Glyphosate in U.S. Soy Wax Candles: A Comprehensive Analysis

Glyphosate in U.S. Soy Wax Candles

A Comprehensive Analysis

Soy wax candles have grown in popularity as a cleaner, more eco-friendly alternative to paraffin, but with that shift has come a closer look at how soy is grown and processed. One common concern we hear? Whether herbicides like glyphosate, used on genetically modified soybeans in the U.S., make their way into the final product—and ultimately, into your home. It’s a fair question. As people become more aware of chemical residues in food and household goods, it’s important to consider how those same chemicals behave in non-food applications like candle wax.

To answer these important questions, we examined the full lifecycle of soy wax—from field to flame. Our approach focuses on peer-reviewed research and verified regulatory data, not assumptions or fear-based claims.

Here are the questions we asked:

How does glyphosate and its breakdown product (AMPA) behave in soybeans grown for wax production?

What happens to these compounds during processing, particularly during oil extraction, refining, and hydrogenation?

Do glyphosate residues remain in the finished soy wax, and if they could be released during combustion?

What are the potential health risks from inhalation or other exposure when using soy wax candles?

What is the broader environmental impact of glyphosate-heavy farming practices, beyond what ends up in the wax itself?

The short answer on what we found:

While glyphosate is widely used in U.S. soybean farming and often detected in raw soybeans, the rigorous refining processes used to turn soybean oil into wax effectively remove these residues. Scientific studies show that refined soybean oil—the base for soy wax—does not contain detectable glyphosate. Even if trace amounts were present, the high heat of candle burning would break them down completely, posing no known inhalation risk.

That said, this doesn’t give industrial agriculture a free pass. The use of glyphosate and other inputs in large-scale soy farming continues to raise environmental concerns, from soil degradation to biodiversity loss. And for us, that matters.

When we say our candles are clean-burning, we mean it—and we back it with science, not assumptions. We don’t just look at the final product, we care about the full story. That’s why we’re transparent about what we use, how it’s sourced, and where there’s room for better practices. We’re actively exploring alternative waxes and pushing for more accountability in our supply chain.

We continue to push for greater transparency in sourcing, support sustainable farming practices, and educate our community with facts—not fear. Because when it comes to clean living, honesty and stewardship go hand in hand.

Soy Wax and Glyphosate | Our Findings

Widespread Glyphosate Use on Soy

In the United States, the vast majority of soybeans (≈94% of acreage) are genetically engineered to tolerate glyphosate. As a result, glyphosate (and its primary breakdown product, AMPA) is commonly applied to soy crops, with harvested GM soybeans often containing measurable residues (ranging from 0.1 to 9 mg/kg). Conventional non-GM or organic soy shows negligible glyphosate residues compared to traditional soy.

The Fate of Glyphosate Residue During Processing

Soy wax is produced from soybean oil, which is extracted and refined from soybeans (often followed by hydrogenation to solidify the oil). Glyphosate is water-soluble, not fat-soluble, so it largely does not carry over into the oil during extraction. Controlled studies and food analyses have found no detectable glyphosate or AMPA in refined soybean oil. Processing trials indicate that glyphosate residues concentrate in soybean by-products, such as meal and hulls, rather than in the oil (processing factor for oil is ~0.1 or lower). Thus, finished soy wax is unlikely to contain significant glyphosate.

Soy Wax Combustion and Glyphosate Indoor Air Exposure

Given the above, a soy wax candle made from U.S. soy is highly unlikely to release glyphosate upon burning, as any residues in the wax are expected to be negligible or undetectable. Even in a hypothetical scenario where trace glyphosate were present in the wax, high-temperature combustion would break down glyphosate into simpler molecules. Studies of glyphosate pyrolysis (thermal decomposition) show that it yields products such as carbon dioxide and low-molecular-weight amines (e.g., methylamine, dimethylamine) rather than intact glyphosate. No scientific evidence currently links soy candle use to glyphosate inhalation risk. General indoor air pollutants from candles (soot, VOCs) are possible, but glyphosate-specific combustion byproducts are not a documented concern in soy candles.

