Coconut Soy Wax vs. Paraffin: What's the Difference?
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Not all candle wax is created equal, and the type of wax in a candle affects everything from how clean it burns to what's actually in the air while it's lit. The two most common options on the market are paraffin and soy-based waxes, and the differences between them are bigger than most people realize.
What Paraffin Is
Paraffin is a petroleum byproduct — the same industry that produces gasoline and motor oil produces paraffin wax as a leftover. It's cheap and holds fragrance well, which is why it's been the default for mass-market candles for decades. The trade-off is how it burns: paraffin releases more soot than plant-based waxes, and that soot can leave a fine black film on walls, ceilings, and lampshades over time with regular use.
What Coconut Soy Wax Is
Coconut soy wax is a blend of coconut oil and soybean oil, both plant-derived. It burns cooler and cleaner than paraffin, produces far less soot, and tends to have a longer burn time because it melts more slowly. It's also biodegradable and renewable, since it comes from crops rather than petroleum. The main trade-off is cost — coconut soy wax is more expensive to produce than paraffin, which is part of why it's less common in bargain candles.
Side-by-Side
| Paraffin | Coconut Soy Wax | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Petroleum byproduct | Coconut & soybean oil |
| Soot | Higher | Minimal |
| Burn temperature | Hotter | Cooler |
| Burn time | Shorter | Longer |
| Renewable | No | Yes |
What We Actually Put in Our Candles
We build every Ash & Cedar Co. candle around three ingredients, full stop: coconut soy wax, essential oil fragrance, and a cotton wick. No paraffin, no synthetic fragrance oils, no lead or zinc-core wicks. It's a shorter ingredient list than most candles on the market, and that's intentional — the fewer things we add, the cleaner the burn.
Coconut soy wax gives us the slow, even melt and minimal soot described above.
Essential oil fragrance means the scent in every candle comes from natural plant extracts rather than synthetic fragrance oils, which can contain phthalates and other additives not required to be disclosed on the label.
Cotton wicks burn cleanly and steadily, without the metal core some cheaper wicks use to help them stand up straight — a core that can release trace metals into the air as it burns.
Put together, that means a candle you can burn for hours without the soot buildup, heavy synthetic scent, or lingering questions about what's actually in the wax. It's more work to source and formulate this way, but it's the only way we make candles.