Do you know someone who is allergic to soy? It is more common than you think. According to the Asthma and Food Allergy Foundation of America, soy allergies are among the top nine food allergies for children and adults with food allergies. Reactions can range from red, itchy skin to anaphylaxis requiring immediate medical attention with epinephrine.

So if soybeans can cause death in an untreated soy-allergic person, why don’t soy candles carry a warning? The answer is simply because they don’t need it. Wax, whether soy, paraffin, or beeswax, is very unreactive, and while someone may be allergic to soy in food, it is the digested protein that triggers the allergy, not the byproducts of combustion (mainly carbon dioxide). carbon and water). For the allergy to occur, soy must be digested to enter the bloodstream. If it is burned, the protein chains are broken and they are no longer the same molecules that could cause the allergy.

However, an allergy aggravated by scented soy candles is very common, but it is caused by the added fragrance, not the soy wax. No one can predict or determine if you will have a reaction to a particular fragrance. The only way to find out is by burning the candle and observing the result. The fragrance industry does not use fragrance materials that are known allergens. But just like with food, some people will experience an allergy to a fragrance that the majority of the population doesn’t react to.

The bottom line is that no one should fear that soy wax candles will aggravate their soy allergy. If you want to be safe, avoid particular fragrances if you have known allergies to them, and if you buy a candle that bothers you, make a note of its fragrance and discontinue use immediately.