Want to know the difference between Solaire Candles and other alternatives such as 'Sand Candles'?
Sand Candle's generally refers to the popular craft activity with multiple different coloured waxes you may have tried making as a kid in the 90's.
In 2020 and beyond companies have aimed to re-imagine the sand candle from a children's craft project to a stylish interior candle design.
In this article, we will be exploring the history of the sand candle and how it's changing the face of candle making for the better.
What is wrong with sand candles?
The biggest issue with sand candles is what they are made from. A Sand Candle is generally made using paraffin wax. Paraffin wax is great for the manufacturer because it's cheap and abundant. However, Paraffin wax is made from petroleum (crude oil), here are a few reasons why making candle wax with petrol is a bad idea:
1. Impact to health
- Some studies have shown that paraffin wax releases toxins such as formaldehyde which can be dangerous to our health (American Chemical Society. 2009) Although the jury is still out on whether such small quantities would impact your health, why take that risk?
2. Impact to the environment
- Extracting crude oil leads to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, significantly impacts air and water quality, and can result in loss of wildlife.
3. Burn time
- Paraffin wax burns pretty well at 60 hours per 400g, However, when you compare that to natural waxes which can range from 65-80 hours, why would you choose the inferior, more harmful product?(Read our blog post on which wax burns best? if you want to explore in greater detail why petrol is such an awful choice as a candle wax.)
Why is Solaire Candle wax better than candle sand?
Solaire candle wax is technically a type of sand candle. However, we have opted out of paraffin wax and in to a 100% natural wax. We have put hundreds of hours into researching, vetting suppliers and experimenting to find a wax that has only the best qualities.
1. Impact to health
- Solaire Candle wax is a plant based wax which produces minimal to no smoke or soot meaning we are able to achieve a clean burn every time.
2. Impact to the environment
- We have vetted suppliers across Australia to find a plant based wax that has been sourced ethically and sustainably, as well as a company that supports and actively participates in sustainable practices.
3. Burn time
- We have put our candle wax to the test and after many hours of research we have concluded that on average our burn time is 87 hours per 400g, that's 45% longer burn time than paraffin and 11% longer than the best performing alternative natural wax (beeswax).
What about other alternative's?
You may have heard of other alternatives on the market, 'sand candles', 'candle sand', 'pearled candles' amongst other names. We can not speak to the efficiency of all other candle brands.
Most brands won't give away what they are actually made from and even if they do they won't give away their supplier. Therefore, it is difficult to confirm how they compare. However, here are a few things to consider.
What wax is being used?
If it's paraffin it should be completely avoided in our opinion. Therefore if they make no reference to being 100% natural then we would advise you to steer clear. Plant based waxes can be great. However, there are so many different plant based waxes and each of them have their own different issues. One major issue with plant based wax is if they use the word 'blend', as this means they are a mix of two or more waxes, commonly paraffin as it's cheaper. Natural waxes such as Beeswax are a great option on the whole but will not suit this type of candle.
How is the wax made?
Not every wax is created equally, even if it has the exact same name. Often times manufacturer's want to get the most out of their batches, this can lead to them adding extra things in when forming the wax, for example some manufacturer's may bleach the wax in order to make it look whiter. This can really affect the overall quality of the wax. It will often still be referred to as '100% natural plant based wax' when in reality it's not. This type of information can only be found by vetting the supplier thoroughly.
Where do they source their product?
Some suppliers will not be worried about sourcing their own supplies ethically and sustainably. We have ensured we only partner with suppliers that are committed to responsible sourcing practices. Bad practices include, companies that contribute to the destruction of natural habitats, unsustainable harvesting that can harm eco-systems, such as, large scale bee farms and unethical labour practices such as child labour.
Solaire Candles prides itself on our commitment to the environment and championing sustainable practices. Our wax is made from a 100% natural plant based wax, with no additional additives, sourced from certified manufacturers that actively contribute to ethical and sustainable practices. So take out the guess work surrounding these alternative 'sand candle' companies and purchase a Solaire Candle knowing we care about your health, and the health of our planet.
What do other brands do better than Solaire Candles?
When you are looking at the traditional sand candles from the 90's you may notice one unique property about them that made them so fun as a crafts project. The multiple colour's of the wax. So why don't we offer multi-coloured wax? Currently as a small business we are working on ensuring we have a solid base product that everyone will love. We think we are 99% of the way there and so we have started experimenting with the use of multi-coloured wax. However, we need to ensure we get it right. Like our original Solaire Candle wax, we need to ensure that it fits all the criteria that we have outlined above as we want to minimise the impact we have as a business on the planet. If you want to keep up to date on our progress and be the first to hear about new releases then subscribe to our marketing emails!
Conclusion
We hope this blog post has given you enough information to make the right decision about which candle brand's to go with. In summary, avoid paraffin based waxes altogether. Be weary of other companies claiming 100% natural without all the details. Be aware that just because a product is 100% natural does not mean it was sourced ethically or sustainably. At the end of the day we don't mind which brand of 'candle sand' you choose from as long as the company is consciously reducing the impact that they have on our planet and doing it in a way where they are transparent enough* with all aspects of the candle making process that you are able to make an informed decision.
*A candle company is unlikely to give away all of their trade secrets such as which supplier's they use but they should be forthcoming in giving you enough information to know that they are sourcing their product responsibly.
Take all the guess work out with Solaire Candles
At Solaire Candles we have conducted extensive research and vetted suppliers across Australia to bring you the highest quality, responsibly sourced product that is available on the market.
In the vetting process we have ensured that our claim that Solaire Candle wax is 100% natural is accurate. We are proud that our candle wax emits minimal to no soot or toxins compared to traditional waxes as your health is one of our top priorities.
Our unique candle wax formulation is designed to maximize burn time, performing up to 45% better than alternative waxes!
Choosing Solaire Candles means choosing a product that respects both your desire for a long-lasting, high-quality candle and your commitment to health and environmental responsibility.
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