18 best scented candles
A luxe candle can bring scents of spring into a room, even if the weather’s not playing ball. We’ve tried and tested a range - many of them made from clean-burning, long-lasting soy wax - to bring you home fragrance ideas worth splashing out on.
{1} Bella Freud Loving Candle: £38, net-a-porter.com
We’re big fans of this natural wax candle encased in simple but striking red glass, etched with one of the fashion designer’s trademark motifs. With a warming and subtly sweet fragrance, it’s perfectly balanced with tuberose, sandalwood and amber.
{2} Beefayre Linden Blossom Candle: £16.50, beefayre.com
Beefayre products are sustainably sourced and have natural ingredients free from parabens and sulphates. you get a stimulating citrus scent that lasts long after the flame is snuffed out, all packed up in a glass holder illustrated with bees and plants. Three per cent of the profits go to bee conservation.
{3} The Spitalfields Candle Company Grapefruit, Bergamot & Lime: £28, liberty.co.uk
Made with natural soy wax and organic essential oils wherever possible, these from the East London-based company are a masterclass in luxe, synthetics-free fragrance. This trio of citrus fruits combine for a spring-like pick-me-up, and with 50 hours burn time, you get a lot of candle for your money.
{4} Penhaligon’s Vaara Candle: £32, penhaligons.com
Inspired by perfumer Bertand Duchaufour’s journey to Jodhpur, India, you can imagine this natural soy wax candle burning in a maharaja’s palace, filling the room with the sweetness of Indian magnolia and freesia, alongside deeper notes of sandalwood and saffron. The vivid box makes it a good gift.
{5} True Grace English Garden: £28, truegrace.co.uk
True Grace takes sustainability seriously, combining traditional candle- making techniques with fine, natural ingredients. This one, in an elegant glass jar, with notes of black-pepper, cedarwood and basil, will transport you to an English garden on a sunny day.
{6} Daylesford Vine Tomato Jar Candle: £23, ocado.com
This unusual Wiltshire-made, natural wax candle has an oddly compelling fragrance, a bit like standing in a greenhouse and inhaling deeply. Earthy, fresh and uplifting, it leaves behind a subtle aroma for days.
{7} Haeckels Rain Candle: £50, haeckels.co.uk
Haeckels makes all of its products in a clifftop laboratory in Margate on the Kent coast using locally sourced botanicals and minerals. Crushed seashells, seawater, geosmin-fused concrete particles and rainwater combine in this soy wax candle in an etched dark glass jar packaged up in a seaside-appropriate plywood box. They describe it as the scent of rain after a dry spell – for us it conjured up a blustery day by the sea.
{8} Kew Gardens Scented Candle In a Tin, Lemongrass: £10, johnlewis.com
Kew Gardens houses the world’s largest collection of living plants, the inspiration for these candles. Our favourite is the lemongrass for its fresh but subtle citrus scent which lingers after the flame has been extinguished.
{9} Sainsbury’s White Fig & Patchouli Candle: £4.50, sainsburys.co.uk
Sainsbury’s home fragrance is good value for the quality it provides. Here, warm and relaxing white fig blends perfectly with intense floral notes of patchouli oil and violet. It is presented in a smart glass jar and has 35 hours of burn time.
{10} Jo Loves white rose and lemon leaves: £45, joloves.com
Jo Malone’s new white rose and lemon leaves’ fragrance is a perfect spring scent and wonderful in wax form, with crisp notes of citrus and the intense depth of Norma Jean white rose. Presented in a glass jar with silver lid, in a deep red box tied with black ribbon. A wonderful gift.
{11} Rituals Spring Garden Candle: £19.50, johnlewis.com
This rich scented candle, which has up to 50 hours burning time, combines the characteristic sweet, earthy scent of Vetiver with the fresh scent of Sage. Ideal for those who prefer a subtle scent, which isn’t too feminine.
{12} The White Company Perfect Linen:£28, thewhitecompany.com
Imagine freshly laundered sheets drying in a beautiful spring garden. This candles captures the aroma perfectly, combining the scent of clean sheets with notes of bergamot and soft jasmine, fragrant mimosa and sweet vanilla. We also love the white ceramic holder that gives the candle a lovely soft glow.
{13}Heyland & Whittle Grapefruit: £12, heylandandwhittle.co.uk
Heyland and Whittle do gorgeous glass candles. But we think their brightly coloured candles in a tin are a great way to take your favourite fragrance with you on your travels or just as a cheaper option to burn at home. Their energising grapefruit fragrance is best for this time of year.
{14}Roja Parfums The Essence of Fortnum’s: £75, fortnumandmason.com
You’ll have to really love candles to cough up this much for one, but we think it is unparalleled in its quality and the perfect aroma for a spring day or evening. At the heart is beeswax polished wood, which is combined with the scent of rose, lavender and clove pomanders and the freshness of geranium and clary sage.
{15}Dorma White Blossom and Musk: £13.99, dunelm-mill.com
With white blossom at its key scent, this candle is a lovely way to invite the changing seasons into your home. The bergamot gives it a nice balance and the stylish glass holder with gold finishing makes it look much more expensive than it really is.
{16}Ted Baker Sydney: £28, johnlewis.com
This refreshing, uplifting candle from the famous British designer is inspired by the legend of Sydney’s Darling Harbour mermaids. Presented in earthenware, and with 60 hours burning time, the scent is evocative of an invigorating walk along the ocean shore.
{17}Malin + Goetz Vetiver: £37, uk.spacenk.com
This fresh, earthy candle has grassy notes, perfect for spring. The aroma is balanced with fruit and citrus, clove leaf and cedarwood. It's made from a natural blend of beeswax, vegetable and soy waxes, so you get a clean burn.
{18} Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey: £40, jomalone.co.uk
Many candles are far better suited to either uplift or unwind, but this versatile, decadent and sweet smelling candle does well for both. Expect delicate spring flowers, nectarine, peach, cassis and acacia honey. And as with all Jo Malone products, it’s beautifully presented and packaged.
Buy now
Verdict: For an out-of-the-ordinary, but not overpowering scent, we’re fans of Daylesford Organic’s earthy Vine Tomato one. If you’re looking to splurge on something innovative, our pick is Haekels’s Rain Candle – it’s almost as invigorating as a blustery April walk on the beach.
Read more
