Are “Bath & Body Works” Candles Toxic?
Chances are your local mall has a “Bath & Body Works” shop in it. If you don’t know where exactly in the mall it is located, just follow the scent trail. Indeed, “Bath & Body Works” is famous for a range of scented products that include fragrances, lotions, and even candles. More often than not, the shop is crowded, and there is a line at the cash register, especially during the holiday season. While the scented products look pretty and seem to be great gifts, the question of how safe they are for your health still stands.
In this post, you are invited to participate in a discussion of the safety of “Bath & Body Works” candles. Based on the list of their ingredients, you will be able to form your own opinion on whether the “Bath & Body Works” candles are toxic. I will also give you a couple of other candle options if candles are what you like and enjoy for yourself or your loved ones.
Are “Bath & Body Works” Candles Toxic?
In order to estimate the safety profile of a product, the I Read Labels For You team does well-rounded research. First, we study the ingredients of the product and then compare it with the products of other brands.
Thus, in 2022, we did a deep dive into the candle industry and compared 55 brands. As a result of that research, we came up with several criteria for what would make “unsafe” candles in our opinion. Some of them are the presence of paraffin wax and synthetic fragrance in a candle. You can learn more about that in my blog post called Non-Toxic Candles: A Deep Dive Into The Candle Industry.
Overall, scented candles are considered one of the sources of indoor pollution. Oftentimes, the synthetic scents and dyes in aroma candles are made using petroleum derivatives like benzene and toluene (linked to reproductive toxicity). There is a concern that frequent use of scented candles, especially in inadequately ventilated rooms, may increase the risk of developing bladder cancer (source). Additionally, burning aroma candles on a regular basis can expose you to dangerous levels of organic pollutants (source). On top of that, scented candles may also cause headaches, coughing, and respiratory issues (source).
Consequently, to reduce exposure to pollutants from scented candles, the general recommendation is to choose candles made of natural ingredients such as beeswax, soy wax, or soy coconut and scented with essential oils rather than synthetic perfumes.
What Are “Bath & Body Works” Candles Made Of?
To start with, “Bath & Body Works” offers a variety of candles. Despite slight differences, many of the candle ingredients are the same across the board. In the table below, you can see the ingredients of three randomly picked kinds of candles (as of January 2025):
CANDLE NAME | INGREDIENTS |
4EVER SWEET | Hydrogenated Soybean Oil Wax, Paraffin Wax, Hydrogenated Palm Oil Wax, Fragrance (Parfum), Microcrystalline Wax, Hindered Amine Light Stabilizer, Hydroxyl-Benzotriazole, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, BHT, Solvent Violet 13 (Colorant), Solvent Red (Colorant), Benzyl Benzoate, Linalool, Geraniol, Eugenol, Citronellol. |
PINK APPLE PUNCH | Hydrogenated Soybean Oil Wax, Paraffin Wax, Hydrogenated Palm Oil Wax, Fragrance (Parfum), Microcrystalline Wax, Butyl Stearate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Hindered Amine Light Stabilizer, Hydroxyl-Benzotriazole, Limonene, BHT. |
BLUE ORCHARD SKIES | Hydrogenated Soybean Oil Wax, Paraffin Wax, Hydrogenated Palm Oil Wax, Fragrance (Parfum), Microcrystalline Wax, Butyl Stearate, Hindered Amine Light Stabilizer, Hydroxyl-Benzotriazole, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, BHT, Solvent Blue (Colorant), Solvent Yellow (Colorant), Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene. |
As you might have noticed, the core ingredients are pretty much the same. We are going to focus on the ingredients in bold, namely:
- paraffin wax
- fragrance
- colorants
- BHT, and
- hindered amine light stabilizer.
Is Paraffin Wax Toxic?
To begin, paraffin is made of crude oil. While paraffin is widely used in many beauty and personal care products in the US, the European Commission bans using paraffin waxes in cosmetics if they contain > 0.005% w/w benzo[a]pyrene.
In this animal inhalation study, benzo[a]pyrene induced dose-related increases in the incidence of papillomas and squamous-cell carcinomas in both the upper respiratory tract (nose, larynx and trachea) and the upper digestive tract (pharynx, esophagus and forestomach).
Additionally, paraffin wax candles are known to emit such air pollutants as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aromatic species, short-chain aldehydes, and particulate matter (source).
