I tested dozens of non-toxic candle brands over the years and finally created a guide to help you find the best one across multiple criteria like ingredient purity, throw strength and burn time! The safest candles will be free of paraffin, lead, chemical fragrance, artificial dyes, phthalates, VOCs, and metal core wicks.

What is the safest nontoxic candle ?

Here’s how to read candle labels. First, Look for candles made with 100% natural wax like beeswax, coconut wax, tallow or soy wax, plus lead-free wicks and natural fragrance like essential oils. Some brands may even show certifications like Made Safe Certified or USDA Certified BioBased to prove they’re not greenwashing. Beware of the term “wax blend” because this can sometimes mean they add up to 99% paraffin (not always!). I recommend always asking the brand directly to be sure. Second, check to see if it’s made with 100% natural essential oils or at least phthalate-free fragrance oils. Third, the wick should be made of 100% cotton or hemp that’s unbleached or wood that’s untreated or soaked in a natural substance only.

Why I switched to natural candles

Most conventional candles are made with paraffin wax, which is super unhealthy to inhale, especially in a poorly ventilated home. When paraffin wax is burned, it can release harmful chemicals such as benzene, toluene, and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are potentially carcinogenic and can irritate the respiratory system. It’s basically like breathing car exhaust in your own home (gross!). Additives like fragrance and dyes combined with paraffin wax can make their effect even worse. Do candles give you headaches? The reason is you’re breathing unhealthy fumes and chemical fragrance, which releases phthalates into the air. We then inhale these hormone disrupting chemicals and further increase our body’s toxic load.

My verdict

After testing all the top rated non toxic candle brands, my favorites are Fontana Candle Co, Terralite and Peacesake. I don’t believe someone who rarely burns candles needs to immediately throw out the ones they own. But for people like me who like to have one burning in multiple parts of the home for hours on end, switching to non-toxic candles is worth it for my wellbeing!

Best non toxic candle brands compared

I Tried Fontana Candle Co

I love Fontana Candle Co’s newly redesigned candles. This is one of the cleanest candle brands certified to the highest level with a MADE SAFE certification, which means it’s free of any toxic ingredients known or suspected. Fontana Candle Co uses a blend of beeswax and coconut oil with a wooden wick. I did find that many of their candles are lightly scented, so be sure to go for the ones marked as strongly scented if you want it to fill the room. I find their scents to be on the simpler side, but lately I’ve been in love with their unusual anise-forward Sourdough scent. It’s very star anise-y and smells gourmand in a non-sweet way.

Price: $26.99 for 9 oz
Wax 5/5: beeswax
Scent: essential oils
Scent throw strength: 1/5 to 3/5 (specified by the brand for each candle)
Burn time: 4/5
Andrea’s fave scent: Fir Needle & Pine

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I Tried Terralite (Strong Scent Throw)

I found that Terralite has one the strongest scent throws for a 100% natural essential oil scented candle! This brand is a cut above the rest in a number of ways! The all natural scents are amazing (and did I mention strong?!) and I can tell so much thought has gone into make these the most sustainable candles possible. They use coconut wax (because it’s the eco-friendliest wax), wildcrafted, organic essential oils and a hemp core wick housed in amber glasses made of 60% recycled glass. This is also the only brand I’ve seen that offers a zero waste candle (unglazed ceramic vessels that can be put back into the earth).

At the moment, I can’t get enough of their Woodlands and Vanilla Lavender candle. I’ve tested almost all their scents (as you can see with my collection) and the ones with the strongest scent throw in my personal experience are Woodlands, Bourbon Cedar, Lavender Lemonade and Desert Sage. Plus, the vanilla girlies will love that they have a wide array of clean vanilla scents.

Price: $36 for 8oz
Wax 4/5: 100% coconut wax
Scent: organic, wildcrafted essential oils
Scent throw strength: 4.5/5
Burn time: 4/5
Andrea’s fave scent: Woodlands

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I Tried Hemlock Park

If you’re looking for an affordable organic candle that you can easily buy on Amazon, I recommend Hemlock Park’s organic coconut wax candles. They’re hand poured in Nevada, have great scent throw, recyclable amber glass jars and lush scents. Hemlock Park offers a wide variety of 22 different scents and I find them to be longer lasting than many other nontoxic candle brands because their cotton wicks are thinner.

