Are Candles and Incense Toxic? (And How to Make Them Less Harmful)
The Non-Toxic Police knocked on my door recently. Apparently you can see from the street that I have regular candles, which is a major health crime. So, I showed them my website and they were so impressed, I didn’t have to go to Wellness Jail.
Just kidding! While it's true that most candles release endocrine disruptors when burned, and that standard incense releases more particulate matter than a cigarette. But there's a lot of grey area here, and plenty of ways to live with scent and ambience at home in a healthier way. Watch the video above for the short version, and read on for the practical breakdown.
Why are most candles harmful when burned?
Standard candles are made with paraffin wax (a petroleum byproduct), synthetic fragrance, and often dyes. Burning all three releases fine particulate matter (PM2.5), formaldehyde, aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates, and other VOCs into your indoor air. The synthetic fragrance is a major issue: "fragrance" is an unregulated catch-all term that can represent dozens of undisclosed chemicals, many of which are phthalates and known endocrine disruptors.
The word "natural" on a candle label doesn't mean much because that terminology isn’t regulated and there could be lots of undisclosed, very unnatural, ingredients in it.
Why is incense worse than most people expect?
Standard incense sticks are typically made of herbal powder, fragrance material, an adhesive binder, and a bamboo stick. The adhesive is usually synthetic resin, and the fragrance is rarely disclosed. When burned, they release roughly four times the PM2.5 of a cigarette, plus carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and PAHs. Occasional use in a well-ventilated space is different from burning them daily in a closed room, and spiritual use is a consideration (context always matters!) but it's worth understanding what you're dealing with.
How can you make candles and incense less harmful without giving them up?
I use candles! Here are the practical ways you can make them healthier without giving them up completely:
Use a candle warmer instead of burning. A warmer gently heats the wax, releasing the scent without any combustion (meaning no smoke or PM2.5.) This takes even an imperfect candle down to a much safer exposure level. It's the single highest-impact switch you can make if you're not ready to replace your candles.
Open windows while burning. Ventilation dramatically reduces indoor PM2.5 concentration. Even cracking a window makes a difference.
Use candles decoratively and burn them rarely. I burn my Christmas candles a few times a year in December, and will occasionally light tapered candles during fancier dinners. The rest of my fun-shaped, colored candles are just decoration for most of the year. Frequency of exposure matters significantly for cumulative health impact.
Run an air purifier that captures both PM2.5 and VOCs after burning. Not all air purifiers do both — the ones that do are on the air purifiers page.
What are the healthiest candle and incense alternatives?
For scent without combustion: essential oil diffusers using evaporation (not ultrasonic), reed diffusers, or fragrant indoor plants are the safest options.
For candles specifically, beeswax or 100% soy wax with 100% organic essential oil scent and a cotton wick is the healthiest combination, and using a warmer with any of these elevates them further.
All of the healthier options including non-toxic candles, cleaner-burning incense with full ingredient disclosure, essential oils, and diffusers are on the home fragrance page.
