“ Sweet” wax

[Lnewbie76]

Strange question, but does anyone have any suggestions on how to add an overall slightly sweet fragrance to wax? Or if any wax naturally emits a sweet smell? 

 I’m having some success making my candles but I find most of them lack a certain base sweetness( if that makes sense at all...)

[Sarah S]

Add a sweet FO like pink sugar or marshmallow or vanilla... Or maybe I'm not understanding the question?

Are you trying to avoid fragrance oils?

[Lnewbie76]

I’m Sorry,- it was worded very poorly. I was originally thinking if I added a drop of vanilla it would maybe do the trick but Was not sure  If it would change the composition of the oil I would like to use as the main fragrance instead of simply adding a sweetness to it, thus changing the scent all together. Marshmallow is a wonderful suggestion!!ni didn’t even think of it but it seems it may be exactly what I’m looking for! 

I Saw a video of someone who said she used a very thick  simple syrup in her candles to “ sweeten” up the wax... but I’m skeptical of that one. Chemically it doesn’t make sense, since I don’t think water and granulated sugar would bind  with the wax in a way that would actually scent it?! 

I am also curious to know if there is any kind of wax that emits a  slightly sweet smell in an of itself without being fragranced- I have heard bees wax smells sweet but I’m not sure if it will necessarily add a noticeable sweet note to the added fragrance oil when burning the  finished candle. 

 

Edited July 23, 2018 by Lnewbie76

[Trappeur]

May I ask why you need to sweeten your wax if you are going to be using fragrance oil?  What purpose would it serve?

 

Trappeur

[Lnewbie76]

Often when I make a candle, it seems the fragrance is almost right, but would be perfect if just a little sweeter. For instance, for a sweet tea scented candle, it seems a little more sweetness to the smell would improve it. I was afraid vanilla would just add a vanilla scent to the mix as opposed to sweet. 

[Lnewbie76]

Since I feel this way frequently about quite a few scents , I figured maybe I could find a universal solution of sorts. 

[TallTayl]

3 hours ago, Lnewbie76 said:

I Saw a video of someone who said she used a very thick  simple syrup in her candles to “ sweeten” up the wax... but I’m skeptical of that one. Chemically it doesn’t make sense, since I don’t think water and granulated sugar would bind  with the wax in a way that would actually scent it?! 

 

Ok. For real? Are they eating the wax? Sugar, when burned, smells like burned sugar. And adding water? To a candle? I just can’t....

 

sugar has no real scent all by itself - at least nothing that would over power the scent of the wax itself. 

 

As for beeswax, it can smell sweet in the hive sheets used as a base for them to build honey comb on. Typical retail beads or blocks don’t smell sweet while cold or while burning. They smell Distinct and earthy.

[moonshine]

Someone actually made a video suggesting this 😂🙈

your best bet to add sweetness to your scents is a sickly sweet FO like a vanilla or creme brûlée or like Sarah suggested a marshmallow or pink sugar 

I think Wsp makes a actual sugar fo but I could be wrong on that 

[Kerven]

Beeswax that hasn't been refined, bleached, etc. has a sweet honey scent. Commercial beeswax doesn't typically have that scent, at least, not to the same degree. Best to source it direct, IMO.

 

I don't think I've come across anything that provides a universal sweet note. Each fragrance pairs differently with other fragrances. Florals, fruits, citrus, caramel, vanilla, etc. Personally, I find that amber does a lot to sweeten perfumey or cologne-like fragrances. You'll have to experiment with whichever fragrance you're using to see what works best to "sweeten" it.

 

That said, the first FO that comes to mind as a potential "sweetener" is Rustic Escentual's Sweet Tooth. It's supposed to have notes of cookies, candied fruit, powdered sugar, and such. However, all I got from it was a light candied cherry (more candied than cherry) and maybe the faintest hint of almond... amaretto-ish but sweeter (now I want to blend it with a coffee FO). Not strong at all. When I sniffed the sample, I immediately thought it would make a decent blender but was too subtle to do much on its own. Other scents that might work to sweeten a fragrance are: strawberry, cotton candy, marshmallow, there's a cream/whipped cream FO somewhere, buttercream, coconut... Just Scent seems to have numerous confectionary FO's. Take a look at their Serendipity and Totally Scrumptious (I haven't tried these so can't give a review).

 

As for the sugar in candle wax... No, just no. Sugar burns around 350F, which the melt pool shouldn't reach, but if it happens to get wicked up to the flame... Well, I imagine that's going to be a lot of smoke and a massive carbon ball. Was the simple syrup added for use on skin or solely for fragrance?

 

Edit: Forgot to add that some waxes have a cleaner, maybe sweet, scent all on their own. When testing Candlewic's coconut-apricot wax, I noted a light apple-y scent.

Edit: WSP does have Sugared. It's part of their blender FO's and is a base note.

Edited July 24, 2018 by Kerven

[Lnewbie76]

Thank you so much for the ideas of sweet smelling fo to add to my concoctions! 

