The History of Soybean Wax:

1991   In 1991 Michael Richards founded Candleworks to manufacture beeswax candles. As he entered the candle industry with beeswax products he realized there was a growing demand for natural wax candles. However, there was a huge economic barrier. Namely, the cost of beeswax was 10 times the cost of petroleum candle wax (paraffin). In July, Michael Richards started experimenting with a wide range of plant waxes and vegetable oils to find a natural wax that could be cost-competitive with petroleum wax. He completed thousands of hours of tests with tropical plant waxes such as carnauba and candelilla waxes, plus domestic oils such as corn and soybean oil. 1992-1994 In 1992, this testing resulted in the first vegetable wax candle, made from a blend of vegetable oils and natural waxes. At that stage of development, the vegetable wax was hard and brittle. To obtain a softer, more pliable wax, Michael started to acquire and test a wider range of tropical and domestic plant oils. This included partially hydrogenated coconut, palm, and soybean oils. Michael Richards continued working on two parallel tracks: • Manufacturing beeswax candles • Research and development for other vegetable wax candles. In 1994 Michael started blending beeswax with soybean oil to achieve an economical natural wax candle. 1995 The Body Shop, a national chain of stores that was Candleworks’ main beeswax candle customer, issued the first purchase orders for a line of natural wax aromatherapy candles from Candleworks. For the first three months, the content of the Body Shop candle wax was a blend of beeswax and almond oil. Because of the increasingly high cost of almond oil, Michael then started blending soybean oil with the beeswax. He completely replaced almond oil with soybean oil in all commercial production of candles in May of 1995. 1996 Michael then experimented with various ranges of hydrogenated soybean oil to eliminate the costly beeswax in his natural wax formula. In the fall of 1996, beeswax was no longer used. Instead, the candle wax developed and utilized by Candleworks featured hydrogenated soybean oil as the majority percentage of the candle formula. Other vegetable oils were then added in minority portions to achieve specific cosmetic characteristics, such as a smooth even surface and scent projection. Michael created low-melt soy wax for container candles and a high-melt point wax for freestanding pillar candles in 1996. 1996 With the goal of creating an edible birthday cake candle, Purdue University students developed their own candle formula using soybean oil. The candles won first place in a competition sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Development Council and Purdue's Department of Agronomy. 1997 Candleworks negotiated with the University of Iowa to provide a chemical engineering intern to test and document the new soy waxes developed by Michael Richards. This resulted in a report prepared for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship titled: "Increasing the Use of Soybeans in the Manufacturing of Candles". 1998 The Indiana Soybean Board unveiled a brand of candles called Harvest Lights made from soybeans at the Farm Progress Show. The development of these candles was completely farmer-funded through the Soybean Checkoff program. This formula has since been patented. 1999-2000 Documentation of Michael’s research process on the development of natural plant-based waxes from 1991 through 1999 was submitted to a patent law firm in Des Moines, Iowa (Mc Kee, Vorhees and Sease). Formal application for patent pending status was presented to the U.S. patent office the following year. Soywax, a hydrogenated soybean oil that is used as renewable and biodegradable alternative to paraffin wax in candle-making, was investigated for its tendency of producing soot and potentially harmful organic volatiles (e.g. acrolein, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) during candle burning. While a considerable amount of soot was produced from the combustion of paraffin candles under disturbed condition (simulated air movement), little or none was observed from soywax candles. Low level of formaldehyde was detected in paraffin candle fume, but it was not present in significant quantity in the soywax candle fume. Acrolein was not detected in either type of candles. Soywax candles burned at a significantly lower rate than paraffin candles did. Thermal, textural and combustion properties, such as melting and solidification profiles, candle surface temperature distribution, hardness and adhesiveness, and burning rate, of a hydrogenated vegetable oil were also investigated. Effect of adding hydrogenated palm oil, free fatty acids, and paraffin on these functional properties were quantified. For complete technical information, please refer to the following two recent publications. Rezaei, K., T. Wang, and L. A. Johnson. Hydrogenated vegetable oils as candle wax. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 79: 1241-1247 (2002). Rezaei, K, T. Wang, and L.A. Johnson. Combustion characteristics of candles made from hydrogenated soybean oil. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 79: 803-808 (2002). 2001 Cargill purchased intellectual property rights in Michael's soy wax innovation. Cargill now manufactures soybean wax formulas developed by Michael. MIchael continues to market the soy wax in the industry and provide technical training for other candle manufacturers in the use of soy wax. 2002 Michael Richards launched a nationwide guild of candle manufacturers called “Village Chandler”. This guild is committed to the use of soy wax in candle production. (At present there are more than 62 Village Chandlers in 17 states and Canada). 2003 This soy wax innovation is fast-becoming a new national industry. Today, soy candles manufacturers range from numerous entrepreneurs to major manufacturers like Hanna's Candle Company (one of the five largest candle companies in the U.S.).

