Non-Toxic Wax Melts (Toxicity Review & Brands)

Summary of what to look for in a non-toxic wax melt:

The data and sources for this are here.

• The wax type is not all that important here, though beeswax is my least favorite; soy and coconut are preferred – avoiding paraffin is not nearly as important as it is in candles (where we are burning it). None of the most harmful PAHs are volatile at 180°F, therefore any wax is OK on the PAH front for wax melts. Soy and coconut are preferred for me (organic and even non-organic would still be preferred), for low PAHs, and low to no pesticides. Beeswax is high in PAHs (though not the most toxic ones), and higher in concerning pesticides than other waxes. Beeswax is my least preferred wax due to PDCB pesticide residues, which are volatilized in (especially non-organic) wax melts (though this is still at quite low levels).
• Both fragrance types give off VOCs and nanoparticles, I have a slight preference for natural fragrance – both 100% essential oil-based brands, and conventional brands are terpene-heavy. This creates, at times, high VOCs and nanoparticles in the air (more than we would see naturally outside). Because synthetic fragrance formulations use terpenes plus introduce additional chemicals of concern, I would still stick to all-natural essential oils here. You can reduce harmful chemical reactions by airing out the home prior to using the wax melts.
• Dyes are not a concern because none are substantially volatile/toxic at 180°F or in this application.
• I would avoid added phthalates, but 100% phthalate avoidance may not be possible here – synthetic fragrance, when made with phthalates (which is much less common now), has substantial levels of phthalates; essential oils contain trace to significant amounts of phthalates; beeswax numbers are low (we don’t have the exact number); coconut wax and soy wax have trace phthalates; paraffin wax we don’t have numbers for, but we expect it to be trace.
• They are not meant to be used in unventilated spaces – interestingly enough, many brands, especially the large brands, say to “use in well ventilated room”. Presumedly due to the VOCs and or nanoparticles created. But I don’t know anyone that would introduce a scented product and then open the windows, since that conflicts with the goal of using wax melts. Keep that in mind, that technically, wax melts may not be considered completely safe for all people and pets in normal use conditions indoors (without ventilation).
• Wax melts are not necessarily safer than candles – wax melts are safer in terms of combustion products, but release more airborne scent compounds (VOCs) compared to candles.

The research behind this summary took 20 hours. See the data behind this here.

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Non-Toxic & Organic Wax Melt Brands

1. Poofy Home

Poofy wax melts are made with coconut wax (it’s not necessary for coconut wax to be organic, it’s fine as is).

It is a proprietary blend of coconut wax that is 85% pure coconut and the remainder is a blend of other natural plant-based vegetable waxes.

This blend contains no petroleum-derived additives, no synthetic polymers, no paraffin, no beeswax, and no soy.

None of the common waxes mixed with coconut should be concerning at 180°F.

You need to check each scent to see what the fragrance ingredients are.

At least one of their scents contains synthetic fragrance oils, and only some of their essential oils are organic.

The Garden Fresh scent is made with all organic essential oils for the fragrance, at the time of writing.

I got a sample of it and I can not confirm for sure based on the smell if it’s 100% natural or not.

2. Fabulous Frannie Wax Melties

Fabulous Frannie Wax Melts are made with soy wax (my top pick for waxes) and 100% pure essential oils like bergamot, grapefruit, and ylang ylang.

I tested these and I liked them a lot.

The smell was certainly 100% natural and being natural it is inherently subtle.

So if you are used to synthetic scents you may have to acclimatize to natural scents, but I thought it was a perfect scent level.

3. Fontana Candle Co.

Fontana Candle Co. wax melts are made from beeswax, coconut oil, and essential oil.

Beeswax is not my absolute favourite wax, based on what I outline in the introduction (with all the data for that here – basically due to pesticides, PAHs, etc), but I was interested in looking at this because it’s MADE SAFE Certified.

This means that no paraffin snuck in here, there are no added phthalates, added PFAS, synthetic musks, harmful UV blockers or harmful pesticides.

It’s not clear if they allow for mothproofing chemicals used on the stored comb (for beeswax), other residual pesticides in beeswax, how much unintentionally added phthalates (often found in essential oils) is allowed, or unintentionally added PFAS are allowed (found in so many products).

Small-batch made in the USA, it’s also plastic-free

4. Aira Organic Soy Wax Melt

Aira Wax Melts are made with organic soy beans, they say.

Soy wax is already by top pick for waxes (along with coconut wax).

They say they use “a variety of essential oil blends for an unadulterated scent” this makes it sound like it’s 100% essential oils/natural scents, but it does not smell natural to me.

And the use of the term essential oil blends could mean either a mix of essential oils or a blend with synthetic fragrance.

Reviews say the scent is light, but it smells like it is partially synthetic to me, it does not smell particularly light to me, though it’s certainly not a super heavy scent.

There is a clear coconut scent which is either synthetic or potentially a mix of natural isolates (not essential oils).

After trying this in a wax melter, I did not feel confident that it was 100% natural. I’m just going based on my subjective experience of the scent.

No harmful chemicals are added for scent/light (UV inhibitors)/appearance purposes, they say.

It’s also vegan & made with kosher soy beans, they say.

This company has no independant online presence from what I could find so there is no way to verify if it’s organic, kosher, or made only from natural fragrance ingredients.

Are Other Wax Melt Brands Safe?

Are Scentsy wax melts toxic?

They use a paraffin wax blend, mix of synthetic and natural fragrance, and some Scentsy Bar fragrances contain diethyl phthalate (DEP), they say on their website, at the time of writing.

Under the FAQ section about pets, they say the wax melts should be used in “a well ventilated room”.

More brands:

• Yankee Candle Wax Melts – made with paraffin wax, and natural and synthetic fragrance ingredients. They don’t list other ingredients apart from the wax and fragrance. They do not mention if they use phthalates or not.
• Febreze Wax Melts – Febreze does not use phthalates in any of their products. It’s made of a Wax Blend, Fragrances, Synthetic Wax, Benzophenone-12, Octrizole, Colorants. “Use only in a well-ventilated area”, they say.
• Glade Wax Melts – Their scented wax melts are made without phthalates, parabens, formaldehyde and nitro musks. They are made from paraffin wax, a mix of natural and synthetic fragrance ingredients, and more here. “Do not use in small, confined areas without adequate ventilation”, they say.
• Happy Wax Wax Melts – Soy wax, phthalate-free essential oil-infused fragrance oil, dye. Notice that it says essential-oil-infused (synthetic) fragrance oils. Some of the Amazon listings say: “Use only in well-ventilated areas”.

Toxicity Review of Wax Melts

This article goes into detail on the toxicological assessment of the different waxes, fragrances and dyes. That post took 20 hours of research and answers the following questions:

• PAH levels across waxes
• Pesticide levels across waxes
• Phthalate levels across wax types
• Are dyes toxic?
• Toxicity comparison to candles
• Are essential oils safer to heat up than synthetic fragrance?
• Nanoparticles are produced by wax melts with both essential oils and synthetic scents
• Formaldehyde, other carbonyls + SOA
• Phthalate levels across fragrance types
• Phthalate levels across wax types

Corinne Segura is an InterNACHI-certified Healthy Homes Inspector with certifications in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and more. She has 10 years of experience helping others create healthy homes. You can book a consult here.