I get asked this a lot. Someone picks up a Twig candle, reads the label, and says — "but is it essential oils?" It's a fair question. Essential oils have a certain purity to them. They feel trustworthy. And I get it.
But here's the honest answer: I chose not to use only pure essential oils in my wood wick candles, and it was a deliberate decision. Let me explain why.
Heat changes everything
Essential oils are volatile by nature — that's what makes them smell so good. But when you introduce high heat, some of them change. Certain essential oils can take on different chemical properties when they combust, and not always in ways that are good for you or the air in your home. That's not a scare tactic. It's just chemistry.
Flashpoint matters
Every fragrance has a flashpoint — the temperature at which it can ignite. Many essential oils have flashpoints that are simply too low to be safely used in candles. When a wood wick candle burns, the wax pool can reach temperatures high enough to push those oils past their limits. That's a safety concern I'm not willing to take lightly.
I'm not an aromatherapist
Essential oil blending is a real craft and a real science. Certain oils interact with each other in ways that require expertise I simply don't have. Some combinations that smell beautiful can behave unexpectedly. I'd rather be honest about that than experiment on your living room.
And then there's the cost
Pure essential oils — especially high-quality ones — are extraordinarily expensive. To achieve a genuine, lasting scent throw in a candle using only essential oils, the cost per unit would be significant. That cost gets passed to you.
So what do I use?
I use premium fragrance oils blended specifically for wood wick candles — and they're carcinogen free, cruelty free, mutagen free, paraben free, phthalate free, toxin free, and vegan. Combined with a virgin coconut soy wax base, they deliver a clean, consistent scent throw without the risks or compromises of going all-essential-oil.
Clean fragrance doesn't have to mean essential oils only. It means knowing exactly what's in your candle — and being able to stand behind every ingredient.
That's what Twig is built on.