UV Inhibitor Testing

[Fd1709]

Hi Community,

 

I am a newbie in this candle making and would love some suggestions on UV inhibitors.

1. I found few sellers in my country (India) those who are providing UV stabilizers 292, I am not sure if that can be used in candles. But would love your point of view.

2. Also, how can we test if the UV stabilizers are working or not, because through traditional testing like keeping the candles on UV exposure for a long time will be a time consuming work.

Please shed some insight on UV stabilizer testing as well.

Appreciate your thoughts in advance.

 

Thanks.

[birdcharm]

I know this isn't going to be a popular post, but I don't like working with UV inhibitors.  I'm not sure if the one (292) is suitable for candles or not, but when I looked it up, I did see some notes about it that makes me uncomfortable.  For crafters using natural waxes, I'm not sure about this as an additive due to the nature of the substance.  I don't know much about it, but every time I go out to read something about it, I end up reading a lot of hazard warnings.

 

Quote

May cause an allergic skin reaction [Warning Sensitization, Skin]
Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child [Warning Reproductive toxicity]
Very toxic to aquatic life [Warning Hazardous to the aquatic environment, acute hazard]
Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects [Warning Hazardous to the aquatic environment, long-term hazard]
Hazardous to the aquatic environment, acute hazard

(source)

[TallTayl]

When reading hazard warnings, it is very helpful to know the “doses”. “It’s not the poison, it’s the dose” comes to mind.  In that vein, is the hazard for ingesting it, or is the hazard snorting pounds of it raw 24/7?
 

Have you read the hazard warnings for water?

 

I’m  not blowing off any potential dangers as much as I am questioning the wording of hazard warnings.  Places like Environmental working group post foreboding warnings, then promote the products that contain those very ingredients. 
 

recently Skittles has come under fire for containing titanium dioxide. Well meaning people are opposing it being marketed to children. They did not bring suit against M&M, chewing gum, sun block, coffee creamers, paint, soap, lotion, lip balm, hair products, or any of the other millions of products that contain titanium dioxide as the opacifier or whitening ingredient in a candy coating. 

[birdcharm]

4 hours ago, TallTayl said:

When reading hazard warnings, it is very helpful to know the “doses”. “It’s not the poison, it’s the dose” comes to mind.  In that vein, is the hazard for ingesting it, or is the hazard snorting pounds of it raw 24/7?  ....
 

 

 

Most likely, the substance being present in a candle doesn't pose much risk.  It's the repeated handling & exposure that needs to be considered and how it's handled.  As for it being used in candles that are presented on the "natural" end of the scale with all those things that go with that, the addition of something like this seems to not be a good fit in a way.

[TallTayl]

11 hours ago, birdcharm said:

 

Most likely, the substance being present in a candle doesn't pose much risk.  It's the repeated handling & exposure that needs to be considered and how it's handled.  As for it being used in candles that are presented on the "natural" end of the scale with all those things that go with that, the addition of something like this seems to not be a good fit in a way.

How much about soy candles is truly natural anyway? Hexane is used to extract the oily bits  from the soy beans. Round up, Anhydrous ammonia and similar chemicals are used to grow the beans. Hydrogenation through a nickel or similar catalyst is used to turn the solvent extracted oil  into a wax like product. Synthetic fragrances and various lab produced aroma chemicals are used to produce scented candles. 

[birdcharm]

1 hour ago, TallTayl said:

How much about soy candles is truly natural anyway? Hexane is used to extract the oily bits  from the soy beans. Round up, Anhydrous ammonia and similar chemicals are used to grow the beans. Hydrogenation through a nickel or similar catalyst is used to turn the solvent extracted oil  into a wax like product. Synthetic fragrances and various lab produced aroma chemicals are used to produce scented candles. 

 

 

That's all true.  Yet, soy "wax" is grouped together in the marketing arena as being one of the eco-friendly waxes.  I guess it's all a matter of what the consumer expects or doesn't expect, or if the labeling states some aspects of the additives.  Since there is already that going on in the sense of marketing as "phthalate free" (for instance), then it is giving a message that the candle's ingredients have been considered to not have too many additives that might be considered on the "un-natural" side, although we all know that there is no way to completely escape it.

 

As for UV inhibitor, I've had paraffin candles I've kept unburned for decoration for decades and they are hardly faded.

[TallTayl]

1 hour ago, birdcharm said:

 

 

That's all true.  Yet, soy "wax" is grouped together in the marketing arena as being one of the eco-friendly waxes.  I guess it's all a matter of what the consumer expects or doesn't expect, or if the labeling states some aspects of the additives.  Since there is already that going on in the sense of marketing as "phthalate free" (for instance), then it is giving a message that the candle's ingredients have been considered to not have too many additives that might be considered on the "un-natural" side, although we all know that there is no way to completely escape it.

 

As for UV inhibitor, I've had paraffin candles I've kept unburned for decoration for decades and they are hardly faded.

The soy lobby really got their money’s worth with the all natural campaign, didn’t they?

 

all natural goes out the window when candle colors morph in shops,  what good is it to have a “natural” product that won’t sell because of light damage? Uncolored soy wax changes color under lights and near windows, too. 
 

then we have the whole “natural additives” aspect in so many “natural” waxes. Nobody is willing to divulge what those are.  We are not permitted to make a judgement call on if that version of natural is “safe”. It’s madness.  
 

cotton is one of the filthiest agricultural crops in terms of pesticides, yet we think nothing of “all natural cotton wicks” being the premium choice in candles.  and most retail wicks are primed with, wait for it, paraffin. 
 

Just make a candle that burns safely and makes people happy. 

[birdcharm]

On 8/21/2022 at 12:25 PM, TallTayl said:

The soy lobby really got their money’s worth with the all natural campaign, didn’t they?

 

 

 

 

It's not only them, however, on the consumer level, we seem to have a lot of people who do not seem equally concerned about what they are using from one substance to the next, and unfortunately, some candle makers are trying to comply, but it's fruitless.  (A person who commonly uses spray air fresheners, heavy perfumes, hair spray, etc. shouldn't care so much about asking about the fragrance oil in their candle!)

 

 

On 8/21/2022 at 12:25 PM, TallTayl said:

Just make a candle that burns safely and makes people happy.

 

I agree!!

[Scented]

Going back to the OP question, testing a UV inhibitor will take a longer time than long, long, long, long. I prefer the complete package so to speak than the two-part system. However, I don't think all UV inhibitors are the same. They can look the same, but I've seen two powdered versions that look a pale yellow do different things. 

Testing it ... I'd say put it in your candle and stick the candle in the window to see how long it takes to alter itself. On the short end of say two weeks, I've seen colors change drastically ... is that because the UV failed or because the FO decided to make it's change or because of its construction change all the color from black, green, yellow, pink, orange etc. to brown. I have one fragrance that got sent to the incense only pile because it wipes out the color no matter what I do to it ... I just am not a brown patchouli fan.  

 

Now I would say if a UV can't make it to two weeks, it's worthless and try someone else. 

None of that is going to help you though unless you're able to get orders from somewhere else to India. 

 

For me, the UV is the last thing in the world I will test or check, but it will become the first if I start noticing my candles make huge and obvious changes when there should be none. Hope that make sense.