How Do I Compare the Performance of 6%, 8% and 10% Fragrance Loads Objectively Instead of Choosing Whichever Candle Smells Strongest to Me?

How Do I Compare the Performance of 6%, 8% and 10% Fragrance Loads Objectively Instead of Choosing Whichever Candle Smells Strongest to Me?

 

Japanese Cherry Blossom 100 g ₹500.00 CSI 464 · rated up to 10% Six-candle blind kit: ₹2,034.40
CSI fragrance formulation guides · Fragrance load
Your nose knows which candle you poured. Take that knowledge away and the right load shows itself.
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"Quality wick, works very well"
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Eco Candle Wicks
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"Good quality .... if possible delivery date would be try little bit quick please"
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Eco Candle Wicks
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"This needle is very helpful as it doesn't damage the mould and there is no leakage of wax while pouring.. I would definitely recommend this .."
LJAug 2024
Premium Candle Wicking Needle
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"Good one"
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Premium Candle Wicking Needle
★★★★★
"This bamboo wick holder doesn't exert any pressure on the wicks… and it is a very useful product 👌🏻👌🏻.."
Lalitha JaganAug 2024
Bamboo Wick Holder
★★★★☆
"Quality of the wick is good for jar candles, team can work on the pricing and delivery timelines."
Monika DeepVerified buyer · Oct 2025
Eco Candle Wicks
★★★★★
"Quality wick, works very well"
AshwiniSep 2025
Eco Candle Wicks
★★★★☆
"Good quality .... if possible delivery date would be try little bit quick please"
Subhankar RoyVerified buyer · Sep 2024
Eco Candle Wicks
★★★★★
"This needle is very helpful as it doesn't damage the mould and there is no leakage of wax while pouring.. I would definitely recommend this .."
LJAug 2024
Premium Candle Wicking Needle
★★★★★
"Good one"
Sneha TamangVerified buyer · Apr 2025
Premium Candle Wicking Needle
★★★★★
"This bamboo wick holder doesn't exert any pressure on the wicks… and it is a very useful product 👌🏻👌🏻.."
Lalitha JaganAug 2024
Bamboo Wick Holder
Reviews collected and published through Judge.me on candlemakingsuppliesindia.store. They are general reviews of the wicks and wick tools named on each card, not assessments of the blind scoring method set out below. Wording is unedited.
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✓ 93 oils listed · 79 in stock at 100 g ✓ Wax ceilings from the wax makers: CSI 464 10%, Chunks 13% ✓ MSDS & IFRA documents on request
Fragrance Load · Objective Comparison
The candle you expect to be strongest usually smells strongest — to you. That is not a character flaw; it is how perception works. An objective comparison removes the expectation (coded candles), removes the noise (a fixed room and route), and spreads the judgement (several assessors and replicate candles). Then it gives you a rule for deciding, instead of a feeling.
6 · 4 · 2
six coded candles (three loads × two replicates), four assessors, two scoring checkpoints — the smallest set-up that separates a real difference from noise · working design
Quick answers — read this first
How do I compare fragrance loads objectively? Code the candles, fix the room, and use several judges and a written scale. Pour each load twice, have someone else assign random codes, burn one candle per session in the same room, and have at least three or four people score hot throw at fixed marks and times on an anchored 0–5 scale.

Why pour each load twice? Two identical candles show how much scores vary when nothing has changed. That spread is your noise band. A difference between loads smaller than it is not a real difference.

How do I decide from the scores? Choose the lowest load whose average is within the noise band of the best, that meets your absolute target, and that burns cleanly. Decision rule.

