Over 80% of Americans lit a candle in their home last year, and these products have become essential ingredients for creating any cozy
domestic environment.
The National Candle Association estimates that U.S. consumers have over 10,000 scents available to them. Candlemakers can now achieve
scents as varied as libraries, pizza, and, yes, even KFC gravy.
Hungry for Candles
Improvements in candle technology have given manufacturers huge opportunities to innovate, allowing them to experiment with many unique
candle shapes and scents. This has resulted in what some are calling the
pinnacle of the scented candle experience: KFC’s Gravy Candle.
While this isn’t KFC’s first foray into home goods, having previously offered chicken-scented yule logs and fried chicken bath
bombs, these candles are certainly nothing to turn your nose at.
Colored a rich caramel and imbued with the mouth-watering scent of chicken gravy, these promotional items exemplify everything candle
stabilizers can make possible: intense, lasting fragrances in whatever
form you want them, and colors that can stand the test of time.
Unlike most of KFC’s offerings, these candles don’t owe their success to 11 carefully guarded herbs and spices. Rather, they result
from a unique and innovative combination of the same candle stabilizers
that have taken the rest of the industry by storm.
They rely on a series of special candle stabilizers, which control the interaction between dyes and fragrances as they’re exposed to heat.
They also shield candles from environmental influences, preventing
fragrances and dyes from degrading ahead of their time. Candle
stabilizers operate using a number of different ingredients:
Oxidation reactions naturally result from exposing organic materials to high temperatures. Candle manufacturers must control oxidation
because it can cause discoloration and hurt fragrance integrity.
Antioxidants protect candle components from degrading when they
experience intense thermal conditions during wax pouring or burning.
Ultraviolet radiation also threatens candle longevity, as it can break down the wax’s components. Candle manufacturers control for this
by incorporating UV absorbers into their products. These stabilizers
work by competitively absorbing certain wavelengths of UV light before
they affect the candle’s polymers.
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