Why We Use Soy Wax (and What Vegan-Friendly Actually Means)

“Soy wax” and “vegan-friendly” are two of the most common phrases you’ll see on our product pages — but what do they actually mean, and why does it matter which wax a candle is made from? Here’s the honest answer.

Soy wax is made from the oil of soybeans, processed into a solid form through hydrogenation. It’s a natural, renewable alternative to paraffin wax, which is a by-product of petroleum refining.

• Cleaner burn: soy wax burns without the petro-soot that paraffin candles can release into the air over time

• Renewable source: soybeans are a crop that can be grown and replenished, unlike petroleum

• Better scent throw at lower temperatures: soy wax holds fragrance oil well and releases it gradually, rather than needing to burn hot to release scent

• Biodegradable: soy wax breaks down naturally, unlike paraffin

One honest trade-off: soy candles can sometimes have a softer, less glossy finish than paraffin, and may be slightly more prone to “frosting” (a natural white, crystalline texture that can appear on the surface). This is completely normal and doesn’t affect how the candle burns or smells — it’s simply a characteristic of natural wax.

It might seem like an odd label for something you don’t eat or wear, but not all candles are vegan by default. Here’s what we mean when we say ours are:

• No animal-derived wax: some traditional candles use beeswax or tallow (rendered animal fat) — ours never do

• No animal-derived additives: some fragrance fixatives and dyes historically use animal-derived ingredients — we don’t use these

• Cruelty-free: none of our ingredients or finished products are tested on animals

Why it matters even if you’re not vegan yourself: vegan-friendly ingredients tend to overlap closely with cleaner, more natural formulations generally — so choosing a vegan candle is often also choosing one with fewer questionable additives, regardless of your own diet or lifestyle.

You’ll also see “GMO-free” mentioned alongside our soy wax. This means the soybeans used aren’t genetically modified — for anyone specifically avoiding GMO products in their home, this is worth knowing, even though it doesn’t affect how the candle performs.

None of this changes how you use a candle day-to-day — you still light it, enjoy the scent, and trim the wick the same way. What it does mean is that when you choose one of our candles, you’re choosing a product that’s kinder to make, kinder to burn, and leaves less of a footprint behind, without any compromise on scent or quality.

Every candle, wax melt, and reed diffuser we make is hand-poured or hand-filled in Scotland using GMO-free soy wax, and is fully vegan-friendly and cruelty-free.