08/17/2026
The history of wax is fascinating to me. I’m so thankful we get to play with the materials we have today because I literally cannot imagine the process would go back then. Want to know everything you’d ever want to know about candle wax? Check this out:
Ancient Rome & Egypt: Dipped rolled papyrus or soaked marsh reeds in beef or tallow. Beeswax was also used, but was much more costly and reserved for special or religious practices.
Ancient China: Used liquefied whale fat for fuel, and later molded candles in paper tubes using rolled rice paper for wicks and wax derived from insects.
Ancient India: Created early scented candles by boiling the fruit and bark of a cinnamon tree, mixing the result with yak butter.
Japan: Extracted wax from tree nuts and specific tree species to form structural candles
Tallow (Animal Fat): Inexpensive and easily accessible as kitchen or slaughterhouse waste. However, it produced a smoky flame, burned down quickly, and emitted a strong, unpleasant odor of rotting fat
Beeswax: Burned much brighter, longer, and cleaner with a sweet, natural honey scent. Because it was scarce and labor-intensive to refine, it was a luxury item used mainly by royalty, the wealthy, and religious temples.
Soy Wax: Completely neutral base that binds excellently with fragrance oils. Clean burn with minimal soot, though it creates a large liquid wax pool. The texture is soft, pliable, creamy opaque white, and prone to surface frosting. Highly sustainable, biodegradable, and made from renewable soybeans
Petroleum Based (Paraffin) wax: Holds fragrance very well but releases distinct black soot. Texture is firm, slick, glassy, and completely translucent or pure white in its natural form. Byproduct of crude oil refining with a high environmental footprint. While impact as a non renewable fossil fuel byproduct is a legitimate concern, the “toxic” angle candlemakers use is MOSTLY an exaggeration to drive sales toward other products 🤫🤐
