17 Candle Brands to Shop if You're Looking for Your Next Favorite Scent

Otherland

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Otherland is another candle brand that’s all over Instagram thanks to its transformative fragrances, pretty packaging, and affordable pricing. Using only clean ingredients and a custom coconut and soy wax blend, each 8-ounce candle offers 55 hours of burn time.

Be sure to check out the gorgeously fresh Canopy candle, which features notes of California fig and ivy greens, and the heady Rattan candle with its lusty notes of golden amber and warm musk. There are also limited edition candles that are released seasonally, so keep an eye out as the year goes on.

Harlem Candle Co.

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Inspired by the rich, vibrant culture and history of Harlem and jazz, Harlem Candle Co. offers one-of-a-kind fragrances that are meant to transport you to another place and time. Similarly, as they’re housed in gorgeous, gilded glass tumblers, they look like they belong in a jazz club—any of them are sure to add some sophistication to your end table or nightstand.

Scents include Josephine, a blend of citrus, bergamot, and rose fragrance oils, and Speakeasy, a palo santo, bourbon, and tobacco elixir, and each of the candles are thoughtfully made with a soy-vegetable wax blend.

P.F. Candle Co.

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This Los Angeles-based fragrance company is committed to producing high-quality, sustainable candles. Their entire collection is vegan, cruelty-free, and phthalate-free, as the candles are crafted from 100 percent soy wax that's made from USA-grown soy. Plus, they’re delightfully affordable.

Consider the Golden Coast candle, with notes of eucalyptus, sea salt, redwood, and palo santo, or Teakwood & Tobacco, the original scent, which smells like leather, teak, and orange. Most of the candles are housed in the brand's signature amber jars, which are ideal for reusing once the candles themselves are burnt out.

Paddywax

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If you're looking for variety, Paddywax is a great place to start. The brand has tons of different scents and, unlike other brands, each collection has very different packaging that stands out from the pack. Paddywax currently has 15 collections for every type of style—Apothecary consists of old-fashioned amber jars, Color Block has bold, multi-colored vessels, and Impressions has jars with illustrations of different hand signals.

There are a ton of options to sift through, so it's best if you have a specific type of scent in mind (although it's also an ideal place to shop if you're looking for something new). Bestsellers include Jane Austen, a citrus, jasmine, and rose wood candle from the Library collection, and Glacier, a white pine a hemlock candle that was made in collaboration with the National Park Foundation.

FORVR Mood

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Created by beauty blogger Jackie Aina, FORVR Mood prides itself on being a luxury self-care brand that offers products you can actually afford. Their collection of candles are, indeed, high-end, housed in candy-colored jars and featuring 100 percent natural coconut soy wax. 

We also love their cheeky names and themes, all inspired by relatable vibes and moods. (Take Left on Read for instance, which is described as the ideal candle for focusing on yourself and features a yummy coconut milk sorbet scent.) To get started, we recommend the Core Gift Set, which comes complete with the brand’s four signature scents: Left on Read, Cuffing Season, Caked Up, and Matcha Business.

Brooklyn Candle Studio

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If you're a fan of minimalist candles or travel-inspired scents, be sure to check out Brooklyn Candle Studio. The Brooklyn-based brand's candles are all made with 100 percent soy wax, lead-free cotton wicks, and essential oil-infused fragrances for a vegan, cruelty-free, phthalate-free, and petroleum-free burn.

There are two main collections to shop from: Escapist, which includes a variety of place-inspired scents, and Minimalist, which consists of the brand's classic scents. Standouts include Santorini, a fig and sandalwood scent that's reminiscent of Greece, and Love Potion, a mandarin and jasmine scent that's totally romantic. There are also Discovery Kits you can buy which consist of a variety of the brand's bestsellers, so you can test out a few before committing to anything full-sized.

Anecdote Candles

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If you're a fan of candles with personality, you'll love Anecdote Candles. The brand specializes in very specific scents that have playful names and are guaranteed to start conversations. All the candles are hand-poured in the US with no additives, dyes, or preservatives, and are made with coconut-soy wax, cotton core wicks, and phthalate-free fragrance oils.

Classic scents include Adulting (fig and cashmere), Mid Century Modern (amber and vanilla), and Self Care (mint and eucalyptus). There are also more "of the moment" scents, like 2022 (which "smells like high hopes and low expectations") and Ghosting (which "smells like no calls and close calls"). No matter what, you're sure to find something that speaks to you.

Predominantly Black

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This Black-owned candle brand offers a luxurious line of handmade candles that are locally crafted in Los Angeles with a soy and coconut wax blend that offers a clean burn, thanks to the phthalate-free formulation.

