Companies are greenwashing your vegan candles

I used to believe the word vegan meant better. Kinder. Cleaner. A symbol of doing no harm. And in many ways, that’s still true. But when it comes to candles, the label often hides a complicated and not-so-natural reality.

These days, it's easy to get swept up in green branding. Soy wax poured into glass jars with minimalist labels, promising serenity and sustainability in one burn. But behind many of these “eco-friendly” claims lies a world of greenwashing: the practice of dressing products up as environmentally sound when they’re anything but.

Let’s take soy candles. Australia is brimming with them — proudly marketed as “natural” or “vegan.” What’s left out is the fact that most soy is imported from far-off countries like China and Brazil, contributing to mass deforestation and industrial farming practices. The soy itself isn’t just pressed into wax — it’s chemically hydrogenated, often with heavy metals. Synthetic fragrances are added. Stabilizers. Preservatives. The result? A candle that looks good on a shelf but releases formaldehyde and toluene into your home when lit.

Palm wax, too, wears a green disguise. Grown for high yield, it comes at a devastating cost to tropical rainforests and wildlife, with plantations replacing ancient ecosystems and displacing communities. And paraffin wax? It's derived from petroleum, bleached with industrial agents, and mixed with known carcinogens.

So when a candle calls itself vegan, it doesn’t mean it’s clean. It doesn’t mean it’s ethical. And it certainly doesn’t mean it’s kind to your body, your lungs, or the Earth.

Beeswax is different.

I source my beeswax from Queensland beekeepers whose hives are nestled deep within vast, untouched landscapes. These bees forage freely — no pesticides, no manipulated pollen. Just wildflowers, forest, and sun.

When wax is harvested from these hives, it’s not bleached or refined with chemicals. It’s gently filtered to retain its natural goodness. What’s left is golden wax that smells faintly of the flowers the bees once danced through.

Burning a beeswax candle is not just lighting a wick. It’s inviting the forest in. It's the warmth of honey and sunny air, slow-burning and clean. No soot. No synthetics. Just nature, shaped into light.

Beeswax burns longer than soy or paraffin, sometimes up to five times as long. It emits negative ions that purify the air, easing allergens and uplifting the mood. The glow is warmer. The scent is subtle and wild, never overpowering. And for those with sensitivities or respiratory concerns, beeswax is hypoallergenic.

There’s also something ancient about it. Beeswax has been used in ceremony, healing, and homekeeping since Egypt and Rome. To me, using it is a kind of remembering — a way of honouring craft, land, and the life within both.

Is it vegan? Technically, no. But it’s kind. And real. And made by hand — by bees, by me.

I believe in materials that tell the truth. I believe in keeping things local, natural, and slow. And I believe that what we bring into our homes should feel as good as it looks.

So next time you light a candle, pause to ask: is this clean, or just marketed that way?

I’ll be here, pouring wax from the hives of our land, one candle at a time.