Beeswax vs Paraffin vs Soy: A Friendly Guide to Candle Waxes

We spend our days with beeswax, first as beekeepers and now as candlemakers in Revelstoke, BC. People often ask us how beeswax compares with paraffin, soy and the other waxes on candle labels. Here is our plain answer: where each wax comes from, how it becomes a candle, and what to expect when you light one.

Every wax here has skilled makers behind it, and each has its own character. We make beeswax candles because beeswax is what we know and love. We hope this helps you choose the candle that suits you, whatever it is made from.

A Few Terms First

• Melting point: the temperature at which a wax turns liquid. Softer, lower-melting waxes are usually poured into containers; firmer ones can stand on their own as pillars and tapers.
• Scent throw: how fragrance carries, cold ("cold throw") or burning ("hot throw").
• Blends: many candle waxes are mixes, made to balance hardness, finish and scent.

Melting points below are typical ranges. Grades vary by supplier, and wick and candle size shape a burn as much as the wax does.

Beeswax

Where it comes from: Honey bees make wax from glands on their abdomens and build honeycomb with it. Beekeepers collect it mainly as cappings, the thin lids bees place over finished honey cells, sliced off during honey extraction.

How it is processed: The wax is melted and filtered to remove honey and hive debris. Its colour runs from pale yellow to deep gold depending on the flowers the bees worked. Some beeswax is bleached to make it white; ours, from Canadian beekeepers, keeps its own colour.

Melting point: about 144–147°F (62–64°C). Beeswax has one of the highest melting points of the common candle waxes, higher than soy, coconut, rapeseed and most paraffin.

Typical uses: Hand-dipped tapers, poured pillars, votives and tea lights. It can go into containers, though it shrinks as it cools and often needs a second pour.

Burning, fragrance and colour: Beeswax carries its own faint honey scent and warm golden tone. It takes added fragrance less readily than softer waxes, so many beeswax makers, ourselves included, leave it unscented and undyed. Beeswax burns more slowly than paraffin or soy and is usually paired with a somewhat larger cotton wick.

Appearance: Over time beeswax can develop bloom, a soft whitish film on the surface. Bloom is a surface appearance. Wipe it off with a soft cloth. More in Candle Care.

Paraffin Wax

Where it comes from: Paraffin is a byproduct of crude oil refining, separated out when lubricating oils are made.

How it is processed: It is de-oiled and refined into grades sorted by melting point. Candle makers usually use "fully refined" grades, which are white and odourless.

Melting point: candle grades commonly about 120–150°F (49–65°C), depending on grade. Softer grades around 120–130°F go into containers; harder grades around 136–149°F are used for pillars and tapers.

Typical uses: Very adaptable. Softer grades fill containers; firmer grades make pillars, votives and tapers.

Burning, fragrance and colour: Paraffin takes fragrance and dye readily and is known for strong scent throw and bright, even colour. Makers often add stearic acid for hardness and opacity, Vybar (a polymer additive) to help hold scent, or microcrystalline wax to adjust texture and container grip.

Soy Wax

Where it comes from: Soybean oil, pressed from soybeans.

How it is processed: The oil is hydrogenated, which raises its melting point and turns it into a solid wax. Soy candle wax was developed in the early 1990s.

Melting point: container blends usually around 113–125°F (45–52°C); pillar blends run higher and often include other waxes.

Typical uses: Mostly container candles and wax melts, with firmer blends made for pillars and votives.

Burning, fragrance and colour: Soy forms a wide, soft melt pool and is valued by makers for its cold throw. Colours tend toward softer, muted shades.

Appearance: Soy can show frosting, white crystal patterns on the surface or sides, and sometimes "wet spots" where wax pulls away from the glass. Both are common in plant-based waxes and don't change how the candle burns.

Coconut Wax

Where it comes from: Coconut oil, pressed from the meat of the coconut.

How it is processed: The oil is hydrogenated. On its own it is very soft, so it is almost always sold as a blend, most often with soy, sometimes with other plant waxes, beeswax or paraffin.

Melting point: coconut blends commonly around 115–127°F (46–53°C). Coconut wax on its own melts lower, around 99–108°F (37–42°C), which is why it is blended.

Typical uses and character: Container candles, especially scented lines. Coconut blends are known for a creamy white look, smooth tops, good adhesion to glass and an even melt pool.

Palm Wax

Where it comes from: Oil pressed from the fruit of the oil palm.

How it is processed: The oil is hydrogenated, and sometimes fractionated (separated into harder and softer portions), to make a firm, brittle wax.

Melting point: about 135–145°F (57–63°C), though grades vary.

Typical uses and character: Pillars and votives, plus some containers. Depending on how it is poured and cooled, palm wax forms striking crystal or "feathered" patterns that many makers design around, and it shows colour well.

Rapeseed and Canola Blends

Where it comes from: Rapeseed oil. Canola is a type of rapeseed bred in Canada in the 1970s, and canola-based waxes belong to this family.

How it is processed: Like soy, the oil is hydrogenated into a solid wax. Rapeseed wax is especially popular in the UK and Europe and is often blended with soy or coconut.

Melting point: container blends commonly around 111–122°F (44–50°C); some moulded-candle grades run higher.

Typical uses and character: Mostly container candles and wax melts. It behaves much like soy, with a soft, creamy texture and good scent throw, and it can also frost.

Blends and Common Additives

Many candles are blends: soy with coconut, paraffin with soy, beeswax with other waxes. Blending lets makers balance hardness, finish, scent throw and cost. Common additives include stearic acid (hardness and opacity), Vybar and other polymers (scent retention, smooth finish), dyes and pigments, fragrance or essential oils, and UV inhibitors (to slow fading). A label that says "soy" or "beeswax" may mean a single wax or a blend. If it matters to you, ask the maker. Most of us love to talk shop.

Our Approach

At Beeswax Works we use two ingredients: Canadian beeswax and a cotton wick. We hand-dip our tapers and hand-pour our pillars, votives and tea lights in our Revelstoke studio. That is our craft. Other makers have theirs, and we admire it.

FAQs

What is the main difference between beeswax and paraffin? Beeswax is made by honey bees and collected by beekeepers; paraffin is refined from crude oil. Beeswax has its own honey scent and golden colour and is often left plain, while paraffin is white and odourless and takes fragrance and colour readily.

What is the difference between beeswax and soy wax? Beeswax comes from the hive; soy wax is hydrogenated soybean oil. Soy is softer, with a lower melting point, and is mostly used in containers. Beeswax is firm enough for freestanding tapers and pillars.

Does beeswax have a high melting point? Yes. Beeswax has one of the highest melting points of the common candle waxes, about 144–147°F (62–64°C), higher than soy, coconut, rapeseed and most paraffin, which is why it suits hand-dipped tapers and pillars.

Does beeswax burn longer than paraffin or soy? Beeswax burns more slowly than paraffin or soy. Actual burn time also depends on candle size, wick and care; our Burn Times guide has the details.

What is the white coating on my beeswax candle? That is bloom, a soft whitish film beeswax develops over time. It is a surface appearance. Wipe it off with a soft cloth.

Why does my soy candle look frosty? Frosting is a crystal pattern that forms as plant-based waxes cool and age. It is common in soy and rapeseed candles and doesn't affect the burn.