Our top pick is the NEST Fragrances Grapefruit Candle, which has a refreshing scent and offers up to 120 hours of burn time. It’s also available in four different sizes, so you can still enjoy its luxurious scent at a lower price point. Here are the best scented candles on the market. Nest is a top-selling scented candle brand with many loyal customers—you might even say it has a cult following. While there are a wide variety of fragrances to choose from, the Nest New York Grapefruit Candle stands out among the rest. The uplifting scent combines pink pomelo grapefruit with botanical nuances and notes of coriander blossom and lily of the valley. If you appreciate citrus scents, you’ll love the refreshing aroma. This candle is available in four sizes: 2.1 ounces, 8 ounces, 22 ounces, 43.7 ounces. The 22-ounce size provides up to 100 hours of burn time, the 8-ounce size burns for 50 to 60 hours, and the 2-ounce size burns for 20 hours. Like all Nest candles, it’s poured with premium wax formulated to melt evenly while infusing your space with an exhilarating scent. Some tunneling may occur when initially burning this candle, so be sure to let is melt all the way to the edge before extinguishing initially. Price at time of publish: $70 Price at time of publish: $20 This white candle comes in a clear glass jar with a simple label printed with French lettering. It’s available in two sizes, 2.4 ounces and 6.5 ounces. The 2.4-ounce candle, which is considered their mini size, is sold for $40, which is a bit more reasonable than the 6.5-ounce option priced over $70. The first time you light the Baies candle, you’re supposed to let it burn for at least two hours. If you allow the entire top layer of wax melt on the first burn, it’ll burn more evenly every subsequent time you light it. Diptyque also recommends trimming the wick down to 0.25 inches before lighting it and re-centering it every time you blow it out. Price at time of publish: $80 These 13.75-ounce candles are hand-poured with soy wax and fragrance oils. There are 50 scents to choose from, as they correspond to the 50 U.S. states. With input from locals on how they experience the aromatic outdoors, each fragrance is modeled after the unique scent profile of its state. From peachy-floral Georgia and sandy-citrus Arizona to nutty-pine Oregon and honey-bourbon Kentucky, these candles hit all the right notes. Price at time of publish: $38 AVoluspa’s proprietary coconut wax boasts a 90 percent cleaner burn than soy wax candles, which is ideal for the kitchen. This notably large candle contains 18 ounces of hand-poured wax for a burn time of 100 hours. It comes in a gorgeously embossed red glass jar with a floral tin lid. When the candle is gone, you can remove the remaining wax and use the jar to hold flowers, jewelry, pens, or even kitchen utensils. Price at time of publish: $37 As a pretty compact candle, this item is perfect for a smaller space like a bedroom or study so the concentrated scent can really shine through, and linger even once extinguished. Meant to last about 90 hours, this candle will burn longer if you trim the wick about 0.25 inches before burning it, and only use it for around four hours at a time. Price at time of publish: $27 This 11-ounce candle has a burn time of up to 70 hours, when cared for properly. Our concern is that this small candle may not be strong enough to fill a large room with its scent. APOTHEKE does sell larger 3-wick candles of all their popular scents, but they also come at a higher price point. Price at time of publish: $42 Each candle sits in a 12-ounce glass with vibrant jewel tones and other patterns reflective of storied entertainment venues across Harlem. Having a penchant for fine fragrance, founder Teri Johnson also made sure these soy wax candles have luxurious scents designed by a team of world-renowned perfume specialists. Price at time of publish: $48 Price at time of publish: $30 We also love that they’re still reasonably priced and have a great burn time of up to 45 hours. When you finish burning an insert, simply recycle the aluminum tin and purchase a new scent refill, or use the concrete vessel to display your favorite trinkets. Price at time of publish: $34 This candle is made from coconut wax and has two natural wicks, so you can rest easy knowing high-quality ingredients back this candle’s higher price point. It has an up to 45-hour burn time, if trimmed and cared for properly. The scent formula and ingredients are also vegan and free of phthalates, sulfates, pesticides, and parabens. Price at time of publish: $32 for a small Wood wick candles also tend to offer better scent throw, which means they more easily fill a large room with their whole scent, and the wicks don’t “mushroom” like cotton wicks that require frequent trimming. Keep in mind that wood wick candles function best indoors, as they can become easily extinguished outdoors. We also love that these candles from Paddywax can be lit by striking a match directly on their textured vessels. Price at time of publish: $38 The candle itself is hand-poured into premium glassware with a soy-coconut wax blend. While it’s only 8 ounces and 3.25 inches tall, it has an impressive 55-hour burn time. With a mission to help homes be toxin-free zones, the scented candles from Otherland never contain any sulfates, parabens, or phthalates. Price at time of publish: $36
Ingredients
Scented candles are typically made of either paraffin or soy wax, with paraffin wax being the most popular. This wax is cheaper than soy and is made from petroleum oil. However, this also means that it burns ‘dirty,’ releasing soot and other harmful byproducts when melted. Soy wax is paraffin wax’s alternative and is quickly growing in popularity. It’s made from soybeans, and burns longer and cleaner than paraffin wax.
Burn Time
Different candles burn for different amounts of time, depending on the size and type of wax in the candle. A candle with a shorter burn time is perfect for a guest bedroom or bathroom, or another space that isn’t used as often. A candle with a long burn time is ideal for larger common spaces, like the living room or kitchen.
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Theresa Holland is a freelance writer specializing in home improvement, cleaning, and home hacks. Her writing has appeared in Elite Daily, The Financial Diet, Thought Catalog, Film Daily, and other online publications. Additional reporting was done by Rabekah Henderson, a freelance design and decor writer whose work has appeared on MyDomaine, Atomic Ranch, Cary Magazine and American Farmhouse Style. Emma Phelps, an updates writer for The Spruce, provided additional insight to this article by updating the product list. Emma loves burning the Voluspa Bourbon Vanille candle, which she has repeatedly purchased for herself or received as a gift friends—“it’s just that good,” she says.