Price: $26 for 8 oz
Wax 5/5: 100% organic coconut wax
Scent: essential oils and fine fragrance oils (check individual candle)
Scent throw strength: 4/5 (good – can fill a room well and subtly scent a large living space)
Burn time: 4.5/5
Andrea’s fave scent: Palo Santo

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I Tried Yield Design Organic Coconut Wax Candles

Yield Candles are made with organic coconut wax and a clean burning cotton wick. I love a vessel that can actually be repurposed into something useful (not a Q-tip or pencil holder) and these can be re-used as a chic tumbler or drinking glass. My only complaint is that they used to be more affordable but not so much anymore. For winter my favorite is Yield’s Entenza scent with eucalyptus, birch and rosemary has my home smelling like a festive forest.

Price: $32 for 8 oz
Wax 5/5: 100% organic coconut wax
Scent: mix of essential oils with fragrance oils
Scent throw strength: 3/5 to 4.5/5 depending on the scent
Burn time: 4/5
Andrea’s fave scent: Hinoki

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I Tried Peacesake Candles & Co

Peacesake Candles offer the best value for money in the natural candle market. At 14 oz these are the largest and longest lasting non toxic candle available. They’re handmade with 100% soy wax that’s free of herbicides and pesticides as well as genetically modified material. Their cotton wicks are free of lead cores and the dozen or so scents they offer are created using essential oils and fragrance oils. I find White Lavender to be a clean, woodsy and simple fall scent with notes of sweet woodsy birch, calming floral and a little bit of pine. I also love their Palo Santo candle, which is a bit lighter in scent throw, but still so grounding and calming.

Price: $30 for 14 oz
Wax 4/5: 100% soy wax
Scent: mix of essential oils and fragrance oils
Scent throw strength: 4/5
Burn time: 5/5
Andrea’s fave scent: Palo Santo

I tried Big Ass Candle

If you’re looking for a gigantic candle that will burn forever, Big Ass Candle is made of a whopping 300 oz of coconut wax, soy wax and organic cotton wicks. These statement candles are handmade right in Dallas, Texas. I’d go for their unscented version for a super clean burn but they do offer ten different luxury scents made with phthalate free fragrance oils. These look so regal in my home and would be sure to impress anyone since they’re truly the largest candle made in the US.

Price: $284 for 300 oz
Wax 4/5: coconut wax and soy wax
Scent: phthalate free fragrance oils
Scent throw strength: 4/5 to 5/5
Burn time: 5/5
Andrea’s fave scent: Dark & Handsome

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I tried Meaningful Mantras Refillable Candle

If you’re looking for a truly non-toxic REFILLABLE candle, Meaningful Mantras is my top rec. They’re vegan, GMO-free, petrochemical-free, synthetic fragrance free and made entirely of homemade coconut wax, essential oils and unbleached cotton wicks. I love that their refillable Kaia collection has more than a dozen interesting scents to choose from and refills are affordable at $19.99 for 8 oz. I’ve been using their Carrot Cake scent and find it to have decent scent throw for an all natural candle. It really does make my home smell like baked goodies.

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I Tried Arctic Wicks

I find that Arctic Wicks USDA certified bio-based candles have amazing scent throw, but it might lean too strong and synthetic for some. They use coconut wax and beeswax along with a combination of safe fragrance oils and essential oils. They’re certified USDA BioPreferred BioBased, which means they’ve been vetted to use 100% renewable resources. I tried a variety of their scents including Honey Spiced Pear and Midnight Whispers and really enjoyed their holiday scents.

Price: $20 for 8 oz
Wax 4/5: coconut wax + beeswax
Scent: fragrance oils + essential oils
Scent throw strength: 5/5 (very strong but may smell too synthetic for some individuals)
Burn time: 4/5
Andrea’s fave scent: Honey Spiced Pear

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I Tried Natural Sloth

I’ve been testing all the best beeswax candles, and Natural Sloth was one small brand that stood out to me. They’re MADE SAFE certified and completely non toxic using only yellow beeswax, organic coconut oil and essential oils. I find them to be strongly scented, burn evenly and last long. The wooden wick does require regular trimming. The Spiced Coffee candle has got coffee oil, cinnamon, black pepper, vanilla and clove while Fall has cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and cedarwood. Loooove their scent combinations! I find the scent throw to be pretty good even for my large living room, but best of all, I found their candles to burn for a long time.

