Fragrance Oil Flash Point: What Does it Mean?

We receive a lot of questions concerning our fragrance oils and their flash points, so we decided to share a little bit more information about this subject to help our customers understand the importance of it when making candles and other products.

A flash point is defined as the temperature at which a substance can ignite if it comes in contact with an open flame or spark.

You can find the flash points for each fragrance oil on their specific product page on our website, as well as the backs of all our fragrance oil bottles.

Many people become concerned with the flash point of their fragrance oils during the candle making process because they are worried it means that it will cause their wax to burst into flames if it gets too hot. This is not the case though, as long as you are not adding more than the recommended amount of fragrance oil to your wax and it is not coming in direct contact with a spark or an open flame. If too much fragrance oil is added to the wax, it can sometimes start to separate and leave little “dew drops” on the top of your candle that can be a potential fire hazard. We always recommend checking the maximum fragrance oil retention of the wax you are using to insure you are not overloading the wax with too much fragrance. The fragrance oil retention for each of our waxes can be found on our website in our Candle Making University in the following articles: Choosing a Soy Wax and Paraffin Wax Guidelines.

We also have customers who become concerned that their fragrance oil will “flash out” or quickly dissipate once added to the wax if it is too hot. Again, this is not the case under normal circumstances, but we do not recommend leaving your wax/fragrance mixture sitting on a heat source like a stove or a melter for too long as it can sometimes make your scent throw a bit weaker.

If you are making gel candles, it is recommended to only use fragrance oils that have a flash point of 170°F or higher to be sure that it will be safe in your gel candles. If you use a fragrance oil that has a flash point below 170°F, it can catch fire very quickly. (Browse our selection of gel compatible fragrance oils.

hipping fragrance oils with low flash points can be a bit tricky as well. FedEx currently states that a product is safe for shipping if it has a flash point of 100°F or higher. USPS has stricter regulations and says that products with a flash point of 140°F or higher are safe for shipping. If you are placing an order and would like your order to ship through USPS, please keep in mind that the website will not quote you USPS shipping rates if you have a fragrance oil in your cart with a flash point below 140°F. If all the fragrances in your cart have a high enough flash point and the website is still not quoting you USPS rates, please call customer service at 1-800-929-9425 and one of our customer service reps will assist you.

While a fragrance oil's flash point may not affect your candle's scent throw, we felt it was important to discuss this matter to clear up any confusion customers may have about it. As long as you are not overloading your wax with too much fragrance oil and taking proper safety precautions, you should be safe while making and burning your candles.