What does it cost? With Japanese Cherry Blossom in CSI 464: one 100 g bottle, 1.5 kg of wax, ten wicks and ten jars — ₹2,034.40. Shopping list.
The short answer
The answer: Blind-code six candles (6/8/10% × 2), judge in one fixed room, one candle per session, with 3–4 assessors scoring at fixed marks and times on an anchored scale; decide by averages, noise band, absolute target and burn quality.
Why not trust your nose?: Expectation, fatigue and order effects bias one person's judgement. My Candle Smells Strong for the First Hour and Then I Stop Noticing It — How Do I Distinguish Fragrance Fatigue from Genuinely Weak Hot Throw? covers fatigue; Customers Say My Candle Is Weak but I Can Smell It Clearly in My Workshop — How Do I Create a More Objective Hot-Throw Testing Method? covers the workshop-vs-customer gap.
The rule: Lowest load whose mean is within the replicate noise band of the best, that meets your target and burns cleanly.
Shop: Japanese Cherry Blossom · CSI 464 · Eco wicks · White Matte jars.
In this guide
The fixed judging room — same candle spot, same marks, same route, every session door candle spot table, away from walls Mark 1 · 1 m Mark 2 · 2 m Mark 3 · doorway Fans off · windows shut · door as set · aired 30 min between sessions Each session 1 · one coded candle only 2 · lit by the coordinator 3 · judges enter from outside 4 · score at 1 h and 2 h 5 · doorway → 2 m → 1 m 6 · write scores alone 7 · no talking until done Distances are working choices — fix yours with tape on the floor and never move them mid-test.
One room, one candle spot, three taped marks and the same route in every session. Judges enter from outside, so they start each session with a fresh nose, and they score in the same order each time. The room is aired between sessions. Nothing about the room changes during the test, so any difference in scores belongs to the candle.
The test oil
Japanese Cherry Blossom · 100 g ₹500.00
The test wax
CSI 464 · 10% ceiling
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Straight answer
How do I compare the performance of 6%, 8% and 10% fragrance loads objectively instead of choosing whichever candle smells strongest to me?
Take yourself out of the measurement. Pour each load twice — six candles in identical jars, same wax, wick, fill, addition method and cure — so you can see how much two identical candles differ. Have someone else code them with random three-digit numbers and keep the key. Fix the room: one candle spot, taped marks at set distances (for example 1 m, 2 m and the doorway), fans off, windows shut, aired between sessions. Burn one candle per session, lit by the coordinator, and have three or four assessors walk in from outside and score hot throw at each mark at one hour and two hours on an anchored 0–5 scale, writing alone and without talking. Rotate the order of candles across days. Then read the numbers, not your memory: average each load, check the gap between its two replicate candles (your noise band), and choose the lowest load whose average sits within that band of the best, still meets your target, and burns cleanly. With Japanese Cherry Blossom in CSI 464 (rated up to 10%), the whole kit costs about ₹2,034.40.
One line: code the candles, fix the room, use several noses and a written scale — then pick the lowest load the numbers cannot separate from the best.
Six test candles at 6%, 8% and 10% need 96 g of oil (12 + 16 + 20 g, twice). Japanese Cherry Blossom 100 g at ₹500.00 covers it with 4 g to spare. Any oil works; this one is in stock at every size and near the top of CSI's best-selling sort.
Buy Japanese Cherry Blossom 100 g

Why "strongest to me" is not a measurement

If you poured it, labelled it and lit it, you already know which candle is supposed to win.

Choosing the candle that smells strongest to you feels like evidence. It is closer to a prediction coming true. Several well-known effects push one person's judgement around, and none of them has anything to do with the candle. The point of an objective method is not to distrust your nose; it is to stop these effects from voting.

Common judging biases · general sensory-testing knowledge
What distorts a single person's comparison
Effect What happens How the method removes it
Expectation Knowing a candle is 10% makes it seem stronger Random codes; someone else keeps the key
Fatigue After a few minutes with a smell, you notice it less Judges enter from outside; room aired between sessions; My Candle Smells Strong for the First Hour and Then I Stop Noticing It — How Do I Distinguish Fragrance Fatigue from Genuinely Weak Hot Throw?
Order The first candle of the day seems strongest, or the one after a weak one does Rotate order across days so each load is seen first, second and third
Room drift A fan switched on, a window opened, a bigger room One fixed room, fixed marks, fixed conditions
One nose Your sensitivity to this scent family may be unusual Three or four assessors; average them
Candle-to-candle variation One candle poured slightly differently, or with the wick off-centre Two replicates per load; measure the gap
Loose words "Nice and strong" means different things on different days An anchored 0–5 scale with written definitions

This matters beyond tidiness. If you choose 10% because it "smelled strongest" and the real difference from 8% was within the noise, you will pay for 4 g of extra oil in every candle for as long as you make it. The step-down guide prices that: on some oils it is tens of thousands of rupees per thousand candles. And if customers say your candles are weak while your workshop says they are strong, that gap has its own guide.

