Why We Use Soy Wax (And What We're Doing to Do Better)

MAY 31, 2025

At Clear Mountain Provisions, every ingredient we choose and every product we pour is shaped by a simple guiding belief: what we create should care for both people and the planet. That means no shortcuts. No half-truths. And no pretending that sustainability is ever a finished line.

Right now, soy wax is the foundation of our candle line. It’s not perfect, but it’s a step we’ve taken with intention, after deep reflection on what matters most: clean air in your home, minimal harm to the earth, and full transparency with our community. Soy wax is affordable, safe, and scalable, letting us offer clean-burning candles without compromising indoor air quality. While coconut and apricot outperform it in some areas, soy allows us to deliver accessible pricing while offsetting impact—and we’re fully transparent about its limits.

Our Future Goals: We're actively exploring coconut-apricot blends, expanding tree-planting programs, and seeking verified non-GMO soy sources.

Our Promise: We won’t greenwash. We tell the truth, balance impact with practicality, and keep improving.

Let’s walk through what soy wax offers and why we’re committed to doing even better.

The Good in Soy

There’s a reason soy is the most commonly used natural wax by independent candle makers. It brings together a handful of benefits that align with our values and yours.

Grown close to home. Our soy wax is derived from U.S.-grown soybeans, supporting domestic agriculture and reducing the need for petroleum-based materials.

Cleaner burning. Soy wax produces little to no soot and contains no petrochemical byproducts, helping you keep your home’s air cleaner with every burn.

Biodegradable and compostable. Soy returns to the earth gently, without leaving long-lasting traces behind.

Kind to animals. It’s vegan, cruelty-free, and blends well with naturally derived fragrance oils.

In short, soy wax allows us to craft candles that are both safe for your space and more sustainable than many conventional alternatives. But that doesn’t mean the story ends here.

What We’re Still Working On

With every decision comes responsibility. And when it comes to soy, the benefits come with some very real trade-offs—especially when we zoom out and look at how soy is grown.

Monoculture Farming: Most soybeans in the U.S. are grown in monoculture fields. This type of large-scale farming reduces biodiversity, strains soil health, and can disrupt natural ecosystems over time.

Herbicide Use: The majority of soy is genetically modified and treated with herbicides like glyphosate. While our final product is clean-burning and non-toxic, the agricultural practices behind it deserve scrutiny.

Other Wax Options Exist: We’ve studied coconut, apricot, and beeswax extensively. These alternatives often show promise, but they also present significant challenges, including inconsistent supply chains and higher costs that can make small-batch production difficult at scale while maintaining sufficient revenue to keep our mission moving forward.

Rather than gloss over these issues, we choose to name them clearly, because understanding is the first step toward change.

What We're Doing About It

We’re always learning, always improving. Here’s how we’re holding ourselves accountable:

We plant a tree for every candle sold through verifiable reforestation partnerships, restoring delicate ecosystems, supporting local communities, and actively offsetting agricultural impact. In 2024, we planted over 400 trees globally through our partnerships with OneTreePlanted and Eden Reforestation Projects.

We offset emissions by investing in verified carbon credits to balance the emissions from soy farming, shipping, and production, through Cool Effect.

We’re testing new wax blends, including small-batch coconut-apricot options for future limited releases. This is part of our ongoing effort to innovate and drive positive change not only in our practices, but also in the practices of other makers.

We only work with U.S. producers who can verify their sourcing standards and uphold responsible processing practices.

These steps are part of our ScentSafe™ Standard—our promise to create clean, ethical, and transparent products, free from greenwashing and full of intention.

🌱 No Greenwashing. Just Growth.

We’re not perfect. But we are transparent. And we’re always moving with purpose.

Soy wax helps us make candles that are clean, sustainable, and accessible today. But we know there’s room to grow—and we’re committed to growing responsibly, one step at a time.

Thanks for choosing to walk this path with us. Together, we’re creating a world where what we make and how we make it are equally important.

Candle Wax Environmental & Ethical Comparison Matrix

We’ve spent a lot of time researching the waxes we use—and we’re not afraid to talk about the tradeoffs. Every wax has pros and cons. Here’s how they compare when it comes to sustainability, performance, and ethical sourcing—based on real data, not marketing spin.

