The Truth About Home Fragrance
Updated: May 30
For many of us, scent is deeply tied to comfort.
A warm vanilla candle after a long day. A cozy fragrance filling the kitchen. The familiar ritual of making a home feel inviting.
But in recent years, more consumers have started asking important questions:
What exactly are we burning in our homes? And what are we releasing into the air that we, our kids, and our pets are inhaling every day?
Research surrounding indoor air quality has grown significantly over the last decade, and scientists have increasingly examined how everyday household fragrance products contribute to the air we breathe indoors. Studies have shown that burning candles, melting wax, and other fragranced home products can release particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other airborne emissions into indoor environments- particularly in poorly ventilated spaces.
That doesn’t mean all home fragrance products are inherently dangerous. In fact, several studies evaluating normal household use have found that exposure levels often remain below established thresholds of concern for most people. However, researchers have also found that factors such as wax composition, fragrance ingredients, wick quality, ventilation, and frequency of use can influence overall indoor air quality.
For us, this conversation became personal.
At Olive & Ember, we began researching ingredients more carefully after becoming increasingly aware of how much time we spend surrounded by artificial fragrance in modern life- from cleaning products and laundry detergents to candles, wax melts, and air fresheners.
The more we learned, the more intentional we wanted to become.
That journey ultimately led us to create products using organic beeswax, organic coconut oil, and phthalate-free fragrance oils — not because we believe perfection exists, but because we believe thoughtful ingredient choices matter.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be diving deeper into:
paraffin and soy wax
soot and particulate matter
fragrance transparency
phthalates
beeswax
indoor air quality
ingredient sourcing
creating a more intentional home environment
Our goal is not fear. Our goal is education, transparency, and thoughtful choices.
Because home fragrance should feel comforting- not confusing.
Sources & Research
This article is intended for educational purposes only and is based on publicly available research surrounding indoor air quality and fragranced home products.
Referenced sources include:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
PubMed peer-reviewed studies on candle emissions and indoor air quality
Environmental health research regarding volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM)
Additional Reading:
EPA Indoor Air Quality Resourceshttps://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq
EPA Particulate Matter Basicshttps://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics
Candles and Incense as Potential Sources of Indoor Air Pollution (EPA)https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=P1009BZL.TXT
Human Health Risk Evaluation of VOC and Particulate Emissions From Scented Candles (PubMed)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24582651/
Impact of Scented Candle Use on Indoor Air Quality (NIH/PMC)https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11933706/
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