I rolled my eyes and chuckled more than  a few times during the simple syrup video myself - it seemed completely ridiculous! Another I always find  amusing are the homemade coffee scented candles that use excessive mounts of coffee grounds?!? 🤦🏼‍♀️ I sure am glad I found this forum and all of you wonderful chandlers to turn to for advice instead! Thanks again for the ideas! 

[TallTayl]

Coffee grounds and coffee beans in candles is ridiculous. They easily catch fire. Likewise with flower petals, and other flammables. This drives me NUTS.  Yet, people are doing it, selling them, and are (hopefully) well insured for the inevitable fires. 

[Lnewbie76]

On 7/23/2018 at 9:17 PM, Kerven said:

 

As for the sugar in candle wax... No, just no. Sugar burns around 350F, which the melt pool shouldn't reach, but if it happens to get wicked up to the flame... Well, I imagine that's going to be a lot of smoke and a massive carbon ball. Was the simple syrup added for use on skin or solely for fragrance?

 

At the risk of sounding a bit negative - there is a moderately popular local woman who makes her own candles. I begun following her videos thinking I could learn  from her and pick up tips and info but they are mostly just advertising and much of her info is geared toward the organic toxin free persuasion. I have tried her candles and the HT is  hit or miss (either strong or nothing), but the hits are pretty great!  Since I have begun making candles and obsessively researching all things wax and oils I realize that 90% (quite literally) of her advertised claims are gimmicks that are impossibly false, and this is one of them-the secret to her candles is the 1/2 inch layer of thick "home made vanilla simple syrup  made only of water, sugar and pure vanilla" that she pours into each container before she pours the wax.  She also frequently adds coffee beans and grounds, cake sprinkles and regular glitter to the candles, usually at the top, but still..yikes. Her whole pitch is  that paraffin, purchased fragrance oils  and "conventional" wicking and wick adhesives  are super toxic and that her candles are all natural, chemical free, locally sourced ingredients she "home cooks" into scents- and shows simmering fruits , veggies and spices in water on her stove as proof. (I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt but I have yet to figure out where in upstate New York she was able to locally source coconut, lime and verbena that she home cooked into a scent almost exactly like the oil I purchased)

There are a ton of lessons I am sure one could take from this, but the lesson ringing the loudest is the power of creative marketing, I suppose. She charges 25.99  for an undyed soy wax, unsecured wooden wicked 12 ounce status jar candle using decent quality fragrance oils ( from all her videos  it seems she doesn't stir into the wax, just pours in, which I assume accounts for the misses) with gorgeous labeling and creative and beautiful branding. She puts a tremendous amount of thought and work into the marketing, and it shows- she seems to do quite well with local sales. 

[Kerven]

Ah, so the water is at the bottom. That's interesting. In that case, I think it might be possible to pull off if her wicks are very well primed so that the water doesn't wick up the centers and cause burning/lighting issues. Like a floating candle in a jar, I suppose. I can't say that I've seen that technique before. The candle would naturally extinguish once it reaches that layer, I'd imagine.

 

As for soy wax being natural, chemical free, and local... Ehhh. That's debatable.

 

I wonder if she's extracting her own essential oils, essences, and such. Neat idea, if she can get essential oils to behave in soy wax.

 

Edit: Just realized she uses wooden wicks. Huh... I wonder how she keeps them from getting waterlogged and not lighting. Does she have an online presence?

Edited July 26, 2018 by Kerven

[Kerven]

Alright, I think I found the business. Unfortunately, I can't view anything but the business's facebook feed. A lot of the candles don't seem to have a visible layer of liquid on the bottom... maybe the wax displaced it. Did see some pictures of candles topped with things and one of a wood wick ashing into the melt pool, but she seems to be a success and would appear to be doing something right.

I just know if I tried the same thing with candles I'd end up with a lawsuit.

I'm still curious whether or not the scented concoction at the bottom serves a purpose beyond marketing. Does it scent the wood wick? That one picture I saw of the ashing wood wick looked a little too charred. Maybe the simple syrup caused that? Maybe it adds more crackle? I don't think it's there to add fragrance, since it's sealed with a thick layer of wax. Who knows...

[bfroberts]

OMG, I am dying of curiosity here.  Someone PLEASE PM me the name of this business so I can see this crockery for myself.

[Kerven]

I don't know if I'd call it a sham - a gimmick, sure - since all I have are postings and pics to go off of. The idea of putting simple syrup at the bottom of a container candle is new to me. Maybe someone here knows about these candles, has tried them, and can provide a detailed performance review? I'm curious to know how they react once they reach the simple syrup. Is the syrup thick enough to hold the wick in place? So many questions.

 

Off topic, but...

I'm liking the design of the whiskey candles. Simple and rustic without looking "old". Too bad whiskey is high on the list of FO's I refuse to sniff. I need to know where those shiny rubbed bronze (or is that brass?) mason jar lids came from. That design would be great for a men's line of fragrances.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Kerven

[Trappeur]

I'd like to see this site too.  Can you tell us what company it is?   I wouldn't think it would do any harm here....right?

