History of Soy Wax

Soy wax was developed in 1991 by Michael Richards, an entrepreneur based in Iowa. He developed soy wax in search of a cheaper alternative to the beaswax used until then. Even then, there was a great demand for candles made of natural wax, but beeswax was about ten times more expensive than paraffin. When he entered the candle industry with his products made of beeswax, he really felt the growing demand for candles made of natural wax. Micheal Richard tested a variety of natural vegetable waxes, eventually developing a natural wax made from partially hydrogenated soybean oil, coconut oil, and palm oil. Mixing beeswax and soy wax, he made an economical, natural wax candle.

Distribution of soy wax

In 1995, The Body Shop, the English department store chain, was the first to offer soy candles to the general public. The first natural wax candles shipped to the Body Shop were made from a blend of beeswax and almond oil. Later, almond oil was completely replaced by soy wax.                                    In 1996, Michael Richards managed to replace the expensive beeswax with soy wax. The candle wax at that time consisted mainly of hydrogenated soybean oil. He also developed various soy wax blends for both jar candles and free-standing candles, which required a higher melting point. Soybean wax producer Candleworks negotiated in 1997 with the University of Iowa. As a result, a study entitled "Increasing the Use of Soybeans in Candle Manufacturing" was completed.

Today, the popularity and demand for soy candles is constantly growing worldwide. More and more people are trying to learn the tricks of making candles in their homes and start a small  soy candle business. The internet can be a great help to us in mastering the craft, we can easily get answers to any questions that arise by browsing the net.

By buying soy candles, we can support small businesses in Hungary, and we use a product made from natural, renewable raw materials. The soy candle burns more cleanly so less soot and smoke is produced than when paraffin candles are used. In a word, when buying a candle, we could not decide smarter, more responsibly than to put our vote in favor of the soy candle.