Our 16 Favorite Scented Candles of 2025

Boy Smells Hinoki Fantôme Candle

As its name suggests, Boy Smells has offerings that playfully subvert expectations of what is considered “traditionally masculine,” from its scent combinations and cheeky names to its jars (including black glass topped with a pink label).

The scent is unique and complex. The Boy Smells Hinoki Fantôme Candle we tested has a layered scent that’s hard to pin down (hinoki is a Japanese cypress tree, and fantôme is the French word for ghost). At the forefront, there’s an earthy woodsmoke tinged with warm amber, sweet vanilla, and just a bit of mossy freshness and florals. The scent is fragrant but not ostentatious, providing an elegant, aromatic backdrop for any occasion—whether it’s a dinner party or a day spent daydreaming.

It comes in a handsome vessel. We like the contrast of the white wax and wick with the glossy black glass vessel, and the signature black-and-pink label is sophisticated and striking. The company’s other candles are equally attractive, in colored or metallic glass jars, with matching labels that peel off easily, should you want to repurpose the jar.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: We noticed that a few of the labels were not applied perfectly straight, and the glossy exterior of the glass tends to show fingerprints. Finally, we wish this candle came with a lid: A lid would help seal in the scent and maintain its potency, as well as prevent dust from accumulating on the surface of the wax.

We also loved: The scent of  the Boy Smells Polyamberous Candle is beautiful and eclectic—with notes of geranium, tobacco flower, tonka bean, spices, and incense.

• Scent notes: Japanese cypress (hinoki), moss, smoked amber, cardamom, jasmine
• Sizes: 8½ ounces, 27 ounces
• Wax type: coconut and beeswax blend
• Average cost per ounce: $4.50
• Our estimated burn time: about 55 hours
• Listed burn time: 50 hours
• Shipping: varies, depending on the retailer
• Return policy: 30 days

Kishmish Kashmiri Chai Candle

The Kishmish Kashmiri Chai Candle is the perfect blend of East and West. This candle—from a company founded by two South Asian women and hand-poured in San Francisco—merges the spicy-sweetness of a cup of tea with US-sourced and -grown products.

It smells like pure coziness. The Kashmiri Chai Candle evokes the same feeling as a warm cup of chai—spicy and invigorating but also mellow and cozy. Testers described it as “sweet and spicy,” and some picked up notes of licorice, fruit, and maple.

The jar makes a great container. After you’ve melted down all of the wax, this vessel—matte-black glass with a matching black wooden lid—can be a pretty container for trinkets. And the label is easy to peel off cleanly, so there’s no sticky residue.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: Kishmish candles are sold only on the company’s website, so you’ll likely have to order this one without knowing whether you’ll like the smell. Kishmish doesn’t accept returns, except for defective products, and it doesn’t offer sample sizes.

We also loved: If you like a pure, rose-only scent, the red-rose-scented Kishmish Gulab Candle is one of our favorites. Staff writer Dorie Chevlen (who co-wrote this guide) and supervising editor Daniela Gorny both loved how this candle evoked dipping your nose into a fresh bouquet. Kishmish’s jasmine-forward Motia Candle didn’t score quite as well with our panelists—some said it was too floral, and others likened it to “artificial rose.” But if you prefer things to be a little more flowery, this candle could be just the ticket.

• Scent notes: anise seed, cardamom, sweet milk
• Sizes: 8 ounces
• Wax type: coconut and soy
• Average cost per ounce: $5
• Our estimated burn time: about 60 hours
• Listed burn time: 50 hours
• Shipping: $5 to $15, depending on address
• Return policy: no returns, unless product arrives defective

P.F. Candle Co. Amber & Moss Soy Candle

With their amber-colored glass jars, faux-typewritten labels, and gold screw-on lids, P.F. Candle Co.’s offerings are reminiscent of an earlier age (even though the company opened in 2008). The Amber & Moss Soy Candle is among the company’s bestsellers, thanks to its crowd-pleasing, subtly musky, fresh smell.

It smells like you’re on a forest stroll. The Amber & Moss candle presents a balanced smell of pine resin and earthy moss, peppered with notes of minty eucalyptus and rich vanilla. This is a great candle to give to someone you don’t know very well because the scent is inoffensive and not overwhelming. And for the person with a discerning nose, this candle has a more-nuanced and complex fragrance than most in this price range.

