"Fragrance throw" is the nomenclature given to assess the strength of scent dispersed from wax melts and candles. In the melting community, fragrance throw is classified into two categories: “hot” and “cold” throw. “Cold throw” is the release of fragrance when the wax melts are at room temperature, not yet warmed, and solid (i.e., just out of the package). “Hot throw” is the release of fragrance once the wax melts have been warmed. Generally, the difference between hot and cold throw is classified in terms of the strength of scent and also in terms of the character of the scent.

Most 1-oz wax melts will warm in an electric warmer with a strong scent throw ranging anywhere from 8–12 hours, depending on the scent type, size of your wax melt, and whether you're burning your wax melt continuously or in intervals. Here are a couple of things that can also affect how long your wax melt scents last: 

#1. Type of Warmer Used

The hotter your wax warmer gets, the more intense your scent will be, but it will have a corresponding shorter time for scent release. Similarly, if you have a wax warmer that is colder in terms of warming temperature, it will release a milder hot throw, but the scent will last for a longer period. If you’re experimenting with using a potpourri crock, they can get too hot for your wax melts and quickly burn the fragrance out of your melt, causing it lose scent quickly. 

We recommend pairing the branded wax melts or tarts you prefer with their corresponding wax warmer. This is because no two companies have the same recipe for their wax melts; different combinations of oil-to-wax ratios require different temperatures to melt. Most wax melt brands will set their wax warmers to a pre-manufactured temperature specific to their wax melt recipe.

Also, if you have a wax warmer without a timer, make sure you set an alarm so that you don’t waste your wax melts' scent. The best option is to get a wax warmer with an integrated timer so that it turns off automatically. We offer warmers with settings for 3, 6, and 9 hours with a light-up main button that allows you to easily manage the duration of your fragrance delivery.

#2. Oil-to-Wax Ratio

Typically, most candle companies use 1 oz of fragrance oil per 1 lb of wax. That’s about a 6% fragrance oil concentration; the amount of fragrance oil concentration in your wax melts can directly affect how long your wax melts last. This is because—depending on the type of wax—the fragrance oil can only bind itself to a certain amount of wax. Our wax melts are formulated to be more concentrated than the industry standard, so you can actually smell them!

The size and shape of wax melts also contributes to their throw. Most companies sell wax melts in bars or cubes. While these shapes may be bigger in size and weight, we recommend that you break up cubes any bigger than 0.55 ounces. This is because cubes that are denser are meant to last for a longer amount of time. In some cases, this isn’t the best use of your money if you don’t plan to wait around for more than 10 hours to smell your wax. Another option is to use wax melts or tarts that have been scaled to a smaller size so that you don’t have to break them up. That way you can more accurately adjust your preferred “hot throw” concentration, reducing your amount of “wax waste” and dollars spent! We recommend these cute little bears that you can mix and match with each other.

#3.  Traditional Fragrance vs. Natural Fragrance

The type of oil mixed into your wax melts can also affect how long your wax melts last. There are two types of oils that most wax melters and candle makers use to give you those luscious scents: traditional fragrance oil and natural fragrance oil. 

Traditional fragrance oils are a mixture of various chemical compounds, some natural and some synthetic. They are carefully formulated and blended to create a high-quality perfume. Because traditional fragrance oils are synthetically made, they are not volatile and generally last longer than essential oils.

Natural fragrance oils are made up of essential oils and isolates, absolutes, and extracts that are all naturally occurring. They are the liquid or the resin from the plant that is distilled, pressed, or extracted from different parts of the plant—flowers, root, bark, berries, etc. It usually takes hundreds of pounds of plant material to make a pound of essential oil. For example, it takes over 2,000 pounds of rose petals to make a pound of rose essential oil (which is why it’s so expensive).

Happy Wax melts are all made with natural fragrance oil containing zero parabens or phthalates that can release toxic chemicals into the air when heated. We make our melts healthier so you can breathe easy!

 #4. How You Store Your Wax Melts

The way you store your wax melts or tarts can directly affect their character, duration, and scent throw. To ensure that you get the most out of your wax melts and their shelf life, make sure you store your wax melts in a cool, dark place. We find that storing your wax melts in a bathroom cabinet above the sink or in a drawer most convenient to your warmer makes sense. Refrain from exposing your melts to direct sunlight for an extended period, as this exposure to heat will begin to affect the fragrance binding to the wax. When you choose where to store your melts, make sure you move the older melts to the front of your wax melt stash so you remember to use them next.

Seriously scented all natural soy wax melts