The 13 Best Scented Candles of 2023 to Create a Relaxing Ambiance

Best Overall

Nest Fragrances New York Grapefruit Candle

4.5

View On Amazon View On Bloomingdales View On Dermstore

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, and 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 it melt all the way to the edge before extinguishing initially.

Price at time of publish: $70

_{Scent: Notes of grapefruit, greens, Lily of the valley, and coriander blossom | Size: Up to 22 ounces | Burn Time: Up to 100 hours}

Best Budget

Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Scented Soy Aromatherapy Candle

4.2

View On Amazon View On Home Depot View On Walmart

Mrs. Meyer’s is an extremely popular brand and for good reason: It sells well-scented products made with natural ingredients. If you’re looking for the perfect candle to place next to your sink or stove, one of the Mrs. Meyer’s candles is a great option. The 7.2-ounce candle burns for about 35 hours and comes in a cute, reusable jelly-style jar. The lavender scent is subtle but fresh, and it won’t overpower when you’re eating dinner or having a glass of wine.

Price at time of publish: $20

_{Scent: Multiple scents available | Size: 7.2 ounces | Burn Time: Up to 35 hours}

Best Splurge

Diptyque Baies Candle

View On Amazon View On Bloomingdales View On Bluemercury.com

If you're willing to splurge on the perfect candle, you should definitely check out the Diptyque Baies Candle. This best-seller has a seriously scrumptious fragrance formulated to make your home feel comfy and inviting. The fruity scent is similar to Diptyque's L'Ombre Dans l'Eau perfume, which smells like fresh roses and blackcurrant.

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

_{Scent: Notes of blackcurrant berries and rose | Size: Up to 6.5 ounces | Burn Time: Up to 60 hours}

Best Gift

Homesick Candles

View On Amazon View On Homesick.com View On Uncommon Goods

Scent and memory are closely connected, and Homesick Candles are created with this in mind. As the name suggests, Homesick Candles make a perfect gift for anyone living away far away from home. "I received the Florida homesick candle as a gift, and the subtle citrus smell and hint of vanilla is so soothing and familiar," says one our editors.

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

_{Scent: Varies by state | Size: 13.75 ounces | Burn Time: 60-80 hours}

Best for Kitchen

Voluspa Goji Tarocco Orange Large Embossed Glass Jar Candle

View On Amazon View On Bloomingdales

When you burn a candle in your kitchen, it's best to opt for a scent that meshes well with the things you eat. In other words, go for something that smells delicious, like the Voluspa Glass Jar Candle in Goji and Tarocco Orange. This particular candle has a mouth-watering aroma of goji berries, fresh mango, and blood oranges. It's fruity, fresh, and sets the scene of a warm spring day. Although this candle has a great fragrance, it's best suited for a small room as it does not have a strong fragrance reach while burning.

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

_{Scent: Notes of goji berry, ripe mango and tarocco orange | Size: 18 ounces | Burn Time: Up to 100 hours}

Best for Fall

Bath & Body Works Cinnamon Spiced Vanilla 3-Wick Candle

View On Bathandbodyworks.com

Bath & Body Works is known for its seasonal candles, and their Cinnamon Spiced Vanilla three-wick option is the embodiment of fall. The warm cinnamon fragrance balances with vanilla for a spiced yet sweet scent reminiscent of campfires, warm drinks, and crisp fall days.

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

_{Scent: Notes of fresh ground cinnamon, sugar crystals and Tahitian vanilla bean | Size: 14.5 ounces | Burn Time: 65-90 hours}

Best for Holidays

APOTHEKE 11-Ounce Amber Woods Candle

View On Amazon View On Apothekeco.com

There's nothing like enhancing your home's overall cozy holiday aesthetic with a candle that creates the same effect. The Amber Woods candle from APOTHEKE creates a warm and calming atmosphere with notes of amber woods, lily of the valley, and jasmine, yet it's subtle enough to be burned year round. Avid lovers of the holiday season can rejoice in burning a candle that's not overtly holiday themed.

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

_{Scent: Notes of amber woods, lily of the valley, and jasmine | Size: 11 ounces | Burn time: Up to 70 hours}

Best Black-Owned Business

Harlem Candle Co. Josephine Luxury Candle

View On Bloomingdales View On Harlemcandlecompany.com View On Macy's

If you’re a history buff with a love for beautiful candles, the Harlem Candle Company should be on your radar. This black-owned business celebrates the Harlem Renaissance with candles as rich as the music and culture of that era, commemorating artists like Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and—in this case—Josephine Baker. The candles can burn for approximately 80 hours, and have two wicks to keep the wax even and avoid tunneling. 

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

_{Scent: Notes of citrus, bergamot, jasmine, rose, sandalwood, tonka bean, amber, and vanilla | Size: 12 ounces | Burn Time: Up to 80 hours}

Best Small Business

Frères Branchiaux This Woman's Work Candle

View On Walmart View On Target

Founded by three brothers, this black-owned candle company has a vast collection of high quality scents, sets, sprays, and diffusers. Each candle has thoughtfully crafted labels and imagery, uses only vegan soy wax blends, and burns for between 15 and 40 hours depending on the size you purchase (4 or 8 ounces). And once you’ve burned through your signature candle, you can reuse the decorative jar.

Price at time of publish: $30

_{Scent: Notes of vanilla, musk, and lilac | Size: Up to 8 ounces | Burn Time: 15-40 hours}

Best Natural

Grow Fragrance Lavender Blossom Candle

View On Growfragrance.com

Grow Fragrance created their brand with the goal of offering home fragrances that are 100 percent plant-based and in-season with natural waxes, wicks, and packaging. Every portion of their candles is carefully designed from the lead-free, unbleached cotton wicks to the 100 percent recyclable insert that's made from recycled aluminum. While they offer a limited range of scents, you can be sure there will always be a few seasonal scents in the mix and that every portion of the candle you purchased has been responsibly created.

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

_{Scent: Notes of lavender, peony, and citrus | Size: 6.5 ounces | Burn Time: Up to 45 hours}

Best Vanilla

Voluspa Bourbon Vanille Corta Maison Candle

View On Anthropologie View On Voluspa.com

Voluspa, the brand that's also behind our best for kitchen pick, offers a warm and inviting sensual experience with their Bourbon Vanille Corta Maison Candle. It's hard to pass up a vanilla candle, but finding a candle that's not overpowering and still nuanced can be difficult. "I love burning this candle on a chilly day because it completely envelopes my small apartment with a cozy, warm, and comforting scent," says Emma Phelps, an updates writer for The Spruce.

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

_{Scent: Notes of French bourbon vanilla beans | Size: 11 ounces | Burn time: Up to 45 hours}

Best with Wood Wick

Paddywax 11-Ounce Parks Candle

View On Amazon View On Paddywax.com

While many wood wick candles are available on the market, we love the Parks collection sold by Paddywax. These 11-ounce candles are offered in a variety of scents meant to mimic scents commonly encountered in major National Parks like Yosemite, the Smoky Mountains, and Acadia. Plus, Paddywax supports the National Parks Foundation with a minimum donation of $30,000.

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

_{Scent: Varies by park | Size: 11 ounces | Burn time: Not listed}