Candles had been made from tallow for centuries. Beeswax candles were also available, but the beeswax was much more expensive. Paraffin wax was patented in 1876. It wasn’t until the late 20th century, however, that wax was made from soybean oil.
At present, there are a limited number of soy wax primary manufacturers. This article will focus on two: SoyaWax International, Inc., and Elevance Renewable Sciences, Inc.
Michael Richardson, patent-holder for the process of making soy wax, runs a company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa called SoyaWax International. It sells two soybean wax blends:
The first, Phytowax C-1, has a melting point of 130 F (54.4 C); it is formulated to adhere to the sides of containers. The second product, Phytowax PV-1, shrinks just enough so that it can be easily removed from votive molds. Its melting point is 155 F (68.3 C).
Cargill, who purchased the intellectual rights to Richardson’s patent, started a company called Elevance Renewable Sciences, which is headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois. They sell soybean wax and soybean wax blends using the brandname “Nature Wax.” Elevance sell their waxes both domestically and internationally. In the following list of products, add “BK” suffix after the product number would indicate that the product is supplied as a “block;” adding a “CT” suffix would indicate cut or flaked product:
13C2000 NatureWax C-1 Container Wax (25054) is a soy blend which is to be used for container candles. It has a melting point of 124-130 F (51.1-54.4 C) This product is available internationally.
13C1120 NatureWax C-3 also has a melting point of 124-130 F (51.1-54.4 C) This mix of hydrogenated vegetable glycerides with alpha-monoglycerides and sorbitan tristearate is formulated to be used in container candles and as a softener for pillar candles. This product is also available for international delivery.
Elevance sells five soy base stocks with different melting points. These are formulated for container candles and can also be used as a softener for pillar candles.
13C1040- NatureWax 97MP Soy Base Stock; its melting point is 97 F (36.1 C)
13C1400 – NatureWax S-113 Soy Base Stock; its melting point is 113 F (45 C)
13C1510 – NatureWax S-118 Soy Base Stock; its melting point is 118 F (47.8 C)
13C1590 – NatureWax S-128 Soy Base Stock; its melting point is 128 F (53.3 C)
13C1090 – NatureWax S-130 Soy Base Stock; its melting point is 130 F (54.4 C)
Elevance sells three base stocks which can be used as hardeners or as fragrance stabilizers, though their main intended use is for coating boxes. All three have melting points of 155 F (68.3 C)
12C1020 – NatureWax 155 MP Soy Base Stock
12C1420 – NatureWax X-155 Base Stock blend
12C1430 – NatureWax X-155 Base Stock 155 MP w/ MS (soy blend with Dimethylpolysiloxane)
Elevance also supplies Palm and Soy/Cotton base stocks.
This article has focused on two of the primary manufacturing companies of soybean wax. There are a variety of other soy wax manufacturing companies who do not do primary manufacturing. That is they do not extract the oil from the soybean. Instead they would start with soybean wax as a raw material to make their own wax blends.