Beeswax vs. Paraffin vs. Soy: What's Actually in Your Candle?

Beeswax Pat  ·  February 2026  ·  5 min read

Walk down any candle aisle and you'll see the words "natural," "clean," and "premium" on almost every label. But what's actually inside those jars? The three most common candle waxes — paraffin, soy, and beeswax — are very different materials with very different origins. Here's what you should know.

Paraffin: The Petroleum Byproduct

Paraffin wax is derived from crude oil. It's a byproduct of petroleum refining — the same industry that produces gasoline and diesel. It's cheap, widely available, and takes synthetic fragrance well, which is why it dominates the mass-market candle industry.

When paraffin burns, it releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Research published in peer-reviewed environmental science journals has identified compounds including benzene and toluene in paraffin candle emissions — both classified as VOCs by the EPA. Paraffin also produces more visible black carbon soot than beeswax, which is the dark residue you see on jar rims and around candle holders.

None of this makes paraffin immediately dangerous in a well-ventilated room — but it does raise legitimate questions about what you're burning in your home every day.

Soy Wax: Better, But Not Simple

Soy wax became popular in the 1990s as a "natural" alternative to paraffin. It's plant-based, renewable, and burns at a lower temperature. Those are genuine advantages.

The complications: most commercial soy wax is extracted using hexane, an industrial solvent. More importantly, there is no legal standard defining what "soy candle" means. Many candles labeled as soy candles are blends — often 20–40% paraffin — because 100% soy wax is harder to work with and doesn't hold fragrance as easily.

A candle can be 60% paraffin and still call itself a "soy candle" if soy is the primary wax in the blend. Read the full ingredient list if one is provided — and be skeptical if it isn't.

Beeswax: The Original Candle Wax

Beeswax is produced by honeybees to construct their honeycombs. It's been used for candles for thousands of years — medieval churches burned beeswax candles specifically because they burned cleanly and didn't produce the heavy soot of tallow (animal fat) alternatives. No processing is required to make beeswax into a candle beyond melting and pouring.

From a chemistry standpoint, beeswax has several properties that distinguish it from petroleum-derived or processed plant waxes:

• 📊 Melting point: 144–149°F — the highest of any natural wax. This means it liquefies more slowly, which translates directly into a longer burn per ounce.
• 💨 Combustion byproducts: Cleaner burn chemistry than paraffin — significantly less black carbon soot.
• 🌿 Origin: Produced by bees from plant nectar — no petroleum refining, no hexane extraction, no chemical processing required.
• 🍯 Natural scent: Pure beeswax carries a warm, subtle honey aroma from propolis and pollen — no fragrance oil needed.

For people seeking a genuinely non-toxic, chemical-free candle — particularly those with sensitivities to synthetic fragrance, households with young children, or anyone concerned about VOC emissions indoors — 100% pure beeswax is often the final answer. No petroleum, no solvents, no synthetic additives of any kind.

The Purity Problem

Here's what most candle marketing doesn't tell you: there is no legal standard in the United States requiring a candle labeled "beeswax" to be 100% beeswax. A candle can contain 10% beeswax — the rest paraffin — and still legally call itself a beeswax candle.

A $10 "beeswax" candle is almost certainly a blend. Pure beeswax costs significantly more than paraffin per pound — the math doesn't work otherwise.

The only way to verify purity is an ingredient list that says exactly one thing: beeswax. If it lists "wax blend," "vegetable wax," or doesn't list ingredients at all, treat it as a blend until proven otherwise.

The Bottom Line

All three waxes can make functional candles. Paraffin is cheap and ubiquitous. Soy is a step up, but blending and labeling rules make verification difficult. Pure beeswax costs more — because it's a more expensive natural material — but it's the only one where what's on the label is provably what's in the jar.

Beeswax Pat uses one ingredient. Our label lists exactly: 100% Organic American Beeswax. Nothing else to hide.