Stearic acid, also called stearin or, to keep it simple, octadecanoic acid, is one of the saturated fatty acids present in animal (mainly beef, about 30%) and some vegetal (in smaller percentage, although cocoa and shea butter can contain up to 48%) fats and oils.
In candlemaking, the terms "stearic acid" and "stearin" are interchangeable and refer to the same product
Chemically speaking though, stearic acid is a component of stearin.
chemical formula:C18H36O2In the Nineteenth century, a chemist named Michel-Eugène Chevreul discovered that animal tallow (in this time still used to make candles) wasn't a single substance but a compound of two fatty acids, stearic acid oleic acid, combined with glycerin to form a neutral, non flammable substance.
By removing glycerin from the tallow compound, Chevreul invented a new substance named stearin (from the Greek "stear", which means tallow). Recent researches led to the development of a vegetable based substitute for stearin, until then always produced from animal fat. This vegetable substitute, which is gaining popularity among candlemakers, is primarily extracted from coconut oil (or palm oil).
In the candlemaking world, stearic acid is available as a powder or pellets, has a whitish color and feels a bit greasy to the touch. Its melting point is around 158°F.
We use it primarily:
The proportion of stearic acid you should use depends on the effect or result you're looking for. As a hardener, the common proportion is 3 teaspoons per pound (450 grams) of paraffin wax.
Used in higher proportions, stearic acid will opacify the wax, thus the finished candle too. In even higher proportions, a crystallization of the candle surface may appear.