If you’re a self-proclaimed “bad gift-giver,” allow me to let you in on a little secret: If you don’t know what to gift a person, gift them a scented candle. Candles are an almost universally well-received gift. They’re an easy option if you don’t know your recipient that well, and they can be made more thoughtful for loved ones by picking out their favorite scents or using a personalized label. They act as home decor, and in the case of glass jar candles, the containers can continue to be useful even after all the wax is gone.
The candle market is pretty saturated, with so many luxury and affordable brands to choose from, not to mention scents. But if you feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices, looking at some of the bestsellers is always a good place to start. I did some of the hard work for you and rounded up candles from all over the Internet that make great gifts, with both luxe and inexpensive options.
Whether your gift recipient is in the mood for something floral, fruity or earthy, there’s bound to be a candle below that would make them smile.
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Shopping for someone who prefers an earthy scent? This Threshold Vetiver + Cedarwood candle is affordable but looks more expensive than it is. It’s a single-wick candle with a burn time of approximately 25 hours for the 5-ounce size and is made of palm wax and paraffin wax. The glass jar also has a minimalist, neutral aesthetic that can fit right in with a lot of home decor.
Promising review: “These are by far the best candles I have ever owned! This fragrance is amazing. I use to burn vanilla and all those pie scents this is more modern and masculine. So many compliments when people walk in my home.” — Hardworkingmomma
Tailoring your gift to the recipient sometimes matters more than whether it’s from a big-name brand, depending on who you’re shopping for. This candle, made and sold by woman-owned small business Paperwhite Candles on Etsy, can be customized with one of 13 scents and a label that reads the name of your recipient and a thoughtful, personal “definition” of their name. The 7-ounce candle has an approximate 30- to 40-hour burn time and is made with a natural coconut wax blend that’s vegan, phthalate-free, toxin-free, and paraben-free.
Promising review: “This is an intended Mother’s Day gift, and it turned out incredible. I feel like the sizing and prices were very nice, and it smells INCREDIBLE! It smells so good you would want to eat it.” — Ava
This Flamingo Estate candle offers a unique scent your recipient probably haven’t tried before, inspired by Roma tomatoes with notes of pepper and spice. The 8-ounce candle has a near-perfect 4.9-star rating with more than 500 reviews, is made with vegetable wax and comes in a recyclable glass jar.
Promising review: “My daughter in law smelled this candle at a friend’s house and could not stop talking about it. I am surprising her with one for Christmas.” — Jaye H.
These mason jar candles, sold by woman- and family-owned small business TheDancingWick on Etsy, are made with soy wax with a cotton wick and hand-poured in the USA. Though they’re technically listed as “spring” candles, they work year-round: You can choose among 37 different scents, many of which are evergreen like Library, Clean Cotton and Birthday Cake. The candles are available in two sizes, 8 ounces or 16 ounces, with the 16-ounce version providing an estimated 90 hours of burn time.
Promising review: “Amazing fragrance! Scented my entire downstairs which is 2200 ft.². This is the best gardenia scented candle that I have ever burned. Love it.😁” — Judith
This iconic Le Labo candle has a reputation that precedes it, and is definitely a gift for the fragrance fanatic in your life, rather than the novice. We still think its worthy of the splurge, given the candle’s 80-hour burn time, cult-favorite status and notes of amber, cocoa, vanilla, cedar, spices, musk and sandalwood, giving it a unisex, earthy, intoxicating scent.
Fans of Mrs. Meyer’s scented hand soap and cleaning products may not have known that the brand makes candles too, including this honeysuckle one. With a 35-hour burn time and soy and vegetable wax base, this candle can have your gift recipient’s space smelling like they just cleaned it with Mrs. Meyers products. Reviewers have called the scent “revitalizing” and “like the scent of an outdoor garden.”
Promising Amazon review: “I love honeysuckle, it is my favorite scent of all time and I am very critical of products imitating that scent. I hesitantly ordered this candle and when I received it, I was pleasantly surprised. It smells amazing! The honeysuckle is on point, it feels happy and light in the space it fills. I wish there were bigger sizes! I’m definitely ordering more and may even stock up 🕯️” — Taryn
For the New Yorker — current, former or aspirational — on your list, this Boy Smells candle inspired by the Big Apple’s Lower East Side neighborhood can transport their nose to the city streets. It’s made in the USA by the queer- and Asian-owned business and features notes of blackcurrant, peach blossom, jasmine rice, Asian pear, coconut, cardamom and white cedar. The 8.5-ounce candle, made of coconut wax and beeswax, has a burn time of up to 50 hours.