 

Trappeur

[Lnewbie76]

She’s a personal Facebook friend. I feel uncomfortable sharing her website now that I have come forth with criticism-  it was merely an example of all the misinformation you can gather from different sources on the internet and don’t want to seem as if I’m intentionally speaking ill of her business in a way to hurt her. If that is how it comes across It isn’t intended to at all, but being that I am connected to her on a more personal level  I  have no doubt for various reasons that in regards to candle ingredients and processing- she’s totally full of it-  but it works for her, people are happy with the product they are getting for the most part and I’m not the candle ethics police so I’ll just end it at that. ( I shouldn’t have elaborated so much on the specifics of one person in general- lesson learned.)

In regard to adding simple syrup- I would think the liquidity at the bottom of the candles wouldnt serve any real purpose than maybe the potential rusting of wick clips. I’m sure vanilla extract would bind and add some scent to the wax, but the sugar would not and would  potentially burn which would be evident at some point when lit. The amount of sugar required to make a syrup as thick as in the  video would be literal cups and I imagine that would cause a serious issue in 12-16 ounces of wax.  I would test it out to make sure, but honestly it seems kind of dangerous. 

I have extracted oils myself before and the amount of time, effort and  sheer bulk of fruit or vegetable required is enormous for a minuscule amount of product. It’s quite the venture, but well worth the results if done correctly- I imagine that to be a true labor of love!

I chose candle making because I found it to be relaxing - I just  want to make a candle I can truly enjoy and be able to give to friends and family confident that it smells great and is safe to burn. I didn’t post with the intent to bash a fellow chandler as much as express gratitude that so many of you are willing to share tips and advice that works when there is so much misinformation and poor advice on the internet otherwise. 

[Lnewbie76]

I feel so guilty , I think bc I know her I feel really bad about saying anything negative!  In defense of her after I criticized her so much- she really is committed to her belief in her candles  and does put a ton of time and effort into her business as a whole.  She is misleading in her fragrancing sources to support the gimmick but she really does hit a home run when there is a decent hot throw- I once pondered putting her (unlit) orange blossom candle in my car in the summer to be able to smell it on my way to and from work bc I loved it that much. I just wish she was a little more forthcoming about her use of fragrance oils. 

[Kerven]

I'm not too keen on naming and potentially shaming when I haven't done business with the person/company. My only issue was with the technique (the syrup, not the goodies sprinkled on top), which now that I've thought about it, might actually work... although I'm hesitant to say that it would provide any benefits over the traditional method. I just don't see the fragrance from the syrup penetrating the wax, but the syrup (if thick enough) could anchor the wick... especially if it set up like candy or caramel... I think. Originally, I was visualizing a thin simple syrup like that used in tea or cocktails being mixed into the wax. Obviously, that wasn't the case.

 

As for the marketing... the stories and claims that businesses come up with run the gamut. Claims of being a healthier alternative to all the other soy candles... Well, it's not like those wood wicks grow on trees (well, they're wood but they also receive a pretreatment) or that soybeans secrete the wax used in the candles (it's likely hydrogenated). Just saying. That's why I like to always inform myself before making a purchase or buying into claims. I suppose, if all those cooked ingredients go into her syrups, then they are included in the candle. But hey, if it works for her and she's having success more power to her. The brand doesn't appear to be bad or anything negative, IMO. Just a tad bit overzealous with the better-for-you talk.

 

Fragrance sources... I don't know anything about where she sources them, but I do know that it's not unusual for sellers to be little conservative, murky/hazy, or misleading when it comes to details. Afterall, it's proprietary. When was the last time anyone ever checked to make sure the supposedly phthalate-free candle was actually phthalate-free? Or that the candle was scented with what was claimed to be natural essential oils and not synthetic fragrances?

Edited July 26, 2018 by Kerven

[Candybee]

My favorite sweet scent to add is a honey fragrance. Plus it blends so well with other scent notes and smells more 'natural' to me.

[se2653]

WSP has  Sugared fragrance in their fragrance formulator section (they have one note scents, top middle and bottom notes, so you can blend your own), haven't tried any of them yet, but would be interesting to experiment with.... just passing along...

[Lnewbie76]

Candybee- can you recommend one Honey FO you like the best? I have hunted around for some honey blends and there seems to be a lot of mixed reviews when it comes to honey scents... 

Kerven- so true. It’s difficult to not approach from the aspect of consumer with the naive expectation that everything is totally truthful (ha! Imagine that!) 

 

 

[Lnewbie76]

2 hours ago, se2653 said:

WSP has  Sugared fragrance in their fragrance formulator section (they have one note scents, top middle and bottom notes, so you can blend your own), haven't tried any of them yet, but would be interesting to experiment with.... just passing along...

I just looked into this and it is exactly what I am looking for! I’m going to research the system a little more and then purchase after to see how it works out. Thanks so much! 

[TallTayl]

For honey, the wildflower honey from brambleberry has worked very well for me in both soap and candles (beeswax and soy). It blends well too, and has not developed any funkiness that others did.