Fragrance Oils FAQ

Start at 1 ounce of fragrance oil per pound of wax, about 6% by weight. The waxes we carry hold between 3% and 11% depending on the blend: base paraffins hold 3-4%, pillar and votive blends about 6%, container paraffins 6-10%, and soy container waxes 6-11%. You can load up to your wax's tested maximum, but never beyond it; wax can retain only a certain amount of fragrance oil, and any excess may separate from the wax rather than contribute to scent throw. Each wax's product page lists its maximum.

At the standard rate of 1 ounce of fragrance per pound of wax, 8 ounces of wax takes about 0.5 ounce of fragrance and 4 ounces of wax takes about 0.25 ounce. Base your calculations on the amount of wax that actually goes into the container rather than the jar's labeled size, then calculate the fragrance amount using your desired fragrance load.

Our soy container waxes hold 6-11% fragrance by weight, which works out to roughly 1 to 1.75 ounces per pound depending on the blend. Golden Brands 444 holds the most at 9-11%; Golden Brands 415 holds 8-10%, 464 holds 7-9%, 402 holds 6-8%, and NatureWax C-3 holds about 6%. Check the product page for the wax you use.

The industry baseline is 0.5 ounce of fragrance per pound of wax. Double scenting means 1 ounce per pound and triple scenting means 1.5 ounces per pound. You can triple-scent only in a wax whose maximum fragrance load allows it; many waxes are not designed to hold more than 1 ounce per pound, so confirm the wax's limit first.

It is probably fragrance oil that has separated from the wax. This can happen when more fragrance oil is added than the wax can retain or when the oil is added at the wrong temperature. Stay within the wax's recommended maximum fragrance load and add the oil at about 180°F, stirring for two full minutes to ensure it is fully incorporated.

The most common causes are using too little fragrance oil, adding the fragrance oil at the wrong temperature, using a wick that is too small to create a full melt pool, or allowing too short a cure time. Make sure to use an appropriate fragrance load for your wax, add the fragrance oil at about 180°F and stir for two full minutes, size the wick so the melt pool reaches the container's edge, and allow the candle to cure for about a week before its first burn. Always test burn when you change anything.

Fragrance oils last up to a year or longer when kept away from extreme temperatures and direct sunlight. An oil that has lost its integrity usually smells noticeably different. If you are unsure, test a small sample before committing a large batch.

That is called paneling: a reaction between the fragrance oil and the plastic bottle that causes air to escape. Our bottles are specially treated to help prevent it, but it can still happen, most often with citrus fragrances. The oil inside is unaffected.

Our bottles are filled by weight rather than volume, and fragrance densities differ. Fruity and floral oils are less dense, so they fill the bottle higher; vanilla, cinnamon, and nutty oils are denser and sit lower. Every bottle of a given size contains the same weight of fragrance.

No. Add the fragrance oil directly to the melted wax at about 180°F; no carrier or dilution is needed.

Yes. Blend a small sample first to confirm the combination smells right before committing a large amount of oil, and if the blend is going into gel or body products, confirm every oil in it is safe for that use. Our scent guide covers blending method and ratios, and our fragrance recipes page lists tested combinations.

It can shift the color slightly, so add the fragrance first and the dye after. For undyed candles, our Whitening Powdered Dye helps counteract discoloration, and an oil's vanillin content predicts how much it will darken the wax over time.

Most of our fragrances are soap safe, but check each oil individually. The product page states its compatibility, and the IFRA certificate under the technical information tab lists the maximum usage level for each application, including skin contact uses.

Many are. Oils marked gel compatible are suitable for candle gel. Some oils contain only a slight amount of a polar ingredient, which gets them listed as not gel safe even though they may mix into gel in practice, so testing for yourself is worthwhile. Most gel manufacturers also ask for a flash point of at least 170°F.

Yes, mixed with a reed diffuser base such as our Optima base. Never use pure fragrance oil in a diffuser; the base is what carries the fragrance up the reed.

Yes, diluted with a carrier oil at a 1:1 ratio. Mix equal parts fragrance oil and carrier oil before adding the blend to your burner; never use undiluted fragrance oil.

Flash point is the temperature at which a fragrance oil can ignite if it contacts an ignition source such as a spark or open flame. It is safe to heat a fragrance above its flash point as long as no ignition source is present, so keep oils a safe distance from open flames. Flash point matters most for gel candles, where most manufacturers ask for at least 170°F. Every oil's flash point is on its product page.

It marks the oil as our rendition of a scent known by a trademarked name. The trademark belongs to its owner; 'type' tells you the oil is a duplicate of that scent rather than the branded product.

Yes. Keep a master list mapping your names to ours so you can reorder the right oil later. Some fragrances are widely recognized by their established names, so renaming can cost a little recognition. It is the purchaser's responsibility to ensure any trademarked names are not used in violation of trademark law.

Yes, within 30 days, as long as the foil seal is unbroken. Once a seal is broken we cannot guarantee the oil was not diluted or altered, so for sanitary reasons we cannot resell or accept it. We do not accept returns on 5 lb jugs or 25 lb pails.

No. The fragrances we carry are classified as synthetic, though some contain natural ingredients. Essential oils are extracted from plant material, which is why they usually cost much more.

No finished oil we sell is tested on animals, and our manufacturers do not test the raw materials on animals either. Some raw materials used industry-wide may have been tested on animals at some point by regulatory agencies to meet safety and compliance standards.

No. All of our fragrance oils are free of both gluten and parabens.

The Safety Data Sheet for each fragrance is on its product page under the technical information tab, alongside the IFRA certificate.