Heads up: This is on sale for 50% off at Sephora and Boy Smells right now, so head to one of those places if you want the current best deal!
If you’re willing to splash out on a high-quality candle, Diptyque has gained a cult following for their pricey but luxurious offerings. One of their bestselling scents is Baies, aka Berries, which combines blackcurrant and rose for a fruity profile that’s still on the lighter side. Made in France with paraffin wax, the 6.5-ounce jar has an estimated 60-hour burn time. Once you buy one, you may not be able to stop — multiple reviewers say they keep coming back to Baies, year after year.
Promising Nordstrom review: “When in doubt… buy Baies! Whenever I’m not sure what to get someone for a gift, I get them a Diptyque candle and Baies is a great one if you are not sure what scents they enjoy. It seems to be universally pleasing. The scent is sweet but not in an overpowering or synthetic way, and somehow fresh and warm at the same time. Throws well and like all Diptyque products, looks great and vessel can be reused.” — Mich85
If you’ve ever gone on vacation during the holidays, you might have memories associated with the scent of a hotel lobby decked out with festive decorations. This votive by Hotel Lobby Candle seeks to recreate that warm, inviting olfactory experience. This is possibly the most festive scent combo on our list, with notes of evergreen, winter snow, fresh pine and more. It comes in a 9.5-ounce single-wick size as well as a larger 5-wick version. The burn time of the smaller one is 65 hours, so your recipient can continue the holiday vibes well after they take down their own holiday decorations.
Promising review: “My husband and I both love these candles. They smell incredible without being overpowering. They make the perfect hostess gift or a gift for yourself. We always have them in our home!” — Customer
The Harlem Candle Company is a Black-owned business that makes candles inspired by Harlem and prominent figures from the Harlem Renaissance, including this one named after poet Langston Hughes that would make a great gift for a history or literature nerd. Notes of clove, vanilla, jasmine, sandalwood and amber provide a comforting scent with about 80 hours of burn time. The 12 ounces of soy wax are poured into a deep blue glass jar with elegant gold accents.
Promising Amazon review: “Buy this. It’s absolutely amazing. I had a gift card from Macys and I wanted to see what all the buzz was about with speakeasy (wonderful) but the beautiful blue vessel and description made me order the Langston as well. I’m so glad I did.
Two words: intoxicating and divine. Perfect for a man or a woman and I plan on using the vessel as a whiskey glass when I’m finished with the candle. My mother in law, aunt and friends all wrote down this candle because they wanted to purchase it.
Note-I have a large open concept home with open kitchen, dining etc and the one candle struggled to fill up the large area (like a larger candle would) which is why I’m buying a second one. It does fill up my master bedroom and game room perfectly though.
Harlem, I would love it if you could offer larger candles in these scents.” — Turtle747
If you want luxury in a jar, one of their bestselling scents is the smoky, floral Burning Rose candle, which has notes of rose (duh), leather, violet, birch and ebony. The 2.5-ounce candle has a 24-hour burn time, but it’s also available in an 8.5-ounce version, which can burn for 60 hours. The more sophisticated nature of this candle makes it an excellent gift for someone you know already uses candles all the time and wants to step it up to the next level.
Promising review: “I’m an avid luxury candle fan and after visiting the Glossier showroom in New York where this is lit, I had to buy it!! It’s an interesting combination of rose mixed with a deeper woody note which makes it a really sophisticated candle. Everytime I light this now it takes me back to lovely NYC memories.” — srwly27
This candle in a striking blue glass jar has notes of tropical fruit and sugared citrus. It’s made in the USA with a soy wax blend and has garnered over 14,000 5-star ratings on Amazon, where reviewers laud it for its stunning appearance, pleasant fruity scent and impressive scent throw.
Promising Amazon review: “This scent makes me happy. It reminds me of warm weather, flowers blooming and being outside. You cannot dislike this scent. The scent radiates through the entire space in which it was lit. This will forever be one of my favorite candles/scents. I love the packaging as well. Perfect gift.” — Amazon Customer
One of the best candles you can gift is one with a jar your recipient can use long after they’ve burned down the wax, and this Voluspa French Cade & Lavender candle delivers on that idea with a gorgeous jar that has a floral design. The scent itself is similarly fresh and floral, with French cade wood, lemon verbena and lavender. The 18-ounce jar has an impressive 100-hour burn time, though you can also buy a smaller version on Amazon.
