What Fragrance Load Actually Means
Fragrance load is the percentage of fragrance oil in your finished candle, relative to the total weight of wax plus fragrance.
A 10% fragrance load means that 10% of the total candle weight is fragrance oil and 90% is wax.
Here's where people get confused. The percentage is based on the total mixture, not just the wax. So for a 10% load, you don't add 10% of the wax weight. You calculate it differently.
The formula is:
Fragrance Oil = Wax Weight × (Load Percentage ÷ (100 - Load Percentage))
For 16 ounces of wax at 10% load: 16 × (10 ÷ 90) = 16 × 0.111 = 1.78 ounces of fragrance oil
Your total candle weight is 16 + 1.78 = 17.78 ounces. And 1.78 ÷ 17.78 = 10%. That checks out.
What's a Safe Maximum Load?
This depends on your wax. Every wax has a maximum fragrance load it can hold before the oil starts to seep out or cause burn issues.
Soy wax (like Golden Brands 464): up to 10% Paraffin wax: up to 12% Beeswax: up to 6% (beeswax has its own scent, so less is more) Coconut wax blends: up to 12% Palm wax: up to 10%
If you exceed the maximum, the wax can't hold all the oil. You'll see oil sweating on the surface of the candle. The candle might not burn properly. The wick could mushroom or produce soot. In extreme cases, the excess oil can pool and create a fire hazard.
I've seen people push to 12% with soy wax because they want a stronger scent throw. Sometimes it works. Sometimes the candle sweats. It's not worth the risk. Stay within the manufacturer's guidelines.
Hot Throw vs Cold Throw
Cold throw is how the candle smells when it's unlit. Hot throw is how it smells when it's burning.
A candle can have amazing cold throw but weak hot throw, or vice versa. This depends on the fragrance oil, the wax, the wick, and the curing time.
Fragrance load affects both, but it affects cold throw more directly. For hot throw, the wick size and melt pool matter just as much as the fragrance percentage.
If your candle smells great in the jar but has no scent when burning, the problem probably isn't the fragrance load. It's more likely the wick size or the pour temperature. You want to pour fragrance at the right temperature so it binds with the wax. For most soy waxes, that's around 185°F (85°C).
Measuring by Weight, Not Volume
Always measure fragrance oil by weight using a digital scale. Don't use measuring cups or count drops.
Fragrance oils have different densities. One ounce of vanilla fragrance oil weighs more than one ounce of citrus oil by volume. If you measure by volume, you'll get inconsistent results from batch to batch.
A digital scale that reads to 0.1 grams is ideal. For small batches, even 1 gram of error can throw off your percentage.
Zero out your container on the scale first (tare it), then pour your wax. Record the weight. Calculate your fragrance amount. Tare again and pour the fragrance oil to the exact calculated weight.