IFRA, Candles and Wax Melts
Posted by andrew sanderson on
There have been a lot of questions recently on various social media platforms asking about the maximum legal percentage of fragrance oil for wax melts and candles.
There is no legal limit. However, the maximum permissible percentage is shown on the IFRA document for each fragrance oil.
Before making any product you need to read the IFRA document for the fragrance oil you intend to use. Check that the IFRA document is a current version as percentages can change from version to version.
Candles and wax melts come under IFRA category 12. If you want to see what products are in each category, open an IFRA document on our website. We will use lemongrass in this blog post as an example. For category 12 products the IFRA document states 100% fragrance oil can be used but you wouldn’t use anywhere near this much fragrance oil.
If you look at the TDS (Technical Data Sheet) for your wax it will tell you the maximum percentage of fragrance oil that the wax can hold. Many types of wax can hold up to 10% fragrance oil unless extra additives are added. A polymer called Vybar helps wax to hold more fragrance oil without it sweating out.
Most manufacturers of fragrance oil produce SDS or CLP for their oil in non hazardous base at 10% and 25%, wax is non hazardous base so these CLPs can be used to label your wax melts. If your wax can hold more than 10% fragrance oil you can use the 25% CLP without having to have the CLP or SDS recalculated. As a manufacturer it is your responsibility to test your products to ensure they are safe before you place them on the market.
Candles are slightly different as too high a percentage of fragrance oil can clog the wick and reduce hot throw.
We will be covering more products and IFRA in future blogs. If you have any questions, please ask them in our Facebook group ‘Fragrance Oils Direct Customer Chat’.