Name: 3-Wick Candle
Brand: Bath & Body Works

What's inside

Ingredients Explained

Hydrogenated Soybean Oil

Emollient, Humectant, Skin Conditioning

Hydrogenated Soybean Oil is an oil and isn't fungal acne safe. It can be bad for acne prone skin.

Paraffin

Skin Conditioning

Paraffin is a solid wax that pulls its weight as an emollient, occlusive, and consistency-booster.

It softens skin and lays down a protective film to slow water loss and gives products a stable body and structure.

The cosmetic grade stuff is highly refined with a solid safety record. The CIR Expert Panel has repeatedly reaffirmed this ingredient to be safe in current practices of use and concentration.

The worry about carcinogenic compounds only applies to industrial grades, not the purified version used in skincare.

Despite its reputation, the highly reformed form is non-comedogenic and doesn't penetrate deeply into skin.

The good news for fungal-acne prone folks: the Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids and lipids and paraffin doesn't contain any of these (so there's nothing for the yeast to metabolize). This ingredient is considered fungal acne safe.

Learn more about Paraffin

Hydrogenated Palm Oil

Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning

Hydrogenated Palm Oil is an oil and isn't fungal acne safe.

Parfum

Masking, Perfuming

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum

Microcrystalline Wax

Emulsion Stabilising

Microcrystalline Wax is derived from petroleum through a de-oiling process, then highly refined and purified before use in cosmetics.

In skincare formulations, it is used to improve texture and create a smooth, even consistency. It also helps stabilize products by preventing ingredients from separating.

Butyl Stearate

Emollient, Masking, Skin Conditioning

Butyl Stearate is basically stearic acid (a fatty acid from plant or animal fats) joined to butyl alcohol. In cosmetics, it's a lightweight emollient that gives products a smooth, silky slip.

It has a pretty unremarkable safety profile: the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel found it minimally irritating to skin at most but non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photosensitizing. A true allergy to it is rare with no sensitization signal from repeat-insult patch testing at 50%.

Formulas usually use this ingredient between 1-5%.

Fulton's rabbit-ear work specifically named Butyl Stearate among the comedogenic "offenders" alongside Isopropyl Myristate and its analogs. It's just worth remembering the authors themselves called the rabbit ear "not an ideal animal model but the best we have".

This is because testing ingredients for comedogenicity on rabbit ears means it over-predicts because rabbit ears are more sensitive than human skin. And comedogenic tests use the raw material, not a small percentage blended into a cosmetic formula.

Any finished product with this ingredient won't automatically make you break out; it really comes down to concentration, formula, and your skin.

This ingredient may not be fungal acne, or Malassezia safe. This is because the Malassezia yeast breaks down surrounding lipids for fatty acids it likes. Butyl Stearate contains stearic acid (C18) which is in the chain-length range the yeast can feed on (~C11-24). Just know this ingredient has never been tested against Malassezia, so this is just a precaution for people managing it.

Learn more about Butyl Stearate

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Antioxidant

Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate (long name, huh?) is a synthetic antioxidant.

It is used to help stabilize other antioxidants or prevent the color from changing in a product.

As an antioxidant, it helps fight free-radical molecules. Free-radical molecules are capable of damaging our cells and other genetic material. Thus, antioxidants may reduce the signs of aging.

This ingredient is oil-soluble.

Learn more about Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate

Benzotriazole

Antimicrobial

We don't have a description for Benzotriazole yet.

BHT

Antioxidant, Masking

BHT is a synthetic antioxidant and preservative.

As an antioxidant, it helps your body fight off free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules that may damage your skin cells.

As a preservative, it is used to stabilize products and prevent them from degrading. Specifically, BHT prevents degradation from oxidation.

The concerns related to BHT come from oral studies; this ingredient is currently allowed for use by both the FDA and EU.

However, it was recently restricted for use in the UK as of April 2024.