UV (ultraviolet) Inhibitor is an additive you can add to your candle wax to protect your candles from the harmful effects of exposure to ultraviolet light.
As candle makers, we spend a lot of time testing and experimenting with creative designs which can lead to beautiful colors and pleasant aromas.
So, you can understand how it can be rather disappointing to see these designs and aromas fade and degrade into something less than what they should be.
Luckily, we have tools in the form of additives that you can use to help prevent these harmful effects from ultraviolet lights and keep your candles in a condition you can be proud of.
Why You Should Use a UV Inhibitor
Ultraviolet light can degrade the raw materials of candle wax, dyes, and fragrances.
The sun is the obvious source of UV rays, but indoor lighting also emits UV rays and can impact your candles as well, particularly if they’re being displayed on shelves.
This can lead to problems like candles turning yellow, colors fading, and scents weakening.
The UV inhibitor absorbs the energy from the UV rays that normally harm your candles and releases this energy as heat.
This process protects the candle from yellowing or discoloring and the fragrance from degrading.
UV inhibitors will not completely prevent fading or degrading of your candle, but they will significantly delay the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays.
Using a UV inhibitor is not required, and you can be fine making candles without it. However, if you’re selling your candles, then a UV inhibitor can go a long way in preserving the shelf life of your candles.
Depending on the design of your candle, discoloration may not be a big deal, especially with certain types of containers.
Although, how well your candle fragrance performs with both a cold and hot throw is essential, regardless of the design.
So even if you can brush aside discoloration issues, a UV inhibitor may be an excellent option to preserve how well your candles smell after prolonged exposure to damaging ultraviolet lights from both indoor and outdoor locations.
UV Inhibitor Does Not Prevent Frosting
This seems to be a common misconception from online reviews.
UV inhibitor does not prevent frosting and should not be expected to.
Frosting is caused by the fats in soy waxes and is not related to ultraviolet rays.
How to Use a UV Inhibitor
When Do You Add UV Inhibitor
You’ll want to add your UV inhibitor when the wax is at a temperature of ~180 – 185°F.
Make sure to add before any dye.
You can choose to add before or after fragrance.
Stir gently to properly blend with the wax.
How Much UV Inhibitor to Use
The manufacturer will have guidelines for how much to use. This is usually ¼ – ½ percent of wax weight.
A common recommendation is to use ½ – 1 teaspoon per pound of wax.
Start with ½ teaspoon and then adjust from there.
Testing
Typically adding UV inhibitor will not impact your candle-making process, but…
It depends on your specific candle project.
When you add UV inhibitor, you’ll want to test your candles to see if any adjustments need to be made to the wick and to ensure your candle burn quality meets your expectations.
Formulas for UV inhibitors may differ from each manufacturer. If one isn’t working out for you, test a UV inhibitor from another manufacturer.
Conclusion
As a candle maker, a lot of time and effort goes into creating a quality candle that people can enjoy.
And seeing the quality of the candle degrading due to outside factors like simply sitting on a shelf can be quite frustrating.
That’s where UV inhibitors can be very helpful in preserving the quality of your candle.
When your candles are going to be exposed to either sunlight or indoor lighting for prolonged periods of time, it may be time to add a UV inhibitor to your candle-making process.
The UV inhibitor will help preserve the color of your candle, help prevent the yellowing of un-dyed candles, and protect the quality of your fragrance.