Soy wax is everywhere. It’s marketed as natural, clean, and safe. But once you peel back the label, the ‘facts’ we were told start to smell… off. 

Here’s what most people don’t know about soy wax, why it may not be as healthy as you’ve been led to believe, and how coconut wax offers a safer, higher-quality alternative.

The Problem With Soy Wax

🌾GMO Farming and Pesticides

Over 94% of U.S. soybeans are genetically modified (USDA ERS, 2024). These GMO crops are designed to tolerate heavy applications of glyphosate (Roundup), a controversial herbicide classified by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as “probably carcinogenic to humans.” 

Soy farming in the U.S. is:

• Mass-produced and government-subsidized, making it cheap for big corporations.
  
  

• Heavily sprayed; depending on chemistry and processing, some oil-soluble residues, such as lipophilic pesticides, can carry into soybean oil before/after refining.
  
  

This industrial farming is fueled by biotech giants like Monsanto (now Bayer)—and it comes with human health and environmental costs.

U.S. soybean acreage is widely sprayed; federal surveys document near-universal herbicide use, many containing harmful glyphosates linked to cancers and other health concerns

A large review of lab and animal studies found that glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides behave in several ways that scientists associate with cancer. They can:

• Damage DNA (genotoxicity).

• Flip gene “switches” the wrong way (epigenetic changes).

• Create excess cellular “rust” (oxidative stress).

• Keep the body’s alarm system stuck on (chronic inflammation).

• Disrupt hormones (endocrine effects).

• Disturb the gut microbiome (imbalances in beneficial bacteria).

Put together, those effects create biologically plausible routes to lymphoma and other cancers—which is why some health agencies flag glyphosate as a carcinogenic hazard. (This is about how the chemical can act in the body at sufficient exposure; it’s not a claim about candles specifically.)

Paraffin Blends and Toxins

Here’s a dirty little secret: many “soy” candles aren’t even pure soy. They’re blended heavily with paraffin, a petroleum byproduct. When burned, paraffin-heavy candles release benzene and toluene, both recognized as toxic and linked to many serious health concerns—one of which is cancer.

Here’s what one article mentioned about paraffin:

“When burned, paraffin releases a group of chemicals with the acronym BTEX into the air. BTEX stands for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. These chemicals are each unsafe in their own ways… Benzene and ethylbenzene are carcinogenic, toluene is a development toxicant, and xylene can irritate the eyes, lungs, and central nervous system. They can also cause nervous system damage, reproductive harm, organ damage, and more.”

Long-term exposure to these unhealthy chemicals in large amounts is linked to:

• Respiratory irritation and asthma flares
  

• Headaches, nausea, dizziness
  

• With benzene, increased risk of certain cancers, such as leukemia.
  

• Adverse reproductive effects, such as birth defects and disruption to fertility and natural hormone occurrence.
  
  

This may cause you to wonder about all the big box candle brands that everyone buys from, such as Yankee Candles.

One article did a review of Yankee Candle’s ingredients and stated, “Most Yankee Candles use paraffin wax, a petroleum byproduct. Burning paraffin releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including toluene and benzene. While the amounts from a single candle are relatively small, toluene can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, while benzene is a known carcinogen. Ongoing research continues to explore the long-term health effects of VOC exposure. The American Lung Association, among others, expresses concern about these pollutants.”

Even pure soy wax isn’t completely off the hook. Burning soy candles in poorly ventilated rooms can release particulate matter and VOCs that degrade indoor air quality, especially when the wax is tainted with pesticides and glyphosates from seed—a concern for those with asthma, allergies, or chemical sensitivities (Cleveland Clinic).

Yes, other alternatives such as coconut-wax candles can still release VOCs and fine particles when burned—any open flame plus fragrance will emit something.

However, what matters isn’t whether a candle emits—it’s what it emits. Paraffin blends and heavy, solvent-loaded fragrances are the main drivers of petroleum-derived VOCs (like benzene/formaldehyde) and fine soot.

Coconut-dominant formulas with little to no paraffin (ours is under 10%), phthalate-free/IFRA-compliant fragrances, properly sized cotton wicks, and good ventilation tend to produce fewer and less irritating by-products when burned as directed.

In short: composition and formulation determine air quality far more than the fact that a candle is scented.


Health complaints people report with soy candles

Common reactions include headaches or migraines, throat and airway irritation, chest tightness, dizziness or nausea, and asthma/allergy flare-ups.