Set-up: candles, codes and the room

1
Pour six candles in one sessionTwo each at 6% (12 g oil + 188 g wax), 8% (16 g + 184 g) and 10% (20 g + 180 g), in 200 g fills. Load is the share of finished weight (I'm Making a 1 Kg Soy Wax Batch at 8% Fragrance Load — Do I Add 80 g Fragrance Oil to 1 Kg Wax or Should the 8% be Calculated from the Total Finished Candle Weight?). Same jar, same wick, centred with a wick centering device, same addition temperature (CSI's guidance for CSI 464 is 80–90°C — confirm on the product page), same stir time.
2
Code them — and not yourselfA second person writes a random three-digit code on the base of each jar (for example 318, 742, 506, 129, 864, 273) and records which is which on a key sheet kept out of sight. No colour, sticker or fill-line difference should give a load away.
3
Cure them togetherSame shelf, same cover, same age. Fourteen days is a sensible working checkpoint. All six must be judged at the same age, or cure becomes a hidden variable; I'm Comparing Two Fragrance Oils — Should I Burn-Test Them at Exactly the Same Cure Age to Make the Comparison Fair? explains why.
4
Set up one fixed roomChoose a room similar in size to your customers' living rooms. Fix a candle spot on a table away from walls and vents. Tape marks on the floor at 1 m, 2 m and the doorway. Fans off, windows shut, door set the same way. Note the room size; My Candle Fills a Small Bedroom but Disappears in a Large Living Room — How Should Room Size Influence How I Judge Hot Throw? explains why it matters.
5
Recruit three or four assessorsPeople who have not been pouring or smelling oils that day, who are not wearing perfume, and who will score alone. Brief them on the scale beforehand, using a spare candle that is not in the test.
If you have only one room
One room is enough — it just means one candle per session, with a thorough airing between sessions. With six candles and two checkpoints each, that is six sessions over two or three days. Use the same time of day for each session so ambient conditions stay similar.

The scale and the scoring sheet

A number without a definition is an opinion with a decimal point.

Anchor the scale in words so that a "3" means the same to every assessor on every day. The scale below is a working template; adapt the wording to your product, but write it down and do not change it during the test.

Anchored hot-throw scale · a working template
What each score means
Score At this mark, the scent is…
0 Not detectable
1 Just detectable if I try; could not name it
2 Clearly present and recognisable, but faint
3 Comfortably noticeable without trying — the minimum for a candle I would sell
4 Strong and pleasant; fills this part of the room
5 Very strong; would be too much for some people

Half-points are allowed. Score 3 is the useful anchor: it defines your absolute target at a given mark. Many makers set the target at the 2 m mark or the doorway, because that is where customers usually sit relative to a candle. Alongside throw, each assessor also records burn observations on the same sheet.

Scoring sheet template · one sheet per assessor per session
What each assessor fills in
Field 1 hour 2 hours Notes
Candle code From the base or the coordinator
Hot throw at doorway (0–5)
Hot throw at 2 m (0–5)
Hot throw at 1 m (0–5)
Scent character (true to the oil? any off-notes?) Words, not numbers
Melt pool (reached glass? depth?) Coordinator may record
Flame (steady / flickering / tall / soot)
Surface oil or wet spots

Cold throw can be scored once, before lighting, with the lid off: nose over the jar, 0–5 on the same scale. Record it, but do not let it decide the load — strong cold throw does not guarantee hot throw.

Running the sessions

With one room, run one candle per session. The coordinator lights the candle, closes the door, and calls the assessors in at one hour and at two hours. Assessors walk the same route each time — doorway first, then 2 m, then 1 m — so that the most sensitive reading is taken before the nose is loaded. They write their own scores, hand the sheet back, and leave. The room is then aired for at least 30 minutes, windows open and fan on, before the next candle.

