Why is vanilla in so many fragrances?

Ever wondered why vanillin is listed on so many “non-vanilla” candles and oils. vanillin is commonly used in fragrance development for two major reasons.

• Scent
• natural fixative 

All scents are composed of top, middle, and base notes - see “triple scent blog” 

Top notes come from compounds with lower boiling points – they hit you hard and fast before disappearing quickly from a scent. Base notes last the longest and support the bulk of a fragrance’s life. Vanilla acts as a NATURAL fixative making the entire fragrance last longer by anchoring volatile notes to the scent, so they don’t evaporate as quickly.

Vanilla also seamlessly adds a warm, sweet tone to the entire blend.

Candles with Vanilla tend to yellow a little – especially near a window or sun as it’s the UV light discolouring the candle. It will not affect the burn or scent. I never add any chemical fixatives or stabilizers.