Category

🥇 Coconut Wax

🥈 Apricot Wax

🥉 Soy Wax

🏅 Beeswax

🚫 Paraffin Wax

Carbon Footprint (Lifecycle)

★★★★★

★★★★☆

★★★★☆

★★★☆☆

★☆☆☆☆

Land Use Efficiency

★★★★★

★★★★☆

★★☆☆☆

★★★★☆

★★☆☆☆

Water Use & Pollution

★★★★★

★★★☆☆

★★☆☆☆

★★★★★

★★☆☆☆

Indoor Air Quality & Emissions

★★★★★

★★★★☆

★★★★★

★☆☆☆☆

Biodegradability & End-of-Life

★★★★★

★☆☆☆☆

Biodiversity Impact

★★★★☆

★☆☆☆☆

★★★★☆

★☆☆☆☆

Supply Chain Transparency

★★★☆☆

★★☆☆☆

★★★★★

★☆☆☆☆

Labor Ethics & Social Impact

★★☆☆☆

★★★★☆

★★☆☆☆

★☆☆☆☆

Vegan & Cruelty-Free

★★★★★

★☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Scalability & Accessibility

★★☆☆☆

★★★★★

★★☆☆☆

★★★★★

Fragrance Throw

★★★★★

★★★☆☆

★★☆☆☆

★★★★★

Ease of Use (For Makers)

★★★★☆

★★★☆☆

★★☆☆☆

★★★★★

Price Point

💲💲💲

💲💲💲💲

💲💲

💲💲💲💲

💲

Final Overall Ranking (Best to Worst)

🥇 Coconut Wax (or Coconut-Apricot Blend) | ★★★★☆ (4.4)
Our top choice for performance and sustainability—when ethically sourced.
Coconut wax has a low carbon footprint, minimal land and water use, and is fully biodegradable. It delivers one of the cleanest, strongest scent throws of any natural wax, with a creamy texture that’s easy to work with in small batches. It’s often blended with apricot for even better consistency. The only catch? Sourcing must be transparent. We support Fair Trade partnerships to avoid labor exploitation in tropical farming communities.

🥈 Apricot Wax | ★★★★☆ (4.2)
A strong contender that shines in scent and sustainability—but supply is limited.
Apricot wax is often made from the kernel oil of discarded fruit pits—making it a smart, low-waste option. It burns clean, holds fragrance beautifully, and performs well in natural blends. While it’s typically GMO-free and not land-intensive, large-scale orchard management still raises questions around water use and labor practices. We love this wax, but it’s harder to source reliably at scale.

🥉 Soy Wax | ★★★☆☆ (3.7)
The most accessible and scalable natural wax today—but not without its challenges.
Soy wax is what we currently use. It’s clean-burning, biodegradable, and made from a renewable crop grown in the U.S. But let’s be real: Most soybeans come from large monoculture farms that may contribute to soil degradation, pesticide runoff, and biodiversity loss. We recognize this, and we’re actively working to offset our footprint through tree planting, carbon credits, and ongoing research into more sustainable blends. It’s not perfect, but it’s honest—and we never greenwash.

🏅 Beeswax | ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

Incredibly clean, natural, and traditional—but not for every maker or buyer.
Beeswax is a byproduct of beekeeping that requires no planting, harvesting, or the use of pesticides. It burns ultra-clean and supports pollinator ecosystems. However, it’s not vegan, has a complex scent, and is challenging to work with in modern candle molds. We admire beeswax, but due to its high cost, limited availability, and performance limitations, it’s better suited for specific artisanal use cases, rather than large-scale candle production.

🚫 Paraffin Wax | ★★☆☆☆ (2.1)
The standard wax of the past—not part of our future.
Paraffin is a petroleum byproduct that’s inexpensive and easy to use—but it’s also tied to fossil fuel extraction, indoor air pollutants, and long-term environmental harm. It performs well in scent throw and consistency, but we don’t believe that makes up for its impact. That’s why you’ll never find paraffin in a Clear Mountain Provisions candle.

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