Why it happens: This results from paraffin blends and/or use heavy fragrance loads, which are also often tainted with toxic chemicals. When burned—especially in low ventilation—these release VOCs (e.g., toluene, benzene, formaldehyde) and fine soot that can irritate the lungs and trigger symptoms.

What “hydrogenated” really means

Hydrogenation is a mechanical/chemical process that adds hydrogen to the double bonds in plant oils to make them more solid and raise the melt point. It’s done under heat and pressure with a metal catalyst (commonly nickel). Afterward, the oil is filtered and refined to remove the catalyst and impurities. This is standard in food and cosmetics too.

Coconut oil starts out highly saturated (naturally semi-solid), so candle makers can often get to a stable wax with fractionation and only light hydrogenation. By contrast, soybean oil is highly unsaturated (liquid) and typically requires more aggressive hydrogenation to behave like a candle wax. 

But hydrogenation itself isn’t what drives indoor-air risk: what you breathe is determined far more by paraffin content, fragrance chemistry and load, wick sizing/trim, and ventilation. In practice, emissions are pushed up by paraffin (more soot/petroleum VOCs), heavy or solvent-y fragrance systems, poor wick control, and low ventilation—not by whether the plant oil was hydrogenated.

Is hydrogenation itself “bad”?

Not inherently. Hydrogenation is a tool to tune how a wax behaves (melting point, hardness, stability). It doesn’t automatically make a product toxic—the safety depends on:

• Where the product was sourced from; did it come from a crop sprayed heavily with pesticides and Roundup?
  
  

• How cleanly it’s processed and filtered,
  
  

• What else is in the formula (paraffin, dyes, heavy fragrance solvents),
  
  

• And lastly, how the candle is burned (wick length, ventilation, drafts).
  
  

Where problems come from:

• Combustion by-products (soot/PM2.5, formaldehyde, benzene, etc.) rise with paraffin content, poor burn conditions, and heavy/low-quality fragrance systems.
  
  

• Upstream agriculture (GMO soy, intensive herbicide use) raises values, environmental and health concerns.
  
  

🥥 The Case for Coconut Wax

If soy wax raises red flags, what makes coconut wax different? Or, arguably, better?

Clean, Sustainable Harvest

Coconut wax is made from coconut oil—a renewable tree-crop resource. There are no commercially approved GMO coconuts. While some farms do use herbicides for under-tree weed control, coconut production generally relies less on herbicide-intensive annual monocropping than U.S. soy because coconuts are perennial and don’t require yearly tilling and replanting. Bottom line: it’s a cleaner supply chain by design, compared to soy wax products.

A Cleaner Burn

In the candle world, paraffin is often the performance crutch—many soy and mass-market candle products lean on heavy paraffin to fix tunneling, boost throw, and improve glass adhesion. We don’t. Our coconut–apricot base uses less than 10% paraffin—just enough to stabilize performance—kept deliberately low to minimize petroleum-derived by-products and be easy on your air (and your body) when burned as directed.

What that means for you (when burned as directed):

• Even, low-soot melt and a truer throw—especially from the second burn onward.

• Fewer petroleum by-products than high-paraffin blends.

• Performance you can feel without going all-paraffin or back to straight soy.
  
  

Higher Quality, Healthier Choice

Coconut wax is considered “premium” because the base oil is carefully refined and fractionated, often with light tuning and performance blending to achieve smooth surfaces, even melt pools, and strong scent diffusion—without relying on heavy amounts of paraffin. By contrast, soybean oil is highly unsaturated and typically needs more aggressive hydrogenation to behave like a candle wax, and many soy candles use soy–paraffin blends to boost performance.

Because coconut wax requires more careful extraction and refinement, it costs more to produce, but it results in:

• Little to no toxins, and even burning
  

• Superior scent release and throw without leaning heavily on paraffin.
  

• Luxurious, creamy smooth tops
  

• Less likely to contain high contents of questionable ingredients, like paraffin, glyphosates, toluene, or benzene
  

• Smooth melt pools
  

• Healthier air for your home and your body
  
  

🕯 Why We Choose Coconut Wax

At Resistance Candles, we’ve never touched soy wax—and never will, because we care about what’s in your air. 

Our candles are: 

• 🔥 100% soy-free, coconut–apricot base with less than 10% paraffin—just enough to stabilize performance, not dominate the formula or cause major health risks.

• 🔥 Hand-poured and partially hydrogenated to set a reliable melt point and deliver an even, low-soot burn when used as directed.

• 🔥 Premium, balanced scents using high-quality fragrance oils and essential-oil components (IFRA-aligned, phthalate-free per our standards).

