the remarks concerning your use of tea lights. A tea light is a burning candle. Do you use beeswax for those? I was just wondering since you didn’t say what type you use. I always recommend and sometimes will carry electric ones because they are cleaner. If you don’t want to burn a candle, then you wouldn’t want to use a tea light to melts your wax tarts either.

      Everything you said about paraffin is indeed true. Burning a candle made from paraffin is like putting a small running engine in your house at all times. If you want to BURN a candle, then soy is a good bet if you buy from a reputable business that gets their supplies from a reputable company that has documentation that they are non-gmo and organic, which I do. There is no reason AT ALL to had hardeners or anything to soy to make a harder candle. The way it is processed is what makes it into container candles, or hard enough to be a votive or in my case a “tart” melt. They simply hydrogenate it. And I know that it isn’t safe to EAT hydrogenated oil, but it is perfectly safe to have hydrogenated oils melting in a melter. If you don’t actually know what “hydrogenation” IS, it is simply the use of hydrogen to make it harder. If you take soy oil, hydrogenate it, it becomes shortening; hydrogenate it more it becomes container wax; hydrogenate it more, it becomes pillar/votive/tart wax. And it’s a perfectly safe process. I have had people tell me that it’s impossible to make a soy melt without a hardener but I do it every day! And when I explained this very thing to someone once, and explained that my soy wax that I use has never been CHEMICALLY altered, she proceeded to tell me that hydrogen is INDEED a chemical, which seemed to make her think she had given me information I had not had up to that point or something. I did point out to her that she WAS correct, however, humans consume hydrogen on a daily basis, either in the air, our food, or in the 2 parts to that 1 part of oxygen that makes up that thing we call water. So it was my guess that she made and possible sold paraffin candles and felt the need to defend them. (??)

      If you like the AMBIENCE of candle light, there are electric tea lights and those that can also be set into a pillar type “shell” and will release scent.

      My father unfortunately is in advanced stages of COPD, from smoking, so when he quit smoking his lungs improved quite a bit. They began to repair themselves somewhat. Since his lungs are ALWAYS being checked by a doctor, and my step mother uses my melts ALL THE TIME and his lungs are not affected by the use of them, even in the bedroom where he spends many hours a day, I’d say that they are pretty safe. At least for HIM. They don’t make him cough or make it more difficult to breathe even though I am constantly having to give them to her because she uses so many, lol. They have not injured his lungs any further, AT ALL. So maybe it is just HIM, but I’d venture a guess that using melts is pretty safe. And with so many people that have fireplaces, pets, drive a car, whatever, burning a candle for a couple hours a day, or using scented wax melts doesn’t seem to be as scary as they are made out to be. I don’t actually MAKE wicked candles so I’m not just defending something I make and sell, I just have done some homework on the subject myself and at the end of the day, it seems to be pretty harmless.

      If you enjoy real candles, with scent, I suggest you buy nothing but soy, (or beeswax, but it can be more expensive) and whether you use essential oils (which really are kind of a waste in a candle because they DO put off great scent, but not for long, so they need to be mixed with an artificial fragrance to give them “staying power” so you can enjoy them longer), because really if the artificial scent is your problem, you need to remember that just about everything we use on a daily basis contains it whether it is our body wash, shampoo, cleaners, laundry detergent, lotions, and the list goes on and on and on. It’s hard to escape. If you simply want scent, like me, warm some soy wax melts in a warmer designed for that purpose, only melt them for a couple hours at a time (or you will become used to the scent and think it is gone and throw them away WAY before you need to, so do it intermittently) and really it is no different than sleeping on your bed sheets after you have run them through the wash if you use a detergent or fabric softener in your laundry.

      And my apologies for writing an article in the comments, while commenting on your article. I just found this conversation interesting and thought I’d throw my hat in the ring with the things I have learned not just before I started making and selling melts, but things I have learned since. including my father’s experience with them, even having advance stage COPD.

      Thank you for the article and conversation!

  15. Mandy Avatar

    I LOVE my Olive Oil candles. An ancient way to light, brigher than a candle, cheaper, slow burning, great conversation piece, healthy burning, AND SAFER then a candle regarding fire safety. The great thing is, since you won’t be ingesting the olive oil…it doesn’t have to be cold-pressed/virgin. Buy the regular ‘cheap’ olive oil from your local bulk club. It burns very slowly…therefore cheaper than candles. You can also use your unedible racid olive oil, it just won’t smell as fresh. Not nasty though. On the safety front, unlike many oils, olive oil won’t burn or explode. If the candle falls (unlike a traditional candle) the olive oil puts the flame out. I use these candles in Alaska. I’m a Florida native…used them for years in place of emergency candles during hurricanes. I swear I’m not affiliated, but you can buy the candles/wicks/etc from Lehmans (online country store). The also have a pamphlet for a few bucks you can buh that teaches you about everything. It is easy and cheap enougb to make your own, but I DO recommend the pamphlet to teach the correct procedure. Happy burning!

    1. Elizabeth Avatar

      Since nearly all olive oil is adulterated & thinned down with sub-par, cheap, poor quality oils, any benefits that are supposed to be there from burning “olive” oil are a crap shoot if you have no idea which oil/oils the olive oil is watered down with. Also I would NOT suggest burning rancid oil. There is no way that could possibly be healthy. If it isn’t healthy to ingest, it isn’t healthy to burn & breathe it in. Maybe it’s still better than paraffin, but I still wouldn’t risk it unless it was an emergency situation & the area was well ventilated.

  16. Mandy Avatar

    I’ve often wondered when even burning ‘healthy’ alternatives, how much damage the actual smoke from the candles do? If ingesting too much smoked food is dangerous (carcinogen), then would burning in your home regularly be? Is the smoke effect negating the benefits of the beeswax? I don’t know. Have just wondered. With our effoefficient energy efficient…we are holing up the poisons in our houses. It would be better to have a drafty house to renew the air. Instead (regardless of weather…and I live in Alaska), I open up all the window and doors for around 10 minutes every 12 hours. Also keep the major air detoxifying plants in the house. May be all silly, but my home always seems so fresh that way.

  17. Heidi Avatar

    Hi!

    Glad to come across this post while researching salt lamps and candles.

    Id like to ask if it’s possible to mix Himalayan salt into my candles? Will that provided added negative ions?
    Or will the Himalayan salt not work anymore ode it’s mixed in with wax?

    Really appreciate a reply! Thank you!

  18. Laura Avatar

    What about Mason jar candles made with organic olive oil? Usually pine cones or organges natural things like that get added. I am trying to find something less expensive than beeswax candles to burn daily. Thanks!

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