If you're reading this blog, you may have heard of the up and coming wax, Coconut Apricot Wax. If so, you may be wondering, "What is Coconut Apricot Wax," and, "is it best for candles?" Furthermore, you may ask, "What are the pros and cons of Coconut Apricot Wax Candles?"
Here, we’ll break down: what coconut apricot wax is, the benefits of coconut apricot wax, what some consider to be, "cons," and more!
What is coconut apricot wax?
Coconut apricot wax is a fairly new, candle wax to the scent market. It's also one of the most luxurious, as well! Also known as coco-apricot creme - this wax is superb and makes for a superior candle.
Coconut apricot wax provides, “great adhesion properties," and a, "glossy appearance.” [1] Its white, creamy mixture makes for a fabulous, clean burn throughout the candle.
According to many wax manufacturers, coconut apricot wax is a “complex blend,” used primarily for candle making. It's also fairly unknown to most scent lovers. We think that will change here soon. Reason why? It isn't just special, it can save you money! Yes - you read that right!
Keep reading to learn more below!
Pros of Coconut Apricot Wax
Super Sustainable Ingredients
A huge win for coconut apricot wax is its use of coconuts.
Coconuts are known for their reusable properties and are very resourceful! They grow quickly and in abundance - with every part of the tree being useable.[12] Cool little fact? Coconuts can even be made into biodiesel! [12]Furthermore, the pulp makes for a decadent and sustainable wax!
With coconut apricot wax being made mostly of coconut, it makes for a sustainable wax beyond most on the market you see. That's definitely including: soy (blog coming soon on that,) beeswax, and of course paraffin.
Coconut apricot wax burns longer
Coconut in wax is thinly vicious, creating a nice pooling around the wick. Because of its viscosity in the wax, it slows the wick burn. This is where you save the money, honey!
A coconut apricot candle the same size as a soy candle can sometimes burn twice as long as most others.
On top of that? Soy is not nearly as reusable and helpful to the environment - unlike coconuts. (We'll circle back to this topic a little later in the blog.)
It also has a stronger scent throw
Coconuts and apricot create a superb scent throw. One that some say is unbeatable.
Reason being?
Apricots are specifically added to the wax for scent performance. Because of this, you may find yourself needing a smaller candle for a larger space! These candles really burn that strongly! Once again - saving money!
Cleaner burn
Soot doesn't just make your wax look icky. It's also not the best on the lungs. Coconut apricot wax produces less soot, due to its viscosity! So, not only is it a prettier burn, but it's a cleaner one.
What is Coconut Apricot Wax made of?
Coconut Apricot Wax is a “complex blend," wax. It doesn't sound like it from the name, but the binding properties are what make it a little more complicated.
The components coconut & apricot are thinner in viscosity. Because of this, you’ll find that these wax manufacturers will list terms along the lines of, "small percentage of paraffin wax formulated in.”[2]
Because “paraffin,” can be a scary term, it’s important to break down the different types of paraffin. First, though, let's backtrack and cover the different types of candle wax. This will help you better understand why paraffin is used.
Different types of Waxes used for Candles
“In general terms waxes are either naturally or synthetically derived.”[3] Most candles are using some sort of "natural wax."
There are three types of natural waxes: mineral, animal, and vegetable waxes.[3] Many times, they are blended together for optimal burn times, adhesion, etc. For instance, soy and coconut wax are “natural waxes,” however many use a binder for their blends as well. This is especially true with paraffin waxes as they are an excellent binder.
Ironically? Paraffin is actually considered a "natural wax," as well!
So, because trace paraffin is often found in these waxes, let’s break down what paraffin actually is.
What is paraffin?
According to dictionary.com paraffin is - “a white or colorless, tasteless, odorless, water-insoluble, solid/substance not easily acted upon by reagents, consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons chiefly of the alkane series, obtained from crude petroleum: used in candles, for forming preservative coatings and seals, for waterproofing paper, etc.” [4]
Wait….. what?
This sounds like a lot and probably makes you want to never use paraffin again! Before you do, let us tell you… this definition is VERY general! Paraffin is much more complex and there are many different types of paraffin products.
Below we'll break down some of the paraffin products that you may find in candles.
Different types of paraffin in candles
Fully-Refined Paraffin - Fully-refined is a common term you may see. Typically, fully refined means the product contains, ".5-.8% oil," and has been, "treated to remove impurities and decoloration." They are extremely clean and can sometimes be considered, "food grade."
Food Grade Waxes - this is also a fully-refined product, but they're a little different. Food grade waxes fall under the "microcrystalline,"[9] or “macrocrystalline,” category. [6] Oftentimes, they are, "specially designed for direct food contact applications or medications... petroleum jellies, etc"[6]
Other times, they're used for food spoilage and make fruits and veggies shinier! [5] Guess what else food-grade waxes can be used for? Candles!! [9]
Semi-Refined Paraffin - “has good chemical stability, moderate oil content, good moisture and insulation properties, and good plasticity. Used for making candles, crayons, wax paper, general telecommunications equipment, as well as short-circuit and light industry, chemical raw materials, etc.” [7] Not much information is provided on this product, however, it is found to be used in some scented candles.
