How to Choose the Best Soy Candles: A Buyer's Guide

There is no single best soy candle, but there are a handful of qualities that separate a candle worth its price from one that ends up in a cupboard after a week. Here is the checklist we use ourselves when designing our candles, and recommend when buying anyone else's.

7 things that decide the quality of a soy candle

1. The wax

Look for 100% soy wax or a clearly described plant blend (soy and coconut, for instance). The words soy candle alone do not guarantee paraffin is not half the recipe. Without a label: soy wax is matte, creamy, and soft; paraffin is smooth, glossy, and hard. More in soy vs paraffin wax.

2. Fragrance load and quality

A good scented candle has 6-10% phthalate-free candle fragrance oil. The maker should be able to tell you. A warning sign: a candle that smells strong in the store and barely at all once lit at home. That points to a low load or an oil chosen for shelf appeal.

3. A wick matched to the container

After the first 3 hour burn, the pool of melted wax should reach the walls. If it does not, the candle will tunnel and leave 30% of the wax on the sides. A wick that is too big gives a 1.5-2 inch flame and soot. You cannot check this in the store, but you can ask about the wick series (ECO, CD, HTP are good answers) and whether it was tested in that container.

4. The container

Thick glass or glazed ceramic, a flat base, at least 2.5 inches across for a single wick. Very tall, narrow containers burn poorly. Wood, thin glass, and plastic are risks. A bonus: a lid, which protects the scent in storage.

5. The stated burn time

A credible range for soy is 5-7 hours per ounce of wax. A 6.5 oz candle claiming 100 hours has either a tiny wick or an optimistic label writer. Details and chart: how long do soy candles burn.

6. The label

Maker's name and address, wax, a fire-safety warning label, allergen information where the oil requires it, burning instructions. Warning symbols do not mean the candle is dangerous; they mean the maker knows the rules. No label at all is the worst sign. What the markings mean: are soy candles safe.

7. A price that matches the contents

The materials alone for an honest 8 oz soy candle run $4-7. A retail price of $18-35 is normal for artisan production. A soy candle for $6.99 has paraffin inside, very little fragrance, or both.

Which soy candle for which use

A separate guide on candles for winding down: soy candles for relaxation. Tested blends for every season: best soy candle scents.

Soy candles as gifts

A candle is one of the safest gifts, provided you get the scent right. Rules that have held up in our shop for years:

• Do not know their taste? Choose a universal scent: vanilla with woods, sweet milk, apple and cinnamon (fall), fir (holidays). Avoid strong florals and very sweet notes.
• Know their taste? Match their perfume: someone who wears fresh scents will enjoy citrus and green notes; someone in warm scents, amber, vanilla, woods.
• For a wedding, business, or birthday: a custom candle with a label and a chosen scent. See custom candles.
• A set is a safer gift than one large candle: several smaller scents give the recipient a choice. For example our fall and winter set.
• Mind the packaging and label: a gift candle should look good before it is lit.

Unscented soy candles

An underrated category. An unscented candle in pure soy wax burns more evenly and longer than a scented one (no oil means less load on the wick), and is the best choice for the dinner table, sensitive sleepers, and allergy sufferers. When buying, look at everything you would for a scented candle, minus the oil: wax, wick, container.

Where to buy

• Directly from the maker (their own shop, craft fairs): full ingredient information, the chance to ask questions, often fresh batches just out of curing.
• Craft and concept stores: a good selection, but check whether the seller can tell you who made the candle and from what.
• Marketplaces and drugstores: cheapest, least information; choose only products with a full label.

How to tell artisan production from wholesale with a label stuck on: handmade soy candles. And if after all this you decide the best candle is one you make yourself, start with the step-by-step guide.