Glyphosate & Human Health Considerations

Glyphosate’s human health effects have been extensively studied, primarily for dietary ingestion or occupational exposure (such as spraying), rather than inhalation. Glyphosate is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a “probable carcinogen” (Group 2A) based on some associations with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in exposed populations and lab animal studies. There is also evidence of genotoxic effects (DNA damage, oxidative stress) in experimental systems. Some studies suggest potential endocrine-disrupting or developmental impact; however, regulatory agencies (e.g., U.S. EPA, EFSA) generally conclude that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a significant health risk at typical exposure levels. Importantly, indoor exposure via soy candle smoke is expected to be negligible, given the lack of glyphosate residues in the wax. The primary routes of glyphosate exposure remain dietary (foods with residues) and agricultural use, not candle use.

Glyphosate & Environmental Risks

The use of glyphosate on soybeans carries well-documented environmental implications. Glyphosate and its metabolite, AMPA, are frequently detected in soil and water near agricultural areas due to their widespread use. Although glyphosate typically binds to soils and has a moderate environmental half-life (on the order of days to months, degrading to CO₂ and AMPA), continuous large-scale application results in a continual presence in the environment. Ecological studies indicate harm to non-target organisms: for example, glyphosate-based herbicides can cause high mortality in amphibian larvae and other aquatic biota when runoff contaminates wetlands. Widespread use has also contributed to the decline of plant biodiversity (weeds/host plants) and the emergence of glyphosate-resistant weeds, prompting even heavier herbicide use. These environmental concerns apply broadly to glyphosate use on soy (whether for food or wax production), but are indirectly related to soy candles (i.e. the environmental footprint of producing the soy used in candles).

A complete and detailed overview of our research is below.

Understanding Soy Wax and Glyphosate: What the Science Really Says

At Clear Mountain Provisions, we don’t believe in half-truths or feel-good marketing. We believe in clarity. In asking hard questions. And in creating products that reflect a deeper care for the places we all call home. One question we’ve heard more often lately is about glyphosate—a widely used herbicide in modern agriculture, especially in the cultivation of soy. While our soy wax candles are clean-burning, safe, and free from detectable glyphosate residues, the broader environmental story of glyphosate is worth exploring.

Because sustainability isn’t just about what’s in the jar. It’s about the entire chain of impact—from the fields where ingredients are grown to the ecosystems they touch along the way. This guide was created to walk you through the facts:

What glyphosate is
How it’s used
What current science says about its risks

And how it fits into the larger conversation around agriculture, environmental health, and consumer safety

Glyphosate isn’t found in our candles—but it is something we think about carefully. And we believe our customers deserve the same thoughtful, honest answers we ask of ourselves.

Title

Glyphosate Use in U.S. Soybean Farming
Glyphosate’s Fate in Processing
Candle Combustion: Emissions and Glyphosate Byproducts
Glyphosate and Human Health: Looking Beyond Candles
Environmental Impact of Glyphosate in Soy Farming

To understand the impact of soy wax, we have to start at the source: the soybean farm. In the United States, soybean agriculture is deeply intertwined with herbicide use especially glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup.

Since the introduction of genetically modified “Roundup Ready” soy in the 1990s, glyphosate-tolerant varieties have become the dominant crop. Today, nearly 95% of U.S. soybeans are herbicide-resistant. This allows farmers to spray fields with glyphosate multiple times during the growing season without harming the crop itself—only the surrounding weeds.

Over time, this farming model has led to a significant increase in glyphosate application, not just in the U.S., but globally in countries like Argentina and Brazil as well. In many cases, glyphosate use has more than doubled per acre since genetically modified (GM) soy was introduced.

Unlike some crops where glyphosate is applied just before harvest, soybeans are typically treated earlier in the growing season. That said, because glyphosate is a systemic herbicide—meaning it’s absorbed into plant tissues—it can persist inside the plant long after application. Even with a pre-harvest waiting period, residues can remain in the plant at the time of harvest.

