The Best Scented Candles for 2025
A huge industry inside secret, Why you should ditch the Yankee Candle & So many other things you never knew!
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Buying a scented candle is a lottery. It’s one of the only examples of when you can spend anything from a couple of quid to over a hundred pounds and still not know whether you are going to be thrilled to bits with your purchase or wholeheartedly underwhelmed and disappointed. Have you ever returned a lacklustre scented candle? Thought not. We will quite happily return most products if they don’t live up to their marketing hype, but if a candle tunnels on the first burn, or the heady scent of Christmas Snowflakes (there’s a clue in that candle name that it’ll smell of Jack Shit) doesn’t materialise, then that poor little pot of wax tends to gather dust.
So how can you be sure that your hard earned money is going to buy you something that will light your fire? Well, there are actually some simple clues for what’s good and what’s not and there’s also a candle etiquette, believe it or not, to make sure you get the most out of a candle. But, the most important thing you can do is read the rest of this post because I have tried and tested each and every one of these bad boys and in my opinion, they are the best there is. What’s more, I’ll be telling you why you shouldn’t buy a Yankee Candle and the like. This is NOT just a list of things I found on the internet. Four big brand tested candles didn’t make the cut. I’ve been ruthless and it took forever to write, so do give it some love if you enjoyed it.
One little note before I reveal all: I’ve made sure that a good 60% of this post is available to all and free to read. However, further on I will be telling you the biggest secret about a few of the big brand candle makers and that is for paid members only, partly because it’s a super juicy secret, but also because I don’t want the world and it’s mother to buy everything up before I do!
Why you should ditch the Yankee Candle!
Although my love of a scented candle borders on an obsession, I don’t love all of them. I can’t even go in the Yankee Candle outlet shop in Gunwharf Quays. Just walking past it starts to give me hives and a headache from the brain-fogging toxic mix of all 600 of its mostly synthetic scents. I mean, what even is ‘North Pole Hideaway’ for god’s sake? I get a similar reaction when I walk past a Lush Cosmetics store, even though they claim to be all natural. I’m so sorry if that upsets some of you and if you love them then that’s totally fine by me. But, there are actually health reasons why I’m not that keen. Let me explain.
Yankee Candles are made with paraffin. Some of their range uses a soy and paraffin ‘blend’. It’s a byproduct of petrol refining and when burned they release dangerous chemicals such as carcinogenic benzene, formaldehyde and toluene, which are linked to lung cancer and asthma. Some of the ‘fragrance’ oils used in paraffin wax candles contain phthalates, which help bind the scent to the wax and have been linked to hormone imbalance, organ damage and conduct disorders in children. The production of paraffin also has environmental effects including air pollution.
So you see, my aversion to them is quantified. Please, if you can, try to buy a candle that uses sustainable alternatives such as soy, rapeseed, beeswax and other natural mineral and vegetable waxes along with natural, high quality fragrance oils.
My Choice Criteria
Well, they don’t necessarily need to be very expensive, although the cheapest candles will almost undoubtedly be paraffin-based and use man-made fragrance. They need to be of good quality and they need to burn evenly and with little smoke. The packaging needs to be pretty, if that makes me shallow, then so be it. More than anything else though, it needs to fill the room with heady fragrance. A scented candle that doesn’t really smell is about as depressing as finding out your date for the night has a tiny penis and forgot their wallet. I have a story about that, but another time.
My pick of the best candles for 2025
Design Vintage - Essential Oil Candle No.3
325g, twin wick, 45 hour burn time - £32
A brand created by Lisa Brass in 2012. Its lifestyle store and cafe is very near where I live in Chichester, but everything can be bought online. About two months ago we popped in just for a little look around and a ginger beer. My husband decided to buy one of their new candles: Essential Oil Candle No.3, which is aromatherapy in a Kilner jar. With a natural plant blend of rapeseed and coconut wax and high quality pure essential oils of eucalyptus, grapefruit and geranium this candle will fill your space with a gorgeous aroma. I have to say it is by far one of the best candles we have ever bought, an even burn and no smoke. I can also vouch for Essential Candle No.1 and No.2.
True Grace - No. 5 Rosemary & Eucalyptus
190g, single wick, 40 hour burn time - £38
I’ve only recently fallen in love with True Grace products after a trip to my ancestral family home in Rye, East Sussex. The Rosemary & Eucalyptus is quite a heady fragrance as it has hints of frankincense too, but I love it and it will permeate into your home and create a warm, cosy vibe. I can also highly recommend their No. 26 Seashore candle, with notes of neroli, moss and geranium, one of my favourite scents, as it reminds me of my childhood.
House of Hera - Dark Honey & Tobacco
250g, single wick, 45 hour burn time - £40
When I was 16 I met a girl called Rebecca. We studied drama together. Decades later, we found each other again on Instagram. Bec created House of Hera Candles dedicated to Hera, the Greek goddess of women and fertility. I have tried all three goddesses, as she calls the candles. One for fire: Dark Honey & Tobacco (my favourite and I swear this scent is addictive), one for water: Grecian Pear & Lily and one for earth: Toasted Almond & Plum. The scent is intoxicating even when the candles aren’t lit, filling the room with fragrance. The Tria Discovery Collection is a brilliant way to try them all. A little slice of heaven right there!