Price: $35 for 9 oz 
Wax 5/5: 100% yellow beeswax
Scent: pure essential oils
Scent throw strength: 4.5/5
Burn time: 4/5
Andrea’s fave scent: Spiced Coffee

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I Tried Neom Organics

I love the design and aesthetic of Neom Organics candles! They make 100% natural candles that just look so clean and elegant. They really elevate the look of my home more than any other candle. Neom Organics’ bestselling 3 wicks contain up to 3 bottles of essential oils, contain absolutely no paraffin or synthetics. My only complaint is that they’re slightly smaller in size than most other non-toxic candles.

Price: $42 for 6.52 oz
Wax 4/5: 100% natural vegetable wax blend
Scent: 100% essential oils
Scent throw strength: 4/5
Burn time: 4/5

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I tried Rowe Casa Organics

I recently discovered their beeswax candles and love their luxe matte black vessel and use of organic ingredients. Their all natural candle is made of organic beeswax, organic coconut oil, pure essential oils and an organic hemp wick. Plus at a generous 8.75 oz for $26 it’s actually wildly affordable for the quality.

Price: $26 for 8.75 oz
Wax 5/5: organic beeswax
Scent: 100% essential oils
Burn time: 4/5

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I Tried Bluecorn Beeswax (pillar candle)

My top recommendation for a 100% natural and non-toxic pillar candle is Bluecorn Beeswax. This has everything I’m looking for – they’re made entirely of pure beeswax, are super long-lasting and have no added fragrance. I recommend burning for at least a few hours and the molding the warm sides in towards the flame. There’s practically no detectable scent to Bluecorn except a very subtle hint of honey that naturally comes from raw beeswax. Plus, they offer a wide variety of sizes and scented and unscented versions.

I Tried Primally Pure

In my brutally honest opinion I don’t think Primally Pure’s candles are worth it. Sadly, they offer the least value for money in the nontoxic candle space. They’re made of organic beeswax and coconut wax with only organic essential oils. I tried Cool Citrus Breeze and find it to smell sweet and fruity with a surprising spicy undercurrent. I also tried their limited edition Holiday candle and find it to be quite dark and smoky. My special hack to make this small candle burn slower and last longer is I trim the wick as short as possible for the first burn and continuously trim every few hours. Their jars are only 6 oz (and pricey!) while most candles are at least 8 oz, making their candles have lower burn time.

Price: $46-$54 for 6 oz
Wax 5/5: organic beeswax and coconut wax
Scent: essential oils
Scent throw strength: 3/5 (some scents are stronger than others)
Burn time: 3/5

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I Tried Flamingo Estate

Los Angeles-based Flaming Estate’s candles are made of non-GMO soy wax, cotton wicks and scented with essential oils + fragrance oils. I tested three of their scents and Roma Heirloom Tomato Candle is a must try if you’re a candle lover who’s tired of the usual scents. I find the scent throw to be average for their Tomato candle but their darker scents smell noticeably stronger. Adriatic Muscatel Sage I found to be quite earthy like wet soil.

Price: $60 for 8 oz
Wax 4/5: soy wax
Scent: essential oils + fragrance oils
Scent throw strength: 3/5 to 4/5 depending on scent
Burn time: 4/5
Andrea’s fave scent: Roma Heirloom Tomato

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I Tried Summer Solace Tallow

Summer Solace Tallow makes 100% natural and organic candles using the age-old tradition of tallow and beeswax, Ayurvedic oils and absolutes. The wax is super clean (raw California beeswax with organic regenerative tallow) and Souchong Debut’s highly unique scent comes from smoky black lapsang souchong tea, siam wood, warm Moroccan cardamom pods and Choya loban – an ayurvedic oil made from distilled terra cotta pots, and grounding vetiver essential oil. If you’re intrigued by a smoky black tea scented candle, this will blow your mind and your senses. I also tried their Evergreen Essence plus Strawberry + Fig Melange candles and found the scent throw to be much more subtle.

Price: $42 for 6 oz
Wax 5/5: 100% raw beeswax from local California hives and organic regenerative tallow
Scent: 100% essential oils
Scent throw strength: 4/5
Burn time: 4/5
Andrea’s fave scent: Souchong Debut

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Best Non Toxic Candles on Amazon (2025 List)

 Here is the full list of non toxic candle brands that are also available on Amazon:

• Fontana Candle Co
• Hemlock Park
• Craft & Kin
• Neom Organics
• Arctic Wicks
• Yield Design
• Aromatherapy Associates
• P F Candle Co