REIMI Botanicals is committed to offering an eco-friendly alternative to toxic candles that are made with questionable ingredients like paraffin, zinc, soy, synthetic dyes, and synthetic fragrances laden with phthalates. We use ethically-sourced beeswax in our candles because beeswax is a clean-burning, nontoxic, sustainable ingredient, that stabilizes the coconut oil, which is the foundation of our candle wax.
Our coconut wax candles are made of organic coconut oil and a small amount of ethically-sourced beeswax from local beekeepers in the Pacific Northwest, USA. To create our beautiful scents, we partner with a local manufacturer of natural, phthalate-free, paraben-free fragrances that are made specifically for candle and soap making. This partnership allows us to add only small amounts of essential oils as needed, to enhance the aroma profile, and bring a uniqueness to each candle.
Wax:
In my experience, most commercial coconut wax blends are a mixture of coconut oil, palm oil, soybean oil and/or paraffin. Many suppliers will simply state that their coconut wax blends are “coconut oil and vegetable oils.” Suppliers of candle wax are under no legal obligation to reveal which vegetable oils are used, so often we are unaware, as consumers, what the blend is specifically made of. This uncertainty is what prompted me to make my own wax blend and after tons of research and trial and error, I have created a blend that is clean burning, non-toxic and eco-friendly.
Coconut oil burns clean and slow and throws fragrance out to a room very well. However, if used alone, coconut oil melts at about 76 degrees, so it needs a helper to fortify it. When coconut is combined with beeswax, the result is a stable, clean burning wax. Ethically-sourced beeswax is an environmentally sustainable option, burns with little to no soot if wicked correctly, and may actually clean the air of toxins and environmental pollutants, though this has not been scientifically proven. (1)
Why do commercial wax manufacturers and others use palm, paraffin, and soy to fortify their wax?
Because palm, paraffin, and soy are inexpensive. Beeswax is a lot more expensive and for the small business maker, more difficult to buy year round in bulk. In this case, cheap byproducts of the soybean crop may be good for the bottom line of the manufacturer, but it's not in the best interest of the environment or the consumer’s health. Supporting ethical beekeepers means supporting our local pollinator communities. We can only survive when bees thrive!
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, of the 100 crop varieties that provide 90% of the world’s food, 71 are pollinated by bees. In North America, honey bees alone pollinate nearly 95 kinds of fruits, such as almonds, avocados, cranberries and apples, in addition to commodity crops like soy. (2)
We cannot ignore the negative environmental impact that mass production of soybean agriculture and petroleum-derived paraffin wax have had on animal and botanical habitat.
Overproduction in the soybean industry has caused deforestation, small farmers’ displacement, and soil depletion/pollution with the use of pesticides. In fact, most soy is heavily pesticide-treated in the USA, and organic soy is uncommon in commercial candle wax. As numerous peer-reviewed studies indicate, pesticides have significant adverse effects not just on honey bees, but also on native bees and other beneficial insects. (3)
Palm oil is a beautiful oil, and is prized in West Africa for its healing and nutritive properties. Unfortunately palm oil has also been over-harvested and its commercial production has been devastating for tropical forests. ”Large areas of tropical forests and other ecosystems with high conservation values have been cleared to make room for vast monoculture oil palm plantations.” (4)
There exists the possibility of working with Certifiable Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO), which must meet strict criteria that can help to minimize the negative impact of palm oil cultivation on the environment and communities in palm oil-producing regions. (5) CSPO looks promising, and once I have a better understanding of the impact of using RSPO and CSPO, I will share an update about whether we will introduce sustainable palm oil to REIMI Botanicals products.
Wick:
Many large manufacturer, commercial candles contain wicks that contain a zinc core; zinc keeps the wick straight in melted wax. But zinc fume is not something we want to inhale. For REIMI Botanicals small steel candle tins, we wick with coreless cotton wicks that are zinc-free and lead-free. For larger glass vessels, we wick with FSC sustainable wooden wicks that are clean burning and nontoxic. Because our wooden wicks are 100% wood, they are not only eco-friendly and sustainable, but also toxin and phthalate-free.
