Expert: Neecie - 3/6/2009

Question
Do essential oils need to be tested for use in candle making or can you simply use 100% essential oils in candle making, particularly soy candles? If so, what processes/properties do the oils need to be tested for?
Thanks, R

Answer
Hi there,

No matter what type of candle you are making, you will always need to test your finished product. You can use essential oils in your candles, but some oils are harder to burn. Plus essential oils are substantially more expensive than fragrance oils.

In order to test your candles, you'd want to test for the following:

Burnabilty: Is the candle fragrant when you burn it?
What does the flame look like? Is it weak or is it burning like a blow torch? Do you have a good melt pool?  Does the melt pool reach out to the glass. How deep is the melt pool.

When making any kind of candle, many variables come into play. They all need to work together in order to make a safe and fragrant candle.

My best advice to you is to always test, test, test and take copius notes when you're candlemaking.