It comes in a functional vessel, and it’s widely available. P.F. Candle Co.’s signature vessel is unfussy, allowing it to blend in seamlessly with most decor, whether that’s a twee apartment or a rustic farmhouse. And this candle is sold widely online, at Amazon and Urban Outfitters, as well as at the company’s brick-and-mortar shops in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: Although we appreciate the utilitarian aesthetic of this vessel on the whole, its label feels a bit flimsy, and it can start to peel off or bubble up over time. If that happens, it’s easy enough to remove with a razor blade, or you can turn the jar so the label faces a wall. This candle is also not the most strongly scented one we tested, and for those who prefer a powerful scent, that might be a letdown.

We also loved: The P.F. Candle Co. Golden Coast Soy Candle has a pine-forward scent and undercurrents of wild sage, warm honey, and sea salt. We think the Amber & Moss candle has a more complex and enjoyable scent overall, but this candle is a great alternative.

• Scent notes: sage, moss, lavender
• Sizes: 3.5 ounces, 7.2 ounces, 12.5 ounces
• Wax type: soy
• Average cost per ounce: $3.30
• Our estimated burn time: about 45 hours
• Listed burn time: 40 to 50 hours
• Shipping: varies, depending on the retailer
• Return policy: 30 days

Paddywax Tobacco Flower Form Candle

The Paddywax Tobacco Flower Form Candle offers a subtle, smoky-sweet scent that perfectly complements the abstract, earthenware vessel it comes in. (Paddywax is based in Nashville.)

It has all the fun of a cigar, with none of the downsides. The Tobacco Flower Form Candle has notes of orange, cinnamon, patchouli, clove, and sandalwood—and while it doesn’t contain nicotine, its smoky-sweet fragrance is certainly habit-forming. This candle makes us want to throw on a bluegrass record and sew a patchwork quilt. The scent is warm, spicy, earthy (but not musty), and faintly floral (like a sprig of jasmine).

It comes in a beautiful ceramic vessel. Sturdy, stylish, and unbranded, the ceramic vessel (with a matching ceramic lid) makes this candle well worth the price. You can easily reuse it as a planter; there’s a small hole at the bottom, for easy drainage, and the lid doubles as a plate to catch water.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: This candle’s fragrance isn’t the most potent, but it still provides a homey aromatic backdrop. Also, the pour is somewhat sloppy; in our testing, there were rogue ripples of wax around the perimeter, but that evened out after the first burn. Our burn estimate was lower than the company’s, but it was still well within the average when compared with burn times of our other picks. Conditions can vary widely when a candle is burning, so we didn’t think this difference was a dealbreaker. Lastly, not all of Paddywax’s scents are available in sampler sizes.

We also loved: The Paddywax Spanish Moss Form Candle is housed in the same great vessel as the Tobacco Flower candle—though this one boasts a different geometric design and a green glaze, instead of white. This candle has a more-potent scent than the Tobacco Flower candle. To us, this one smells like melon, honeysuckle, bee pollen, rainwater, thickets of marsh grass, and creeping vines.

• Scent notes: orange, cinnamon, tobacco flower, sandalwood, cedar
• Size: 12 ounces
• Wax type: soy blend
• Average cost per ounce: $3.50
• Our estimated burn time: about 60 hours
• Listed burn time: 72 to 84 hours
• Shipping: varies, depending on the retailer
• Return policy: 30 days

Apotheke Charcoal Candle

With its sleek aesthetic and refined smell, the Apotheke Charcoal Candle re-creates the feeling of sitting in a hip restaurant or boutique hotel—from the comfort of your own home.

It smells chic. The Apotheke Charcoal Candle smells like charred sandalwood and cedar after a heavy rain. The scent is very fragrant but also mild enough that it’s not heavy or too dominating.

It also looks chic. Like our picks from Peacesake and Kishmish, this candle comes in a matte-black vessel that’s adept at hiding soot streaks, fingerprints, and other smudges. But unlike those candles, this one is made from black wax, so it has a monochromatic aesthetic that feels both contemporary and classic.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: As much as we like the look of this candle, we wish it came with a lid or dust cover. And though you certainly could reuse the vessel to hold pencils or makeup brushes, the company name is printed on the glass, so it’s impossible to remove.

We also loved: The Apotheke Earl Grey Bitters Candle is just as well constructed and elegant-looking as the Charcoal pick, but this jar’s frosted glass shows more soot and smudges than the black vessel does. The herbaceous bitters and citrusy bergamot aromas both come through, and there’s a luxurious creaminess to the scent. This candle would be especially good for someone who prefers a milder fragrance.