Crude Paraffin (rare) - high oil content and is mainly used for making matches, fiberboard, canopy canvas, etc. [7]
They aren't commonly used in candle products any longer. However, if you do find a wax using this ingredient, we'd suggest finding another supplier.
What paraffin is used in Coconut Apricot Wax?
(What some might consider a "con" of Coconut Apricot Wax)
After reading all the facts on paraffin, you may either think that this is a pro or a con to coconut apricot wax. We decided, that the benefits outweighed the risks as long as we did the proper research.
The paraffin blend is entirely dependent on the manufacturer. For many, it's hard to know what ingredients are used. It is the responsibility of the candle maker to dig beyond the verbiage.
Personally, we wanted to use the cleanest ingredients possible with the least amount of paraffin possible. We're pretty confident we found that in our Ceda Serica Blend.
Keep reading to learn more about our Coconut Apricot Wax blend!
Where do we get our Coconut Apricot Wax?
Cal Wax is our wax supplier and we use their “Ceda Serica" blend. It creates a, "glossy-like appearance and is used by candle makers to create high-end, luxury, candles.” [10]
Essentially Ceda Serica is a high-grade, coconut apricot wax. There are trace amounts of FDA-approved, food-grade Paraffin included. Furthermore, this wax holds no parabens and is phthalate free.
We personally reached out to the company for reassurance. They proudly explained that Cal Wax has some of the cleanest burning waxes in the entire market - Ceda Serica included.
So is Coconut Apricot Wax Better for Candles?
This answer depends on what you consider, "better," to be. All have their pros and cons. For instance, soy wax is an ingredient commonly used in deforestation of the rainforest,[13] and also often uses paraffin as well. Obviously not great.
Then, with all-natural beeswax, you get the cleanest burn of all "natural waxes." The only problem? It doesn't hold scent and typically needs another ingredient binder to produce any scent throw. "All natural," is also extremely expensive so beware for fraudulent claims!! [14]
Coconut wax is another option, however, just like with coconut apricot wax, this natural wax typically requires a binder and also uses trace paraffin elements. Just like with coconut apricot wax, this wax is nearly impossible to find with 0% paraffins.
Here are some reasons why:
Finding a totally clean, scent-throwing, and eco-conscious candle is impossible. Reason being? All combustion is technically not, "safe," for inhalation or the environment. As humans, it is important to burn our candles responsibly and purchase with awareness.
Like we've explained, coconut apricot wax holds majorly clean, renewable properties. Furthermore, coconuts are very sustainable. Apricots help with scent throw and are moderately sustainable - "there is no known significant damage to air, water, land, soil, forests, etc," [11] with the production of apricots - unlike soy.
We feel the overall imprint is much smaller with coconut apricot wax/coconut wax than with soy and straight paraffin.... undoubtedly.
So, now, when you do shop your scented candle selection, you can understand the different impacts these waxes make! This is including different paraffins, natural waxes, and the binders they require.
So in Conclusion...
In comparison to any other wax, we feel coconut apricot wax is much more sustainable with better quality. Doubly better? Its long burn times and scent throw helps save you money! You really can't get much better than that.
Hopefully, this blog helped you understand the properties of Coconut Apricot Wax a little better! If you’re curious about these excellent products and want to check some out, head over to our candle selection page! There you will see our Mexico Pride Candles which use Coconut Apricot Wax!
- https://calwax.com/product/candle-waxes/
- https://candlewic.com/p/candle-making/wax/candlewic-custom-blends/coconut-apricot-candle-wax/
- https://igiwax.com/waxes-are-safe-and-natural/
- https://www.dictionary.com/browse/paraffin
- https://paraffinwaxco.com/food-grade-paraffin-wax/
- https://www.repsol.com/imagenes/global/en/fda_approved_macrocrystaline_waxes_tcm14-19299.pdf
- https://paraffinwaxco.com/paraffin-wax/fully-refined-paraffin-wax/
- https://www.bqchemicals.com/new/Paraffin-wax-classification.html
- https://calwax.com/product/microcrystalline/
- https://dreamvessels.com/products/ceda-serica-coconut-apricot-wax-9slab?wickedsource=google&wickedid=CjwKCAjwlqOXBhBqEiwA-hhitOkGSKGqTY7tWntgAvT52U1uONrJwedQfTUGUOdwLOLZEzFYvpUfCxoCDCcQAvD_BwE&wickedid=&wcid=17851018500&wv=4&gclid=CjwKCAjwlqOXBhBqEiwA-hhitOkGSKGqTY7tWntgAvT52U1uONrJwedQfTUGUOdwLOLZEzFYvpUfCxoCDCcQAvD_BwE
- https://www.healabel.com/apricots/
- https://www.ecofriendlyincome.com/blog/facts-about-coconuts
- https://ourworldindata.org/soy
- https://www.pandjtrading.com/blog/using-beeswax-what-to-know-candle-series/
1 comment
Very intuitive