Session order · each load appears first, second and third across the week
A balanced order for six candles over three days
Day Morning session Afternoon session Why
1 6% (replicate a) 10% (replicate a) Low then high
2 8% (replicate a) 6% (replicate b) Middle first on day 2
3 10% (replicate b) 8% (replicate b) High first on day 3

The coordinator sees this plan; the assessors see only codes. If you have three similar rooms, you can burn three candles at once and walk the assessors through all three — but rotate which room each load is in, and keep the airing and route rules. For a pure "can you tell them apart" question between two loads, the triangle test in I'm Using an Expensive Fragrance Oil — How Do I Determine Whether 7% Performs Just as Well as 10% Before Committing to Commercial Production? is sharper; this page is about ranking three loads by strength and burn.

The comparison that measured the fan. A maker tests 6%, 8% and 10% over a week. On the day the 10% candle burns, the ceiling fan is off; on the 8% day it is on. The 10% "wins". The difference was the room, not the candle. Write the room conditions on every sheet and do not start a session until they match the plan.

Reading the scores

The table below shows how to read a completed test. The scores are invented to show the arithmetic. They are not results for Japanese Cherry Blossom or any other oil — CSI publishes no throw data, and your numbers will be different. Each figure is one assessor's hot-throw score at the 2 m mark, averaged over the one-hour and two-hour checkpoints.

ILLUSTRATIVE scores only · 4 assessors × 2 replicate candles per load · 2 m mark
Worked analysis (example numbers)
Load Replicate a (assessors 1–4) Replicate b (assessors 1–4) Mean a Mean b Mean of load Replicate gap
6% 2.5 · 2.0 · 3.0 · 2.5 2.0 · 2.5 · 2.5 · 2.0 2.50 2.25 2.38 0.25
8% 3.5 · 4.0 · 3.5 · 3.0 3.5 · 3.5 · 4.0 · 3.5 3.50 3.63 3.56 0.13
10% 4.0 · 3.5 · 4.0 · 3.5 3.5 · 4.0 · 3.5 · 4.0 3.75 3.75 3.75 0.00
1
Find the noise bandThe largest gap between two replicate candles of the same load is 0.25. Differences between loads smaller than that are not reliable in this test.
2
Find the best mean10% has the highest mean, 3.75.
3
Check which loads sit within the noise band of the best8% is 0.19 below 10% — inside the noise band of 0.25. 6% is 1.38 below 10% — well outside it.
4
Apply the absolute targetThe target is a 3 at 2 m. 8% (3.56) and 10% (3.75) meet it; 6% (2.38) does not.
5
Check the burnOnly now look at the burn notes. If the 8% candles burned cleanly with a full pool, and the 10% candles showed no advantage there, the decision in this example is 8%. If 10% had shown surface oil or soot, that would strengthen the case for 8%; if 8% had tunnelled, the wick needs attention before any decision.
The CSI principle
Pick the lowest load the numbers cannot separate from the best.
Averages tell you which load scored highest. Replicates tell you whether that lead is real. The absolute target tells you whether it is good enough. Where the best and the next load down are inside the noise, the extra oil has not earned its place.

What does that decision mean in money? Here is the oil in each load of a 200 g Japanese Cherry Blossom candle, at the 100 g and 1 kg prices, and what each load costs per thousand candles at the kilo rate.

200 g candle · Japanese Cherry Blossom ₹500.00 / 100 g, ₹4,842.00 / 1 kg · CSI live pricing, pulled 24 September 2026
Oil cost of each load
Load Oil + wax Oil at 100 g price Oil at 1 kg price Oil per 1,000 candles (1 kg price)
6% 12 g + 188 g ₹60.00 ₹58.10 ₹58,104.00
8% 16 g + 184 g ₹80.00 ₹77.47 ₹77,472.00
10% 20 g + 180 g ₹100.00 ₹96.84 ₹96,840.00

Choosing 8% over 10% on this oil is worth ₹19.37 a candle at the kilo rate, or ₹19,368.00 per thousand candles. That is the value of an objective method: not a better feeling about the choice, but a choice you can defend with numbers — to yourself, to a business partner, or to a customer asking why your candle is the way it is.

