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The soothing qualities of a flickering flame and gentle, botanical-inspired fragrance make candles a go-to addition when designing a peaceful home. Whether you’re looking for serenity with calming spa scents or invigorating fragrances that set an energetic mood, candles can deliver that and more.

With so many candles on the shelves these days, you might wonder, what types of candle wax are best? Should you be choosing a natural wax? Are soy candles better? Indeed, when it comes to wax types, soy offers a few distinct burn-quality benefits.

Why are soy candles better than the rest? Let’s dig into a few benefits of soy candles and how they can elevate your candle collection and your home’s ambiance.

#1 Soy Candles Burn Cleanly and Evenly

Say farewell to soot stains and smoke plumes when you’re burning a soy wax candle. Soy wax candles give off a calming glow without pesky black smoke or lingering chemical smells.

A recent study discovered that, compared to paraffin candles, soy candles produced very little soot, resulting in a cleaner burn.¹ When burned properly, soy candles burn cleanly and evenly, leaving only the calming fragrance to enjoy.

Soy wax benefits also include a more even burn. Unlike some other wax types, soy wax melts more evenly over the top surface of the candle. And if you’re in the business of taking good care of your candles, you’ll want to take note of this benefit.

Candles that burn evenly prevent a phenomenon that is known as tunneling. Candle tunneling happens when only the innermost area around the wick burns, creating a tunnel inside your candle. This uses up your candle more quickly and wastes the outermost wax.

When a candle burns all of the wax in an even coat over the top of the candle, the entire candle lasts longer. Understanding how to burn a candle evenly gives you more hours of enjoyment of your fresh scent while you kick back with a novel or your favorite bottle of wine.

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#2 Soy Candles Have A Long-Lasting Burn Time

The welcoming glow of a glass jar candle is even better when you can enjoy it for an extended period of time, and soy-based wax candles will provide you with a satisfying long-lasting burn. In a side-by-side burn comparison, an 8 oz soy wax candle burned 18 hours longer than a similar-sized traditional paraffin wax candle.²

What makes soy wax last so long compared to regular paraffin candles? It all boils down to temperature. Soy wax has a lower melting point, enabling it to use less heat and energy as the wick burns.

The lower melting point of soy wax also makes removing candle wax that makes its way onto your coffee table or bath-side ledge much easier. And since it’s biodegradable, you can deal with spills and splashes with a bit of soap and water in most instances.

#3 Soy Candles Offer More Fragrance Throw

If you walk into a room with a lit candle and immediately notice a pleasant fragrance, there’s a good chance that the candle is made from soy wax. But why are soy candles so effective at providing fragrance?

Unlike other types of natural and synthetic candle wax, soy wax starts with an unscented base, enabling it to typically hold its added fragrance for longer.

While candles don’t typically clean the air or eliminate fragrances on their own, lighting a fragranced candle can mask lingering odors with more pleasant scents. Soy candles are especially effective at filling the room with your choice of floral notes or herbal blends.

The lower melting point of soy wax makes a wider melt pool that efficiently diffuses fragrance. This also makes soy wax an ideal choice for container candles like glass jar candles and tin candles, which can successfully contain the wide melt pool without dripping or spilling.

#4 Soy Is A Sustainable Resource

Soy is believed to be a more sustainable and natural wax. One of the many benefits of soy wax is its sustainable sourcing compared to other candle wax types like traditional paraffin wax, making it an environmentally friendly choice for your home.

Unlike paraffin wax, which is made from oil industry byproducts, soy wax comes from renewable plant-based sources like soybeans.

Soybean plants reach maturity in less than 100 days, making them a quick-growing renewable natural resource for everything from candles to food products.³

Soy wax is biodegradable, which means you can worry less about adding to the landfill when your soy candle reaches the expiration date of its long-burning lifespan.

Soy wax provides a natural and sustainable vegan alternative to beeswax candles.

Enjoy Quality Soy Candles from Archipelago

Bring the calm, clean-burning beauty of soy candles and fine fragrance into your home with help from Archipelago. You can embrace the benefits of soy wax candles in many forms, from charming votive candles to elegant and giftable boxed candles in stimulating fragrances like verbena basil or pomegranate citrus.

At Archipelago, we pride ourselves in being a candle store that uses use premium bio-based ingredients and fine fragrances to create products that complement and enhance your lifestyle. Whether you want to add fragrance to your space, soothe your skin with lotion and body wash, or get a better clean for your clothes and countertops, rely on our elevated collection of home and bath products.

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