I Want to Compare Two Lavender Fragrance Oils From Different Suppliers — How Do I Design a Fair Test Using the Same Wax, Fragrance Load, Jar and Wick?
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Why blind coding? Knowing which supplier is which colours your scoring. A helper labels the jars with neutral codes so you judge the candle, not the brand.
How many candles per oil? Three per oil is a practical starting point to validate: one for cold throw, two for hot throw on separate days.
What if both score the same? Then decide on cost per candle, colour, supply and batch consistency. A tie on scent is a real result, not a failed test.
Why lavender versus lavender is harder than it looks
Comparing a lavender with a coffee is easy; the difference is obvious. Comparing two lavenders is subtle. Both will smell recognisably of lavender, and the gap between them often lies in the details: how fresh the top feels, whether a camphor or herbal edge shows up under heat, how long the scent lasts in the room, and whether the base is clean or slightly soapy. Small differences like these are exactly what bias, a tired nose or a changed wick can hide or invent.
That is why the design matters more here than in a broad screen. If the two candles differ in anything other than the oil, the small gap you are trying to measure can be swamped by the test itself.
Lock the six variables
Write these six items at the top of the test sheet and fill them in before you pour. If any line differs between the two oils, the test is not yet fair.
| Variable | Lock it to | Why it matters for lavender |
|---|---|---|
| Wax | One pack of CSI 464, melted in one batch and split in two | Soy binding changes how much of the fresh top escapes cold |
| Load | 8% of total weight: 184 g wax + 16 g oil in a 200 g candle | More oil in one candle would mimic a stronger lavender |
| Jar | Identical jars from the same lot | Diameter controls melt-pool size and release |
| Wick | Same wick, same tab, same centring | Wick heat can sharpen or flatten herbal notes |
| Pour and addition temperature | Same readings, checked with one thermometer | Overheating can drive off top notes before pouring |
| Cure | Same pour day and same checkpoint, at least 48–72 h | A fresher candle can read differently to an older one |
Splitting one melted batch of wax into two jugs is the simplest way to lock the wax, because it removes any doubt about pack-to-pack variation. Add each lavender to its own jug at the same temperature and stir for the same time, then pour both sets within minutes of each other.
Check the flashpoint for each oil before adding it. CSI Lavender's page does not publish a flashpoint, so request the MSDS on WhatsApp; ask the other supplier for theirs too. Add each oil below its flashpoint and at the wax maker's stated temperature.
Blind coding and burn order
Bias is not a character flaw; it is how noses and brains work together. If you know which candle is the one you paid more for, or the one from the supplier you already like, you will find reasons to prefer it. Blind coding removes that pull.
A scoring sheet built for lavender
Use one sheet for both codes, with a fixed scale for every line. A 1–5 scale is a practical starting point to validate; the important thing is that the scale and its meanings stay the same for both oils.
| Line | What to judge | L-A | L-B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold throw | Lid lifted at a fixed distance after cure | ||
| Hot throw at the door | Noticeable on entering after a fixed burn time | ||
| Hot throw at room centre | Strength where people actually sit | ||
| Lavender character | Fresh floral-herbal, not harsh, camphor-heavy or soapy | ||
| Character under heat | Does it stay true late in the burn? | ||
| Burn behaviour | Steady flame, low carbon, no visible soot | ||
| Wax appearance | Surface, colour, any sweating |
Leave a notes column for words, not only numbers. Two lavenders might both score 4 for hot throw while one is described as clean and airy and the other as powdery. Those words often decide which oil suits your brand better than the totals do.
If you have two or three people scoring, have each fill a sheet independently before any discussion. Average the numbers, then look for lines where scorers disagree by two points or more; those are lines to retest rather than lines to trust.
After the reveal: cost, supply and documents
Once the codes are open, add the business columns. The oil cost per 200 g candle at 8% for CSI Lavender is 16 g × (₹5,221.00 ÷ 1000) = 16 g × ₹5.221 = ₹83.54. Work out the other supplier's figure the same way from their kilogram price. If the cheaper oil scored lower on hot throw, bracket it at 10% before writing it off, and cost that too; if the dearer oil scored higher, bracket it at 6% to see whether it holds its lead with less oil.
