Simply Vela Candle Co. | Why We Made the Switch

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Why We Made the Switch to a Premium Soy Blend Wax

Enjoying scented candles in your home is an excellent way to add comfort, warmth and personality to any space. This is why so many of us love candles; they are such a treat and a great way to make the atmosphere of any space more relaxing. The soft glow of the flame and the ambiance has a way of changing the way the entire room feels. We take this task of helping you create a beautifully simple ambiance in every space of your home very seriously and to that end, we are continuously researching new products and performing extensive tests to see what works best and what doesn't give us the results we're looking for.

You Spoke. We Listened

A few months ago, we asked for your opinion on many different aspects of Simply Vela Candle Co. (because we absolutely love hearing from our customers and truly value your opinions and feedback!) and one of the top suggestions we received were candles with a stronger scent. We totally agreed and in fact had already been digging in and researching several different types of wax that could give us the desired end results.

After months of testing and starting completely over regarding our formulas (any change to the materials we use results in changes to how fragrance oils and wicks perform, so we must start the testing process over to ensure we are creating a safe and enjoyable product), we found what we believe to be the perfect wax for our products and you.

We're so excited to announce that we've decide to make the switch to a Premium Soy Blend wax and we cant wait to release this change (among others!) with you starting in 2022.

What is Premium Soy Blend?

Soy Blend wax is a mix of soy and something else, sometimes coconut wax, sometimes beeswax or in our case, Paraffin wax. Yikes, did we just say paraffin? We did, and its ok, we'll get to that in a moment. We chose to change to a Premium Soy Blend because we love the all natural renewable qualities of soy (cleaner and slower burn) but we also wanted a stronger scent throw - the scent of the candle when lit by a flame. It's really the best of both worlds.

How's the scent of a Premium Soy Blend Candle?

In comparison to 100% paraffin candles, soy blends will provide a stronger scent throw and this is because of the soy wax. The added soy allows the candle to burn slower, therefore releasing the scent into your space gradually without the subtle smoky (or burnt) smell that straight paraffin wax can have.

The Great Debate about Paraffin

We pride ourselves on being transparent and honest with our customers, so with that in mind, let's talk about paraffin wax. There's a lot of debate floating around when it comes to paraffin wax and whether or not it's "bad" for you. When we began the journey to improve our products, we spent countless hours researching this exact topic and we learned that how we previously felt about candle wax (soy was the only way to go) was not entirely true. We are always on a quest to educate ourselves about our business operations and the materials we use, and we're open to accepting that there's always more to learn.

Here's what else we learned:
- All candles produce some level of soot, especially when not extinguished properly.
- There are plenty of articles online touting that one wax type is better than the other. There is an immense amount of conflicting information out there about how healthy candle wax is. One article will say that paraffin wax is bad, and soy wax is good, and it will throw around words like "toxins" meant to scare us. Another article will point to scientific studies that show that both are equal, and they both produce identical emissions. Some people believe that big candle production companies started the paraffin vs. soy debate simply to scare people into buying their candles instead of traditional paraffin candles.
- A well-made candle, regardless of wax type, displays the same clean burning behavior as the next.
- Emissions that are being released into the air and that can compromise the air quality in your home (which contrary to popular belief, also includes soy wax) are so minimal that most people are not affected by them.

So now you may be thinking, "Well crap, all candles are toxic. Now what do I do?". Before you exit out of this page and rush to throw all your candles in the trash, you must first understand that waxes are not toxic. Both soy and paraffin wax must pass a series of tests and meet certain standards that are monitored by the US government before they can be marketed as a wax that is safe for use in candles. The key is moderation. When it comes to your health, this is the rule for just about everything - medicine, junk food, alcohol, chocolate - all of these things are fine in moderation. If you burn your candles in a well-ventilated room, with a properly trimmed wick that doesn't kick up a lot of soot or smoke, chances are you will never see any negative effects on your health from any type of candle.

At the end of the day, what you choose to bring into your homes is ultimately a personal choice and you must be the one to decide. Here at Simply Vela Candle Co., we believe that burning quality candles in your home is safe and they don't produce enough emissions to have an affect. However, if you are more sensitive to scents or perfumes, finding the right candle experience for you is a very personal choice and we encourage you to give our candles as well as others a try to find the best fit for you.

This is our promise to you - to create beautifully simple, quality candles that are safe for you and your home.

The Down & Dirty

The best, most truthful facts that I can share about Simply Vela products are:

Each and every product is tested extensively before it is released in our shop
We do not use additives in any of our products
We only use lead & zinc-free cotton wicks
We only use fragrance oils that are phthalate free
We do not use fragrances that contain chemicals that are on the prop 65 list