Pet-Safe Candles? Don’t Make Me Laugh

I was scrolling the other day (yes, I know, I should have been meditating with a cup of herbal tea and the faint scent of Chamomile  drifting from a responsibly wicked soy candle, but instead I was doomscrolling like the rest of humanity). And there it was: “Our candles are pet-safe!”

Lovely. Except — and forgive me if I sound like the grumpy old man at the dinner table — the candle in question was made with fragrance oils.

Now, let’s pause here. If you’re not in the candle world, fragrance oils sound rather charming, don’t they? A delightful swirl of meadow, orchard and French patisserie bottled up and popped into your wax. In reality, they’re less Provence lavender field and more petrochemical soup in a party frock.

The Wax Distraction

Here’s the trick many candle makers pull: blame paraffin wax. And yes, paraffin is nasty — a petroleum by-product that gives off soot, black smoke, and enough volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to make your lungs wheeze like a 1950s coal fire.

So they say: “We use soy! We use coconut! We use beeswax! Our candles are paraffin-free!”

Applause all round. And it is good — genuinely. That’s step one in making a clean, kind candle. But step two? The scent. And this is where things go south.

What’s Really in Fragrance Oils?

Fragrance oils — even those marketed as phthalate-free, paraben-free or clean — are still made up of 95% petrochemicals. That’s right: the same industry that makes plastic bags and petrol for your car is also making the “Peony & Cashmere” you’ve just lit in your living room.

They’re full of undisclosed synthetic compounds (companies can legally just write “fragrance” on the label), and when you burn them, they release a charming cocktail of benzene, toluene, formaldehyde and other friends from the periodic table you’d rather not inhale, believe me! 

Lovely stuff for the lungs. And for your cat? About as safe as giving it a Marlboro Light and a gin and tonic.

Why Pets Get the Worst of It

Cats, poor creatures, don’t have the liver enzymes to process many of these chemicals. They’re essentially missing the housekeeping staff that would sweep the toxins out of their system. Instead, the junk just piles up until they’re wheezy, drooling, or flat-out unwell.

Dogs cope a little better, but even they can end up coughing, sneezing, or wobbling about like your Uncle Dave after three glasses of port.

So when someone tells you their fragrance oil candle is pet safe? Forgive me if I mutter something unprintable into my flat white.

Marketing Myths (or: How to Dress a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing)

• Phthalate-free: Sure, they took one plasticiser out. The other 99 chemicals are still in there.

• Paraben-free: Marvellous, but parabens aren’t even common in candles anymore. It’s like saying your car is shark-free.

• Natural fragrance: Ha! This usually means a synthetic chemical that once, many moons ago, waved at a plant molecule on its way down a laboratory corridor.

So What’s Actually Safe?

If you want a truly safe candle for you and your pets, here’s the magic recipe:

• 🌱 Wax: Soy, coconut, or beeswax

• 🌿 Scent: 100% pure essential oils (and only those proven safe for cats and dogs)

• 🕯 Wick: Cotton or wood (no sneaky metal cores)

That’s it. Simple, transparent, plant-based. No petrochemical masquerade.

Final Flicker

Look, I get it. Some candle brands built their whole business on fragrance oils. They can’t exactly turn around now and say, “Oops, sorry about all the chemicals.” But it’s not right to keep shouting about soy wax while whispering about the synthetic fragrance swirling around in the jar.

If you want to fill your home with light and scent without choking your cat or confusing your dog, just remember: wax is only the start. It’s the oil that makes the real difference.

And that’s why, at Bryluen Botanicals, we’ll never ask your cat to inhale benzene in the name of “relaxation.”

Because if your candle isn’t safe for every member of your family — whiskers, paws, tails and all — is it really the comfort it claims to be?