Candles are useful household items that may help your home smell better and seem cozier and more inviting. There are numerous candles available, but not all have the aroma, cleanliness, and burn time you’re searching for. If you’re considering buying scented candles, you should first review this list of the best scented candles compiled by our reliable, real shopping community. You’ll undoubtedly leave with a shopping list stuffed with new candle companies to try at home!
Best Scented Candles
Scented candles add to the ambiance of any space by emitting calming light, enticing smells, and opulent feelings. Numerous candles from the best home and fragrance brands were the subject of our investigation, which included scent, quality, longevity, and price.
Finding the ideal candle for you might be difficult because some of the best scented candles need an investment. To find out which ones they’re burning, we turned directly to the professionals: house bloggers, interior designers, and lifestyle influencers (i.e., the individuals whose homes seriously make you envious on Instagram). Read on for the top 10 best scented candles for any budget, from sweet aromas to spicy ones.
Nest Fragrances New York Grapefruit Candle
Key Features
- Fresh Citrus Fragrance
- Four Different Sizes
- Extensive Burn Time
- Scent Lingers Even After Extinguished
Overview
You’ll adore the energizing perfume if you enjoy citrus scents. Top-selling scented candle company Nest has a devoted following of consumers; you could even say it has a cult following. Although there are many other scents available, the Nest New York Grapefruit Candle stands out from the competition. Pink pomelo grapefruit, herbal undertones, and notes of coriander blossom and lily of the valley make up the energizing aroma.
There are four sizes of this candle: 2.1 ounces, 8 ounces, 22 ounces, and 43.7 ounces. The 22-ounce size has a burn time of up to 100 hours, compared to the 8-ounce size’s 50–60 hours and the 2-ounce size’s 20 hours for burning. It’s poured with premium wax that’s designed to melt evenly and fill your environment with an energizing smell, just like other Nest candles. This candle may initially tunnel a little, so make sure to let it melt all the way to the edge before putting it out.
Diptyque Baies Candle
Key Features
- Burns Evenly and Slowly
- Can Reuse Glass Container
- Mini Candle Available at Lower Price
- Best Splurge Candle
Overview
Check out the Diptyque Baies Candle if you’re ready to spend a little extra on the ideal candle. This top seller has a very delicious scent designed to create a cozy and welcoming atmosphere in your home. The fruity aroma is comparable to the fresh rose and blackcurrant scent of Diptyque’s L’Ombre Dans l’Eau perfume.
This white candle is packaged in a clear glass jar with a straightforward label that is written in French. There are two sizes offered: 2.4 ounces and 6.5 ounces. You must let the Baies candle burn for at least two hours the first time you light it. It will burn more evenly each time you light it if you let the top layer of wax melt completely during the initial burn. Additionally, Diptyque advises cutting the wick to 0.25 inches before lighting it and centering it after each blowout.
Grow Fragrance Candles
Key Features
- Reusable Concrete Vessel
- Recyclable Refill Inserts
- Plant-Based Fragrance
- Available in Multiple Scents
Overview
Grow Fragrance was established to provide toxin-free, naturally sourced, and seasonally supplied household scents that are entirely made of plants.
According to the company, they use a test created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure all candles are made entirely from plants and are free of heavy metals and pollutants. They also ensure there are no phthalates, parabens, petroleum, or artificial petrochemicals. That includes their candle line as well.
Although they don’t specify which essential oils have sustainability difficulties, Grow Fragrance also claims they stay away from them. Their attention to the environment also extends to design. You will acquire a concrete outer vessel for your first purchase, which you can repeatedly use with replacement candle inserts. Aluminum that has been used to house the refill inserts can be recycled.
Grow Fragrance candles are exceptionally fragrant and long-lasting because they are made with American-grown soy wax, coconut wax, and plant extracts that burn without releasing any hazardous pollutants.
