Common Candle Misconceptions
Y'all know we don't do gimmicks here at GSC, so let's some things straight:
1. There is no such thing as a non-toxic candle. NONE. It doesn’t matter the wax, the wick, scented or unscented. The act of simply burning a candle releases toxins into the air.
2. Candles cannot be “vegan” unless the maker can provide proof that ALL of their materials are certified vegan. If a farmer uses pesticides on their soy crop, this automatically disqualifies that particular farm’s ability to be “vegan.”
3. 100% natural candles don’t exist! There is nothing natural about candlemaking. You can make them as natural as possible through your raw material selection (which is what we do) but claiming that candles are 100% natural is false.
4. “Made with essential oils” can sometimes just mean that the fragrance oils used are infused with essential oils. Essential oils in their pure form are not considered safe to burn and caution should be exercised when lighting a candle made with pure essential oils. Check the full ingredients on your Bath and Body Works candles. If you see “fragrance” (which you will), it’s synthetic.
4a. There’s also nothing wrong with using synthetic compounds! Unless you eat raw and clean produce and meat that you grew or raised yourself, you’re likely consuming synthetic compounds every single day. Polyester is a synthetic fiber. I could go on.
5. “Soy blend” likely includes paraffin. If it was a blend of “natural, vegetable” waxes like soy or coconut, it would say that.
6. The CPSC banned lead-core wicks in 2003. They haven’t been used, manufactured, or sold since. Anyone who claims that some candles are still made with these wicks is being dishonest.
7. Ask your go-to candle plug if they’re insured. If they are, they should feel comfortable disclosing this information to you. If they’re not, find another one. It’s our responsibility to protect not just ourselves, but our customers too. PS: We are fully insured.
8. The real differences between soy and paraffin: scent throw and burn time. Soy is more dense than paraffin and as a result, will burn slower because it takes longer to heat up. However, since paraffin burns quicker, it has the tendency to burn stronger.
Neither is inherently “better” than the other. I choose soy because of the slower burn time and because it comes from a renewable resource. It is entirely possible to get a great scent throw with soy (I mean… have you tried our candles? 
) so don’t let misconceptions fool you!
) so don’t let misconceptions fool you!9. That “high, dancing flame” is not cool, fun, or safe. If you have a candle burning like this, blow it out, trim the wick ASAP, check for nearby drafts, and try again. If it still does this, the wick may be too large for the size of the candle, causing the flame to become unstable.