I love a good herb garden in summer, and herb garden candles are the closest way I know to bring that smell inside. This list collects our favorites, from lemongrass and mint to rosemary and lavender.
Take a walk on a warm, summer day through your fragrant herb garden. What do you smell? What are your favorite aromas? From sweet, citrusy lemongrass to the earthy fragrance of floral lavender — when it comes to summer herbs, this truly is the best time of year to enjoy lush green fragrance.
Because herbal scents are always fan favorites, many candle makers have captured these scents to enjoy indoors as well. Using fine fragrance and essential oils, here are our favorite herbal inspired home fragrances:
Votivo French Collection
One of our favorite offerings is what was previously known as the French Collection from Votivo (now included in the Votivo Aromatic Collection). This fragrance collection was comprised of scents reminiscent of what you would find in the French countryside.
From St. Germaine Lavender, to Sumatra Lemongrass, to Rosemary Garden and Provencal Honey, there are some beautiful herbal notes to enjoy. These nature-inspired scents are available in both a 6.8oz candle and a reed diffuser that lasts for approximately 4 months.
I love how purely natural these fragrances smell; pure and simple but with heightened sophistication.
LAFCO Mint Tisane (Meditation Room)
If you’re looking for a fresh and revitalizing herbal fragrance, look no further than LAFCO’s Mint Tisane (Meditation Room) available in a candle, diffuser, diffuser refill, and bar soap. With bright notes of spearmint and peppermint, balanced with the spice of ginger and clove, this is the perfect energizing fragrance.
Produce Mint
Produce Cilantro
Invigorate your senses with the pure, fresh fragrance of mint, found in Produce’s Mint candle. Not only does Produce use a clean-burning soy wax, but these jars are perfect for reuse!
I’ve heard it said that you either love cilantro or hate it. Those who love the spicy, fresh fragrance will thoroughly enjoy Produce Cilantro.
Aura Nomad
On the rich, earthy side of herbal fragrances is rosemary, a perfect example of which can be found in Nomad from Aura. The pungent fragrance of rosemary is combined with earthy cedar and patchouli to create a warm and sultry masculine blend.
NEST Moss and Mint; Lemongrass and Ginger
We’ve seen some pure, true-to-nature fragrances but it’s exciting to be able to enjoy blends that combine bright herbal notes with earthy or spicy to create a unique and enticing blend. NEST fragrances is known for creating sophisticated blends unrivaled by most. Moss and Mint, and Lemongrass and Ginger are not any different.
Earthy in nature, you can smell the “green” of Moss and Mint, creating an environment like that of a cool, moist wooded forest. And while lemongrass can be found easily in home fragrance collections, NEST blends it with ginger, eucalyptus, thyme and sage to create a complex scent with a bite of spice.
Citrus is intensified in this bright fragrance from Archipelago Botanicals, with notes of lemongrass, yuzu, ginger, and sage. We love the impressive size of this candle as well! At 14 ounces, you will receive enjoyment for approximately 90 hours!
Also part of the A.B. Home collection from Archipelago Botanicals, Lavande, exhibits the rich, herbal notes of lavender, made brighter with cyclamen and cucumber.
Trapp Lemongrass Verbena
More citrus and less green, Lemongrass Verbena from Trapp, this sweet fragrance, with a hint of vanilla will certainly fulfill your desire for a bright citrus fragrance.
Sunlight, soil and scents! We hope you’ve found your fragrance favorite in our collection of best herbal inspired home fragrance. Enjoy!
Choosing herb garden candles by mood
Looking through this list, herb garden candles fall into three loose camps. Bright and citrusy ones, like the lemongrass candles from A.B. Home and Trapp, feel energizing. Cool and minty ones, such as LAFCO Mint Tisane and Produce Mint, feel fresh and clean. Warm, earthy ones, like Aura Nomad with its rosemary, cedar and patchouli, feel grounded.
Knowing which camp you are in saves a lot of sniffing. If you want a candle for a workspace, mint is a good place to start. For a living room in the evening, an earthy rosemary blend is more at home. And if you like a green, wooded feel, NEST Moss and Mint is worth a look.
Candle, diffuser or something else?
Many of these scents come in more than one format. Votivo’s French collection is available as a 6.8 oz candle and a reed diffuser that lasts about four months, and LAFCO Mint Tisane comes as a candle, diffuser, diffuser refill and bar soap.
A candle is for the hours when you are home and enjoying it. A diffuser works quietly in the background. If you are curious about the plants behind these fragrances, the Herb article on Wikipedia and the Lavender page are a good start.
Matching herb garden candles to your day
Herb garden candles also pair well with other things in a home. Try mint or cilantro in the kitchen, lavender in a bedroom, and lemongrass wherever you want a lift. Of course, cilantro divides people, so check with the household before lighting that one.
For more green scents on our site, take a look at the LAFCO Office Rosemary Eucalyptus candle and the Hervé Gambs Herbe Intense candle. Both lean into fresh, plant-like notes.
To get the most from any of them, trim the wick before each use and burn long enough for the wax to melt evenly across the jar.
Sunlight, soil and scents: that is the whole idea behind herb garden candles, and a good reason to keep a couple on hand all year.
A final word on herb garden candles
When you shop for herb garden candles, try to smell or sample first when you can, since herbs change from one maker to another. A mint that works in a kitchen may feel too sharp in a bedroom. Choose the one you want to come home to.
That is the real appeal of herb garden candles: they are green, familiar and calming, and they connect indoor spaces to the garden.