• Scent notes: smoky amber, cedar, sandalwood, oud (agarwood)
• Size: 11 ounces
• Wax type: soy blend
• Average cost per ounce: $4
• Our estimated burn time: about 70 hours
• Listed burn time: 60 to 70 hours
• Shipping: varies, depending on the retailer
• Return policy: 15 days

Brooklyn Candle Studio Palo Santo Minimalist Candle

Offering all of the heady smells of palo santo without the fuss of burning bits of wood, the Brooklyn Candle Studio Palo Santo Minimalist Candle is a sexy alternative.

It smells exactly like palo santo. The Palo Santo Minimalist Candle’s potent fragrance smells just like a thick, burning shard of palo santo (an aromatic wood that originates from Latin America and is commonly used as incense). When this candle is burning, there’s a sweet, minty, juicy freshness at the front end and a sharp, smoky ashiness at the back. It’s the kind of scent that instantly transports you.

It’s an artisanal candle at a great price. At its workshop, located in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, Brooklyn Candle Studio pours and labels all of its candles by hand, using US-grown soy for its wax. Despite the luxury feel, this candle is reasonably priced. At less than $30 for a 7.5-ounce candle, this is among the lowest-priced candles in our artisanal and small-batch picks.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: Although we like the look and feel of the label, the glossy-white finish inevitably attracts some fingerprints and smudges. The label is also nearly impossible to remove, and it leaves a sticky residue, so this jar is not as reusable as many others.

We also loved: We wish the streets of Brooklyn actually smelled like Brooklyn Candle Studio’s eponymous Brooklyn Escapist Candle. It’s fun to burn this candle while imagining that you’re sitting in the shady, verdant backyard of a multimillion-dollar brownstone. The scent contains lots of leather and florals, and though it’s quite fragrant, it doesn’t punch you in the nose.

• Scent notes: cypress leaf, eucalyptus, palo santo, oakmoss, vetiver
• Size: 7.5 ounces
• Wax type: soy
• Average cost per ounce: $3.70
• Our estimated burn time: about 50 hours
• Listed burn time: up to 50 hours
• Shipping: free shipping on orders over $50; otherwise it varies, depending on location
• Return policy: 14 days; damages must be reported within seven days of delivery

Voluspa Baltic Amber Candle

Hand-poured in California, the Voluspa Baltic Amber Candle emits a viscous, enveloping fragrance that’s warm, spicy, woodsy, and musky, with a bit of freshness at the end.

It comes in a pretty jar, in multiple shapes and sizes. The large, 18-ounce candle we tested comes in an intricately patterned, ornate vessel. The metal lid suctions on to form a tight seal, keeping out dust and preserving the scent. If you want a different size, Voluspa offers the most size options of any of our candle picks—from a 4-ounce mini tin to a gargantuan, 123-ounce version.

Peeling off the jar’s label can be tricky, and doing so will reveal an unpatterned rectangular section. But otherwise this vessel makes a great trinket jar.

It offers plenty of bang for the buck. In our melt test, this candle lost only about 3 grams of wax in an hour, making it one of the longest-burning candles among our picks. At just $1.80 per ounce for the 18-ounce size, this one is also among the least expensive candles we tested. Only the Target Project 62 candle cost less per ounce, and we think the Voluspa candle has better depth of fragrance than most others in this price range. These candles are a bargain, but “they don’t smell basic,” photo editor Michael Murtaugh said. “People who like those huge Yankee Candles should upgrade to these.”

Flaws but not dealbreakers: This candle’s biggest drawback is that the 18-ounce size we tested has only a single wick, which can make it burn unevenly (though we have tips on how to correct this). Also, since the scent is so warm and syrupy, it can start to feel stuffy after a while—especially in a small, enclosed space.

We also loved: It was difficult for us to choose between the Baltic Amber and the Voluspa French Cade Lavender Candle because both scents deeply impressed us. The lavender in this candle doesn’t smell like any kind of lavender we’ve ever encountered, but the scent is still elegant, and it permeates nicely throughout a room. We’d describe it as something akin to a powdery soap, clean linen, and new leather.

• Scent notes: amber resin, sandalwood, cedar, vanilla orchid
• Sizes: 3.2 ounces, 4 ounces, 5.5 ounces, 9 ounces, 12 ounces, 18 ounces, 44 ounces, 123 ounces
• Wax type: coconut blend
• Average cost per ounce: $3.10 (or $1.80 for sizes 18 ounces and above)
• Our estimated burn time: about 90 hours (for the 9-ounce size)
• Listed burn time: 60 hours
• Shipping: varies, depending on the retailer
• Return policy: 30 days