So, how much glyphosate actually ends up in soybeans?

Multiple field studies and regulatory reports confirm that glyphosate and its main breakdown product, AMPA, are frequently present in harvested soybean seeds.
Residue levels vary based on timing and frequency of application but are often measured in parts-per-million (mg/kg).
Some studies report average levels around 3–9 mg/kg in GM soybeans. Conventional and organic soy, by contrast, typically show no detectable glyphosate.
According to data reviewed by the WHO/FAO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR), glyphosate and AMPA together account for about two-thirds of total residues found in soybean grain.
A portion of the glyphosate also breaks down further or becomes integrated into natural plant compounds, such as fatty acids or amino acids—but these are no longer intact herbicide molecules.

While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows up to 20 mg/kg of glyphosate residue in soybeans, these levels are based on assumptions about toxicity and dietary exposure. The European Union has similar thresholds but is actively revisiting them in light of evolving scientific review.

Soy wax production begins where all soy products do: on the farm. After harvest, soybeans are cleaned, cracked, and dehulled. From there, the soybean oil is extracted, typically through a combination of mechanical pressing and solvent use (often hexane). That oil is then refined through a multi-step process that may include degumming, neutralization, bleaching, and deodorizing, especially for food-grade use. The final step, hydrogenation, transforms the liquid oil into a solid wax suitable for candle making.

At each stage, the chemical composition of the material changes, and that includes how any potential pesticide residues behave. One of the key concerns we often hear is whether glyphosate, the herbicide commonly used in conventional soy farming, ends up in soy wax. The science says: it’s highly unlikely.

Here’s why:

Glyphosate is water-soluble and polar—essentially, it behaves like a type of amino acid. Soybean oil, on the other hand, is non-polar and hydrophobic. The two don’t mix.
During oil extraction, glyphosate tends to stay behind in the water- and protein-based parts of the soybean—like the meal, hulls, and gums—not the oil.
Multiple studies, including assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR), found that refined soybean oil contained no detectable glyphosate or AMPA (glyphosate’s primary breakdown product).
The processing factor—which measures how much residue transfers into a final product—was effectively zero for soybean oil. In contrast, soy hulls and meal retained much more glyphosate, showing that the chemical doesn’t follow the oil.

In one widely cited study, even when glyphosate was applied to soy crops during peak growth, it was not detected in the finished oil. Commercially refined soybean oil used in both food and candles has consistently tested below detection limits (less than 0.05 micrograms per gram), reinforcing that the refining process effectively eliminates these residues.

Once the oil is refined, it undergoes hydrogenation, a high-heat process that saturates the oil to create a solid form—soy wax. If, by some chance, any trace glyphosate were still present (which testing shows is unlikely), the temperatures and chemical conditions used during hydrogenation would further break it down.

Even from a regulatory and toxicological standpoint, there’s a wide safety margin. The U.S. FDA’s food safety monitoring and the EPA’s acceptable daily intake (ADI) for glyphosate are orders of magnitude higher than any potential exposure from soy candles. In fact, glyphosate has never been detected in soy wax used for candles, and no data suggests that burning soy wax poses any inhalation risk related to glyphosate.

Any time you light a candle, you’re starting a tiny combustion reaction. The wax—essentially a hydrocarbon—reacts with the flame to create light, warmth, and a mix of byproducts. If the burn is clean, that means mostly carbon dioxide and water vapor. If it’s incomplete (like when a candle flickers or the wick is too long), it can also release soot (tiny carbon particles) and trace amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

With soy wax candles, the base material is made from soybean oil. That means it’s burning a plant-derived fatty acid, which typically results in a cleaner burn compared to paraffin, with less soot and fewer petrochemical emissions. Still, any flame produces some particulate matter, so even the cleanest candle benefits from good ventilation.

But what about glyphosate—the herbicide used in conventional soybean farming? Could it survive in the wax and release something harmful into the air?

