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Tania Gonzalez, a freelance makeup artist from Algonquin, Illinois, bought over 35candleslast year.
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Instead of a travel comfort or an evening ritual, candles became an all-day habit for Gonzalez.
Scent may be invisible, butits ability to alter moodand environment is undeniable.
The NPD Group reports there were 17 percent more candles sold in the U.S. last year than in 2019.
The Clean Candle Movement
Now candles are going the way of skin care.
Many experts refute this.
DermatologistRanella Hirschsays paraffin-wax candles, when used as directed, don’t appear to be harmful when inhaled.
The same is true for candles.
Are soy candles really safer?
When asked, Gonzalez said soy or beeswax is her preference, fragranced with essential oils.
Growing up, her mother only burned soy-based candles.
theyll say yes, but in reality it’s going to come down to product effectiveness."
Paraffin wax is often imported, largely sourced from refineries in China.
So, which candles are the cleanest?
Theres really no such thing as a completely “clean” candle.
Candles are optimized to be burned for three to four hours, LaVanier said.
She compared a candle that burns too long to a car overheating.
Wicks should also be trimmed regularly to minimize soot.
Consider a candle wardrobe.
Newer brands likeGrow Fragrancesay their 100 percent soy wax candles are better than what’s already out there.
“I dont think that paraffin wax is inherently unhealthy,” Swimm says.
“I do think it’s inherently unsustainable.”
Paraffin wax comes from crude oil, a finite resource thats pumped from the ground.
Soybean crops regrow every year.
CandleScience’s business increased by 150 percent last year.
Thesustainabilitydebate is more nuanced.
Some consumers prioritize natural and plant-based fragrance in their candles above all else.
Both sold out multiple times last year.
Take some cues from Charlotte Tilbury’s enormous bathroom:
