Candles, candles, candles. This post is for everyone who loves candles! Candles can be decorative, they can be amazingly aromatic, and sometimes they’re both. They can be ritualistic, and they can be just for fun. Whatever their purpose, candles are a timeless and versatile household staple. But the type of wax with which they’re made makes all the difference for household air quality and, therefore, our health. So I’m going to share a list of specifically clean burning candles that include everything from tealights to tapers, from pillars to sculpted works of art.
While lit candles are beautiful to look at (the gentle glow cast by the small yet powerful flames creates a pleasant ambiance), many of us also enjoy candles for their intoxicating scents. And no wonder. Aromas have a powerful pull on our sense of smell. There are many health benefits from breathing in desirable scents. And yet, in our modern consumer economy of cheap mass-produced goods, it’s hard to find nice-smelling home fresheners/products that aren’t full of chemicals which are questionable at best and undeniably toxic at worst.
The good news is that there’s an abundance of small businesses and independent candlemakers who only make candles from safer waxes. Not only are these candles made from non-toxic waxes, but candlemakers who specifically make clean burning candles likewise use non-toxic ingredients when creating scents and colours. There’s truly no need to resort to toxic paraffin-wax candles when there are so many great clean burning candles. That’s why I’ve compiled this list! Before checking out our candle collection, let’s cover a few basics about candles as well as what to consider when choosing yours.
Why You Should Replace Paraffin Wax Candles with Clean Burning Candles
The vast majority of candles sold in everyday stores (department stores, dollar stores, Yankee candle stores, etc.) are made from paraffin wax. Sometimes, a candle will be advertised as a ‘soy wax blend.’ Unless the other type(s) of wax is also specified, that designation almost always means it’s made with a combination of soy wax and paraffin wax. Paraffin wax is made of petroleum, coal, or shale oil. The problem with this is that while these substances in and of themselves are natural products that do in fact come from the earth, it’s the mandatory refining process in their manufacturing that makes them toxic. Paraffin has to be very refined and modified with chemicals (such as benzene and toluene) to even become a usable household product.
Burning paraffin wax pollutes the air in your home and is therefore a poor contribution to your home air quality. Unless you use your paraffin wax candles solely as decoration, you should replace them with clean burning candles if you ever intend to light them. If you have some beautiful or delicious-smelling paraffin wax candles that you just cannot part with, designate them as outdoor candles or, at the very minimum, only burn them on mild-weather days when you can keep all the windows open for a substantial amount of outdoor airflow. Try to light them only sparingly, and run a fan afterwards.
So what types of waxes burn clean? Soy wax, beeswax, and coconut wax are non-toxic alternatives. Soy wax is the most commonly used, while beeswax candles are also a popular niche product (and for excellent reasons as we’ll learn below). If you are vegan or want to avoid using products harvested from bees/bee habitats, then opt for candle waxes made from soy, coconut, or responsibly-sourced palm oil.
The Added Benefit of Beeswax Candles
Beeswax candles are not only nontoxic but they’re actually beneficial for your home’s air quality. Here’s how: when you burn a beeswax candle, it removes toxins by ionizing the air. In other words, it releases negative ions which then bind with toxins, removing them from the air. And while beeswax candles may seem more expensive than cheap paraffin wax candles, they’re actually more cost effective because they burn longer. You may purchase a beeswax votive at a slightly higher cost than a paraffin wax votive, but it will last longer without needing to be replaced and is therefore a smarter economical purchase.
Molding or reshaping beeswax (flattening wax down to ‘level’ the top of a candle after it’s soft from burning) is easy because the wax pulls clean off the edges of the candle holder as one cohesive chunk. Paraffin wax, which is oil-based, is messier and sticks to the side of the candle container or your fingers. Which makes it incredibly messy if spilled. Beeswax is not oil-based so it’s much easier to clean when spilled. (Soy side note: my son recently got into a soy candle and spread its wax all over my desk and swivel chair. Relievingly, it wiped off the chair fabric without leaving any stains.)
When you buy beeswax candles, do check that they are in fact 100% made with beeswax. There are many genuine, qualified beekeepers and beeswax candlemakers selling high-quality products, but other businesses may sell candles only partially made with beeswax. This negates the quality and integrity of the candle and, worse, could risk exposure to the same toxins present in mainstream candles. That’s why it’s important for candlemakers to clarify that their candles are made with only beeswax and no other additives or types of wax.
Clean Wax Blends and Other Added Ingredients: Know Your Candle’s Composition
In some cases, people make their candles with a blend of beeswax with soy wax, but this information is explicitly stated, as in the product information section of some of the taper candles listed below. Of course, the soy wax doesn’t compromise the candles’ safety or quality; it simply changes the composition so they aren’t considered 100% beeswax candles. Another caveat is coloured or scented beeswax candles, which naturally use additional ingredients to add a scent or colour. As with all clean burning candles, the important thing here is the integrity of the added ingredients. Check that any colours or scents are also non-toxic, such as 100% pure essential oils and natural, eco-friendly dyes.
The vast majority of clean burning candles with added scents seem to be made with soy wax. Beeswax candles offer their own subtle and lovely honey-like aroma, but there are some beeswax candles with added scents, too. If I don’t specify the type of wax used in our list below, it’s most often soy or a combination of soy and another sustainable/clean-burning wax – typically beeswax, as in some of the decorative taper candles I mentioned above.
Comprehensive List of Clean Burning Candles
Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links, which means I may receive commission if you click through the link and buy a product. As an Amazon Associate, I also earn from qualifying purchases through those links. Please know that affiliate links don’t affect prices in any way.
Beeswax candles (natural/unscented)
- Beeswax tealight candles (available in various quantities and, optionally, with either clear or metal cups)
- Beeswax tealight candles (available in sets of 12 or 24 and with one metal cup)
- Beeswax tealight candle with glass votive
- Extra drippy beeswax pillar candle
- Fleur de lis beeswax pillar candle (available in purple, green or yellow)
- Beeswax jar candle
- Egg-carved beeswax candle
- Sunflower-carved beeswax candle
- Ancient broken Roman column-carved beeswax candle
- BeeTheLight beeswax candles shop
- More beeswax candles
Taper candles
- Ivory beeswax taper candles
- White beeswax taper candles
- Black-and-white-striped taper candle (also available in other-coloured stripes)
- Pink and red heart taper candles
- Gold glitter beeswax taper-sized narrow pillar candles (made with safe cosmetic-grade gold shimmer dust)
- Black and white marble-patterned taper candles
Scented Candles That Smell Good Enough to Eat
- Paris espresso candle (scent includes coffee beans, jasmine, honeysuckle, and cream)
- Parisian café candle (scent includes coffee, pain au chocolat, croissants, and crêpes)
- Flan candle
- Bermuda rum cake candle
- Chocolate lava cake candle
- German chocolate cake candle
- Chocolate bliss dessert candle
- The chocolate factory candle
- Ice cream scoop candle (many yummy-flavoured scent options)
- Sugared lemon zest beeswax candle
- Citrus agave candle
- Orange dreamsicle woodwick candle
- Orange blossom candle
- Blood orange candle
- Arcadia orange candle
- Blueberry candle
- Very cherry candle
- Wild cherry dessert candle
- South Georgia peach candle
- Strawberry candle
- Strawberries and cream heart-shaped candles
- Strawberry cupcake candle (scent includes strawberry and sugar cookie)
- Strawberry shortcake candle
- Smoothie bowl candle
- Mango coconut candle
- Grape soda candle
- Blue cotton candy candle
- Pink and blue cotton candy candle
- Original Bubblegum candle (a few Bubblegum scent options including original)
Ocean-Inspired and Tropical Scented Candles
- Ocean air candle (scent includes sea air, jasmine petals, bergamot, Himalayan salt, blue lotus flower, eucalyptus leaf, driftwood, and misted musk)