The Making of Soybean Wax:

(This article is technical, but explains the process of making soybean wax.  EcoLight Candles are made from 100% soybean wax.)

Soybean wax candles US Patent 6,599,334 Abstract “A solid fuel candle which is highly adapted for use both in a container and also as a free-standing candle includes at least 85 percent hydrogenated soybean oil, approximately 0 to 4 percent synthetic wax composition, approximately 0 to 4 percent of a second hydrogenated vegetable or petroleum oil, approximately 0 to 10 percent fragrance or scent, and approximately 0 to 3 percent dye. The hydrogenated vegetable oil most preferably has an iodine value of approximately 50 and a melting point of approximately 125 degrees Fahrenheit, with a free fatty acid content of less than one-tenth of one percent. The synthetic wax composition is most preferably formed from alpha olefin monomers and oligomers under free radical conditions at relatively low pressures to yield a highly branched polymer wax having congealing and melting points lower than the starting alpha olefin material and a higher molecular weight.” (..) “Recently, there have been several attempts to manufacture candles made from soybean oil. Soybean oil offers several attractive benefits including relatively large quantities of oil found therein, the use of a renewable resource produced through agriculture, elimination of paraffin, and elimination of associated soot. (..) “In 1996, a group of students from Purdue University developed an innovative soybean-oil-based candle which is composed of 83 percent hydrogenated soybean oil, 16 percent glycerol, about 1 percent coloring, and a touch of peppermint flavoring.” (..) ”In a first manifestation, the invention is a candle wax composition consisting essentially of at least 85 percent partially hydrogenated soybean oil having an iodine value of between 49 and 53 and a melting point of between 122 and 128 degrees Fahrenheit; 0 to 4 percent synthetic wax formed by polymerizing alpha olefins under free radical conditions to form a highly branched polymer; 0 to 4 percent secondary oil; 0 to 10 percent fragrance; and 0 to 3 percent dye.” Hydrogenating the vegetable liquid produces varying degrees of solidification or hardness. How the soybean oil is hydrogenated: “The most preferred vegetable oil which is suitable for use in the preferred embodiment is soybean oil, also referred to as soya oil in some references. The oil will typically be refined to remove undesirable impurities, bleached, and then hydrogenated. The process of hydrogenation may be carried out in a hydrogen environment, typically at elevated temperatures as from 400 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, under pressure, in the presence of a hydrogen catalyst such as nickel. While other catalysts have been used to accomplish the hydrogenation and may be suitable in the practice of the present invention, nickel is most preferred. The hydrogen will preferably be mixed with the oil, either by mechanical agitation or through various jets or bubblers which effectively pass the hydrogen through the vegetable oil. As the oil is progressively hydrogenated, its properties are monitored for optimum values and characteristics. Among these are the iodine value, which in the preferred embodiment will be between approximately 49 and 53 with one embodiment having a preferred iodine value of 51, and the Mettler melting point, which will range between 122 and 128 degrees Fahrenheit. Preferably there will be less than 0.1 percent free fatty acids after hydrogenation. Once the hydrogenation is complete, the catalyst will be removed, the oil will be cleaned and purified, and the oil may again be bleached.” United States Patent and Trademark Office  

Tong Wang is involved in the research of the composition of soywax in order to improve melting and solidification behavior. “Hydrogenated soybean oil is increasingly used as ‘wax’ (referred as soywax) to replace petroleum paraffin products in candle production. Soywax is renewable and releases less soot during burning.” “Replacing paraffin wax (a 2.3 billon pounds market in US) with soywax could have potentially immense economic benefits for Iowa soybean producers.  

You may read the full 18 page research publication at the following URL provided by The Iowa Soybean Promotion Board http://www.iasoybeans.com/ispb/soycandles/cumbstion.pdf

The History of Candles:

Candles can be traced back as early as biblical times. For many years they were the main source of light for peoples' homes. Many early Greek and Roman candles were made of flax thread coated with wax and pitch, while in other countries candles were made of palm oil, coconut oil, beeswax and olive oil. In England bayberry wax was refined for use in making candles.

The earliest dipped candles were made of tallow. Not until the early 1800's was paraffin made to replace tallow as the main ingredient for candle making. Now 100 years later, we have soybean wax which is quickly becoming the wax of choice by candle makers due to the fact that they emit no toxins or smoke, and burn longer.

The soybean itself came from the orient and was introduced into the United States in the early 1800’s.  It has been called a miracle crop because soybeans are used for food for people, as animal feed, and in non-food products such as our own line of soy candles!  Today’s U.S. farmers produce about 2 billion bushels a year making the US the largest producer of soybeans in the world!

Electricity has replaced the candle as our main source of light, but the candle is still important today for its role in decoration on festive occasions, for the calm and sanctity it evokes in religious ceremonies, and for the general mood of warmth, relaxation, and even romance it creates in our homes.

 ©  EcoLight Candles 2002-2007