Good question! Many candles are not vegan. When asking if something is vegan, we find it best to look at each ingredient. So, let’s break down the ingredients of a candle!
The Wax
Perhaps the most obvious candle ingredient is the wax. Many waxes out there are vegan, including paraffin, soy, coconut, and rapeseed.
Beeswax, a clean-burning wax, is not vegan and the collection of beeswax from honeycombs harms bees and can contribute to the destruction of their homes.
Even if a wax is vegan, some of the additives in it may not be. A common example is stearic acid, which is added to wax to help solidify it at room temperature and provide opacity. Stearic acid can be plant-based or derived from animal fat. The animal fat version is cheaper, so most companies that use stearic acid in their wax use this type, which makes their candles non-vegan. This is common in paraffin candles, which are made from petroleum by-products that have other non eco-friendly implications. Additionally, paraffin wax comes from fossil fuels, which are unsustainable and can have negative environmental impacts (think oil spills).
Other additions to improve the solidity and opacity of wax may include beeswax or goat’s milk, neither of which are vegan.
Wick
Most wicks are made of cotton and are therefore vegan. This is an easy win for vegans. If you’re also concerned with being eco-friendly, go with lead- and zinc-free wicks.
Fragrance
The fragrance in a candle can come from essential oils, fragrance, or essential oil-based fragrance. If you’re curious about the differences between these, we wrote an article about that you can find here. Each of these types of fragrance are vegan. However, the fragrance used in a candle might have been tested on animals – definitely not vegan. And just plain cruel. We prefer to think of a dog curled up on a cozy bed next to a fireplace with a candle burning on a nearby table, providing complete relaxation and comfort, but that’s unfortunately not how they test fragrances on animals.
The best way to ensure that no ingredient in a candle has been tested on animals is to look for third party verification, such as Leaping Bunny certification.
Cruelty-Free Candles
The two main companies that certify cruelty-free products are PETA’s ‘Beauty Without Bunnies’ Program and Leaping Bunny. Both provide an important service. PETA’s certification only requires signed agreements by the CEO of a company and its suppliers that none of its ingredients have been tested on animals, while Leaping Bunny is a bit more rigorous, requiring independent audits to verify that there is no animal testing of any of the ingredients in a product. Because of this, Leaping Bunny has become the gold standard for cruelty-free certification.
Are TR Candle Co Candles Vegan and Cruelty-Free?
Of course! Our products are also 100% vegan and absolutely no animals were harmed in the making of our products or any of our ingredients. Unless you ask Roscoe, our dog and TR Candle Co Candle’s mascot, who will politely tell you that candle making is getting in the way of cuddle time and the availability of treats offered throughout the day and should be banned. Roscoe’s opinions aside, we fully believe in and commit to a cruelty-free lifestyle here at TR Candle Co Candles. We are currently working on become Leaping Bunny certified. Follow us on Instagram @trcandlecompany for updates on our progress!
Resources
https://www.greenmatters.com/p/why-arent-all-candles-vegan
https://www.veganfriendly.org.uk/is-it-vegan/candles/
https://veganamarketplace.com/blogs/news/guide-to-the-best-vegan-candles-and-ecofriendly-candles
https://veganamarketplace.com/blogs/news/guide-to-the-best-vegan-candles-and-ecofriendly-candles
https://www.americanspa.com/wellness/three-organizations-certify-cruelty-free-products
https://www.peta.org/living/personal-care-fashion/beauty-without-bunnies/
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