Inside Beauty

Paraffin-Free Flame

THE CLAIM Snubbing the common paraffin for a blend of vegetable-based waxes—soy, palm, and coconut—Kai's sustainable candle ($48; kaifragrance.com for stores) scents the air with essential oils and natural ingredients like ginger, Indian jasmine, and Italian mandarin.
EXPERT OPINION "Paraffin candles last long and burn cleanly, but paraffin comes from petroleum—a limited resource," says cosmetic chemist James Hammer. "Vegetable waxes come from renewable plant resources." Veggie waxes aren't as hard as paraffin, he also notes, so they make better short, chubby candles (like this one).
OUR VERDICT We loved how it was almost impossible to pinpoint the exact aroma wafting from the glass. ("It's floral. No, it's citrus! No, it just smells clean!") The soft wax melts quickly, though, and takes a while to solidify again, so don't transport the candle from room to room until it has cooled (or you'll probably make a mess, like we did).

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