Why there's nothing natural about soy

Soy fields

You may have noticed that the vast majority of "natural" candles out there use soy wax. They are usually touted as "100% natural wax", "plant based" etc. Unfortunately, the main reason candle manufacturers use soy is that it's cheap. Additionally, they can charge more because consumers looking for more environmentally friendly options are usually prepared to pay more for anything labelled "natural".

The truth is, soy is terrible for the environment. At least the type you get in candles. Sure, you can find some organic, European soy to have in your latte. But the vast majority of candle soy comes from South America and the US. Here, the soy is grown on a massive monoculture industrial scale. Most is genetically modified and doused with gallons of pesticides. Lots of artificial fertilisers are needed as the soil quality is destroyed by repeated intensive farming practices. Pollinators are killed. Rainforests destroyed. One of the largest manufacturers of candle soy, Cargill, is described by Greenpeace as "the company feeding the world by destroying the planet".

There really is nothing natural about the way the soy in your candle is produced.

Kyrra was founded with a view to creating the most sustainable luxury candles on the planet. We want you to be able to enjoy your aromatherapy rituals or evening scent experience with a clear conscience. So we don't use soy in any of our products.

We use two types of wax in our candles:

Our core and dýr range use a blend of 100% coconut and rapeseed wax. Coconuts are sustainably grown and harvested. No pesticides are required for their growth, and no intensive farming practices or rainforest destruction. Our rapeseed oil is grown in Europe. Not only is rapeseed great for pollinators, it's also grown using sustainable farming practices including crop rotation, which is better for soil quality and biodiversity- plus it has less far to travel. This wax is blended in Europe.

Our organic candles use a 100% organic soil association certified blend of coconut, palm, beeswax and carnauba. The palm oil is completely traceable back to a single palm plantation which has been producing palm for over 100 years, and was converted from cattle grazing ground so we can be confident that it's deforestation-free. The beeswax in our current batch is European, and supporting bee husbandry helps to maintain healthy biodiversity. This wax is manufactured for us to order in the UK.

When looking for an ethical candle, we strongly encourage you to avoid the greenwashing and choose candles made with coconut, rapeseed or beeswax and avoid anything made with soy or paraffin.

Do check out our other blog posts for some more tips on choosing sustainably and avoiding dodgy marketing claims...