• 🔥 Crafted for clarity and character—immersive, layered throw rooted in American heritage.

No shortcuts. Just high-integrity ingredients, crafted with care here in the USA.

The Bottom Line

Soy wax often isn’t the “safe” choice it’s marketed to be. From GMO farming and glyphosate spraying to paraffin blends and indoor air pollution, soy wax candles come with health and environmental concerns, both short term and long term.

Coconut wax offers a better, safer option. It’s cleaner, safer, more sustainable, and simply a higher-quality choice for those who care about the air they breathe.

👉 Ready to experience the difference? Shop our best-sellers today and breathe easier knowing your candles align with your health, home, and values.

FAQ’s

Q. If both soy and coconut can be hydrogenated, why prefer coconut?
A. Coconut starts more saturated, so it typically needs less modification and can avoid large amounts of paraffin to perform well. Indoors, fewer petroleum-derived by-products is the goal.

Q. Could metal from the catalyst end up in the flame?
A. Properly refined wax has trace or non-detectable residuals, and there’s no evidence of nickel being emitted from finished wax during normal burning.

Q. Are “soy” candles actually 100% soy?
A. Often not—many are soy–paraffin blends for performance. The health concerns flagged by major organizations focus on combustion by-products (e.g., benzene, toluene), more so than soy itself. Agencies such as the U.S. EPA (IRIS), National Toxicology Program, California OEHHA (Prop 65), Cleveland Clinic, American Lung Association, and WHO/IARC have identified these pollutants as health concerns.

Q. Does soy wax contain glyphosate?
A. Glyphosate isn’t fat-soluble, so it doesn’t partition into oil/wax. The bigger issue with many soy candles is paraffin blending and combustion by-products, which emit toxic chemicals when burned.

Q. Do coconut-wax candles emit VOCs or particles?
A. Yes—all candles do. What matters is what they emit. Paraffin, heavy/solventy fragrance loads, and carcinogenic compounds such as benzene and formaldehyde found in many soy candles will negatively impact health.

Q. Is coconut wax hydrogenated like soy?
A. Sometimes lightly. Coconut oil starts more saturated, so many products use fractionation and minimal hydrogenation. Either way, catalysts are filtered out to trace levels.

Q. Why prefer coconut-dominant over soy?
A. It’s typically easier to tune for even melt pools and low visible soot without relying on large amounts of paraffin and carcinogenic toxins. Candle performance still depends on fragrance + wick + ventilation.

Q. Are your candles “non-toxic”?
A. Ours are phthalate-free, with only trace amounts of paraffin, formulated for an even, low-soot burn when used as directed (trim wick, ventilate).

Q. Are they safe for people with asthma, headaches, or chemical sensitivity?
A. Sensitivity varies, however, customers who are sensitive to traditional or soy candles consistently tell us: “This is the first candle I can burn without issues — and it smells like heaven.” If you’re ultra sensitive, try to choose lighter fragrance loads, burn for shorter periods, and ventilate. 

Q. Are your candles safe for pets?
A. Yes, our candles are safe for pets! Just make sure to ventilate, keep flames out of reach, and discontinue if a pet shows signs of irritation. 

Q. Do you use lead or metal-core wicks?
A. We use lead-free cotton (and high-quality wood wicks) sized for clean combustion.

Q. How can I burn any candle more cleanly?
A. Trim wick to ~¼″, avoid drafts, let a full melt pool form, limit burn to 3–4 hours, and ventilate after burning.

Q. How do I spot paraffin in a “soy” candle?
A. Look for “soy blend,” “paraffin,” “mineral wax,” or “microcrystalline” on labels/SDS. If it’s not stated, ask the brand.

Q. Are essential-oil candles safer than fragrance-oil candles?
A. Not automatically. We don’t use straight essential oils in candles because they’re not designed for an open flame. Many EOs have low flash points (raising flare/soot risk if overloaded), their components degrade under heat/combustion (so the aromatherapy benefits don’t survive the flame), and high EO loads can increase VOCs/irritation for sensitive people.

Q. Do coconut farms use pesticides?
A. Sometimes (e.g., herbicides for under-tree weeds). It’s still a tree-crop system (less like herbicide-intensive row-cropping), and refined oils further reduce residues.

Q. What testing do you do?
A. We request supplier COAs (metals, specs) and prioritize low-paraffin, phthalate-free inputs; we conduct burn testing for even, low-soot performance and provide use guidance for cleaner indoor use.