Last, the “US State Regulations” section of the “Bath & Body Works” Candles Safety Sheet (pages 7-8) lists the states that require disclosure of paraffin wax. These states want customers to make an informed purchasing decision after being warned that the product contains paraffin wax. The states include California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The state of California even has paraffin wax fumes on its Hazardous Substances List.
Fragrance In Candles
Typically, an ingredient listed as “fragrance” (or “parfum”) is a mixture of many ingredients that are often undisclosed. Abiding the EU law, “Bath & Body Works” discloses the fragrance ingredients that are associated with allergy and sensitization, such as:
- benzyl benzoate
- citral
- citronellol
- coumarin
- geraniol
- limonene, and
- linalool.
In other words, beware that the scent in these candles is made up of potentially harmful chemicals that may trigger allergies and cause sensitization.
Next, according to the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, synthetic parfum mixes have a link to the following conditions:
- photosensitivity
- irritant contact dermatitis
- allergic contact dermatitis
- airborne contact dermatitis, and
- pigmented contact dermatitis.
Moreover, some undisclosed ingredients in fragrance mixes are linked to endocrine disruption and cancer. To learn more about the fragrance mixes, including “natural” ones, read my post Is Natural Fragrance Safe?.
Red Colorants
Along with red colorants, the three “Bath & Body Works” candles in the table above contain yellow, violet, and blue colorants.
To clarify, synthetic colorants (or “dyes”) were originally made from coal tar, and now they are made from petroleum. Besides the residues of heavy metals, they may contain the residues of carcinogenic and/or endocrine-disrupting byproducts of petroleum (source). In addition, some dyes are linked to carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, and hypersensitivity (source).
BHT In Candles
First off, BHT stands for “butylated hydroxytoluene,” and its chemical name is 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol. This ingredient is concerning because of suspected potential hormone-disrupting and carcinogenic impact.
Just as with paraffin wax, the “US State Regulations” section of the “Bath & Body Works” Candles Safety Sheet (pages 7-8) lists the states that require BHT disclosure. That is to say, they warn customers that the product contains BHT and want them to make an informed purchasing decision. These states include California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. And the state of California lists 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol on its Hazardous Substances List.
Hindered Amine Light Stabilizer
This chemical compound (CAS# 127519-17-9) contains an amine functional group and is used as a stabilizer in plastics and polymers. The European Chemicals Agency states that it may cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
Additionally, generally speaking, many “amine” substances are linked to skin, eye, nose, and throat irritation due to their caustic nature and ammonia smell (source).
Non-Toxic Scented Candles
In my opinion, the main criteria for non-toxic candles are as follows:
- beeswax
- pure coconut wax/oil
- essential oils for scent.
The two non-toxic candle brands that I like are Natural Sloth and Fontana Candle Co.
Natural Sloth Candles
First, Natural Sloth fully discloses the ingredients in their candles and uses only essential oils for scents. For waxes, they use beeswax and coconut oil, which are safe alternatives to paraffin wax.
I’ve tried a few of their safe candles/scents and liked them! Shop Natural Sloth candles with the Read10 discount code for 10% off!
Fontana Candles
Second, Fontana Candle Co. also discloses every ingredient in their non-toxic candles. They are beeswax, coconut oil, essential oils, and a wood wick.
I’ve tried several of their non-toxic candles and liked them a lot, too! Shop Fontana candles with the IREAD15 discount code for 15% off!
Conclusion: Are “Bath & Body Works” Candles Toxic?
I Would Not Use “Bath & Body Works” Candles Because Some Ingredients In Them, Including Paraffin Wax And Synthetic Fragrance, Are Linked To Health Concerns.
In this post, we have discussed the safety of “Bath & Body Works” candles based on the list of their ingredients. Personally, I would not call them “safe” because they contain paraffin wax, synthetic fragrance, BHT, and colorants.
If you like candles, consider the two non-toxic candle options made with natural ingredients like beeswax, coconut oil, and essential oils. Specifically, they are Natural Sloth (Read10 for 10% off) and Fontana Candle Co. (IREAD15 for 15% off).
Also, a mobile air purifier may help clear out the air after burning scented candles.
To learn about more than 50 other candle brands, turn to my blog post Non-Toxic Candles: A Deep Dive Into The Candle Industry.
As usual, I invite you to browse the I Read Labels For You blog for the most recent fun and educational blog posts. Be sure to check out my shop for non-toxic products and my unprecedented e-books. Also, book a consultation for timely help on your healthy living journey.
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