Ordinary candles can be seen majorly in the relief kit. In South India, Gaja survivors were seen standing in a queue waiting to buy a few candles before it gets dark. Some traders are capitalizing on this, pouncing at the opportunity to sell candles at Rs. 50 a piece. However, Chennai based candle maker Aravindan is in a hunt for volunteers who he could train them in making candles and sell them at 1/3rd the price to the survivors.

Candle Industry is booming as there is endless scope for creativity in the form of different design in candle making. The challenge is that the industry is growing fast. Every year a new type of candle gets launched.

Today, candles serve to symbolize celebration, soothe senses, ignite romance, honour ceremony, to carry out processions and to accent home decors.

In order to cast a warm and delightful feeling, scented candles in various forms are used in the house. However, at times people are welcomed with an overwhelming strong wafting smell as soon as they enter the house. That is because of the scent. These scented candles come with high toxin load.

30% of candles contain heavy metals in the wicks to make the wicks firmer, according to studies. The wicks are considered safe if they are made of cotton or paper, there have been. These heavy metals include lead. Candles with leads are hazardous and release more than five times the amount of lead causing various health problems.

2009 report concluded that while the vegetable-based candles didn’t produce any potentially harmful pollutants, the paraffin candles released unwanted chemicals into the air.

“I like my house to smell good and used to burn scented candles for good aroma in the house. However, my kid’s allergies started aggravating. Later, to realize that long period of burning candle’s wick emits soot in the air. Since then I have started being cautious,” says housewife Priya Sharma.

There are various alternatives to the candle. There are different kinds of candles like pillar, container, volitive, tealight, taper, tart and gel. The wax is of what one should look out for. There are various kinds of wax paraffin, soy, palm, bee and granulated, says candle expert, Ankita Singhal.

Soy-based candles can be genetically modified. I would suggest people to use beeswax or Palm wax as they are 100 per cent natural and could create candles with a unique texture. Moreover, it is safe and does not pollute the environment, she adds.