- Sea salt candle (scent includes sea salt, coconut, and tonka bean)
- Caribbean island candle (scent includes orange, mango, pineapple, jasmine, honeydew melon, coconut, rum, and vanilla)
- Island vibes candle (scent includes citrus, coconut, and cream)
- Island getaway candle (scent includes peach, strawberry, mango, water lily, rose, violet, and musk)
- O’Ahu candle (scent includes orange, lemon, lime, violet, pomelo, driftwood, cassis, pineapple, mango, and mountain greens)
- Maui-made woodwick coconut shell/coconut wax candle (many tropical scent options)
- Mermaid magic candle (scent includes sea salt and driftwood)
- Pirates candle (scent includes sea salt, ozone, orange blossom, cotton, ocean spray, and sandalwood)
- Pirate’s pleasure candle (scent includes citrus, sea salt, ozone, plum, cardamom, amber, and dark musk)
- Titanic candle honoring The Unsinkable Molly Brown (scent includes mint, plum, floral, cardamom, amber, sweet musk, and vanilla)
Other Place-Inspired Scented Candles
- The Shire candle for Lord of the Rings fans (scent includes clover, juniper berry, white sage, white pine, and tobacco smoke)
- The Shire candle in multiple sizes (scent includes moss, herbs, and woods)
- Rivendell candle for Lord of the Rings fans (scent includes pine resin, silver spruce, cedarwood, white tea, and oakmoss)
- The Burrow candle for Harry Potter fans (scent includes sugar crystals, toffee, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg)
- Dragonfire tavern candle (scent includes oak wood, whiskey, and leather)
- Speakeasy candle in multiple sizes (scent includes whiskey, oak, ginger, jasmine, and lavender)
- Speakeasy candle (scent includes bourbon, vanilla, leather, sandalwood, tobacco, and patchouli)
- Medina coconut apricot wax candle (scent includes Arabian bakhoor, florals, and white musk)
- Greece candle (scent includes orange, lemon, olive blossoms, musk, and vanilla)
- Mykonos candle (scent includes sea salt and orchid)
- Santorini candle (scent includes sea mist, volcanic rock, and linen)
- Santorini candle available in a smaller size (scent includes olive leaf, seawater, and sage)
- Ancient Egypt candle (scent includes blood orange, cedar, jasmine, amber resin, and dark musk)
- Desert copal candle
- Rainforest blossom candle (scent includes clean linen, wild rose, damp earth, moss, and woodland musk)
- Rainforest candle (scent includes petrichor, dirt, sea salt, warm rain, green leaves, pineapple, sandalwood, amber)
- Ancient forest candle inspired by the Pacific Northwest (scent includes deep woods, mycelium, and fallen timber)
- Enchanted forest candle (scent includes pine, fresh fir balsam, cardamom, and pepper)
- Enchanted forest candle in multiple sizes (scent includes cypress, evergreen, fir, patchouli, amber, and smoke)
- Irish turf candle from Carlingford Lough, Ireland (scent includes earthy woods, cedarwood, patchouli, amber, vetiver, vanilla, and moss)
- Ireland candle (scent includes lilies, roses, ozone, sandalwood, fresh-cut grass
- Paris floral-scented candle (scent includes green leaves, ozone, rose, carnation, lily of the valley, ylang ylang, powder, and peppercorn)
Autumn-themed scented candles
- Apple harvest candle
- Apple cider candle
- Apple cider woodwick candle
- Butterscotch harvest candle
- Fallen leaves candle
- Autumn equinox candle (scents includes red wine, apple cider, cinnamon, and orange peel)
- Season of the Witch candle (scent includes amber, black myrrh, lavender, vanilla, tonka bean, Egyptian musk, and clary sage)
- Pumpkin-shaped candle (a few autumn-themed scent options)
- White ghost-shaped candle (many scent options from traditional autumn ones to Champagne Rose and more)
- Día de los Muertos sugar skull candle (cinnamon vanilla or apple harvest scents)
Winter-themed scented candles
- Buddy the Elf candle for Elf fans (sweet, festive scent options)
- Christmas Cheer ‘I just like to smile; smiling’s my favorite’ candle for Elf fans (many scent options)
- Gluhwein candle for a delightfully nostalgic German Christmas aroma
- Christmas in the Great Hall candle for Harry Potter fans (scent includes apple, bourbon, caramel, and vanilla)
- Wooden wick hygge candle to warm the coldest, darkest winter nights (scent includes fireplace, spice, and toasted marshmallow)
