What is Soy?

Soy candles are made from soy wax, which is hydrogenated soybean oil. Soy wax was invented in 1992 by Michael Richards who was looking for a cheaper alternative to beeswax. As he entered the candle industry in 1991 he realized there was a growing demand for natural wax candles.

    Soy wax is produced form soybean oil. Soybean oil is separated from the solid components by solvent extraction or by mechanical pressing. About 60 kg of soybeans are required to produce 10 kg of soybean oil. 

    The exact steps to produce soy wax are well protected and every producer may have his own secrets.

    The principle step in making soy wax is hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is the process whereby the poly- and monounsaturated oils are solidified in order to increase the viscosity. This is done by reaction of hydrogen with the oil at elevated temperature (140-225°C) in the presence of a nickel catalyst. It is important to stir the mixture to help dissolve the hydrogen and to achieve a uniform distribution of the catalyst with the oil.

Benefits of Soy wax

- Soy wax is clean burning, environmentally safe, non-toxic and non-carcinogenic
  and are less likely to trigger allergies.

 -Soy wax produces 95% less soot than paraffin candles.

 -Soy wax holds 4% more fragrance than paraffin wax.

 - Soy wax cleans up easily with soap and water.

 - Soy wax is safe around children and pets.

 - Soy wax burns up to 50% longer than paraffin wax.

 - Made from American-grown soybeans, it's biodegradable, a renewable resource, and from a global point of view, it "supports the U.S. economy instead of foreign oil conglomerates."