Wax comparison guide
There is no single best wax, only the right wax for your goal. This quick view compares the main wax families on finish, fragrance, burn and melting point. To choose a specific product, see the Complete Guide or take the quiz.
| Wax | Finish and appearance | Fragrance | Burn and stability | Typical melting point | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soyvegetable | White or ivory, with a smooth surface and good glass adhesion. Some soy waxes can show frosting or an uneven surface, especially with dye; the additives in container formulations reduce it. ‡ | Very good scent retention. Usual load of 7–10% in container waxes; some accept up to 12%. ‡ | Predictable, slow burn, with a good reset between burns. ‡ | ≈ 45–54 °C for container waxes (Golden Wax 464: 45–48 °C; Keragreen C-EU: 48–52 °C; NatureWax C3: 51–54 °C). Pillar soy reaches ≈ 60 °C (KeraSoy Pillar). ‡ | Containers; beginners and everyday production. |
| Rapeseed and sunflowervegetable, European origin | Even, smooth finish. Rapeseed is white and sunflower gives very white candles, easy to colour, with no shrinkage or crystallisation on cooling. ‡ | Good retention, in line with soy. | Very stable. Sunflower gives a very soft flame and a long burn, depending on the wick. ‡ | Container rapeseed ≈ 48–52 °C; rapeseed R50 ≈ 47–54 °C; container sunflower ≈ 46–51 °C. For moulds, harder: rapeseed Polycerin 9562 ≈ 57–61 °C and sunflower ≈ 57–65 °C. ‡ | Containers and moulds; EU-origin projects. |
| Coconutvegetable | Creamy, organic look; easy to colour, keeping its colour from whites to deep shades. † Very soft when pure. | Absorbs fragrance well, with strong projection. † Used pure, it takes about 6% fragrance. ‡ | Even, clean burn, among the longest and cleanest according to the manufacturer. † More fluid: may need a slightly larger wick. | ≈ 31–38 °C (pure coconut GV 32). Being so soft, it is mostly used in blends and massage candles, and not in hot climates. ‡ | Massage candles; blends; premium candles. † |
| Coconut blendscoconut + soy or rapeseed | Creamy, with a premium feel; the soy or rapeseed gives the structure. Coconut helps reduce frosting and smooth the finish. ‡ | Excellent projection. Usual load of 7–10% in containers; EcoCoco accepts up to 12% and Elite 660 10–12%. Cure: Elite 600 needs at least 12 hours, EcoCoco 48 hours, and most other blends benefit from 7–14 days. ‡ | A balance of creaminess and structure. Elite 600 forms a wide pool of melted wax while burning, which makes it suitable for larger containers. ‡ | Elite 600 (coconut + rapeseed) ≈ 41 °C; Kerax 4135 (coconut + soy) ≈ 46–57 °C, typical 50 °C; Coconut & Soy ≈ 33–51 °C; EcoCoco ≈ 55 °C. Elite 660 (coconut + rapeseed): ≈ 50 °C. ‡ | Premium containers (Elite 600, Kerax 4135, EcoCoco, Coconut & Soy) and melts, tealights and small containers (Elite 660). |
| Technical blendsvegetable + mineral | Premium finish, low tendency to frost. May shrink and need a second pour. ‡ | Excellent diffusion, for candles with a strong aromatic presence. | Maximum stability and consistency, even in difficult conditions. | Hywax 6213 ≈ 48 °C (vegetable wax with paraffin). SoyaLuna (soy with about 20% paraffin): ≈ 44–49 °C in containers and 52–57 °C in pillars and melts. ‡ | Professional production (SoyaLuna PRO, HYWAX 6213). |
| Paraffinmineral | Smooth and slightly glossy in soft waxes; hard pillar waxes give a mottled look. ‡ | Known for superior hot throw, so it needs less fragrance than vegetable waxes: about 6% in paraffin gives the same hot throw as 8–9% in a vegetable wax. Always check the wax's data sheet. | Good glass adhesion in soft waxes. Less oil gives a cleaner, whiter wax but can increase frosting: oil content and hardness matter as much as the melting point. ‡ | ≈ 52–54 °C for soft grades (containers), 58–60 °C for general use and 60–62 °C or more for hard grades (pillars). ‡ | The benchmark for fragrance projection; containers, pillars and tarts, depending on hardness. |
| Beeswaxanimal, natural | Natural, firm and very hard; takes dye well. ‡ | Soft natural honey scent; used pure or in a blend. ‡ | Slow burn. Hard and with a high melting point, which makes wick choice harder: generally not recommended for beginners. ‡ | ≈ 62–65 °C. ‡ | Containers and moulds; natural lines; experienced makers. |
| Gelparaffinic | Crystal effect, transparent. | Needs gel-compatible fragrances. | Requires suitable containers. | Softening point ≈ 60–70 °C (Keragel 109). ‡ | Transparent containers (glass only). |
† Manufacturer information (Cargill, NatureWax Coconut range), which describes coconut wax in qualitative terms and does not publish comparative values against other waxes.
‡ Melting, solidification and drop points from the technical and safety data sheets of the manufacturers of the products we sell (including the beeswax data sheet, ASTM D938), and usual fragrance loads. Paraffin: usual industry melt grades.
This table is a guide, not a measurement. Values vary from product to product and batch to batch, and the final behaviour depends on the wick, fragrance, dosage and container: check the wax's data sheet and always test before you produce.
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