Paraffin starts out as leftover sludge from petroleum production. It’s then filtered, bleached and put into an endless array of products.

In 2001, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) concluded that burning paraffin candles emits harmful amounts of toxins in the air that are considered above the excess cancer risk with multiple exposures. According to California’s safe drinking water and toxic enforcement act of 1986, there are up to 20 toxins in paraffin candle wax.

In addition to emitted pollution, using paraffin also increases our nation’s dependency on foreign fuel. It may seem like a small thing, but according to the National Candle Association, Americans spend more than 2.3 billion dollars on candles each year (the vast majority of those paraffin.) In contrast, soy wax is 100% renewable, clean burning, and helps support our farmers.

Lastly, since paraffin is petroleum (oil) based, it is almost impossible to clean up thoroughly. Soy wax cleans up easily with soap and water