When we decided to make our own candles, there was no question about the wax we would use. One might call it a no-brainer.
At PS Home, we want ingredient lists that are short and understandable. We also care about where an ingredient comes from and what it takes to turn it into something we use at home. That’s why we chose a beeswax and tallow blend.
Soy wax is often marketed as “natural.” It comes from soybeans, so that description makes sense at first glance. But soybeans don’t grow candle wax. To make soy wax, producers extract oil from the beans and process it so the liquid oil becomes a wax suitable for candles.
That distinction matters to us. “Plant-based” tells you where an ingredient began. It doesn’t tell you how it was made.
Soybeans are also a major commodity crop. In the United States, most soybean acreage is planted with herbicide-resistant varieties. We think that’s useful context when a candle’s marketing asks you to picture a simple, untouched bean. It isn’t, by itself, a reason to claim that a finished soy candle is unsafe to burn.
Beeswax has a different starting point. Bees make it to build their honeycomb. After it’s collected, the wax can be melted and filtered for candle making. Tallow is rendered animal fat. We love bringing these two traditional candle ingredients together in a blend that feels true to the way we want to make things: thoughtfully, in small batches, with a short list of ingredients we can explain.
So, do beeswax and tallow candles “trump” soy candles? For PS Home, they do. We prefer the ingredients, we understand their journey to our pouring pot, and we love the candle they help us create.
We won’t tell you that every soy candle is bad or that choosing our wax makes a candle magically free of emissions. Any burning candle deserves care: trim the wick, keep it away from drafts, and follow the burn instructions.
What we will tell you is exactly why we chose ours. We wanted a candle made with ingredients we feel good naming out loud—and one that brings a little warmth and comfort into your home.