Reviews can sit beside your results but never above them. One CSI Lavender buyer, Priyanka Purohit, wrote: "Quality of fragrance is very good. Cold through and hot though both are perfect." That is a useful signal that the oil has worked in someone's candles. It is not evidence about your jar, your wick or your room, which is exactly what this test supplies.
Finally, compare what each supplier can give you in writing. CSI provides IFRA and MSDS documents on WhatsApp request. Ask the other supplier the same questions: documents, published flashpoint, whether repeat orders come from a consistent batch, and which pack sizes they hold. A lavender that wins blind but cannot be supplied reliably is only half a winner.
Four outcomes and what to do with each
One oil wins clearly on every sensory line. Keep it, then bracket it at 6% and 8% before you order a kilogram. A clear winner at 8% may still be a clear winner at 6%, and that lower load is money saved on every candle.
One oil wins on throw, the other on character. Go back to your brief. If your customers buy lavender for sleep and calm, a softer, cleaner character may matter more than the last point of room fill. If you sell to larger living spaces, throw may matter more. Decide which line carries the weight before you pick.
Both oils burn badly on the shared wick. The test has told you about the wick, not the oils. Re-run with a wick that burns cleanly for a control lavender you already trust, then repeat the comparison.
The scores are within a point on every line. Accept the tie. Nothing in this test separates them, so the decision moves to cost per candle, documents and supply, which is a perfectly sound way for a business to choose.
Whichever outcome you get, file the sheet with the pour date and both oils' batch details. The next time either supplier sends a fresh lot, you can pour one reference candle and compare it against this record.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 500 g | ₹260.00 | In stock |
| 1 kg | ₹507.40 | In stock |
| 5 kg | ₹2,537.00 | In stock |
| 10 kg | ₹5,074.00 | In stock |
| Option | Price | Status on the September 2026 pull |
|---|---|---|
| Pack of 100 | ₹1,200.00 | In stock |
| Pack of 1,000 | ₹12,000.00 | 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
- One Lavender Fragrance Costs ₹3,000 per Kg and Another Costs ₹5,000 but Performs Better at a Lower Load — How Do I Determine Which Is Actually Cheaper per Candle?
- I’m Comparing Two Vanilla Fragrance Oils — Should Hot Throw, Discolouration and Wick Behaviour Matter More Commercially Than Which Smells Stronger From the Bottle?
- I’m Comparing Three Coffee Fragrance Oils for My Candle Business — How Do I Score Cold Throw, Hot Throw, Scent Quality, Discolouration and Burn Behaviour Without Relying Only on Preference?
- A Fragrance Sample Performs Beautifully in a 200 g Test Candle — What Should I Verify Before Ordering 5 Kg and Using It in Commercial Production?
- I Tested a Fragrance at 8% but the Supplier Recommends up to 12% — Should I Test Higher Loads If 8% Already Gives Good Performance?
- My Fragrance Performs Well at 6% — Should I Intentionally Test 8% and 10% Anyway Before Finalising the Most Economical Commercial Load?
- How Do I Find the Lowest Fragrance Load That Still Gives Acceptable Cold and Hot Throw so I Don’t Waste Expensive Fragrance Oil?
- Should My Commercial Fragrance-Load Decision Be Based on Maximum Possible Scent Strength or the Lowest Percentage That Delivers the Intended Customer Experience?
- How to Compare Two Fragrance Oils Using a Controlled Burn Test
- Premium vs Cheap Fragrance Oils: The Real Difference
Customer reviews: The reviews at the top are genuine, published Judge.me reviews — Sooraj R (5★, verified); Akansha (4★, verified); Tina Raha (4★, verified); Payal Patel (5★, verified); Jaya Sawlani (5★, verified); Kaushiki Satarkar (5★, verified). Names, ratings, dates and products as recorded by Judge.me.
Product facts (September 2026, CSI live store): 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. Luxury Soy Wax CSI 464 (flakes): 500 g ₹260.00, 1 kg ₹507.40, 5 kg ₹2,537.00, 10 kg ₹5,074.00 — 100% soy container wax in flakes · single pour · stated fragrance load up to 10% · stated shelf life 60 months (cool, dry storage). Cotton Braided Wicks Ready Made: Pack of 100 ₹1,200.00, Pack of 1,000 ₹12,000.00 — pre-tabbed · ₹12.00 each.
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.