Our Favorite Warm and Woodsy Candles
Boy Smells Hinoki Fantôme Candle offers an earthy and elegant scent. Its combination of cypress smoke, warm amber, sweet vanilla, florals, and fresh moss creates a sophisticated aroma. However, the glossy vessel shows fingerprints, and the label might be crooked. Another great option is the Kishmish Kashmiri Chai Candle, which blends anise and cardamom for a sweet and spicy scent. It's comforting but only sold on the company's website with no returns for non-defective products. The P.F. Candle Co. Amber & Moss Soy Candle provides a rich, complex aroma with notes of pine resin, moss, eucalyptus, and vanilla. It's inoffensive and priced well, though the label is flimsy and the scent isn't the strongest. The Paddywax Tobacco Flower Form Candle comes in an eye-catching ceramic vessel with a cedar-and-patchouli fragrance that's subtle yet heady. The wax pour might be uneven, but the vessel can be reused. The Apotheke Charcoal Candle has an elegant, monochromatic look and a sophisticated scent that fills the room without being overpowering, but the label can't be removed for reuse. The Brooklyn Candle Studio Palo Santo Minimalist Candle offers a sweet, smoky, and ethereal scent in an elegant vessel, but the label is hard to remove for reuse. Finally, the Voluspa Baltic Amber Candle is incredibly fragrant with a long burn time and available in various sizes.
Our Favorite Fresh and Floral Candles
The Bath & Body Works Rose Water & Ivy Candle has a realistic rose scent that's sweet yet not overly treacly. It's budget-friendly but burns faster than some. The Diptyque Roses Classic Candle has a potent and delicate rose scent that's beautiful but expensive. The Otherland Daybed Candle has a strong rose presence with added peony and pear water for nuance. It's housed in a bold and colorful vessel but might be too strong for some. The Target Project 62 Lavender + Eucalyptus Candle offers a soft, natural-smelling scent with lavender and eucalyptus, but it burns quickly and has no lid.
Our Favorite Sweet and Citrusy Candles
The Mala the Brand Cereal Scented Soy Candle is a sophisticated interpretation of Froot Loops and is available with different wicks. It's playful but has strict return policies and can tunnel. The Peacesake Neroli and Musk Candle emits a dreamy blend of florals, citrus, and sandalwood in a thick, matte-black, recycled-glass vessel with a cork lid, though the lid can crumble.
Our Favorite Unique and Savory Scents
The D.S. & Durga Pasta Water Candle has a strange but satisfying savory-and-salty smell, but it's very expensive. The Flamingo Estate Roma Heirloom Tomato Candle has a fresh and green tomato scent that makes you feel like you're in a Sicilian garden, but it's pricey. The Smell House Juice Hoax Candle has a fruity, vegetative smell but has a non-removable label.
How We Picked and Tested
We evaluated candles based on scent, vessel design, and sustainability. Our testers included experts from the Fashion Institute of Technology and the Institute for Art and Olfaction. We preferred candlemakers that are environmentally conscious. For a candle to burn evenly and last longer, it's important to trim the wick, burn it to the edges on the first use, avoid tunneling, and not burn it for too long at once.
Other Scented Candles Worth Considering
Capri Blue's Cactus Pineapple Flower and Volcano Petite Jar candles have strong scents and nice vessels. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day candles have synthetic but workable scents. Threshold's Leather + Embers and Coconut + Honey Wooden Wick Candles have balanced fragrances and long burn times. The Apothia Bronzed Candle has a strong orange flower scent but is pricier and burns fast.
The Competition
Keap candles smell good and use eco-friendly materials but are hard to buy. Yankee Candle scents can be too pungent and have website and customer service issues.
In conclusion, popular candle scents come in a wide variety of options to suit different preferences and needs. Whether you prefer warm and woodsy, fresh and floral, sweet and citrusy, unique and savory, or something in between, there's a perfect candle out there for you. Explore the different scents and vessels to find the ones that enhance your home and create the desired atmosphere.
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