Argued against our own interest, plainly. A subjective test tends to favour the highest load, because the highest load is the one you expect to win — and that sells us more oil. We would rather you ran the blind version. If the numbers say 10%, buy for 10% with confidence. If they say 8%, you have saved ₹19,368.00 per thousand candles on this oil alone.

The kit, priced

Oils and wax: CSI live pricing, pulled 24 September 2026 · wicks 25 September · jars and tools verified 10 September
Six-candle blind test in CSI 464
Item Quantity Price Line total
Japanese Cherry Blossom Fragrance Oil 100 g 1 (uses 96 g) ₹500.00 ₹500.00
Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 1 kg 1 ₹507.40 ₹507.40
Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 500 g 1 (total used 1,104 g) ₹260.00 ₹260.00
Eco Candle Wicks Thin C1 (10) — or your tested wick 1 pack ₹59.00 ₹59.00
White Matte Glass Jar (pack of 5) 2 packs ₹354.00 ₹708.00
Total 6 candles + spares ₹2,034.40
Optional: weighing scale / pen thermometer / wick centering device (5) if you do not own them ₹354.00 / ₹354.00 / ₹118.00 —
1
Floral · the test oil
Japanese Cherry Blossom Fragrance Oil
In stock at every size and near the top of the best-selling sort on the pull date — which is the only reason it is the example here. ₹5.00 a gram at 100 g and 500 g, ₹4.84 at 1 kg.
Pack Price Per gram Blind kits (96 g)
15 g ₹104.00 ₹6.93 —
50 g ₹270.00 ₹5.40 —
100 g ₹500.00 ₹5.00 1
500 g ₹2,500.00 ₹5.00 5
1 kg ₹4,842.00 ₹4.84 10
₹77.47 of oil per 200 g candle at 8% (1 kg price) Buy Japanese Cherry Blossom
2
Wax · the test system
Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 (flakes)
Rated up to 10% by the wax maker, so 10% is the top of a 6/8/10 ladder in this wax. If your test says 10% is still not enough, the answer lies in the wick, the cure or a wax with more headroom — not in 11%.
Pack Price Per kg
500 g ₹260.00 ₹520.00
1 kg ₹507.40 ₹507.40
5 kg ₹2,537.00 ₹507.40
10 kg ₹5,074.00 ₹507.40
Flat per kilo from 1 kg to 10 kg Buy CSI 464
Settling loads before Diwali (8 November 2026)? A 14-day cure plus three days of sessions means pouring the test candles by mid-October at the latest. If you want the scoring sheet template, or help setting a test up for several scents at once, message us.
Get the scoring template on WhatsApp

Once you have run this method for one scent, it scales. For a whole range, screen at one load first and use this method only for the scents that need a ladder. For many candidate oils, I Want to Compare 20 Candle Fragrance Oils Objectively — How Do I Create Identical Test Candles so Wax Quantity, Fragrance Load, Wick, Jar and Cure Time Remain Controlled? covers making twenty test candles truly identical. And when your load is set, the bulk-dosage guide turns it into an order.

The strongest candle to you is a hypothesis. Six coded jars and four noses turn it into an answer.
— CandleMakingSuppliesIndia
Why trust this guide

CANDLEMAKINGSUPPLIESINDIA supplies raw materials, not finished candles. Unblinded tests tend to favour the highest load, and the highest load sells more oil. We publish the blind method anyway, because a load you can defend with numbers makes for candles that sell again.

Oil and wax prices come from live CSI listings pulled on 24 September 2026. Eco Candle Wick prices are from the 25 September pull; the White Matte Glass Jar, weighing scale, pen thermometer and wick centering device are Blog 760's figures verified 10 September 2026. Per-candle and per-1,000 figures are arithmetic on those prices.