Cire Trudon - Solis Rex
270g, single wick, 70 hour burn time - £95
If you really want to push the boat out, as they are very pricey, then go for one of Cire Trudon’s candles. My favourite is Solis Rex, with notes of incense, fir bark, eucalyptus, orange and cedar wood. “ All of Cire Trudon’s candles evoke a sense of time gone by, a memory. I absolutely adore them, particularly as often you can’t quite work out what the fragrance combination is, but you know it’s so good! Think of church pews, old leather, tobacco, tea and vetiver, old mossy walls and fresh laundry!
Evoqua - Scholars & Shadows/The Homecoming
170g, single wick, 35 hour burn time - £29
I have to say I have struggled to find a favourite as all of Evoqua’s candles are wonderful. But, if I was forced to choose it would have to be Scholars & Shadows. It reminds me of my days as a child in Yorkshire at a Catholic seminary. Yes, I was training to be a priest at the age of eleven. There’s a story! There was an old library there that held antique literary treasures. I would sit reading for hours surrounded by the smell of old leather, finger-worn hardbacks and the perpetual back note of incense from the chapel. My latest favourite is The Homecoming, which is an exotic blend of eastern spices, leather and Oudh with raspberry and rose notes.
Ocoee House - Wild Forest
450g, single wick, 45 hour burn time - £26
A new one for me, but I’m so impressed. Lovingly made in Loch Lomond, Scotland, each candle is organic and vegan. Made from 100% soy wax and fragranced with sustainably sourced fragrance oils. My pick is Wild Forest, which has notes of fig leaf, bergamot and cedar. It had a very clean even burn and the lovely bamboo lid was great for keeping it fresh and clean when not in use. For summer, try their Island Living candle. Big thumbs up.
Diptyque - Baies
190g, single wick, 50 hour burn time - £56
I have never had a Diptyque candle that I didn’t love. This is a true classic and is one of Diptyque’s bestsellers. Baies is the perfect harmony of tangy blackberries mixed with fresh roses. A life lived without smelling this candle is one with regret. If you’re not into florals, then try Figuier, or 34 Boulevard Saint Germain.
Lower Lodge Candles – Pink Rhubarb
640g, three wick, 90 hour burn time - £25 Bargain!
I have been a loyal customer of Lower Lodge Candles for decades now. My favourite scents for summer are Pink Rhubarb or Grapefruit and for winter I love their Green Fig and Walnut. The burn is always clean and even and the scent is reliably heady and fills a room in a short space of time. This is my go to quality -guaranteed company of choice. You will never be disappointed with one of their candles, whatever you choose. The 2kg Green Fig and Walnut I have in the photo, paid for btw, is down to £75 at the moment and comes with a gold lid. It has a burn time of over 200 hours and four wicks.
To see the rest of my top picks, find out how to get the most out of your candle, how to choose the best ones and find out about my big juicy inside secret you will need to upgrade to a paid membership. There’s currently 15% off an annual subscription and it will never go up as long as you stay subscribed. Next week there will be a substantial price increase for new members, so if you want to lock in this year’s reduced price, then now is the time!
Jo Malone - Green Tomato Vine Townhouse Candle
300g, single wick, 70 hour burn time - £100
This is my absolute favourite Jo Malone candle and I want one again for christmas! Green Tomato Vine is housed in a textured bisque ceramic jar with lid. This alone is enough to make me drool, but the scent is of an abundant greenhouse, full of fresh green tomato plants, warm from the afternoon sun. Please purchase forthwith, but leave one for me.
Harrogate Organics - Bliss
390g, double wick, 55 hours burn time - £46
With ylang ylang, olibanum, patchouli and a hint of cedar the Bliss candle will help improve your mood, help lower blood pressure and increase your libido. What’s not to love? I believe this size is out of stock right now, no wonder, but the smaller size is available at £34. There’s also 15% off everything on the Harrogate Organics site at the moment! This one is an affiliate link, but it’s the only one in this post and you won’t be charged any extra.
The White Company - Wild Mint
210g, single wick, 45 hour burn time - £24
One of my all time favourites. Wild Mint with peppermint and white tea is the perfect candle for keeping everything smelling fresh in the kitchen. It oozes summer and blue sky days, which can be extremely beneficial if you’re not a fan of these cold, dark times. It comes in a beautifully simple ceramic jar with lid. I also absolutely love Tuscan Grove and their summer classic Seychelles.
D.S. & Durga - Big Sur After Rain
200g, single wick, 60 hours burn time - £60
How they have managed to make the Big Sur candle smell like it does after the rain I have no idea, but somehow they have managed it. Eucalyptus, magnolia and a good dose of pacific spray and warm air after rainfall.
