The History of Candles and Their Uses

We use candles for everything from marking celebrations to creating a romantic mood, to soothing the senses to providing design accents. It’s no surprise that seven out of ten households in the U.S. use them between 1-3 times per week. What’s surprising however is that even the most ardent candle enthusiasts often don’t know how their favorite must-have item evolved over time. 

So, how did candles- which primarily consist of wax and a wick, come to be?

Ancient Times

For starters, candles have been around for at least 5,000 years. While the ancient Egyptians made torch lights- the earliest form of candles- by soaking the pithy core of reeds in melted animal fat, the Romans are credited with developing the very first wicked candle by dipping rolled papyrus in melted tallow or beeswax. In addition to using them to light their homes or guide their way while traveling, the Romans also were the first to use them in religious ceremonies.

There is also evidence that other early civilizations developed wicked candles using waxes made from indigenous plants and insects. The early Chinese used rolled rice paper for the wick and wax from an insect that was combined with seeds. The early Japanese extracted wax from tree nuts while in India, candle wax was produced by boiling the fruit of the cinnamon tree.

The Middle Ages

Most Early Western cultures however relied primarily on animal fat (tallow) to make candles. By the 13th century, candle making had become a guild craft in England and France, and chandlers (candle makers) went from house to house making candles from the kitchen fats saved for that purpose, or made and sold their own candles from small candle shops.

In the Middle Ages, a marked improvement came with the introduction of beeswax. While tallow produced a smoky flame and emitted an acrid odor when burned, beeswax burned pure and clean. However, because they were expensive, only the wealthy could afford them and they ended up becoming the candle of choice for religious ceremonies.

Colonial Times

In the Americas, Colonial women discovered that boiling bayberries produced a sweet-smelling wax that burned cleanly. However, because the extraction process was extremely tedious, bayberry candles became less and less popular.

When the whaling industry reached its height in the late 18th century, spermaceti wax, made from crystallizing sperm whale oil, was introduced and the first “standard candles” were made from spermaceti wax.

19th Century

In the 1820’s, French chemist Michel Eugene Chevreul discovered how to extract stearic acid from animal fatty acids, leading to the development of stearin wax. Hard, durable, and clean-burning, stearin candles remain popular in Europe to this day.

In 1834, Joseph Morgan furthered the modern-day candle industry by developing a machine that mechanized the production of candles, thus making candles an easily affordable commodity for the masses.

In the 1850s, chemists learned how to separate and refine the naturally-occurring wax substance from petroleum, and with the introduction of paraffin wax, which was mixed in with the stearic acid, an even more economical candle was produced. 

20th Century

Although candle making declined with the introduction of the light bulb in 1879, candles enjoyed renewed popularity during the first half of the 20th century, when the growth of U.S. oil and meatpacking industries brought an increase in paraffin and stearic acid- the byproducts that had become the basic ingredients of candles.

In the mid-1980s, interest in candles as decorative items, mood-setters and gifts saw a dramatic increase. Once only sold in the form of tapered candlesticks, candles became available in a wide array of sizes, shapes and colors.

It was also around this time that consumers became enamored by scented candles. The rich scent that could fill a room, combined with the warm glow, could create a mood the way no other decorative item could.

Today, the public can choose from classic tapered candlesticks, straight-sided dinner candles, columns, pillars, votives, floating candles and jar candles. Woodwick candles (which have wooden wicks that crackle as they burn) and flameless candles (real wax candles that have LED lights that heat up and fill the air with scents the way a regular candle would) are the newest forms of candles to join the list.

While technically not the traditional wax-and-wick candle, bamboo reed diffusers have started to become popular as well. Reed diffusers, which are essentially no-flame candles, offer the fragrance of a richly scented candle without the flame. Bamboo reeds are placed in a glass container, along with aromatic oils, and as the scent climbs up the reeds, it transmits the aromatic oil from the bottle, infusing the air. 

In addition to the standard paraffin candles, one of the most well-received developments in recent years has been introduction of natural soy wax candles. Lasting 50% longer than paraffin or petroleum based candles, soy candles burn slower and cooler (helping to better distribute fragrance), are non-toxic, less likely to trigger allergies, clean up with soap and water, and produce very little soot.

Soy wax candles are also a favorite of environmentally conscious consumers because they’re biodegradable, a renewable resource, and from a global point of view, it supports the U.S. economy instead of foreign oil conglomerates due to the fact that they are made from American-grown soybeans.

Beeswax candles, once only the privilege of the wealthy, have also experienced a resurgence among candle connoisseurs as the crème de la crème of candles due to their rich golden color, delightful honey fragrance and warm glow. They’re also the most earth-friendly, given that they are made with clean, renewable natural resources, and are the purest, most natural candles available.
 
With the growing demand and enthusiasm for candles, candle accessories are also fast becoming as essential as the candles themselves. In addition to the elegant candelabras, glass votive candle holders and glass candleholders have been tried-and-true favorites for years, these days.  Consumers can choose from a wide assortment of candle accessories such as candle shades, candle trays, candle cappers, jar warmers and candle snuffers.

Candles have indeed come a long way from their initial purpose of providing man’s major source of light. One thing that will never change is that their growth in use and popularity will mean the candle as we know it will continue to evolve.