Brooklyn Candle Studio Candle
Key Features
- 100% Soy Wax
- Scents Inspired by Nature and Travel
- Cruelty-Free
- 100% Vegan
Overview
According to Brooklyn Candle Studio, it was founded to portray luxury at an affordable price point through its scents, a simple design, and an effort to find the best ingredients.
The raw materials used in making fragrance oils come from high-quality natural and synthetic sources, including vegetable oil-primed cotton wicks and 100% soy wax from soybeans cultivated in the United States.
According to the brand, all candles are vegan and cruelty-free and only use aroma oils devoid of phthalates. Their candles have a clean burn and are free of paraffin wax, metalcore, and wicks primed with petroleum.
Slow North Candles
Key Features
- Available in Multiple Fragrances
- Soy Wax, Essential Oils, Cotton, and Paper Wicks
- Minimalist Design
- Non-Toxic
Overview
After the birth of their first son, Michelle and Jon Simmons were inspired to develop plant-based candles. They learned more and more during Michelle’s pregnancy about dubious components in everyday home goods.
The need for organically healthy candles became apparent as they looked for nontoxic alternatives, and the two started experimenting. They made candles with an emphasis on clean-burning aromas and ingredient transparency.
Pure essential oils and soy wax produced in the United States are used in the production of all Slow North candles. They are poured into reusable tumblers made in the United States.
The minimalist design of Slow North is completed by cork lids, cotton and paper wicks, and more than a dozen different scents.
Pure Plant Home Candles
Key Features
- Best Nontoxic Candles
- Coconut Wax
- Hand-Poured in Small Batches
- Pure Essential Oils
Overview
With coconut wax, an unbleached cotton wick, and pure essential oils, Pure Plant Home keeps things natural and free of petrochemicals, synthetics, artificial colors, or colorants.
The company’s founder, Tina Rocca, has been creating aromatherapy blends for more than 20 years. She started Aroma Naturals Candles in 1995, and before selling the company to Yankee Candle Company, it became the largest producer of handcrafted aromatherapy candles.
Tina rediscovered her love of candle-making and created a soy-free coconut wax that serves as the ideal vehicle for her essential oil scents.
Homesick Candles
Key Features
- Simple and Sophisticated Design
- Highly Personalized
- Long Lasting Burn Time
- Thoughtful and Fragrant Scent
Homesick Candles are made with this connection between scent and memory in mind. Homesick Candles are the ideal present for someone who is distant from home, as the name implies. One of our editors says, “I received the Florida Homesick candle as a present, and the delicate citrus smell and a hint of vanilla is very calming and comforting.
Soy wax and fragrance oils are hand-poured into these 13.75-ounce candles. There are 50 perfumes available, one for each of the 50 states in the United States. Each fragrance is based on the distinctive scent profile of each state, using feedback from people on how they experience the aromatic outdoors. These candles hit all the right notes, from peachy-floral Georgia and sandy-citrus Arizona to nutty-pine Oregon and honey-bourbon Kentucky.
Harlem Candle Co. Josephine Luxury Candle
Key Features
- Long Burn Time
- Two Wicks for Evenly Distributed Burning
- Celebrates the History of the Harlem Renaissance
Overview
The Harlem Candle Company needs to be on your radar if you enjoy gorgeous candles and are a history geek. With candles that are as vibrant as the music and culture of the Harlem Renaissance, this black-owned company honors musicians like Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and—in this case—Josephine Baker. The candles contain two wicks to keep the wax uniform and prevent tunneling, and they have an anticipated 80-hour burn time.
Each candle rests in a 12-ounce container decorated with designs and colors that are reminiscent of renowned entertainment venues around Harlem. Teri Johnson, the company’s founder, who has a taste for exquisite smell, also saw to it that these soy wax candles had opulent scents created by a group of well-known perfume experts.
