The Best Scented Candles
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Burning a candle can be a blessing or a curse. The right one will elevate the mood, providing ambiance and a wonderful scent that’s exactly as strong as you want it. But it’s all too easy to get a candle that burns poorly, smells awful, or fills a room with a scent you don’t love. I‘m on the hunt to find the best candles you can buy on the internet. These are my favorites (so far).
Be sure to check out our related buying guides, including the Best Flower Delivery Services, the Best Handheld Vacuums, and the Best Natural Deodorants.
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How We Tested and What’s Up Next
I burned each candle for a minimum of three hours. I took notes and polled my family and friends on the scent, strength, and appearance of each candle. We have many more candles to test from Siblings, Imaginary Authors, Diptyque, D.S. & Durga, Boy Smells, Paddywax, and more—plus a bevy of accessories.
The tables below include a “scent strength” section. “Strong” means the smell fills the entire room; “medium” means the smell fills the area near the candle but not the whole room; “faint” means you get a whiff now and then, but otherwise the scent is not too noticeable.
Materials, Tips, and Safety
An in-depth candle explainer is in the works, but in the meantime, here’s some helpful information.
Candle materials: There are a few popular materials for candles, including soy wax, paraffin wax, vegetable wax, coconut wax, and some others. Paraffin holds a scent well; soy wax lasts for a long time; palm wax has a high melting point. Sometimes candles are made with a blend of wax types. However, you should beware of one ingredient being marketed as more sustainable than others. Palm products contribute to deforestation, but soy isn’t necessarily sustainable if the plants are grown on single-crop swaths of land. Ultimately, it’s hard to discern whether a candle is truly made sustainably. Focusing on a vessel you’ll reuse, minimal packaging, or brands that donate proceeds toward environmental efforts can help.
Candle tips: The first time you burn a candle, you set the wax “memory.” If you allow it to burn for only a little while, and the entire top surface of the candle doesn’t melt, this sets a baseline shape for the wax that can lead to tunneling. Ensure that you burn a candle evenly to avoid tunneling. If you encounter tunneling, you can wrap foil around the candle while it’s lit or use a hair dryer to help soften the unmelted surrounding wax, but I think it’s way easier to just avoid it in the first place.
Candle safety: Never leave a burning candle unattended. Ensure candles are fully extinguished before walking away. Keep your wicks trimmed to about a fourth of an inch. Keep candles away from flammable materials (like curtains or hair) and don’t burn them in drafty rooms. Ensure they’re out of reach of pets and children. Don’t burn candles for more than a few hours at a time.
- Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Sweetest Smelling
Bath & Body Works Sweethearts 4Ever Sweet 3-Wick CandleBath & Body Works’ 3-Wick Candles are always great. I sincerely haven’t tried a single one that I disliked. This scent is part of a limited-edition Valentine’s Day collaboration with Sweethearts, makers of those chalky delights with cheeky sayings. And it smells exactly like them. The three-wick design ensures even burning with minimal tunneling, and there’s a cute decorative lid with a rubber seal that keeps the scent sealed in and dust and debris out. I loved this candle’s cheerful packaging and sweet, uplifting scent.
Materials Soy, paraffin, and vegetable wax blend Scent Notes Candied grape, sweet berry, and powdered sugar Scent Strength Strong Burn Time 25–45 hours Size 14.5 ounces - Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Fresh and Green
Fur CandleThis candle is expensive, and it smells like it. It comes from Fur, a company best known for its ingrown-hair prevention body oil. The candles are hand-poured by Joya Studio in Brooklyn. I didn’t love this scent as a deodorant (on my body), but as a candle it really works. It’s fresh, green, floral, and unisex. It reminds me a little bit of summer nights—sort of outdoorsy and wild. It would be a great option if you usually find scented candles to be too sweet or cloying. The single-wick design is prone to tunneling, so be prepared to burn the candle for a couple of hours when first lighting it. I love the chartreuse wax color and the shape of the candle, which is not too skinny and not too wide. The vessel looks nice and would make a cute bud vase or painting rinse cup once it’s empty.