Promising Sephora review: “Y’all, THIS SMELL!! It’s clean and a little floral and a lot intoxicating. I don’t understand the other reviews saying this candle has a light scent because that is not my experience. I have purchased plenty of those $10 Target soy wax candles, but I always come back to Voluspa. It is worth the price for three reasons: it fills your entire house with scent when lit; it burns evenly for 100 hours; and once it’s done the jar makes an amazing vase/storage/whatever piece to keep. The cold throw on this candle is amazing as well – I just leave it open sometimes to enjoy the smell in the room. I even have an open (the no-lid, smaller version) in my bathroom to keep it smelling pleasant in there. I always get a hit of it when washing my hands or standing in front of my mirror. When burning, it does so evenly. When I have had tunneling with this candle it some how self-corrects after a few burns. I’ve gone through about 8 of these and never had one not finish evenly. This scent and brand is hands down my favorite candle that I will repurchase until I die. I’m serious.” — eehall
Chesapeake Bay is another beloved candle company, and their Balance + Harmony scent is one of their top sellers. It’s a water lily pair scent with notes of apple, pear, coconut, water lily and anise, to name a few. If you’re planning to gift a candle to someone with a more sensitive nose, reviewers who deal with migraines say this scent is delicate enough not to trigger any headaches. The medium jar can burn for approximately 50 hours before it runs out, and is made in the USA with a natural soy wax blend and natural essential oils.
Promising Amazon review: “So many candles end up making me sneeze uncontrollably or trigger my asthma with overly strong, unnatural scent. This one, I’m happy to say, does neither, while still smelling lovely. Burns evenly and lasts long, with no tunneling or discoloration. Nicer for the price than other, more expensive candles. Will repurchase.” — Lives2read
What’s a candle gift guide without Yankee Candle? Their Lilac Blossoms 22-ounce jar candle is a bestseller on the site, with over 12,000 5-star ratings on Amazon for this scent alone. It has one natural fiber wick, is made of premium-grade paraffin wax and should last for a long time, with over 110 hours of burn time. The scent, as the name implies, is floral with notes of lilac petals, dewy greens, hyacinth, vetiver and more.
Promising Amazon review: “I love the lilac sent! It’s hard to find candles that actually have that beautiful, light, realistic smell. When I saw it was $16 I thought it would be a smaller candle but when I opened the box it was was huge! The packaging was also done very nicely, no broken glass and was very protective. The flame is very bright, great value for money, burns really nice, the heat helps carry the scent really far, and can be used for many different functions like party’s or just a relaxing bath!” — Really big for the price!
Who doesn’t love a Bath & Body Works candle? The retailer’s Eucalyptus Spearmint 3-wick aromatherapy candle is a bestseller for its purported stress relief qualities. The scent is a spa-like mix of spearmint, sage and eucalyptus leaf, and the 14.5-ounce soy wax blend candle has an approximate burn time of 25 to 45 hours. With an impressively high 4.76star average rating across almost 5,000 reviews, you can’t go wrong choosing this candle.
Promising review: “I was delighted to see l could buy this on Amazon. I was given this a a gift last year and was obsessed with the smell but didn’t know how l was going to buy more as l live abroad and we don’t have a bath and body works. So after some late night shopping online l was super happy to see this. I will be buying more. The smell is relaxing and burns well. Great gift for your self or a friend.” — Maxine
While Homesick made a name for themselves with unique city- or state-specific candles, they also make plenty of other candles for specific situations, like this Let’s Toast soy wax blend candle. Weighing 13.75 ounces and with a burn time of about 60 to 80 hours, this candle is sure to make your recipient smile with its clever nod to holiday gatherings and celebration. The scent, which includes notes like mandarin, grapefruit, apple and champagne, adds a party spin to a classic fruity scent profile that’s sure to spark joy.
Promising review: “I bought this candle to be part of an engagement gift set I put together. The scent isn’t too weak or too strong, and the minimal design is perfect for your friend that loves a neutral aesthetic. It’s a super cute way to share a little message!” — Serena
Yankee Candle is just so popular that another had to make this list, though this time with a very different scent profile as compared to the floral Lilac Blossoms. Their MidSummer’s Night candle has the same specs as Lilac Blossoms, at 22 ounces with a natural fiber wick and a 110-hour burn time. Many reviewers have creatively described this scent as more masculine — from smelling like “husband cuddles” to “a tall, dark, and mysterious man” — because of the notes of cologne, musk, patchouli and sage. It’s also a bit on the stronger side, but if that’s what your recipient prefers, they’ll likely adore this scent.
Promising Amazon review: “Smells just like a tall, dark, and mysterious man. Super strong and only needs to be burned a few minutes to get the effects. Great value for that reason. I have been a fan of this scent for many years. Will continue to buy.” — Toni