The scores in the worked analysis are invented for illustration and are not results for any oil. The anchored scale, marks, 30-minute airing, 1- and 2-hour checkpoints, 14-day cure and session order are working assumptions drawn from general sensory-testing practice. CSI publishes no throw data. For the scoring template, MSDS or IFRA documents, message us on WhatsApp at +91 7397976926.

Frequently asked questions

How do you test candle hot throw objectively?
Code identical candles so judges do not know which is which, burn them one at a time in the same room with the same conditions, and have several people score at fixed distances and times on a written 0–5 scale. Use two candles per variant to measure noise.
How many people should judge a candle scent test?
Three or four is a practical minimum; more is better. One person's nose has its own sensitivities and expectations. Average the assessors and look at how much they disagree.
What distance should I test candle throw from?
Pick distances that match how customers use the candle and keep them fixed — for example 1 m, 2 m and the doorway. Score the farthest mark first so the nose is freshest.
How long should I burn a candle before judging hot throw?
Long enough for the melt pool to form. One hour and two hours are sensible working checkpoints; score at both and average them.
Why do I need two candles of each fragrance load?
Two identical candles show how much scores vary for reasons other than load — pouring, wick position, the day. That gap is your noise band; a difference between loads smaller than it is not reliable.
Can I test fragrance loads alone?
You can reduce bias alone by having someone else code the candles and by fixing the room and scale, but you cannot remove your own nose's quirks. Ask friends or family who have not been smelling oils that day to join.
Measure, then decide
Six coded candles, one fixed room, four noses, one rule: the lowest load the numbers cannot separate from the best.
Japanese Cherry Blossom and 92 other oils, Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 from ₹260.00, Eco wicks from ₹59.00, White Matte Glass Jars at ₹354.00 for 5, and the scale and thermometer at ₹354.00 each. Ask us for the scoring template.
Shop fragrance oils Send me the scoring template
Continue the read — fragrance load, part 2
Editorial standards & sources
About this guide: Written by the CANDLEMAKINGSUPPLIESINDIA team. Product recommendations reflect the CSI range. The blind scoring method applies to any fragrance oil, wax and container.

Customer reviews: The six reviews at the top of this page are genuine, published Judge.me reviews left by CSI customers on the product pages named on each card — Eco Candle Wicks, Premium Candle Wicking Needle and Bamboo Wick Holder. They are general product reviews, not assessments of the guidance set out here. Names, star ratings, dates and products are as recorded by Judge.me and wording is unedited. "Verified buyer" appears only on the three reviews Judge.me recorded as verified — Monika Deep, Subhankar Roy and Sneha Tamang; the reviews from Ashwini, LJ and Lalitha Jagan are published but not recorded as verified, and carry no badge.

Figures pulled 24 September 2026, CSI live pricing: Japanese Cherry Blossom ₹104.00 / 15 g, ₹270.00 / 50 g, ₹500.00 / 100 g, ₹2,500.00 / 500 g, ₹4,842.00 / 1 kg. Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 ₹260.00 / 500 g, ₹507.40 / 1 kg, ₹2,537.00 / 5 kg, ₹5,074.00 / 10 kg (rated up to 10%). Luxury Soy Wax Chunks (rated up to 13%). Eco Candle Wicks Thin C1 ₹59.00 / 10 (25 September pull). Verified 10 September 2026 (Blog 760): White Matte Glass Jar ₹354.00 / 5; Candle Making Weighing Scale ₹354.00; Pen Thermometer ₹354.00; Wick Centering Device ₹118.00 / 5.

Non-price figures and assumptions: Load is the share of finished candle weight (oil = total × load). The scores in the worked analysis are invented to show the arithmetic and are not results for any oil. The six-candle design, four assessors, anchored 0–5 scale, 1 m / 2 m / doorway marks, 30-minute airing, 1- and 2-hour checkpoints, 14-day cure and session order are working assumptions. CSI 464 melt/pour 80–90°C is CSI's own earlier guidance, to be confirmed on the product page. Ceilings of 10% (CSI 464) and 13% (Chunks) are the wax makers' stated formulation maximums, not regulatory limits. Diwali 2026 falls on 8 November. Prices and availability change — the linked product pages are always authoritative.
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