We are bombarded with so many chemicals in our daily lives. A few years ago, I was looking for a way to reduce, if not eliminate unnecessary chemicals from my home. Believe me, Being a candle addict didn’t help! Most candles are either made of toxic Paraffin or genetically modified Soy. Additionally, synthetically fragranced candles cause allergic reactions and poor air quality.
Not wanting to give up entirely, I decided to make my own candles and started experimenting at home. My guiding lights were my love for handmade, respect for the planet and a passion for perfection. I invested in natural and organic (whenever possible) raw materials. An year of trial and error with different waxes, wicks and fragrances ensued. In the end, I was able to create a candle that looked beautiful, burnt properly, smelled good and was completely safe to burn around my children. My friends loved it and encouraged me to sell. This is how Palm Lights was born!
Each candle is a unique piece of art because no two pieces look exactly the same, thanks to the natural feather and snowflake pattern of palm wax. A lot of effort goes into handcrafting these candles. Each candle takes about 10-12 hours to make and a couple of days to cure. I use only authentic and transparent ingredients (no nasties or color stabilizers), which bring wellness. This is what makes it worth to be lit around you.
Enter the sensual world of light and fragrance, at the flick of a match!
Our Motto is – “Do what you say and say what you do”.
Why Palm Wax?
Fell in love with Palm wax the first time we saw it create natural beautiful crystalline patterns on the surface of the candle. Upon research, found out that it was indeed the most eco friendly vegan wax available to us today. Palm wax production is clean and uses no harmful solvents or catalysts. It is composed of vegetable fatty acids, particularly triglycerides, separated out of palm oil under extreme temperate fluctuations and pressure.
When I launched Palm Lights in 2013, It was my dream to offer an eco-friendly product, in harmony with environment and something that would inspire my children to live a sustainable lifestyle. I chose to take a small step with sustainable candles.
Comparison of wax from palm oil vs other vegetable oils.
| Certified Sustainable Palm Wax | Other vegetable waxes |
| During the long life of the palm tree (25-30 years), only the fruit bunches are harvested every year, leaving the tree and top soil intact | Other crops like Soy, rapeseed (canola) or sunflower require annual tillage and harvesting, which compacts the most fertile topsoil |
| Oil Palm enhances biodiversity, attracts fauna n flora, and increases soil fertility | Land is cleared for cultivation of crops thus loosing the original fauna and flora |
| Palm is highest yielding oil crop in the world, with an average global yield of 4.02 tonnes of oil per hectare | Soy, rapeseed, apricot or sunflower requires 4 -10 times more land to produce same tonnage of oil and 20 times more land to produce same tonnage of wax. |
| Requires less water for cultivation | SRequires more water for cultivation |
| Pest resistant tree | Repels wildlife and beneficial insects, increasing the need for pesticides |
| Small family-owned tree farms account for over 30% of palm oil production | There are NO small farms left, providing Non-GMO Soy in US |
| Palm wax production uses no harmful solvents or catalysts. It is separated out of palm oil under extreme temperate fluctuations and pressure. It is a natural colourless and odourless oil which produces high quality wax | Soybean oil is chemically distilled with hexane to extract the oil from flaked oilseeds. Bleached with chlorine and deodorized with Borax to remove color and odour |
| Certified Sustainable by RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) | No regulatory authorities, no certifications |
| Excellent adhesion to jar | Mixed with palm wax/ paraffin to adhere to jar as it has low adhesion on its own |
| Suitable for hot climates like UAE due to higher melting point. Last longer as they burn slower | Not suitable for hot climates due to low melting point. Wax can leak fragrance or the candles bend shape if left in an Non – AC environment |
| Excellent cold and hot scent throw | Low Scent throw |
| Burn cleaner and almost soot- free | Emits black soot |
We source our palm wax from a member of the RSPO( Rountable on Sustainable Palm Oil), assuring you of the most earth-friendly products. RSPO issues moratorium on the clearing of new forests, certify existing areas of cultivation, formulate ways to increase the yield and protect Orangutan habitats. At the moment, our wax is certified till MB grade and we strive to obtain higher certifications as the business expands.
Are you participating in any activities to honor World Environment Day today? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Paraffin candles are the most commonly burned candles worldwide. And are the most dangerous to our health. Paraffin is an inexpensive sludge waste product of the petroleum industry that has been bleached then texturized with acrolyn, a known carcinogenic product.
Once burned it releases toxins that are known carcinogens such as benzene and toluene which are inhaled and linger in the areas they are burned in.
Paraffin candles are as dangerous to lungs and even more so if you are in the habit of burning many at the same time. It is also a non-renewable resource thus not earth friendly. Be sure to read the labels and choose 100 percent paraffin-free options as many natural candle manufacturers add paraffin to the wax mixture.
Why not Soy wax?
