Review of Quantum Soy Waxes by EcoSoya Brands, LLC – July 2017


Cierra Candles recently received samples of the newly developed Quantum soy waxes.  There are three waxes that can be used for candle applications and one wax that can also be used for bath and body products as it has been dermatology tested.   All waxes come in pastille/pearl form which is easy to scoop and weigh.  Case weight is 45 pounds.  All three waxes have a maximum fragrance load of 18%. 

 

Here’s our review of the new products.

 

Q210

This wax can be used for container candles, tarts, melts and other applications.  It is great for massage candles and lotion bars as this wax has also been dermatology tested.  This review is only for the container candles, votives and tarts.  We have not yet tested in massage candles or lotion bars. 

 

It is definitely a soft wax.  Once melted we did do a skin test and it is a beautiful wax, very moisturizing on the skin.

 

We performed two tests with this wax.

 

The first test we heated the wax to 185º and added fragrance (Almond) at 10% and no color.  We poured at 160º.  The color of this wax when melted is a dark amber color and we were originally concerned about how the color would cool, but it cooled to a beautiful light ivory color.

 

We poured this into a Reality Glass Tumbler, a Votive mold, a six-cavity clamshell tart mold and a plastic individual cavity wax mold.  Wicks used were the HTP 1212 for the glass tumbler and HTP 52 for the votives.  This wax didn’t state that it could be used for pillar candles, but we gave it a try anyway with the votive mold. 

 

This wax set up fairly quickly.  No frosting, smooth tops and great glass adhesion.  Cold throw was excellent and after a 48 hour cure, hot throw was also excellent on all applications.

 

The wax did not come out very clean from the six-cavity clamshell molds, but it did come out very clean from the individual cavity wax mold.  Melts were fairly shiny, however, they did melt quite fast.   I could smell the melts in the burner before hardly stepping in the room.

 

The votive candle was too soft after setting to pop out of the votive mold, so we stuck it in the freezer for 10 minutes and then it popped right out.  The finished votive was still solid enough to put in a votive holder and melted well with good hot throw.

 

The second test, we added 12% fragrance oil (Sea Glass) and Sky Blue Dye Chips.  Melted to same temperatures as noted above as well as pour temperature.  Same smooth tops, glass adhesion and no frosting.  Cold and hot throw were just as good as adding at 10%.  This wax is probably similar to EcoSoya’s Excel and Advanced.

 

****UPDATE**** This wax does not work with all fragrances so testing is definitely needed.  We also recommend curing your candles for two weeks before lighting/testing hot throw.

 

 

Q220

This wax can be used for container candles, pillars, molded candles, tarts and melts.

 

You can tell that this was is a bit harder than the Q210.  It took a bit longer to melt and get to 185º.  We again did two tests with this wax, but used color in both tests, and changed the fragrance load.  As with the Q210, smooth tops, no frosting, and great glass adhesion.  Another reviewer at a different company noted that this wax pulled away from their glass. We did not have this experience as we put all of our containers through the dishwasher with no detergent. 

 

Melts came cleanly out of the clamshell cavity molds as well as the individual wax melt molds.  Votives were much harder than the Q210 and didn’t detract from the plastic votive mold until we put it into the freezer for about 10 minutes, then it retracted enough to pop right out.  It might have retracted enough to pop out if we had let it sit for a few more hours, maybe even overnight.  They had a nice shine to them.

 

Both cold and hot throw on all applications were excellent, although we did notice a bit of an improvement in hot throw when using 12% fragrance load.  This wax may be similar to EcoSoya’s CB135 with the added benefit of using this wax for both containers and melts/tarts.

 

****UPDATE**** We recommend curing your candles for two weeks before lighting/testing hot throw.

 

 

Q230

This wax is primarily for use in pillar/molded candles, votives, tarts, melts and novelty candles but can also be used for container candles.  EcoSoya notes that sometimes this wax may need a second pour.  We did not have that issue.

 

It is definitely the hardest wax of the three. 

 

We only did one test here with fragrance load at 12% and dye chips for color.  The container candle again had smooth top, no frosting, but we did have a small wet spot.  We took a heat gun to it however and afterwards no issue with the wet spot.  The wax melts were very shiny and nice and hard.  They popped out of the clamshell and individual cavity wax molds easily and cleanly.  This wax did retract well enough from the plastic votive mold after setting without having to put it into the freezer.

 

 

In summary, all three waxes are vast improvements over the previous EcoSoya waxes.  It appears that the frosting and sink hole issues have been resolved.  These waxes make beautiful candles.  We would probably not recommend Q210 for wax melts, only for container candles as well as massage candles and lotion bars, etc., unless you are not selling the melts or votives, then this would be a good all-around wax. Also, this wax will probably not work for all fragrances, much like their old Advanced and Excel.  Q220 works great for both containers and melts/tarts but needs a bit higher fragrance load at 12%.  Q230 is an excellent wax for those that primarily make tarts/melts and pillar candles.  We would say it is the replacement for EcoSoya’s Pillar Blend wax.

 

****UPDATE**** While we got decent hot throw after a 72 hour cure with this wax, we got better hot throw with a two week cure.

 

Add Comment