Materials Soy wax blend Scent Notes Bergamot, wild mint, eucalyptus, lavender, pine, lily of the valley, rose, geranium leaf Scent Strength Medium Burn Time 50–60 hours Size 8.6 ounces
- Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Best Candle Subscription
Vellabox Sierra Soapbox Après Ski CandleVellabox is one of our favorite subscription boxes. Starting at $18, each month you can get an artisanal candle and a bonus goodie in a scent matched to your preferences (based on a quiz you take when subscribing). I’ve received a few different candles from Vellabox, but Après-Ski has been my favorite. The label says it “smells like a warm bar, a cool drink, smoked marshmallow, [and] palo santo.” That description is spot-on. The scent is very winter-appropriate. It’s a little sweet, a little smoky, and a little cold. I love the large glass jar, which filters through a beautiful amber glow when the candle is lit. And I like that the metal lid screws on. You can purchase this candle separately, or take your pick of other scents, bundles, and premade boxes if you don’t want to subscribe and try your luck.
Materials Soy wax Scent Notes Smoky marshmallow, vanilla, sandalwood, amber, palo santo Scent Strength Medium Burn Time 25–80 hours (size dependent) Size Varies (I tested 16 ounces) - Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Best Packaging
Formulary55 Sea Salt & Lavender Frosted Jar CandleI love Formulary55’s sleek, understated packaging. The candles ship in a small box with plain paper as padding. There’s a printed paper insert on top of the candle with safety information, and a small sticker label on the bottom with scent notes. Otherwise, the outside of the jar is completely gorgeous and unbranded, meaning it can be reused for a myriad of purposes without a tiny advertisement sitting on your counter or windowsill. I’m not usually a marine scent enjoyer, but this candle nails the smell of fresh sea air without any overly soapy, in-your-face notes. There’s a hint of floral lavender, but the overall scent is still unisex. I do wish it smelled a little stronger, but if you’re seeking a simple candle that will accent the room without overpowering it, this is what you want.
Materials Apricot, coconut, and soy wax blend Scent Notes Sea spray, salt, lavender Scent Strength Faint to medium Burn Time Over 60 hours Size 11 ounces
- Photograph: Amazon
A Masculine Candle
DW Home Warm Tobacco Pipe CandleYou know the feeling you get when you walk past a candle store at the mall (remember those?) and your senses are overwhelmed with hundreds of way-too-strong smells? Years ago, this candle managed to lure me in with a siren song amid all of those notes. I hunted it down and it’s been in my rotation ever since. It smells. So. Good. It’s masculine, but not in a cologne way. More like in a study-with-leather-wing-chairs-and-a-fireplace kind of way. It’s available in many sizes and the larger ones have a sturdy metal lid and pretty colored glass that makes the burning candle look as good as it smells.
Materials Palm wax blend Scent Notes Warm tobacco, brushed suede, aromatic greens, soft weathered woods, earthy patchouli, smoky leather Scent Strength Strong Burn Time 56 hours (size dependent) Size 15 ounces - Photograph: Otherland
Prettiest Vessel
Otherland Moonstruck CandleI’ve never smelled an Otherland candle that I disliked, but Moonstruck takes the cake. The jar is so pretty, with a gilded inside and a navy outside, and the scent smells like the outside of a party at midnight. It’s very much like a fairytale—woodsy without being too soft or amberlike. If these scent notes don’t call to you, I recommend checking out the brand’s other candles—they’re all beautiful and they all smell fantastic. But if you want something a little unconventional, Moonstruck is absolutely worth a shot.
Materials Coconut and soy wax blend Scent Notes White mahogany, sweet myrrh, smoked birch Scent Strength Strong Burn Time Up to 55 hours Size 8 ounces
- Photograph: Louryn Strampe
Prettiest Candle
Candier I See It, I Like It Scented CandleThis scented candle immediately appealed to me. How could it not? The whole top is covered in biodegradeable glitter (honestly, all of the candles from this company are stunning). The outer label is emblazoned with a cutesy, girlboss-heavy message that may be fun or annoying, depending on your personality. But the stunning finish and delicious scent are enough to make me ignore whatever printed empowerment this product wants to offer me. The notes include a juicy, frankly mouthwatering blend of citrus, pitted fruits, and a little vanilla, lending it a sweet tinge without hurting your teeth. Did I mention the glitter?
Materials Soy wax, biodegradable glitter Scent Notes Orange, mandarin, peach, grapefruit, red currant, vanilla Scent Strength Strong Burn Time 55 hours Size 9 ounces
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