In addition to having fresh, spa-like fragrances, the candles come in artistic glass containers and embossed metal tins. See: A Madness Candle and A Subtle Candle, both of which feature lovely line drawings on their glass jars as well as delicious citrusy scents.

Nette

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Newer brand Nette, which was founded at the end of 2020, is young but very impressive. Every part of the candle, from the certified organic cotton wick to the handmade glass vessel, has been thoughtfully designed to deliver a more sustainable burn. Because of that care, you won't have a probably reusing your candle jar as décor once the candle's done.

Bestsellers include Suede Fringe, which combines suede, violet leaf, cardamom, and sandalwood for a sun-kissed vibe; Sunday Chess, which has notes of incense, vanilla, and patchouli for a delightfully smoky scent; and Queen, a unique fragrance that combines honey, hay, and pine.

Boy Smells

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With cult-favorite scents that expertly combine traditionally masculine and feminine notes, Boy Smells candles are the ones that your coolest friend is bound to have on their nightstand. The core collection includes candles like Kush (a bright, cannabis-scented candle) and Cameo (a pretty yet complex scent boasting notes of crystallized ginger, tuberose, and musk), and are crafted with a blend of coconut and beeswax. Kacey Musgraves definitely need to check out the Slow Burn candle, which was created in collaboration with the singer and is named after one of her most popular songs.

Outdoor Fellow

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If you want to bring the outdoors in, Outdoor Fellow's candles are inspired by the scents and smells of nature. With scent stories like Coastal Forest and Winter Fir, these candles are almost as refreshing as a walk through the woods and as mind-clearing as a scenic hike.

They’re also hand-poured and made with a natural coconut wax blend, fragrance oils, and a cotton wick, and are even returnable at no additional cost if you happen to not love the scent you picked. The brand also offers a few different subscription services, so you can get a new scent on a regular basis.

D.S. & DURGA

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When it comes to luxury, it's hard to beat D. S. & DURGA. The brand specializes in premium scents, stylish pinkish-brown glass vessels, and design-forward labels that will look great on your nightstand or coffee table. Each fragrance has a unique name and comes with its own Spotify playlist, take the idea of "setting the vibe" to another level.

Popular scents include Big Sur After Rain (eucalyptus, magnolia, and "coastal rain"), Portable Fireplace (cedar, smoke, and pine wood), and Breakfast Highlands (hay, honey, and tea). Each candle evokes a very specific mood and is made from soy vegetable wax with an impressive 70-hour burn time.

Overose

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This Parisian fragrance house is famous for their sexily scented, colorful candles that feel feminine and opulent. Available in either a monochromatic pink and purple—the wax perfectly matches the jar for a sleek look—or with a white candle in a shiny, holographic jar, these candles look great on your nightstand or in your bathroom.

Standouts include Nudesse (an intensely floral, dewy rose scent) and Alkiria (a sweetly scented candle with notes of ripe peaches and figs). As is the case with all of Overose’s candles, these scents provide you with up to 60 hours of burn time, thanks to a luxe formula of botanical wax and essential oils. 

Byredo

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To really level-up your candle game, consider spluring on a Byredo candle. Their stunning scents are nothing short of luxurious, with unexpected notes, high-end fragrance oils, and an impressive 60 hours of burn time. While you can’t go wrong with any of Byredo’s opulent options, we especially love Loose Lips, which smells like rose, Morello cherry, and violet, and Bibliothèque, which features notes of patchouli, leather, and plum, evoking the book-lined shelves of a library.

Le Labo

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Le Labo is a celeb favorite, with rich, unexpected fragrances that you won’t find in just any store. Le Labo’s cult-favorite Santal 26 candle, for example, is smoky and leathery, while Pin 12 showcases notes of pinewoods, amber, and musk. All the candles are hand-poured, made in the USA, and consist of a soy-wax blend, highly concentrated fragrance oils, and pure cotton wicks. Each one also comes with a personalized label, so they make great gifts for that special someone.

Voluspa

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You'll love the wide variety of candles offered by Voluspa. With scent stories that run the gamut from fruity to floral to warm to woody (and everything in between), Voluspa truly does it all. With a coconut wax blend and 100 percent natural wicks, all of their candles are phthalate-, paraben-, and sulfate-free. 

In addition to their fabulous fragrances (be sure to smell the floral Yashioka Gardenia and the woodsy Baltic Amber), Voluspa’s colorful containers are also worthy of shouting out. After burning the candle, we recommend repurposing the rainbow-hued jar to hold flowers, jewelry, and other odds-and-ends.