Use these question-and-answer pairs to evaluate any candle claim, including ours.

Does the maker name the wax and its proportions?

Answer: Look for the actual waxes and a percentage, range or honest statement of what is proprietary. “Natural wax blend” alone is not enough.

Is “non-toxic” supported by product-specific evidence?

Answer: Ask for competent, reliable evidence covering human and environmental safety. If none exists, treat the phrase as marketing rather than certification.

Is the fragrance load stated?

Answer: A percentage makes scent strength and formulation easier to evaluate. More oil is not automatically better; the wax and wick must safely support it.

What does the IFRA statement actually say?

Answer: Supplier Certificates of Conformity and formulation within the relevant category are meaningful. “IFRA-certified candle” is inaccurate because IFRA does not certify finished candles.

Are the wick material and treatment stated?

Answer: Look for cotton or wood, lead-free status and whether wooden wicks are treated. Then check that wick care is provided.

Are dyes and additives disclosed?

Answer: Ask whether synthetic dyes, UV inhibitors, hardeners or other additives are used. Their absence does not prove zero emissions.

Is vegan status explicit?

Answer: Beeswax is animal-derived, so a beeswax blend is not vegan. Soy, coconut and paraffin can be vegan depending on other ingredients.

Does the brand publish a burn-test method?

Answer: A useful method records vessel, wax, fragrance load and wick, uses repeated controlled sessions, and rejects unstable or excessively hot combinations.

Are limitations stated?

Answer: Trust pages that distinguish workshop burn testing from laboratory emissions testing and say “not proven” where evidence is missing.

Are care directions easy to find?

Answer: Clean combustion depends on trimming, drafts and session length as well as formulation. A responsible seller explains the shopper’s role.

Compare these answers with our Transparency & Specifications and wax matrix.