Helping our clients

achieve quality products

TOGETHER
FOUNDING
STORY
It’s no coincidence that we manufacture
both color & fragrance. FCF was founded
in 1974 by our CEO, Peter French, with the
goal of filling a void in the marketplace.

Peter began his career as a chemist in the US

45
Navy and later for Mobil. Along the way, he
PETER FRENCH, also worked in Wall Street as a bond trader.
Founder & Chief Executive
Officer He ultimately combined his love of chemistry
with his love for business and created one
YEARS
company, thus, FCF was born.
INDUSTRY
FIRSTS
LEADING manufacturer of
color, fragrance & additives
in the industry.
FIRST to create and
manufacture liquid dye
technology in the industry.
FIRST to introduce UV
technology to the candle
industry.
CORE
COMPETENCIES
We design fragrances, colors, & additives for:
• Candles/Melts
• Air Care
• Personal Care
• Odor Elimination
Technologies
• Auto Care
• Specialty Cleaning
Products
• Other Innovative
Technologies
GLOBAL SUPPORT
With our corporate offices and manufacturing locations in the
United States, Europe, and Asia, we are well-equipped to handle global
needs, on-time delivery, regulatory requirements, and a region-specific
understanding of your market.

• Creative + R&D Center:

Englewood, New Jersey,
USA
• Corporate Offices +
Manufacturing:
Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA
• Manufacturing:
Trenton, New Jersey, USA
• Sales Office:
United Kingdom, Auggen,
Germany
• R&D + Manufacturing:
Germany
• Manufacturing:
France
• R&D + Manufacturing:
Shanghai, China
 KEY ELEMENTS
for a successful fragranced &
colored wax product

FCF EXPERTISE
• Fragrance performance
• Color appearance
• Product stability
• Candle combustion
FRAGRANCE PERFORMANCE

MORE THAN
JUST SMELLING
GOOD
Fragrance performance depends on the
application it is used in.

Wax, for example, will affect fragrance

differently than a cleaner or a
personal care product would.

A perfumer and application

chemist works with the
final product in mind
in order achieve the
best performance.
FRAGRANCE PERFORMANCE

THE OLFACTIVE PYRAMID

CONSTRUCTION
TOP NOTES

MIDDLE NOTES

BASE NOTES
FRAGRANCE PERFORMANCE
“Why is my
candle’s hot throw
different than
when its cold?”

“Why does my fragrance

smell different since I
switched waxes?” COMMON
QUESTIONS
Regarding
“If a fragrance
doesnt smell Fragrance in
strong does that
mean it has a lot
Candles
of solvent?” “Why is the oil
bleeding out of
the wax?
FRAGRANCE PERFORMANCE

DESIGNING FRAGRANCE
FOR PERFORMANCE
Maximum Fragrance Performance = Good Cold Throw + Good Hot Throw

COLD THROW HOT THROW COMMON

• Vegetable wax • Melt pool has MISCONCEPTIONS
suppresses the top a relatively low ABOUT CANDLE
and mid notes of the temperature & inhibits FRAGRANCES
fragrance full fragrance bloom • Concentrated
fragrances smell
• Ingredients bind to
• We don’t experience stronger
wax and get wicked up
the full character of • Very high dose levels
and burned rather than
the fragrance smell strong
evaporate
• Fragrance is • Certain natural
perceived as either ingredients can
distorted or weak impede upon the burn
with trace level of iron
FRAGRANCE PERFORMANCE
How to tell when a fragrance
isn’t compatible?

• Fragrance oil forms beads at the

bottom of the vessel when added
to the hot wax and will not mix in
during the candle making process.
DESIGNING • Fragrance oil looks like it’s mixing
FRAGRANCE FOR but it precipitates out and pools

PERFORMANCE at the bottom of the vessel during

the cooling down period.

