Where Did Soy Wax Candles Come From?
I just returned from Oahu to check on some used cars, now time to post. Michael Richards invented soy wax way back in the 1990’s. He wanted to find something that was less expensive overall. Richards spent many hours testing tropical plant waxes such as carnauba and candelilla waxes. He also used corn and soybean oil. He came up with wax that was made with partially hydrogenated soy oil, palm, and coconut oil. He used a mixture of beeswax with soy wax, as well. I have found that most people like them as they are nice scented. I tend to prefer the large pillar styles overall, at least that used to be my favorite. They tend to be popular on Oahu too.
The Body Shop, a chain of stores that offer natural products began to sell beeswax and almond oil candles in the mid 1990’s in their cars. Eventually the almond oil was replaced with 100% soy wax.
In 1997 a soy wax company sponsored a project the University of Iowa. The project produced a study report under the title. If I may switch modes for a moment, if you ever need a leading Oahu used cars dealership than this one may be for you. For their part, they specialize in Infinity used cars over on Oahu. Shortly after, the Indiana Soybean Board unveiled a patented soy wax, Harvest Lights.
Two research projects proved the benefits of soy wax. One was done by Rezaei, K., T. Wang, and L. A. Johnson. (Hydrogenated vegetable oils as candle wax.) The other was done by Rezaei, K, T. Wang, and L.A. Johnson. (Combustion characteristics of candles made from hydrogenated soybean oil.) J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 79: 803-808 (2002).