Soy wax is another alternative to Paraffin wax. After researching its effect on the environment, it became clear that it is not the best available alternative. Soy requires annual tilling and crop rotation, which repel wildlife and beneficial insects, increasing the need for pesticides. Soy bean oil is chemically distilled with hexane and bleached with chlorine before it is hydrogenated to make Soy wax. Most Soy grown in US is GMO( genetically modified).
Soy wax has a lower melting point and too soft to make pillar/ taper candles on its own.
Soy candles burn slower but have a low scent throw. Therefore, soy wax is mostly sold blended with hard waxes like Palm/ Paraffin to retain shape and improve scent performance. More additives are mixed to increase wax adhesion to the jar as it forms wet spots and pulls off from the sides.
Palm Oil Industry and its challenges
Palm oil is in nearly everything – it’s in close to 50% of the packaged products we find in supermarkets, everything from pizza, doughnuts, cookies, chocolate, to soap, deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste and lipstick. It’s also used in animal feed and as a biofuel in many parts of the world. Palm oil is an extremely versatile oil, with many different properties and functions that makes it so useful and so widely used. It is not a surprise then that palm oil is highest consumed oil in the world. With its brilliance comes challenges.
Over the past few decades there has been serious environmental degradation in Southeast Asia where more than 80% of the world’s palm oil is grown; much of this destruction has come from the timber and agricultural industries. Peat lands have been drained, forests have been bulldozed or burned, wildlife habitat (especially that of the orangutan) has been lost, and communities have been displaced.
Why did we still choose palm wax to make candles? That’s because we saw an opportunity to make a difference. Like most environmentalists, we believe that boycotting palm is a bizarre notion, since it’s a known fact that substitutions with other vegetable oils can lead to even further environmental and social harm. Sustainability is a journey, and if companies are rewarded for improving farming practices, we can transform the production of palm oil and make sustainable palm oil the norm rather than an exception.
We didn’t stop wearing cotton clothing because it’s the most pesticide-laden crop in the world; instead, we switched to using organic cotton, increasing demand for it. We didn’t stop brushing our teeth because the first plastic toothbrush ever made is still around, we switched to toothbrushes made with bio degradable and sustainable materials like Bamboo. The use of market forces to promote sustainability has also been proven in the growth of organic agriculture, recycled paper products, alternative energies, and palm oil.
Why Essential Oils?
At Palm Lights, we work only with 100% aromatherapy grade essential oils. Essential oils(EO) are aromatic essence of certain plants, trees, fruits, flowers, herbs, and spices. These oils have been traditionally distilled since 4000BC. Closer at home, I grew up seeing and using essential oils as an alternative source of healing. Steam inhalations with Eucalyptus and Rosemary essential oils to clear congestion, Lavender essential oil for cuts and bruises, Chamomile for digestion and sleep; there was a healing EO for everything. Is it any wonder that it became my first choice to scent the candles?
I wanted to share the power and therapeutic effects of these natural oils. A strong sense of smell and an intuitive knowledge of blends were my guide. After experimenting for months, I was able to create stabilized recipes of hand-blended oils. We source only the purest, most ethically viable, sustainably farmed essential oils. Although pure essential oils are rare and expensive, they result in clean burning candles.
• Steam distilled and cold pressed oils only
• Strong fragrance till the very last burn
• No over-harvested or endangered oils e.g. Sandalwood( Santalum Album), Rosewood and Spruce
• No animal derived fragrances like Civet, Musk or Ambergris
• Wild crafted wherever possible
• Cruelty-free
Palm Lights do not overpower your sense of smell, produce a pleasurable cold throw and an excellent hot throw. Since palm wax and essential oils are produced by somewhat similar methods, they have great chemistry together. Unlike some candles that seem to run out of fragrance, you’ll enjoy the fragrance of Palm Lights until the candle burns to the bottom. The fragrance lingers on even after the candle is extinguished.
Why Not Fragrance Oils?
Did you know that the strawberry, coconut, or the coffee flavored candles are loaded with Fragrance Oils(FO) because there is no natural essential oil available for these flavors? Coconut oil used for cooking and coconut wax are natural but there is no essential oil (volatile aromatic compound) expressed/distilled from Coconut so the fragrance is manufactured from isolates in a laboratory. Fragrance Oils are synthetically produced concoctions of chemicals, designed to mimic natural fragrances. These fragrances release microscopic particles, many of which are carcinogenic. A 1986 report by the National Academy of Sciences reports that 95 percent of the chemicals used in synthetic fragrances are derived from petroleum and include benzene derivatives, aldehydes and many other known toxins and synthesizers capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions. Businesses are legally allowed to claim their products as ‘Natural’ even though there is a minuscule percentage of a natural ingredient combined with host of synthetic ingredients. The reason why Fragrance oils are so commonly used is because they are cheaper compared to pure essential oils. At Palm Lights, we do not use fragrance oils.