Fragrance Oils

Fragrance oils are the better choice for candle making. Unlike essential oils, which are natural plant extracts that can degrade at candle-making temperatures, fragrance oils are formulated to withstand heat, mix reliably with wax, and deliver consistent scent throw across a full burn. They also come with IFRA certificates and Safety Data Sheets, which you need to make CLP-compliant products for sale.

For most container waxes, a fragrance load of 6-10% by weight of wax is the practical working range, with most lab-tested recipes landing at 8-10%. The ceiling is set by two things: the wax's stated maximum load, which you should never exceed as excess fragrance causes pooling, sweating and safety issues, and the IFRA maximum for that specific fragrance in the candle application category. Adding more than the wax can bind does not improve throw - it causes problems.

Most fragrance oils perform well in natural waxes, but throw strength varies by fragrance composition. In Candle Shack's lab-tested recipes using RCX (rapeseed and coconut wax) and EU Golden Wax 464 (soy), fragrances that achieved scent ratings of 9-10 out of 10 include Gingerbread, Luscious Vanilla, Pain au Chocolat, Black Pomegranate, Blackcurrant and Tuberose, and Cinnamon, Frankincense and Cedarwood. The Blueprints range is formulated for strong hot throw in natural waxes.

Weak hot throw despite good cold throw is almost always a process issue, not a fragrance quality issue. The three most common causes are: fragrance added at too high a temperature, which drives off volatile top notes before the wax sets; fragrance load below the wax's optimal range; or a wick too small to generate the melt pool needed to vaporise the scent. Work through these in order before changing the fragrance itself.

Add fragrance oil once the melted wax has cooled to the manufacturer's recommended addition temperature, which is often stated on the wax product page. Adding too hot drives off lighter scent notes and reduces hot throw; adding too cool risks poor mixing and uneven distribution. Stir thoroughly for at least a full minute after adding before pouring.

Yes, if you are selling finished products. The IFRA certificate tells you the maximum permitted usage level for each fragrance in each application category - candles, reed diffusers and wax melts all have stated limits. The Safety Data Sheet is the input you need to calculate your CLP label obligations. Both documents are available on each fragrance product page at Candle Shack.

The same fragrance oil can usually be used across product types, but the IFRA permitted usage level differs between applications. The percentage that is safe in a candle may not be the same as for a reed diffuser or wax melt - and for some fragrance components the diffuser limit is substantially lower. Always check the IFRA certificate for the specific application category you are making, and run CLP calculations separately for each product type. Some fragrance oils are application specific, for example, suitable for reed diffusers, but not candles.