Quince built its name on cashmere sweaters, and its candles now show up in the same searches as brands that have poured wax for decades. Most shoppers compare those candles the way the label invites them to, by reading the list of what each jar leaves out. That “free from” list tells you what was kept out of the fragrance. It says almost nothing about the wax and the wick, the two parts that burn for every hour the candle is lit.
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So you do what careful shoppers do. You read the reviews and check that the label says phthalate-free, and Quince passes both checks. Two candles can pass the same checks and still burn very differently, because the label skips the wax and the wick. Those two parts are the reason we pour our pure beeswax candles with wooden wicks from a single wax, and they are where this comparison is really decided.
What Quince does well, and why shoppers keep finding it
Quince candles are hand poured in Los Angeles in a plant-based soy wax blend. The company states its candles are free from lead and phthalates, which puts them well ahead of the paraffin candles that still fill most store shelves.
The scents reviewers name most are Mediterranean Fig, Bois de Santal, Balsam Fir, Marrakech Mint, and Ashwood. The praise they repeat is strong scent throw. Scent throw means how far the fragrance travels into the room once the candle is lit.
If you are reading this, you probably love one of those scents and want to know whether a better candle can carry it. Matching a scent is the easy part. The harder question is what that scent is riding on, and the label is where most people stop looking.
What a “free from” list covers, and the part it leaves out
Phthalates are chemicals some fragrance oils use to help a scent last longer. Studies have linked them to health concerns, which is why careful brands now leave them out. A phthalate-free label is a good sign, and our fragrance is phthalate-free too.
Fragrance is only a small share of what fills a candle jar. Most of the jar is wax, and the wick is what turns that wax into flame. A “free from” list rarely tells you much about either one.
That leaves you guessing about most of what you burn on a given night. So the comparison starts with the wax, because every other part of a candle depends on it.
The wax, which sets the floor for everything else
Start with the wax most mass-market candles still use. Paraffin begins as crude oil. Refineries heat that oil and pull off the parts that become gasoline and diesel.
What is left at the bottom of that process gets cleaned up and sold as candle wax. In plain words, paraffin is petroleum waste. Research has shown that burning paraffin releases compounds such as benzene, toluene, and formaldehyde, so if you have worried about breathing candle smoke at home, that worry has a real basis.
Soy is a real step up. It comes from soybeans, so it starts as a plant instead of a refinery leftover. Soy is a soft wax, though, so candle makers usually blend it with other waxes to help it hold its shape and its scent.
The word “blend” on a label means more than one wax is in the jar. That is a fair choice for a candle maker, and it also means the jar holds more than one ingredient doing the burning.
Beeswax is the oldest candle material, in use since about 5,000 BCE. Bees make it to build their comb, and beekeepers collect it as a byproduct of honey. It is filtered and poured, with no chemical processing.
Our candles are 100% beeswax, one ingredient with no blend. Beeswax also has the highest melting point of any candle wax. A wax that needs more heat to melt gets used up more slowly, which is why our 12 oz candle burns 80+ hours.
Think about the Quince scent that brought you here. For many people it is Mediterranean Fig, and the pull is easy to understand. It is the smell of a fig tree in late summer, the big leaves warm from the sun, green at first and then sweet where the fruit has split.
If that is the smell you are after, our Touch Grass fig beeswax candle lives on that same green side of fig. Its notes are Fig, Black currant, Galbanum, Coconut, Davana, Cedarwood, Amber, Orris, and Tonka bean. Galbanum is a plant resin with a bitter green edge, and it keeps the fig fresh instead of sugary.
The wick, the part you can watch with your own eyes
When you look at a lit candle, you are watching the wick work. It pulls melted wax up into the flame, and the flame burns it. The wick sets how big that flame is and how wide the pool of melted wax spreads.
Our candles use wooden wicks. A wooden wick is flat, so it burns with a wide, low flame and a soft crackle you can hear across a quiet room. That wide flame melts the wax across the jar and helps it burn down evenly.
The 12 oz size has two wooden wicks. Two flames melt a wide jar edge to edge sooner, and a full pool of melted wax gives off the most fragrance. Hold on to that point, because it answers the scent throw question that comes up later.
Beeswax also needs no chemical dye. Its warm golden color comes from the hive, so there is nothing to add and nothing extra to burn.
So which is the better candle?
By now you have most of the answer yourself. Quince makes a solid soy-blend candle with a clean fragrance label, and its best scents earn their reviews. MBur is the pick, because it matches Quince on the label and then goes further on the two parts the label skips.
You get phthalate-free fragrance, the same check Quince passes. On top of that, you get a single-ingredient wax with the highest melting point of any candle wax, poured around a wooden wick built to melt the jar evenly. Here is the comparison side by side.
| What you are comparing | MBur | Quince |
|---|---|---|
| Wax | 100% beeswax, one ingredient, no blend | Plant-based soy wax blend |
| How the wax burns | Highest melting point of any candle wax, so it burns slowly: 40 hours on the 5 oz, 80+ hours on the 12 oz | Soy-based wax melts at a lower temperature than beeswax |
| Soot | Beeswax burns clean with very little soot | Plant-based wax burns cleaner than paraffin |
| Fragrance | Phthalate-free | Phthalate-free |
| Where it is made | Hand poured in New York City | Hand poured in Los Angeles |
The fragrance row is even. The wax row is where MBur pulls ahead, and wax is most of what you burn each night. Add the wooden wick and the absence of chemical dye, and every hour of burn is beeswax and wood.