Voluspa Bourbon Vanille Corta Maison Candle
Key Features
- Easily Fills a Small Room
- Two Wicks Keep an Even Burn Pattern
- Sweet Yet Sophisticated Scent
Overview
A vanilla candle is hard to resist, but it can be challenging to find one that is both subtle and not overbearing. The Bourbon Vanille Corta Maison Candle from Voluspa, the company that also created our best for kitchen pick, provides a cozy and inviting sensory experience. You’ll enjoy lighting this candle on a chilly day because it fills my tiny space with a warm, inviting fragrance.
You may feel easy knowing that this candle’s higher price point is justified by its use of premium ingredients because it is composed of coconut wax and has two natural wicks. Additionally vegan and devoid of phthalates, sulphates, insecticides, and parabens, the aroma formula uses only natural components. It can burn for up to 45 hours if cut and cared for properly.
Voluspa Tarocco Orange Large Embossed Glass Jar Candle
Key Features
- Uses Coconut Wax for a Cleaner Burn
- Several Color & Scent Options
- Sustainably Produced
- Best for Kitchen
Overview
The greatest candle aroma to burn in your kitchen is one that pairs well with the foods you prepare and consume. In other words, pick something that smells good, like the Goji and Tarocco Orange Voluspa Glass Jar Candle. This specific candle offers an irresistible scent of blood oranges, fresh mango, and goji berries. It reminds me of a warm spring day because it is delicious and fresh. Although this candle has a wonderful scent, it works best in a compact space because it doesn’t have a significant smell throw when burned.
The exclusive coconut wax from Voluspa burns 90% cleaner than soy wax candles, making it perfect for use in the kitchen. With 18 ounces of hand-poured wax, this impressively big candle has a 100-hour burn period. It is packaged in an exquisitely engraved red glass jar with a floral tin top. Once the candle has burned out, you may scoop off the waxy residue and use the jar to store things like flowers, jewelry, pens, or even cooking utensils.
What to Look for in Scented Candles
Fragrance
Scents in scented candles can be either manufactured or natural. Both kinds are frequently used in candles made by candle producers. Natural smells arise from their environmental equivalent and are produced naturally. Man-made synthetic scents are frequently created to complement, intensify, or add complexity to natural fragrances.
Ingredients
Soy wax or paraffin wax are commonly used to make scented candles, with paraffin wax being the more common choice. This wax is made from petroleum oil and is less expensive than soy. This implies that metal burns “dirty,” melting to release soot and other hazardous consequences. The substitute for paraffin wax, soy wax, is becoming more and more popular. It burns longer and cleaner than paraffin wax and is manufactured from soybeans.
Burn Time
Depending on the size and type of wax used, various candles burn for varying lengths of time. A candle with a long burn life is excellent for bigger common areas like the living room or kitchen. An area that isn’t used frequently, such as a guest bedroom or bathroom, is ideal for a candle with a shorter burn period.
Final Words
It’s difficult to know what to believe because candle toxicity information is inconsistent. That is why the easiest way to distinguish honesty, quality, and sustainability from marketing is to research a candle company and its philosophies.
Be sure to look through ingredient lists, visit websites, or personally inquire about the aroma, wax, and wick. Additionally, like other things, candles are usually best used sparingly and only in well-ventilated areas.
FAQ
How Scented Candles are Made?
In order to create scented candles, the wax must first be melted before adding fragrance. The wax is then added to a prepared jar with a wick attached to the base. Finally, the wick is cut, and the wax is allowed to be set.
Where Should You Place Scented Candles?
Candles with a scent can look beautiful in any setting. But here are some rules: If you have pets or young children, keep the candles out of reach of them. Make sure the size of the candle is appropriate to the room size (don’t burn a massive candle in your half-bath—the scent will be too overpowering). For fire safety, place scented candles in your sightline.
How Long Do Scented Candles Last?
Depending on the type of wax, the wick’s size, and other factors, scented candles can burn for anywhere between 6 and 150 hours. Larger candles last longer than smaller ones, and soy candles last longer than paraffin candles. The estimated burn time is often printed on the jar of candles.