BrittBritt Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 Hi guys! I have secured someone who wants to potentially stock my candles, but since she owns a beauty shop she doesn't want to stock them if they aren't 100% organic. I am a little bit confused, since I thought fragrances were synthetic, and therefore not organic. Essential oils are organic, but I was under the impression that they are potentially flammable, therefore not appropriate for a candle. I started doing some research and it all just seemed so confusing. I was hoping to get a bit of insight so that when I'm reading through my research I have a bit of experienced knowledge guiding me through seemingly contradictory information. Any information/experience you guys have would be hugely appreciated. Thanks, Britt xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlekrazy Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 Good Luck! There is organic wax (or was) and you can certainly use organic essential oils and cotton or hemp wicks but a true totally organic candle is going to be very difficult to achieve (I'm not going with impossible here, I've tried to do this for a shop and hit too many brick walls and gave up.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 On top of what kandlekrazy said, think of the cost. IMO a 100% truly organic candle is going to be too expensive to produce, and wouldn't it have to be a pillar since glass containers are not really organic? IDK, I've never really tried to do organic, because I honestly truely do not believe they are the end-all product. I think at best they may be about 1-3% 'better' than just an ordinary everyday product. That is totally my opinion, based on my research and my experience, and I get that some people do not agree with that, but that's where I stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittBritt Posted May 16, 2018 Author Share Posted May 16, 2018 Well isn't soy supposed to be eco-friendly? Being plant based? And yeah, I can see where you're coming from with the container thing, kind of contradictory haha. It honestly just seems like she is concerned with the fragrance being organic, which honestly I'm not sure how important that is - in my opinion a beautiful, long-lasting scent is far more important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 Just now, BrittBritt said: Well isn't soy supposed to be eco-friendly? Being plant based? The soy wax manufacturers have done a brilliant job in making people believe that. But, it still has to go through processing to become wax. It doesn't just grow as wax, there is a whole industry in the processing, which may or may not be good for the environment. It still takes machines, oil, gas, emissions etc., to make that processing happen. So? You decide. To me, organic/natural are buzz words that get tossed around and used too often and IMO they are not synonomous with "GOOD" - case in point, hemlock, arsenic, poison ivy/oak, all organic, all natural --- however, good? Umm, not in my opinion... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 Ask her definition of organic. Some people have no idea what they mean using the word. It just sounds and feels nice to say. It may be pretty simple. Soy wax is about as organic as margarine as they are made the same way - by soaking soybeans in hexane to capture the oil, then hydrogenating the oil to make it a semi solid wax-like substance that is easy to burn. Soy beans are grown in fields that are sprayed with too many chemicals to list. Cotton wicks are thought to be all natural, but more pesticides are used in cotton production than any other domestic crop. Then the wicks are bleached to look appealing. All wicks is have some sort of chemical treatment to make them burn well in various waxes. Aside from the the above comments, safety is first. In order to manufacture a safe candle with hemp, etc. wicks an awful lot of testing needs to be completed before sale. All that adds up $$. Will the account be profitable enough for you to go through the hassle and expense of all that? If not, accept that the shop is not your target market, and focus on places that ARE to sustain your business, 5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfroberts Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 (edited) If it were me, I would just tell her there is no such thing as a truly organic candle. However, if she is interested, you can make candles with organic soy wax and phthalate free fragrance. I find the whole thing a bit ironic, truthfully. I mean, she's not using 100% organic beauty supplies in her shop, I guarantee. Edited May 16, 2018 by bfroberts 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 I would leave out the word “organic” altogether unless you could prove it was made following organic regulations. At some point you “know” the law will catch up with people using the term simply to sell their stuff with no regard to the people will be scrambling to find the mythical stuff, and going OOB. And as to the hypocracy, @bfroberts, you are so right. Never heard anyone specify they only use organic permanent solution, color, etc. the shampoos that Pay attractive commissions they peddle are not organic in any way shape or form either. The brand “Organix” was fined heavily for that labeling misrepresentation. Sometimes specifying the mythical all organic candle is a kind way to decline. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 (edited) Good luck even finding "organic" soy wax. Like TT said, in order for a product to wear the description of organic it has to pass rigid specifications including handling, organically grown from seed to harvest, handled, harvested, and stored. If it doesn't pass regulation in all the steps required its not organic no matter what you call it. I'll bet that the shop owner at one time had some "organic" candles she was told were organic by the seller who just used the word as a selling point. They could have even been great candles but the price would have been too much for the shop unless they sell designer merchandise and expect to pay premium prices. I get this all the time. Some owner was telling me their candles were organic and made with all essential oils. I checked and she had apple cinnamon, vanilla, blueberry crunch, just to name a few. None were essential oils of course but she was convinced they were because the seller told her they were. Happens all the time! It's no wonder some shop owners think that you can get organic candles with essential oils like they grow on trees. Just takes being duped by a creative seller or an ignorant one more simply a liar. Edited May 16, 2018 by Candybee 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runner14jc Posted May 16, 2018 Share Posted May 16, 2018 Soy candles cannot be truthfully labeled as organic. Soy waxes are hydrogenated oils and hydrogenated oils cannot be certified as organic. Even if you managed to locate 100% organic soybean oil, by the time, you make that oil into a wax, it is no longer an organic product. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittBritt Posted May 17, 2018 Author Share Posted May 17, 2018 Thanks for all the helpful feedback guys, you confirmed more than a few of my suspiscions! I really didn't think fragrances could be organic without being essential oils. Am I correct thinking that essential oils are flammable? Not sure where I got that idea from. And I kind of figured that if soy wax was organic, the manufacturer would be advertising that in their product description. I was thinking of avoiding the label 'organic' all together, since I don't think it would be cost effective even if I found a way to make it possible. She doesn't claim to only use organic products, to be truthful I think she was just trying to help me be successful because she said that anything she stocks that says 'organic' seems to fly off the shelves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redquilt Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 I've read this thread with interest because I have an acquaintance from the shows I attend that sells container soy candles, and she markets them as "organic" soy wax candles . I've never been able figure out how she does this. She doesn't seem to be a dishonest person but I've never seen "organic" soy wax available from suppliers, but then I don't make candles so my search has not been extensive, and I've never asked her for her sources out of etiquette. Actually, now that I think about it, I remember last fall seeing another container soy wax candle maker promoting her fragranced candles as organic. She was making good sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary in Canada Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 To me it seems to be difficult to distinguish between a 100% soy candle, and a soy blend, let alone an Organic candle. It seems to be a very loose term. I know I was concerned about fragrance oils being synthetic (and I don't even sell candles) until I read this blog..I found it very interesting https://villagecraftandcandle.com/index.php?route=d_blog_module/post&post_id=61 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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