First, it’s important to remember that refined soy wax does not contain detectable glyphosate, based on available testing. The extensive refining process used to turn soybean oil into wax removes impurities, and glyphosate is not typically present in the final product.

But if we imagine a hypothetical scenario—say, a few trace molecules made it into the wax—what then?

Glyphosate is not volatile. It doesn't evaporate like fragrance oils, so it wouldn’t “off-gas” or vaporize into your air.
It breaks down with heat. Scientific studies of glyphosate decomposition show that when exposed to high temperatures (such as candle flames, which can reach ~1000°C at the wick), glyphosate breaks down into smaller molecules like carbon dioxide, glycine, sarcosine, and amines—common organic fragments.
No toxic phosphorus gases. Glyphosate’s phosphorus-containing group degrades into harmless phosphates, not dangerous organophosphate gases (like phosphine or chemical agents).
Real-world exposure? Negligible to nonexistent. Even in the highly unlikely event that trace glyphosate were present in a candle, the heat of the flame would break it down so completely that the resulting emissions would be indistinguishable from the wax’s normal combustion byproducts.

In other words: glyphosate cannot survive a flame. It decomposes quickly and doesn’t present a credible inhalation risk through normal candle use.

There’s no scientific evidence linking soy candles to glyphosate exposure. None. Studies have looked at how glyphosate behaves under heat, and they consistently show that it degrades before it could become airborne in any meaningful way.

That said, it’s still wise to burn any candle with care:

Keep wicks trimmed.
Ensure good airflow in the room.
Avoid burning candles near children, pets, or sensitive individuals with respiratory concerns.

While we’ve established that soy wax candles do not pose a meaningful glyphosate exposure risk, we understand that many in our community are concerned about glyphosate itself, and for good reason. It’s one of the most widely used herbicides in the world, and it has come under intense scrutiny for its potential health and environmental impacts. As part of our commitment to transparency and informed decision-making, here is a balanced look at what science and regulatory bodies say about glyphosate’s health implications, especially in contexts more relevant to long-term exposure, such as food and farming, rather than candle use.

Carcinogenicity: What the Research Says

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2A). This was based on limited studies linking occupational glyphosate exposure to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, sufficient evidence of cancer in animals, and mechanistic studies showing DNA damage and oxidative stress. That said, it’s important to understand the nuance: IARC’s classification is about hazard identification—in other words, can glyphosate cause cancer under certain conditions—not whether it will at typical exposure levels. Other regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), have concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a cancer risk to humans at the levels typically found in food and the environment. These conclusions are based on broader datasets and risk assessments, though they remain the subject of scientific debate and legal challenges.

The takeaway? If glyphosate carries carcinogenic potential, the amount someone might hypothetically be exposed to from consumer goods like soy candles would be orders of magnitude below any known threshold of concern.

Endocrine and Systemic Effects

Some researchers have explored whether glyphosate could disrupt the endocrine system—impacting hormone balance or reproductive health. While certain cell and animal studies have suggested potential hormone-related effects at high doses, the results are mixed and often apply to formulated glyphosate products (which include other chemical ingredients), not to glyphosate alone. Chronic glyphosate exposure has also been associated in some studies with effects on the liver, kidneys, and neurological development—mostly in occupational or high-dose animal scenarios. However, large-scale regulatory reviews to date have generally found insufficient evidence to classify glyphosate as an endocrine disruptor or chronic health hazard at common dietary levels. Still, ongoing studies are investigating subtler, long-term effects—including its potential impact on the gut microbiome, pregnancy outcomes, and cumulative low-dose exposure over time.

Inhalation Risk

Glyphosate is not a volatile chemical—it doesn’t readily vaporize like a fragrance oil. In agricultural settings, inhalation risk mostly comes from spray mist during application. Even then, concentrated exposure is primarily an occupational hazard, not a concern for the general public. In rodent studies, inhaling glyphosate at high concentrations can cause respiratory irritation, but there’s no evidence that glyphosate is particularly hazardous when inhaled in trace amounts—if it’s even present.

