Ask ten customers for clean scented candles and you will get ten different ideas of what that means. A photo found on Pinterest made the question easy to answer for one candle shop owner.
I found this photo on Pinterest the other day and I could instantly smell it. Fresh, clean, pure. Immediately Lichen & Vetiver by Voluspa came to mind. Before I smelled Voluspa Lichen & Vetiver, I imagined something very earthy, like Moss by K. Hall or woody like ODIN 03 Century.
Voluspa Lichen & Vetiver is the exact opposite of that, though. Think clean air like you would find in a virgin forest. If you’ve never experienced it, just over the Golden Gate Bridge drive deep into Muir Woods.
Stand amoungst the towering redwoods and you’ll know what I mean. Air so pure you want to bottle it and bring it home. It’s the most zen-like atmosphere I’ve ever experienced.
Voluspa Lichen & Vetiver is clean like that. Pure air.
Many times when I ask a customer what fragrance they are looking for they say “something clean”. That can mean so many different things. Bright citrus like Aura Clairvoyant.
Fresh linen like K. Hall Washed Cotton or Votivo Clean Crisp White. Clear water like Trapp Water or Thymes Naia.
It’s tough to find a clean scent that smells like pure air. Voluspa Lichen & Vetiver nailed it.
What type of clean scent do you like?
The many meanings of clean scented candles
The post lists four versions of clean. Bright citrus, such as Aura Clairvoyant, is one. Fresh linen, such as K. Hall Washed Cotton or Votivo Clean Crisp White, is another. Clear water, such as Trapp Water or Thymes Naia, is the third.
The fourth is the one in the photo: pure air, like the forest. Voluspa Lichen & Vetiver is the candle that came to mind, even though the author first expected something earthy like K. Hall Moss or woody like ODIN 03 Century.
Notice that the post never claims one clean is better than another. It simply names the options. That is how most buyers should think about clean scented candles: first decide which kind of clean you mean, then shop inside that group.
If you hate heavy perfume, lean toward citrus or water. If you want the smell of fresh laundry, look to linen. And if the photo that opened this post appeals to you, then forest air candles are the group for you.
It is a useful habit to test your clean scents at different times of day. A citrus candle can feel perfect in the morning but sharp at night, while a forest air candle may suit the evening better. Pay attention to when you reach for each type and you will learn which kinds of clean scented candles are right for which room.
Also keep in mind that clean is a feeling as much as a smell, and no two people describe it in the same way. That is why shop staff ask so many questions, and why photos like the one that began this post are so helpful.
How to describe the clean scented candles you want
When you shop, try describing what you picture instead of saying clean. Is it laundry on a line, a bar of soap, a lemon, a cold lake or a walk in the woods? Each of those points to a different group of candles.
Shop staff can match you faster that way, and online you can use the same words to search. Our guide to favorite citrus candles covers the bright branch of clean in more detail.
One more tip is to be honest about what you do not want. Many people looking for clean scented candles also want no sweetness, no spice and no heavy florals. Telling the seller that gets you to the right shelf even faster.
Sample sizes help too. Because clean scents can seem quiet in the jar, a small trial lets you confirm that it fills your room before you commit to a large candle.
Another quick method is to bring a photo, as the author did. A picture of moss, a lake or a stack of towels says more about the smell you want than any adjective. Candle sellers see this often, and a photo can start a better conversation than the word clean ever does.
Once you find your kind of clean scented candles, write the name down. You will likely want the same one again, and it makes gifts easy.
The same idea applies when you browse online. Search for the kind of clean you want rather than clean scented candles in general, and you will see fewer irrelevant results.
A closer look at Lichen & Vetiver
Vetiver is a grass whose roots are used in perfumery, and you can read more on Wikipedia. It often gives a scent a cool, green, slightly earthy base, which fits the author’s picture of damp forest air.
The author points to Muir Woods and its towering redwoods as the feeling the candle recreates, calling the air so pure you want to bottle it. We reviewed the same candle in our Voluspa Maison Noir Lichen & Vetiver post.
So, what type of clean scent do you like?
The author notes how rare it is to find a candle that smells like pure air, and says this one nailed it. Whether or not you agree, it is a good reminder that a candle can be about an experience rather than an object, a feeling of space and calm.
That feeling is what many clean scented candles are chasing. If you burn one in a small room, open a window slightly and notice whether the air feels lighter after a while.
So the next time someone asks for clean scented candles, ask what they picture. The answer might be a single Voluspa candle, or it might be three different ones for three rooms. Clean scented candles are a wide family, and this post is a small map of it.
