How Do I Build a Wick-Testing Strategy Around Different Fragrance Behaviours Without Assuming Every Oil at the Same Percentage Burns Identically?
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How do I know which class an oil belongs to? Run one screening burn on your house wick beside a known clean control, score it, and compare against the class descriptions.
Do heavy oils need a longer cure before testing? Some pages say so. Royal Oud's page states 72–96 h and Vetiver's says it builds slowly, so do not burn them early.
When must an approved wick be re-tested? After a supplier change, reformulation, load change, new wax, new jar size, or a customer soot or tunnelling report.
The assumption that quietly breaks wick programmes
Most wick problems in a growing range come from one reasonable-sounding shortcut: if every fragrance goes in at the same percentage, every candle is the same candle. It is an easy belief to hold because the batch sheet looks identical for every product. But the percentage only fixes how much oil is present. It says nothing about what that oil is made of, and composition is what the wick responds to.
A wick-testing strategy that works across many fragrances therefore needs a different organising idea. Instead of treating load as the constant that makes oils comparable, treat each oil's burn behaviour as the thing you are classifying. Once you know which behaviour class an oil belongs to in your jar and wax, you know which wick ladder to run, what to watch for, and when the approval needs to be earned again.
This page sets out that system: behaviour classes, a screening burn that places each new oil, class-specific ladders, a scoring sheet, and the triggers that send an approved candle back to the bench.
Five behaviour classes, and how each tends to stress the wick
The classes below are grouped by the kind of fuel an oil tends to deliver, drawing on published notes, vanillin figures and flashpoints from CSI product pages. Treat them as starting hypotheses. The screening burn in the next section decides where each oil really belongs in your system.
| Class | Example CSI oils | Typical stress on the wick | First ladder direction | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Light and volatile | Citrus Lemon, Zesty Lemon, Eucalyptus Spearmint, Blue Ocean | Quick release of top notes; can run lively on a wick sized for heavier oils | House wick, then one step thinner | Restless flame, fading throw late in the burn |
| B. Balanced floral and herbal | Lavender, British Rose, Jasmine | Usually closest to the house wick | House wick only, confirm | Few issues; use as a control class |
| C. Vanillin-bearing sweet | Dark Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Cinnamon Vanilla, Roasted Coffee, Chocolate Fudge | Heavy sweet fractions; carbon and yellowing | House wick, then one step thinner and one load step down | Carbon cap, soot on rim, colour shift |
| D. Resinous and woody | Woody Oud, Royal Oud, Sandalwood, Vetiver, White Royal Oud | Slow-building heavy bases; possible clogging later in the burn | House wick, then one step thicker | Late-burn clogging, slow melt pool |
| E. Low-flashpoint handling | Neroli (85°C), Gardenia (98°C), Royal Oud (stated above 93°C) | Process risk rather than wick risk | Place by burn in A to D, but add oil cooler | Addition temperature on the batch sheet |
Class E is not a separate burn behaviour, which is why Royal Oud appears in both class D and class E. It is a handling flag that sits on top of whichever burn class the oil falls into. An oil with a published flashpoint below 100°C must be added at a lower temperature than the rest of the range, and that difference needs to be on the production sheet as prominently as the wick.
The screening burn that places each new oil
Every new oil gets one screening burn on your house wick at your house load before it is assigned to a class. It is a quick, inexpensive way to replace guesswork with observation.
| Item | 1 means | 5 means | Points towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flame steadiness in still air | Constant flicker or surge | Calm throughout | Low scores: class A or C |
| Carbon on the wick by the final checkpoint | Heavy cap | None visible | Low scores: class C or D |
| Soot on the jar rim | Visible mark | Clean | Low scores: class C |
| Melt pool progress | Well behind the control | Level with the control | Low scores: class D |
| Throw late in the burn | Faded markedly | Holding | Low scores: class A |
Class ladders, with a worked costing
Once an oil has a class, the ladder is short and targeted. Class A oils are tested on the house wick and one step thinner. Class C oils get the house wick, one step thinner, and the house wick at one load step lower, because vanillin-bearing fuel often responds to either lever. Class D oils get the house wick and one step thicker, with the burn extended so late-session clogging has time to show. Class B oils need confirmation only.
