Busted! The Truth About Triple Scented Candle Claims

Candle lovers, at some point or another probably will come across the widely used term “triple scented”. This term is primarily used by handmade candle makers.  A triple scented candle seems like an amazing idea. Wouldn’t you want one? The term seems to denote that if I bought such a candle, I would be getting an extremely strong candle, in terms of scent, right? I could even assume that, if I purchased such a candle, it just may mean that other candles that are not marketed as “triple scented” are not strong and, essentially, has less fragrance than my triple scented candle has. This is where I'm going to uncover the truth about the true meaning of “triple scented.”

If you follow a recipe to bake a cake, you will see that the way your cake comes out is determined by the exact ingredients you use. Take eggs, for example, the cake recipe may need three eggs, but using small, medium or large eggs will yield three different results in your cake. Similarly, the fragrance oil used in candle making will differ in density, and will also yield various results according to amount used. In the video, below, Mr. Higgins explains density in very simple terms. This will help you to understand a bit better how density has an effect on space.

If you already had a pretty good concept of what density is, I apologize. However, I find it best, for the sake of the point being properly understood, to just brush up a bit on some of these things, since they're not exactly topics that most people discuss at the dinner table, if you know what I mean.

All of that said, take into consideration the fact that all candle wax is not going to be of the same quality, and each different wax will hold only a certain amount of fragrance oil. So it is important to note that a candle maker cannot use more than that specific amount of oil that a candle wax can hold, or they run the risk of their customers buying a rather smoky candle. Like the size of the eggs that varies for the cake recipe, the density of the fragrance oil used in making a candle is going to also vary. Therefore the amount of oil used in a candle is going to depend on two very important things: the density of the fragrance oil used and the actual wax (amount and type) that is used.

When we, truthfully, look at the facts, fragrance oils with different densities are going to yield different results in the finished candle product. If the density of one oil that I add is thicker than another, I may need to add more of the less dense fragrance to the candle. Does this say that the candle with more fragrance added is triple scented? Okay, consider this before you respond. Let’s say I’m creating a bakery candle, maybe one of our strawberry sundae candles, in one scent and the fragrance oil that will be used is denser than that used to make another particular, say, banana nut bread, bakery scented candle, more of one fragrance will be used to achieve the same scent level that is in the other. So, if I used more oil in the one candle in order to reach the same scent as the other candle, does that mean that the candle that has higher the density fragrance oil is not triple scented? Absolutely not. Take a look here:

As you can see, from the infographic here, if you have a candle that's marketed as triple scented and one that is not. There are clear indications that three times the amount of fragrance oil has been added to make a candle, 'triple scented.' Why? Simply because whatever type of wax that's used to create your candle will only be able to hold a set amount of fragrance before the oil will just sink to the bottom. If your paraffin wax will only hold 1.5 ounces, there's no way to add three times that amount to that wax without the wax sinking or causing the wax, to show signs of oil seepage. Burn one of these candles, and you're sure to see how flammable fragrance oil really is.

So, now the answer to the question, are you getting triple the amount of scent in your triple scented candle? That answer is no. Even when the phrase, "triple scented" is tossed around, the bottom line still remains that the same way you can't pour more water in a barrel than the barrel can hold. Take a look at this discussion on Nature's Garden's Facebook page about triple scented topics, and get a real live look at conversations that candle makers have about the topic. Warning: it may get a little ugly over there.

I think at the end of the day, what you want in a candle is an even burning experience with a great scent throw. With that, just like your ingredients in achieving the best tasting cake are going to matter, so will the ingredients of your candle. The most significant factor in deciding the quality of a candle is not if it's “triple scented." A quality candle boils down to how the elements of the candle work together to create a product that you will love, a product that burns evenly and offers a scent throw that suits your desire.