Scent throw, the reason people buy Quince in the first place
Strong scent throw is the praise Quince gets most often, so it deserves a straight explanation. Fragrance oil sits inside the wax. When the wax melts, the warm pool lets that oil rise into the air.
A wider pool means more surface, and more surface puts more scent into the room. That is why the wick matters as much as the fragrance itself. Our two-wick 12 oz candle melts its pool edge to edge, and that full pool carries the scent across a big room.
Our customers say it better than we can.
“Absolutely obsessed with M Bur Candle Co my roommate and I own 6/8 of the scents! They smell up a WHOLE room during the burn & even a while after blowing them out. I won't buy other candles anymore, they're just that good”
Paige
Now think about a Saturday night when friends come through your door. Coats come off, someone asks what smells so good, and the room already feels like the lobby of a hotel you remember. That moment is what our Room Service beeswax candle was made for.
Its notes are Saffron, White Tea, Purple Peonies, Orchid, Tobacco, Vanilla, Almond Milk, and Tonka Bean. It is our #1 bestseller, and it is the scent people choose for a room where they host.
Which MBur candle wins for your room
The real choice left is which scent and which size fit the room you have in mind. Here is how we would match them.
For the living room where you host
Choose Room Service in the 12 oz size. The two wooden wicks melt a full pool fast, which a large, open room needs. The white tea and saffron at the top read as calm and polished, which is the feeling you want when people walk in.
For a bedroom or reading corner, if fig is your scent
Choose Touch Grass. Pick the 12 oz size if you light it most nights, because two wicks and 80+ hours fit a nightly habit. Pick the 5 oz size if you light it now and then on weekends.
For a small bathroom or powder room
Choose the 5 oz size in either scent. One wooden wick fills a small room easily, and 40 hours of burn suits a space you light for a short while at a time.
The questions you might still be weighing
“My Quince label already says phthalate-free.” Ours does too, so that part is settled. The difference is what the label does not cover: one pure wax and a wooden wick, which together make up most of what burns.
“I want a candle that fills a big, open space.” Then the question is size. The 12 oz has two wooden wicks for exactly that job, and Room Service is the scent we would light in an open living and dining area.
“I already have a favorite Quince scent.” Then start with the scent family you love. Fig lovers should start with Touch Grass. For other favorites, browse our full range of beeswax candle scents and look for the notes you already reach for.
How to burn a beeswax candle well
A few habits keep any candle burning cleanly and get the most from every hour.
- Let the first burn run until the melted wax reaches the edge of the jar. This sets an even pool for every burn after it.
- Trim the wooden wick to about an eighth of an inch before each light. A short wick keeps the flame low and steady.
- Keep each burn to about four hours, then let the candle cool before lighting it again.
- Keep air moving in the room. The EPA's guide to indoor air quality explains why fresh airflow matters in every home.
If you have asthma or another breathing condition, follow your doctor's guidance on burning candles at home.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best candles from Quince?
Reviewers most often name Mediterranean Fig and Bois de Santal. If fig is the one you love, our Touch Grass beeswax candle carries green fig in 100% beeswax with wooden wicks.
Is there a beeswax candle for someone who loves Marrakech Mint?
If cool, green mint is what you like, try our Slice of Life mint beeswax candle. Its notes are Spearmint, Eucalyptus, Tomato Leaf, Anise, and Mint, and it suits a kitchen well.
Do beeswax candles really fill a room?
Yes, once the pool of melted wax reaches the edge of the jar. A full pool releases the most fragrance, and the two wooden wicks on our 12 oz size get there fast. Every scent in our beeswax candle collection comes in that size.
How long does an MBur candle actually burn?
The 5 oz size has one wooden wick and burns 40 hours. The 12 oz size has two wooden wicks and burns 80+ hours, which is why we suggest it for rooms you light most nights, like a living room with Room Service on the table.
The pick for your room
Quince makes a good soy-blend candle with a clean fragrance label. MBur matches that label and adds what the label never covers: one pure wax with the highest melting point of any candle wax, and wooden wicks that melt the jar evenly. That is why MBur is the better candle for the room you care about most.
For the living room, the pick is Room Service in the 12 oz size ($65). It makes the room feel ready for guests the moment they walk in. The two wooden wicks fill an open space, the 80+ hours carry you through many evenings of hosting, and its notes of Saffron, White Tea, Purple Peonies, Orchid, Tobacco, Vanilla, Almond Milk, and Tonka Bean have made it our #1 bestseller.
“Once I lit it, however, I fell in love!”
Breann B., on Room Service
If you have people coming over soon, order now so the candle has time for a full first burn before they arrive.
Get the 12 oz Room Service beeswax candle for your living room, because it is the scent people pick for a room where they host.
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