Syneresis in a candle • Fragrance oil sweats out of the wax

either on the sides or on top of
is the fragrance oil the candle within the first 24 to 48
bleeding out of hours of having been made.
the wax. • Exception: Fragrance oil sweats
out of the wax several days or
weeks after having been made.
This is most likely due to unusual
and extreme candle storage
conditions that either break/
change the wax matrix or alter the
fragrance stability or both.
FRAGRANCE PERFORMANCE

DESIGNING FRAGRANCE FOR

PERFORMANCE Contributing Factors to Syneresis
FORMULATION FRAGRANCE LOAD WAX MATRIX
• Solvent system is not •A
 ll paraffin wax • Mottling wax by
suitable for candles. depending on it’s nature most of
(ex. A fragrance designed formulation will have the time will push
for a reed diffuser or a
liquid soap uses a solvent a maximum fragrance a portion of the
system that is not soluble in load threshold. If the fragrance out. Some
wax and will almost always fragrance is dosed at candle manufactures
bleed out.)
levels higher than the consider this kind of
• A fragrance contains threshold it will bleed bleeding part of the
a very large amount out. “look” of the product
of ingredients that and in these cases the
are not oil soluble. bleeding is actually
Ex. Vanillin, Amyl expected and desired.
Cinnamate, etc.
• Fragrance oil doesn’t
have any or enough
solvent.
FRAGRANCE PERFORMANCE

WAX COMPARISON CHART

Broad
Oil Content Broad Range
Fragrance Opaque Renewable Range of
Wax Type Transparency Odor Viscosity Free Acids (Hyrdocarbon of Hardness UV Stability
Load Appearance Sources Congealing
Oils) Values
Points

Paraffin
Wax  –  –  –     

Synthetic  Varies  – Varies –     

Beeswax   – Varies       –

Vegetable
Wax   – Varies       –

SCALE
 GOOD
 GREAT
 BEST
APPEARANCE
“I’m not using color,
but how can I make
my natural wax
whiter?”

“What effect does the

color of the fragrance
have on my candle?”
COMMON
QUESTIONS
Regarding Color
in Wax
“Why am I using
so much color
and I still can’t
match that
paraffin candle?”
APPEARANCE

TYPES OF DYES for Candle Manufacturing

The colorants you select have baring on the final outcome of Color.
On average natural waxes require 50% more colorant to achieve a color.

FCF FCF FCF FCF FCF

LIQUID FLAKE BLOCK POWDER PIGMENT

BEST option NOT Colorant NOT generally Colorant

for natural recommended used by recommended used for
waxes for for natural crafters due to overdip
performance waxes due to for ease of solubility and candles
and lower blooming measurement challenges in
usage levels production
APPEARANCE

FRAGRANCE AFFECT ON COLOR

The color of the fragrance can affect the target shade

A BLUE candle turns GREEN

when adding a YELLOW
fragrance
APPEARANCE

MAKING YOUR
WHITE WAX Whiteners are used for wax
where perhaps a batch has
WHITER an off color and need to
lighten the canvas.

WHITENERS Whiteners are also a great

option for melts, as well
where high fragrance loads
adversely effect the color
of the base wax challenging
the ability to hit pantone
targets.
BEFORE AFTER
S TA B I L I T Y
“Why is my candle
chaging colors on one
side of the candle?”

“My wax has an odor.

What can I do about it?”

COMMON
QUESTIONS
Regarding
Stability in Wax
“Why has the
entire color
of my candle
changed?”
 S TA B I L I T Y

STABILITY OF COLOR +
FRAGRANCE IN NATURAL WAX
WAX COLOR FRAGRANCE
• Natural waxes can • Fading on the side • Aroma compounds
darken over time of the candle at the can attack dyes
source of exposure
• Sunlight and heat • Fragrance can be
wil speed up the • Green candle will shift more reactive in
reaction to yellow natural waxes

• Odor can be used as • Brown candle turns • Fragrance can odor

a stability indicator green shift
S TA B I L I T Y

THE PERFECT
STORM

+ + +
More challenging Colors susceptible to Aggressive
natural wax types specific compound(s) fragrances
S TA B I L I T Y

TYPICAL DEGRADATION
SCENARIOS
FRAGRANCE COLOR TYPICAL FRAGRANCE COLOR TYPICAL
CHANGE CHANGE

Gourmand Citrus

Fruity/Berry Spice

Floral Ozonic/Fresh
 INDUSTRY
TRENDS
Growth of fragrance in all markets.
Two different scenarios:
• (Increased/Higher) fragrance loads typically
found in the high end market.
• Mid-to-low market/Retailer driven – lower
fragrance loads, but wanting impact with
linear fragrances.
Regulatory changes ruling all aspects of
formulation
• Restrictions in materials and levels.
• Retailers desire label free products for Europe
QUESTIONS?