In 2020, Stéarinerie Dubois celebrates its 200th anniversary. This is an opportunity to reflect on two hundred years of a unique human and economic adventure, led over the years by the direct descendants of the founder: here not nostalgia, but inspiration to build the future.
March 1, 2020 is the first world candle day.
On this occasion, we propose you to read an article by Gérard Emptoz, chemist and historian of science, honorary professor of the University of Nantes and great expert of the history of the chemistry of fatty substances in general and stearin in particular.
From the discovery of fatty acids by Eugène Chevreul, to the development of industrial processes to manufacture them, to the development of the stearic candle industry, this article explains and tells a fascinating story of innovation.
Stéarinerie Dubois was one of the major players in this stearic candle revolution. Even if the company has, of course, undergone a profound transformation since the 19th century, it continues this activity since stearic acid is still one of the products we sell!
Here is the link to the article “Highly sought chemicals: fatty acids for candle making. The birth of industrial lipochemistry during the 19th century” by Professor Gérard Emptoz (in french) (Culture technique, no 23 (1991), pp.33-45).
Good reading!