What is a candle?

In the 1800s, French chemist Michel-Eugène Chevreul produced stearic acid, which was used to make higher quality waxes by separating fatty acid from glycerin in oil. Later, new processes were learned in making wax materials. Apart from stearic acid, two other important materials were found: spermaceti from the head cavity of the sperm whale, and paraffin, a byproduct of petroleum. After these discoveries, the mixture prepared with paraffin and stearic acid became the basic material of wax.