Chemicals in Brooklyn Candle Studio Santal: Are These Candles Safe for You?
If you are trying to find out what chemicals are in Brooklyn Candle Studio's Santal candle before you burn one in a closed bedroom, the label mostly tells you what was left out. Brooklyn Candle Studio is a soy wax brand that publishes a phthalate-free, petroleum-free, vegan formulation and says its fragrances follow IFRA safety standards. On the two things that matter most, wax type and phthalates, that is a genuinely better starting point than a cheap paraffin candle from a mall shop.
The gap that remains is the fragrance oil itself. "Phthalate-free" removes one family of compounds and says nothing about the rest of a scent blend, which can run to dozens of aroma chemicals, including things like benzophenone and styrene. Nobody publishes that full list, because fragrance formulas are trade secrets across the whole industry. That is exactly why we make our beeswax candles with a single-ingredient wax and phthalate-free fragrance, so the number of unknowns in the jar is as small as we can get it.
What "phthalate-free" actually rules out
Your concern here is legitimate, and it is worth saying so clearly. Fragrance is one of the most common triggers for people who get headaches, itchy eyes, or a tight chest in a room with a lit candle. Phthalates are the compounds most people have read about, so brands lead with removing them.
Phthalates are plasticizers. In fragrance, they were used to make scent last longer and cling to surfaces. Research has linked phthalate exposure to developmental and reproductive effects, which is why the label claim became a selling point in the first place.
So a phthalate-free candle has dropped a real problem ingredient. What it has not done is tell you the other ingredients in the blend. A fragrance oil is a mix of aroma chemicals and, in better formulas, some essential oils. Removing one class of compound does not make the remaining ones inert.
This matters more with candles than with most scented products because you are heating the fragrance and breathing the result for hours. Research has found that scented candles release more volatile organic compounds than unscented ones, and VOC exposure is associated with headaches, along with eye, nose, and throat irritation. The Cleveland Clinic's overview of candle safety is a reasonable place to read the medical view without the marketing.
If you have asthma, allergies, or migraine, follow your doctor's guidance on what you burn indoors. That advice outranks anything a candle company tells you, including us.
The wax sets the floor for everything else
Before fragrance, the wax decides how clean the burn can possibly be. Here is why soy is a real step up from the default.
Paraffin starts as crude oil. Refineries separate the crude into fractions, and one heavy fraction is slack wax. That slack wax gets de-oiled, then bleached and deodorized until it is white and odorless. What you are holding at the end of that chain is refined petroleum residue, pressed into a jar. Burning it releases benzene, toluene, and formaldehyde. Paraffin is petroleum waste, and no amount of processing changes where it came from.
Soy is a plant wax, and studies have found that soy candles burn at a lower rate and produce less soot than paraffin. That is a measurable difference you can see on your ceiling over a winter. The complication is that plenty of "soy" candles on the market are soy-paraffin blends, because blending makes the wax cheaper and easier to pour. Brooklyn Candle Studio states its wax is soy and petroleum-free, which puts it in the honest half of that category.
Beeswax sits above both. Bees make it inside the hive, and it needs no chemical processing to become a candle. It has the highest melting point of any candle wax, which is why our largest size burns for 80 hours instead of burning off fast. It is also the oldest candle material we know of, in use since around 5,000 BCE, long before anyone had a refinery.
The word doing the most work on the label
Wax gets the headline. Fragrance is where the reaction usually starts.
A santal profile leans on the cypress, cedar, and sandalwood family, and those woody base notes are built to last. Heavy base notes are engineered to hold on, which is why the scent is still in your bedroom the next morning. That persistence is the whole appeal, and it is also why a woody candle in a small closed room can feel like too much by hour three.
Toxic fragrances are the ones carrying phthalates, parabens, and cheap filler aroma chemicals with no disclosure at all. Non-toxic fragrance means the formula is phthalate-free and paraben-free, and the maker can tell you that plainly. We use only non-toxic, phthalate-free fragrance oils, and we use no chemical dyes, because dye is one more thing to combust for no benefit to how the candle smells.
Wicks are the piece you can check with your own eyes. Lead-core wicks were banned in the United States years ago, so "lead-free" is the baseline for every brand sold here rather than an upgrade. What still varies is whether the wick is sized correctly for the wax, because an undersized wick tunnels and an oversized one smokes.
What to burn instead when a woody candle is too much
Picture the room where this actually happens. Small bedroom, door shut because the hallway light is on, a santal candle going since dinner, and by nine the air feels thick and you have a dull pressure behind your eyes. You open a window, and it helps, and you still wonder whether the candle was worth it.
That room is where our Wine Down beeswax candle earns its place. The notes are Lavender, Chamomile, Sage, Rosemary, Camphor, Cedar, and Sandalwood, so you keep the sandalwood and cedar you like about santal, with rosemary and camphor cutting through the top instead of a wall of resin. It is 100% beeswax with a wooden wick, phthalate-free fragrance, and no dyes, handmade in New York City. The 40-hour size is $32 and the 80-hour size is $65.
The wooden wick matters for the same reason the wax does. It burns with a low crackle and a wide, even melt pool, so the candle consumes fuel steadily rather than flaring and guttering. A flickering flame is the main source of soot in a jar candle.