Screening is cheap, which is the point. Using CSI 464 at ₹507.40 per kg and one Eco Thin (C1) wick at ₹5.90, a 200 g screening candle at 8% has 184 g × ₹507.40 ÷ 1000 = ₹93.36 in wax. Oil then varies by fragrance: Eucalyptus Spearmint 16 g × ₹3,068.00 ÷ 1000 = ₹49.09; Cinnamon Vanilla 16 g × ₹4,554.80 ÷ 1000 = ₹72.88; Royal Oud 16 g × ₹6,400.00 ÷ 1000 = ₹102.40.
| Oil | Class hypothesis | Oil cost | Wax + oil + C1 wick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eucalyptus Spearmint | A | ₹49.09 | ₹148.35 |
| Cinnamon Vanilla | C | ₹72.88 | ₹172.14 |
| Royal Oud | D | ₹102.40 | ₹201.66 |
Each total is wax ₹93.36 + oil + wick ₹5.90; for Royal Oud, ₹93.36 + ₹102.40 + ₹5.90 = ₹201.66. Royal Oud's page suggests starting a test at 6–8% and working up, so a class D ladder for it could sensibly begin at 7%, where 14 g × ₹6,400.00 ÷ 1000 = ₹89.60. Note that its 100 g pack was out of stock at the time of writing; the 500 g pack at ₹3,300.00 is the smallest listed size available.
Keep the matrix valid: re-test triggers and records
A wick matrix is only as good as its last test. Certain events change the fuel or the system enough that an approval should be treated as expired until a confirmation burn says otherwise.
| Trigger | Why it matters | Minimum response |
|---|---|---|
| New supplier for the same scent name | Same name, different formula | Full screening burn and class ladder |
| Blend reformulated or ratio changed | Heavy and light fractions shift | Confirmation on the approved wick, ladder if it fails |
| Load changed by a percentage point or more | Fuel composition changes | Confirmation burn at the new load |
| Different wax or wax supplier | Retention and melt behaviour change | Re-screen every class anchor |
| New jar diameter | Pool geometry changes | Re-run ladders from the house wick |
| Customer reports soot or tunnelling | Real-world evidence | Pull a production candle and burn it |
Record every approval as a line that names the oil, its source and batch, the class, the wick, the load, the wax, the jar and the cure. A line like that lets anyone in your workshop answer the question "which wick does this fragrance use, and why?" without reopening old notebooks.
Over time the matrix becomes more useful than any single test. You will see which classes need their own wick, which oils sit on class boundaries, and how rarely class B oils cause trouble. That is the real payoff: fewer tests for the easy oils, more careful tests for the hard ones, and no assumption that a shared percentage means a shared burn.
Where this page fits
CSI already has guides that cover parts of this question. This page answers the specific oil-in-wax question above; these go deeper on the rest:
Three things to buy for this job
| Option | Price | Status on the September 2026 pull |
|---|---|---|
| 100 g | ₹699.00 | Out of stock |
| 500 g | ₹3,300.00 | In stock |
| 1 kg | ₹6,400.00 | In stock |
| Option | Price | Status on the September 2026 pull |
|---|---|---|
| 15 g | ₹105.02 | In stock |
| 50 g | ₹270.00 | In stock |
| 100 g | ₹540.00 | In stock |
| 500 g | ₹2,620.00 | In stock |
| 1 kg | ₹5,221.00 | In stock |
| Option | Price | Status on the September 2026 pull |
|---|---|---|
| Thin (C1) × 100 | ₹590.00 | In stock |
| Thin (C1) × 1,000 | ₹5,900.00 | In stock |
| Thick (C2) × 100 | ₹944.00 | In stock |
| Thick (C2) × 1,000 | ₹9,440.00 | In stock |
CANDLEMAKINGSUPPLIESINDIA supplies raw materials and production equipment, not finished candles. This guide separates general fragrance and burn science from what CSI's own product pages state (loads, flashpoints, vanillin, cure guidance), and labels every suggested test length, sample count or score as a starting point for your own validation.