I first came across D.S & Durga when I bought their Burning Barbershop eau de parfum from my favourite store in Key West, Besame Mucho. I was intrigued as the scent purported to paint an olfactory picture of the 1981 Curling Bros. barbershop fire with a sweet, smoky, slightly medicinal scent. One sniff and I was whisked directly to that very barbershop and had to buy it.
How to get the most out of your candle
Now, there is a right way to burn a candle and most people have absolutely no idea what it is. First, always trim the wick before you light it, even on the first light, to between 4-7mm long. Why? Well, trimmed wicks will give you a cleaner, brighter burn. Untrimmed wicks are a lot more likely to create pooling and cause too much smoke.
Excessively long wicks are a top cause of those nasty black marks that end up on the glass surrounding the candle (I only ever have candles in a glass casing as I find they are much safer than ordinary pillar candles, which can drop wax everywhere). Trimming the wick keeps the flame in control and prevents those marks from forming in the first place. Only ever light your candle, particularly if it has a glass casing, for four hours maximum. Any longer and there is a possibility it could overheat and shatter. Never place it on a cold surface such as glass or marble if it is already lit and hot.
Once your candle has been lit, don’t blow it out until the top layer of wax has melted all the way across. This might take several hours, so don’t light it unless you know you’re going to be around for a while! Whenever you don’t allow the candle to melt all the way you’re contributing to a process that is called tunnelling. The wick starts to sink lower and lower as if a tunnel is forming right through the centre of the candle.
Keep your candle away from moving air, gusts of wind, fans etc. This will make sure the wax burns evenly and stops black marks forming on the glass. It’s also a safety issue, never burn a candle near any gusts of air that could catch the flame and set light to something else in your home.
Blow your candle out carefully so as not to splash the wax. I use a candle snuffer. I always try to have a lid for my candle. I place it on top as soon as I’ve blown the candle out to stop smoke permeating the room and also to keep it dust free.
How to choose a candle
A sign of a good quality candle is when you can smell it even when it’s not burning. If you can open the box, lift the lid or cloche at the shop and smell it straight away, then you know it’s going to smell great in your home.
If there is a cloche over the candle in the shop then smell the inside of the cloche, not the candle itself, as you’ll get a better idea of what it smells like in the air.
If you are smelling a lot of candles then you will become blind to the fragrance unless they have a jar of coffee beans handy, which a lot do now, so you may cleanse your palate. If not, then smell the crook of your elbow in between candles.
Go for scents that remind you of something, that bring nostalgia.
To cover up cooking smells or to mask pet odours, choose a scent with lemon, lime, mint, eucalyptus or cedar wood.
Look at the small print of each candle. Things like paraben-free, responsibly sourced, cotton wick, lead-free wick, soy, rapeseed, mineral wax, beeswax, coconut wax, are all good news.
Romantic fragrances include: rose, musk and sandalwood.
Relaxing options are Lavender, chamomile, sandalwood or vanilla.
Fragrance - Is it sophisticated? Does it have multiple levels, perhaps you can smell berries first, but are there woody notes you could detect? Does it remind you of good memories, or does it make you think of an old people’s home or washing detergent?
Is it pretty? Do you want to display it? Could you use the container again for something else, or even better, can you buy refills? Is the label on it straight? This is a particular bugbear of mine. Don’t charge me £25 or more for a candle with a wonky label and it had better stay firmly on the container when it starts to warm up too. I will take it back to the shop, you might not, but I will!
The Big Juicy Inside Secret!
I’ll keep this brief. Earlier on I mentioned the wonderful Lower Lodge Candles. Guess what? They make Jo Malone’s candles, The White Company, Kenneth Turner , Tom Ford candles and many more. Who knew? I did! Don’t all rush at once!
Now, to be clear, they very rarely sell those brands with their labels on in their shop, but there is always a section at their Surrey store that has nameless candles and if you have a good nose then you can tell what is Pomegranate Noir and what’s Lime, Basil and Mandarin. A couple of years back, we bought a large three wick candle with a plain label on it. When I lit it I could see the White company label behind it. Also, Lower Lodge’s Pink Rhubarb is identical to The White Company’s Wild Rhubarb, which they usually stock in the summer months. I am certain some of their other fragrances are duplicated in Lower Lodges range too. That’s why I said that you can always rely on the quality because so many other brands trust them. Go, go, go, you can thank me later!
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Please take one moment to leave a heart ♥️, a restack (that’s the recycle symbol below) and/or a comment. It’s so important as it helps this post get seen by new people. Thank you so much! Xx
Thankyou so much JP for this truly considered piece on the world of candles. I am absolutely delighted that Evoqua's Homecoming & Scolars & Shadows are some of your favourites within our collection. We are a tiny business who works hard to provide the best product we possibly can. Handpouring & handfinishing every single candle ourselves remains important to us and we love the scent-story that we have created for each beauty. Thankyou so much for your support, it means so much .
Thank you for this! Will look into Lower Lodge range … I also love candles from
wildplanetaromatherapy.co.uk particularly the ‘Warm Hug’, they use soy wax and natural essential oils. Enjoy your Sunday!