What About Other Soy-Based Products?

Outside of candles, diet is the more common route of glyphosate exposure. Processed soy products like tofu, soy milk, and soy oil typically contain very low or non-detectable glyphosate levels due to washing and processing. In contrast, whole soybeans and unprocessed grains (like oats or wheat) may have higher residue levels, especially if sprayed pre-harvest. While most people consume glyphosate at levels well below the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) set by global health authorities, the compound’s pervasiveness in the food supply has raised questions about potential cumulative effects. This is why many consumers choose organic foods as a precautionary step.

While soy candles themselves are safe to burn and free from glyphosate residues, the story of sustainability doesn’t begin at the wick—it begins in the soil. As makers committed to mindful sourcing, we believe it’s important to acknowledge not only what goes into our final product, but also the ecological footprint of the systems behind it. The glyphosate used in soy farming does not end up in the wax you burn, and doesn’t impact air quality in your home. But the ecological cost of conventional soy farming is part of the product’s larger sustainability story.

Soy wax is derived from soybeans, and in the United States, most conventional soy is grown using glyphosate, a widely used herbicide. Even though this herbicide doesn’t end up in the wax you burn, its use upstream in agriculture carries real environmental implications worth considering.

Glyphosate is now the most widely applied herbicide on Earth. Its routine use on genetically modified soy has made it a frequent presence in soil, water, and even rainfall in areas of intensive agriculture. Though it tends to bind to soil and degrade over time, it can still enter nearby waterways through runoff and erosion, where it’s been detected in surface water, sediment, and low levels in groundwater. Studies also suggest that glyphosate and its primary breakdown product, AMPA, can accumulate in soil over years of repeated application. While both substances eventually degrade into natural elements like phosphate and carbon dioxide, the process can be slow, especially in cooler or low-activity soils.

Biodiversity and Soil Health

Glyphosate works by targeting the shikimate pathway, a plant-based process for producing certain amino acids. While this makes it effective against weeds, it also poses risks to non-target vegetation—including wild plants near farm boundaries. Over time, this can reduce plant biodiversity and the habitat available to pollinators and wildlife. There’s also growing research into glyphosate’s effects on soil microbial life. Some studies suggest that repeated use can shift the composition of fungi and bacteria in the soil. While the long-term consequences are still being studied, it's clear that healthy soil ecosystems are complex and sensitive, and overuse of herbicides can tip that balance.

Wildlife and Waterways

Glyphosate itself is considered low in toxicity for most mammals and birds. But in aquatic environments—especially when applied carelessly or near wetlands—certain formulations have been shown to harm amphibians and aquatic life. For example, studies have documented high mortality rates among tadpoles and young frogs exposed to glyphosate-containing herbicide runoff. Even algae and aquatic plants, essential to the base of many food webs, are vulnerable to glyphosate’s effects on plant enzymes. While concentrations in most water bodies remain below acute toxicity levels, chronic exposure is a growing concern among ecologists.

Impacts on Pollinators

Though glyphosate is not an insecticide, it can still affect pollinators indirectly. By reducing flowering weeds around crop fields, it limits natural food sources for bees and butterflies. Emerging research has also raised concerns about glyphosate’s potential to disrupt the gut microbiome of honeybees, possibly weakening their immune systems and increasing susceptibility to pathogens—even at low doses. While these studies are ongoing, they highlight how even small disruptions to delicate ecological systems can have ripple effects on species that are already under stress from habitat loss and climate change.

Herbicide Resistance and Chemical Dependence

One of the most pressing concerns with heavy glyphosate use is the emergence of glyphosate-resistant weeds. As more weed species adapt to the herbicide, farmers are often forced to use higher doses or additional chemicals, undermining the very purpose of glyphosate-tolerant crops and leading to increased environmental pressure. This cycle of resistance reflects a broader lesson: monoculture farming and chemical dependence have limits. And when the same herbicide is used over and over again, the land pushes back.