Finally, There's a Company Producing "Clean Fragrances" for Candle and Soap Makers

CandleScience is shaking up the fragrance industry and offering something new to DIYers and indie candle and soap brands: science-backed safety standards and ingredient transparency. This new line of fragrance oils adheres to the most stringent standards in the industry, offering makers the joy of working with beautiful, modern fragrances and more importantly, the peace of mind that these fragrances are free from carcinogens, toxins, and other hazardous chemicals commonly found in fragrance. Read on to learn more about clean fragrances for candles and soap.

One of the biggest draws to handmade soaps and candles is the desire to use natural products and eliminate harmful chemicals from our routine. It’s a huge selling point for sellers to be able to say that their products are 100% safe.

Historically, the fragrance industry has never been transparent about safety. Lack of disclosure from fragrance manufacturers regarding ingredients and the possible health risks of those ingredients was the norm. The landscape is quite different in 2020. From established indie brands to new hobbyists, fragrance consumers are accustomed to doing their own research about the products they make, sell, and enjoy in their homes. CandleScience takes some of the work out of this research by providing accurate safety information and accessible language about ingredients that don’t require a science degree to understand.

The industry has been slow to catch up to the expectations of consumers, but CandleScience saw an opportunity to take the lead in 2015. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, better known as OSHA, adopted and began enforcing labeling requirements from the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, or GHS. This set of GHS requirements, now enforced by OSHA, requires the disclosure of potential hazards of a substance in a commercial facility and for purposes related to shipping.

While not designed for fragrance safety specifically, CandleScience seized the opportunity to demand more information about the materials and ingredients in their fragrances. What they discovered empowered a deep dive into the science behind fragrance, the materials within fragrance, and the potential effects those materials have on human health.

After 5 years of work, testing thousands of fragrances and revisions, the result is CandleScience Clean Scents™. In addition to adhering to the standards set by IFRA, the International Fragrance Association, CandleScience Clean Scents excludes a bevy of ingredients ubiquitous in candle and soap fragrance. There are five main hazard groups that will never be found in a Clean Scent:

✖ Carcinogens: These are materials known or thought to cause cancer.

✖ Mutagens: Materials that change the DNA of a cell, harming the cell and causing diseases like cancer.

✖ Reproductive toxins: Toxins that adversely affect reproductive organs and increase the risk of birth defects.

✖ Organ toxins: These are toxins that can cause adverse effects or disease within specific bodily organs.

✖ Acute toxins: Toxins that can cause adverse effects from a single exposure. Generally, this would be accidental exposure like spillage or ingestion.

We’ve been impressed that CandleScience has taken the lead on creating truly safe products for handmade sellers to use in their product line and we’re excited to see what they’ll do in the future! Cheers to all the artisans that are pursuing clean fragrances for candles and soap.