Prices are live CSI prices from September 2026; product pages are authoritative. Where a spec is not published — such as an oil's vanillin percentage or a wick's burn rate — this guide says so rather than filling the gap.
For bulk quotes, GST invoicing, IFRA and MSDS documents for a specific oil, message us on WhatsApp at +91 7397976926.
Frequently asked questions
- My Lavender Candle Burns Perfectly but Vanilla Using the Same Wax, Jar, Wick and 8% Fragrance Mushrooms Badly — Why?
- My Oud Fragrance Needs a Larger Wick Than My Citrus Fragrance at the Same 8% Load — What Properties of the Fragrance Can Change Wick Requirements?
- Two Fragrance Oils Are Both Used at 8% but One Makes the Wick Mushroom While the Other Burns Perfectly — Why Can the Wick Respond Differently?
- My Coffee Fragrance Makes the Flame Much Larger Than My Lavender Fragrance in the Same Candle System — Should Every Fragrance Have Its Own Wick Test?
- My Vanilla Candle Develops a Small Struggling Flame While My Rose Candle Burns Normally With the Same Wick — Could Fragrance Composition Affect Fuel Delivery?
- My Oud Candle Starts With a Good Flame but the Wick Gradually Becomes Clogged — Could the Fragrance Oil Be Contributing to the Problem?
- My Candle Wick Drowns Only When I Use One Particular Fragrance — How Do I Determine Whether the Fragrance Load or Fragrance Composition Is Responsible?
- My Wick Produces More Carbon Buildup With Gourmand Fragrances Than Fresh Fragrances — Why Can Different Fragrance Profiles Change Mushrooming Behaviour?
- Does Wick Size Affect Hot Throw in Soy Candles?
- What Fragrance Load Should You Use for Floral, Woody and Gourmand Oils?
Customer reviews: The reviews at the top are genuine, published Judge.me reviews — Lalitha Jagan (5★, not recorded as verified); Arshad Shaikh (5★, verified); Tina Raha (4★, verified); Priyanka Purohit (5★, verified); Ashwini (5★, not recorded as verified); Punam Sarma (4★, verified). Names, ratings, dates and products as recorded by Judge.me.
Product facts (September 2026, CSI live store): Royal Oud Fragrance Oil: 100 g ₹699.00 (out of stock), 500 g ₹3,300.00, 1 kg ₹6,400.00 — perfume-grade concentrate; top bergamot and pink pepper, heart oud, rose, cedarwood, base sandalwood, ambergris, musk · page: start test at 6–8% and work up, up to 10% in soy or paraffin · page: cure 72–96 h because oud takes longer to express · flashpoint stated as above 93°C · 100 g out of stock. Lavender Fragrance Oil: 15 g ₹105.02, 50 g ₹270.00, 100 g ₹540.00, 500 g ₹2,620.00, 1 kg ₹5,221.00 — single-note lavender; top fresh lavender, middle herbal green, base soft musk · stated candle load 6–10% · rated "Strong" on the product page · flashpoint and vanillin not published on the page. Eco Candle Wicks: Thin (C1) × 100 ₹590.00, Thin (C1) × 1,000 ₹5,900.00, Thick (C2) × 100 ₹944.00, Thick (C2) × 1,000 ₹9,440.00 — ₹5.90 (C1) and ₹9.44 (C2) per wick at every pack size.
Assumptions: Fragrance load is a percentage of total candle weight (200 g = 184 g wax + 16 g oil at 8%); CSI product pages phrase their ranges as a share of wax weight, so at 8% the difference is small but real. Oil cost per candle = grams of oil × the 1 kg price ÷ 1,000. Fragrance chemistry and burn behaviour are described as general principles, not CSI laboratory data. Burn-test lengths, sample counts, cure checkpoints beyond the product pages' stated 48–72 hours, and scoring scales are suggested starting points to validate. Worked examples are illustrations. Prices and availability change — product pages are authoritative.