Wax by wax, what you are actually buying
| Paraffin | Soy | MBur beeswax | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the wax is | Refined petroleum residue | Plant wax, often blended | 100% beeswax, single ingredient |
| Processing | De-oiled, bleached, deodorized | Hydrogenated plant oil | None, made in the hive |
| Soot | Heaviest of the three | Lower than paraffin | Clean burn, no paraffin soot |
| Burn time | Varies by maker | Varies by maker | 80 hours in the largest size |
| Wick | Usually cotton | Usually cotton | Wooden wick |
| Fragrance | Often undisclosed | Better brands are phthalate-free | Phthalate-free, no chemical dyes |
| Price | $32 for 40 hours, $65 for 80 hours |
Diptyque and Nest are the other names people usually weigh against Brooklyn Candle Studio in this category. Both are established fragrance houses with strong woody and resinous scents in their range, and both are priced as luxury goods. The question to ask any of them is the same one: what is the wax, and will you tell me the fragrance is phthalate-free.
What customers say after they switch
We will not tell you a candle prevents a headache, because that is a medical claim and we cannot make it. We can tell you what people write in their reviews.
"Absolutely loved the Wine Down candle! The scent is so light and clean not overpowering at all, which is exactly what I look for. A lot of other candles tend to give me headaches, but this one was a total game-changer. I was able to enjoy the calming aroma without any discomfort. It made my space feel cozy and refreshed at the same time. I'll definitely be purchasing it again. Highly recommend if you're sensitive to strong scents but still want something that smells amazing!"
Nicole D., 5 stars
If you want the drier, colder end of the woody family, our Sunday Reset beeswax candle is the one to look at. Notes are Eucalyptus, Clove, Cedar, Patchouli, and Vanilla, so the cedar and patchouli give you that grounded santal feeling with a sharp eucalyptus opening instead of a heavy resin base. Same wax, same wooden wick, same phthalate-free fragrance, at $32 for the 40-hour size.
But mine is soy, so am I fine?
Mostly, yes, and that is worth keeping in perspective. A well-made soy candle burned in a ventilated room is a small exposure. If you love your santal candle and it does not bother you, burning it is a reasonable choice.
The case for changing shows up in two situations. The first is small, closed rooms with the door shut and the window sealed all winter, where whatever the candle emits stays with you. The second is daily burning, because a candle you light every evening is a different exposure than one you light on a dinner party.
And if you have burned santal candles for years with no issue at all, nothing here says you were harmed. Sensitivity changes with pregnancy, with a new asthma diagnosis, with age. People usually search this question because something changed, not because nothing did.
The checklist for a clean candle
- Wax named as a single ingredient, with no "blend" hedge
- Fragrance stated as phthalate-free and paraben-free in plain words
- No chemical dyes in the wax
- A wick that burns steady with no visible smoke plume
- A maker who answers the question when you ask what is inside
Our candles clear every line on that list. 100% beeswax, wooden wick, phthalate-free fragrance, no chemical dyes, naturally hypoallergenic, handmade in New York City. Beeswax is also a byproduct of honey production, so buying it supports the beekeeping the wax comes from.
How to burn any candle better tonight
These habits do more for your air than switching brands does, so do them either way.
Trim the wick before every light. A long wick makes a tall, flickering flame, and a flickering flame is what deposits soot. Keep the candle out of drafts for the same reason.
Cap your burn at about four hours, then put it out and let the wax reset. Stop burning for good when about half an inch of wax remains, because the glass gets very hot once the wax is gone.
Air the room after you snuff it. Crack a window or run a fan for a few minutes, which clears the compounds released during the burn instead of leaving them to settle. If a smell in the room is the reason you are burning anything, deal with the source first, then let the candle keep the air fresh rather than covering something up.
Frequently asked questions
Is soy wax actually safer than paraffin?
On soot and petroleum content, yes. Studies have found soy burns at a lower rate with less soot than paraffin, and it does not come from crude oil. Beeswax goes further because it needs no chemical processing at all, which is why every candle in our beeswax candle range uses one ingredient for the wax.
Does phthalate-free mean the fragrance is non-toxic?
It means one problem family is gone. The rest of the blend is still undisclosed, which is standard across the industry. We use non-toxic, phthalate-free fragrance oils and no chemical dyes, and we would rather say that plainly than imply a candle has no ingredients.
Why does a santal candle still smell strong the next morning?
Woody base notes are built to hold on, so they settle into fabric and stay there. If you want that grounded feeling without the weight, the sandalwood and cedar in Wine Down sit under lavender and rosemary, which reads much lighter in a closed bedroom.
How long do beeswax candles actually burn?
Our largest size runs 80 hours, because beeswax has the highest melting point of any candle wax and burns slowly. One customer wrote that the candle "burned slowly and was exactly the amount of hours the company said it would burn." Our candle care guide covers the first burn, which sets the melt pool for the life of the jar.
What should I burn if scented candles bother me?
Start with a single-ingredient wax, a phthalate-free fragrance, and a lighter scent profile, then burn it with the door open and check how you feel. Follow your doctor's guidance if you have asthma, allergies, or migraine.
What to do with all of this
Brooklyn Candle Studio's Santal is a soy candle with a phthalate-free claim, which makes it a reasonable choice and a clear step above paraffin. The open question is the rest of the fragrance formula, and no brand in the category publishes that. If you want fewer unknowns, cut the ingredient list instead of trusting a longer one.
Start with Wine Down in the 40-hour size at $32, because it keeps the sandalwood and cedar you went looking for and lets you test how a beeswax candle actually feels in your room for the cost of one dinner out. If you already know you burn a candle most evenings, the 80-hour size at $65 works out to about 81 cents per hour of burn time, which is the cheaper way to buy the same wax. One customer put the reason for switching this way: "No headache or feeling nauseous like the Bath & Body candles with all the extra chemicals."
Read the candle care guide first if you want the first burn to go right. Then do this now for one plain reason: you are going to light something in that room this week anyway, so choosing the cleaner jar costs you nothing extra.
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