Soy Pillar Candles Vs. Paraffin Pillar Candles

It used to be that you had one choice when it came to pillar candles; that choice being paraffin. However, in the past decade, more choices have emerged. Beeswax candles have been around even longer than paraffin candles, but generally take the form of taper candles and are very expensive. It is also difficult to scent a beeswax candle since its natural scent is too strong. Since the 90’s, two more affordable choices have emerged: soy pillar candles and palm wax pillar candles. Today we will compare soy pillar candles to paraffin pillar candles.

Pros of soy pillar candles & cons of paraffin pillar candles:
Firstly, some characteristics that apply to soy wax candles are that they burn cleaner, cooler and longer than paraffin candles. Soy wax has a better scent throw than paraffin and can hold up to twice as much fragrance.
More specifically to soy pillar candles, and probably most notably, they tend to hold their shape very well. When you burn a soy pillar candle correctly, the exterior will hold its shape right up until it burns away. Now just to be clear, soy pillar candles are actually not made from 100% soy wax. The higher quality soy wax pillar blends contain a vast majority of soy wax blended with botanical oils to help the wax hold its shape.
When you burn a paraffin pillar candle – even when you burn it correctly – it will mushroom at the top because the wax is oilier and does not hold its shape as well as soy wax. You will very often have to hug the top of a paraffin candle when the wax is soft to keep the wax from bulging out so much that it falls off the candle.
Another characteristic that is specific to soy pillar candles is that they produce environmentally friendly waste. You will always have a bit of leftover wax when the candle has burned all the way down. The soy wax used is biodegradable and will not pollute the earth. When you dispose of the remains of a paraffin candle, you are throwing something away that is not biodegradable.

Pros of paraffin pillar candles & cons of soy pillar candles:
One benefit of a paraffin candle over a soy candle is that the color of the candle is more vibrant, and it takes less dye to color a paraffin candle as opposed to soy. If your interest is in colorful, vibrant candles, you might prefer paraffin over soy wax. On the same note, soy pillar candles cannot produce the “mottling” effect that can be produced by paraffin candles. Mottled candles have a rustic appearance and have a “snowflake” or crackled type finish that has grown in popularity over the past decade.
Another factor in favor of paraffin over soy has to do with scent throw. Although soy wax is known to have a better scent throw in that the scent lasts longer, paraffin candles burn hotter and can therefore release fragrance into the air more quickly than soy pillar candles. This is more of a trade off though, rather than a pro in favor of paraffin.