- Hygge candle in multiple sizes (scent includes cypress, fir, pine, clove, fireside, orange peel, cinnamon, and ginger)
- Hygge candle (scent includes clove leaf, cypress, plum, mandarin, cinnamon, vanilla, and wood)
- Hygge candle from the UK (scent includes orange, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, ginger, and clove)
- Persimmon-shaped candle for Chinese New Year (scent includes orange and mimosa)
Other Clean Burning Scented Candles
- Lavender mint tealight candles
- Purple rain candle (scent includes lavender flowers and vanilla)
- Petrichor candle
- Oud candle
- Sandalwood candle
- Tobacco and teak beeswax candle
- Snuggle Up candle (cinnamon-scented)
- Candle in black-and-white-striped glass jar (many scent options such as Old Bookshop or Thai Lime & Mango)
- Interstellar galaxy space candle to evoke ethyl formate (scent includes raspberry, sugar, fizz, butter, rum, sea salt, musk, and vanilla)
- Corset-shaped candle (either unscented or Vintage Boudoir scented)
- Self Love intention candle with crystals, herbs and flowers (scent includes jasmine, bergamot, cassis, rose, neroli, and smoky musk)
- Self Love candle (also available as tealights) with crystals, herbs and flowers (scent includes vanilla, sandalwood, and orange)
- Zodiac sign candles (different scents/herbs and crystals for each of the twelve star signs)
- Chinese zodiac candles (different scents/herbs and crystals for each of the twelve animals)
- Pastel rainbow-shaped candle (many scent options)
- Layered rainbow candle (each colour emits a different scent including violet lime, sandalwood vanilla, Carolina sweetgrass, apple, mandarin, and vanilla bean)
- Dragon’s blood candle (scent includes cedarwood, patchouli, clove, and orange)
- Fireball candle
- Double-wick leather candle
- Champagne spray coconut wax candle
- French champagne candle
- ‘Day Drinking because…adulting’ candle (scent includes pineapple, coconut, and rum)
- Red wine candle
- Muscadine candle
- Blue sky candle (scent includes line dried linen, lemon, violets, and sandalwood)
- Athena candle (scent includes ginger, teakwood, lemon, leather, cedar, saffron, patchouli, and antique books)
- Fairies of the forest woodwick candle (scent includes ylang ylang, orange, lavender, and patchouli)
- Ostara/Spring Equinox candle (scent includes mint and rhubarb)
- French vintage-style upcycled candle (many scent options)
- Baccarat Rouge woodwick candle
- Le Labo Santal 33-inspired candle
- ‘Be Like Dolly’ candle for Dolly Parton fans (many scent options)
Checklist for Choosing Clean Burning Candles
I hope you found some winners in our list! If not, have a look at any other non-toxic options that have become recently available. Narrow down the source based on any preferences (i.e. vegan) and scents. As a baseline, always choose candles for your home that have these features:
- Non-toxic wax (and any other ingredients should likewise be non-toxic) for a clean burn
- Reasonably long burn time (unless you want to constantly buy more to replace them!)
- Either no scent or a scent that’s attractive to you, derived from only non-toxic ingredients (note: plain beeswax candles have a mild honey smell that’s barely noticeable but quite pleasant)
- Aesthetically pleasing (choose candles you are especially drawn to – maybe a pretty label on the jar, a fun wax shape, or mesmerizing colours, for instance)
One last note: I recently did a shallow dip of research into the economic viability of making my own clean burning candles vs. purchasing them. This isn’t even to make a profitable business, but simply to offset the cost of buying other candles. From what others have shared, there’s no cost savings in making your own candles. It’s actually more expensive to make your own candles than to buy them, unless you turn it into a business. With the expenses accrued from equipment and materials, the only real return on investment would be to make enough to sell to cover the costs. But for those who can afford it as a hobby, they say it’s nonetheless very enjoyable! Maybe one day I’ll learn that craft, but luckily there are already plenty of great clean burning candles from other makers which you will hopefully enjoy as well. Happy burning, fellow flame-lovers!