Fragrance:
Our candle fragrances are hand blended with clean fragrance oils and small amounts of essential oils. The clean fragrance oils that we source are made without phthalates and synthetic dyes. They are not on the California Prop 65 list and contain no known carcinogens.
Organic essential oils provide wonderful aromatherapeutic benefits when used in accordance with IFRA (International Fragrance Association) standards. We incorporate essential oils in our Yoga Mat Refresh sprays, Beauty Balms, Roll-Ons, and Lip Nourishing Sticks, because so little quantities are needed to experience the exquisite aromatherapy benefits. We have chosen to limit the use of organic essential oils in our candles. It is our belief that it is not sustainable to use such large amounts of these precious resources, as are needed in candle production, when there are safe and sustainable alternatives available. I will share more on our fragrance philosophy in another post - It’s a big topic!
Conclusion
We know we don’t have all the answers, and we will continue to research, as new developments in wax blends are constantly unfolding. Many commercial wax suppliers are trying to do better, and I am hopeful. But until then, we’ll stick to our own trusted proprietary blend of organic coconut oil and ethically-sourced, local beeswax.
It is up to each individual maker to determine their comfort level utilizing precious botanical resources in their candles and beauty products. We are always looking critically at our ingredients and production processes for continuous improvement. It is often difficult to align one’s moral ethics with one’s business model, but that is exactly the goal!
We are always interested in hearing your thoughts and hope you’ll enjoy REIMI Botanicals candles as much as we do!
Key Terms and Organizations Mentioned:
Phthalate: Chemical substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity. Many phthalates are Toxic to Reproduction, Endocrine Disrupting, Skin sensitisers. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthalate#cite_note-5)
RSPO (Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil): A not-for-profit that unites stakeholders from the 7 sectors of the palm oil industry: oil palm producers, processors or traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks/investors, and environmental and social non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to develop and implement global standards for sustainable palm oil. (https://rspo.org/about)
CSPO (Certified Sustainable Palm Oil) palm oil and palm oil products whose producers adhere to a set of environmental and social criteria as set forth by the RSPO. These criteria can potentially help to minimize the negative impact of palm oil cultivation on the environment and communities in palm oil-producing regions. (https://rspo.org/about)
IFRA (International Fragrance Associate): An independently governed nonprofit entity whose mission is to promote “the safe use of fragrance for everyone’s enjoyment.” IFRA’s standards for usage rates of fragrance is widely accepted and respected in the fragrance industry as definitive. (https://ifrafragrance.org/)
California Prop 65: Proposition 65 requires businesses to provide warnings to Californians about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. (https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65)
California Prop 65 List: The list contains a wide range of naturally occurring and synthetic chemicals that are known to cause cancer or birth defects or other reproductive harm. These chemicals include additives or ingredients in pesticides, common household products, food, drugs, dyes, or solvents. Listed chemicals may also be used in manufacturing and construction, or they may be byproducts of chemical processes, such as motor vehicle exhaust. (https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/proposition-65-list)
Ethically-sourced beeswax: Beeswax is a natural wax produced from the glands of honeybees, and is therefore not a vegan product. Some believe that harvesting beeswax is harmful to bees, however as the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) shares, the primary reason for the global bee colony collapse is habitat-damaging pesticides, not beeswax harvesting. (6)
Our primary supplier uses organic beekeeping methods, and does not use antibiotics or miticides on their bees. Their apiaries are located on organic farms and gardens in Oregon, USA. We rely on secondary local Pacific NW suppliers that are also committed to the health of the honeybee and building a more balanced partnership between humans, honey bees, and the ecosystems that support bees and humans. In supporting local beekeepers we are supporting our local pollinator community. We thrive when bees thrive!