Here at the Strategist UK, we like to think of ourselves as crazy (in the good way) about the stuff we buy, but as much as we’d like to, we can’t try everything. Which is why we have People’s Choice, in which we find the best-reviewed products and single out the most convincing ones. (You can learn more about our rating system and how we pick each item here.)
And while we’ve covered all sorts of homeware products — including the best yoga mats, the best purple shampoos, and the best office chairs — here, we’ve rounded up the best scented candles for everyone, as praised by the most enthusiastic reviewers on Amazon.
Best-rated overall scented candle
Overall, Yankee Candles were the most popular brand of candles on Amazon, but this pillar candle in a lemon-lavender scent was the best-rated overall. It has 5,569 reviews in total, with 81 percent of reviews being five stars. One person who gave it five stars said the smell from the candle, which they light in the evenings, still fills the room when they return home from work the next day, while another described the scent as gorgeous, but not overpowering. One person likened it to perfume or aftershave, but less cloying than Yankee’s other scents, such as baby powder and warm cashmere. Twenty-five reviewers said the smell filled their entire home, making it good value for money and a safer alternative to lighting candles in different rooms. Yankee says the large pillar candle has at least 125 hours of burn time — and 96 customers agreed, recommending it as a long-lasting candle.
Best-rated (less-expensive) scented candle
Shearer Candles is a British company that has been making candles since 1897. Their vanilla and coconut tin candle costs just £5.50 and is one of the best-rated less-expensive options online. Several customers noted that the vanilla and coconut scent was light and not too intense, but still noticeable, including one customer who said they could smell the candle even before they’d unboxed it. The candle has 672 reviews in total, including 41 reviewers who were particularly taken with the tin it came in — many people said they upcycled it to store things in once they’d burned through the candle. And 78 reviewers said the price and versatile scent made it a perfect gift, including several who went on to buy one for themselves, too.
Best-rated three-wick scented candle
La Jolie Muse’s three-wick candle is highly rated, with 75 percent of its 379 reviews being five stars. The candle comes in a sandalwood scent, which 26 reviewers said smelled pleasant. According to one customer, who struggles to find a candle that isn’t too overpowering or perfumey, the sandalwood scent hits the right note — neutral but atmospheric. Another self-professed candle fanatic recommended it due to its natural smell, adding that many candles at this price can smell artificial or manufactured. An extra benefit of the three wicks, according to one reviewer, is the fact it casts more light in the room — making it look particularly striking at nighttime.
Best-rated ceramic scented candle
The company also does a candle housed in this pleasant-looking ceramic jar, which is scented with orange, lime, and bergamot top notes. It has 848 reviews in total, 79 percent of which are five stars. Customers wrote favorably of the presentation box this candle arrives in — 42 reviewers bought this candle as a gift for Christmas or birthdays, while a further three noted that it looked far more expensive for the price. Additionally, 44 people left positive reviews about the scent, which was described as light, natural, and gentle. One reviewer, in fact, is so fond of the candle they insist on rationing it each night so as not to burn through it too quickly.
Best-rated long-lasting scented candle
Woodwick, a diffusion line by Yankee candles, uses wooden wicks to help prolong burn time (as well as give off a satisfying crackle). This brand’s largest candle boasts 130 hours of burn time, and reviewers were impressed with its lifespan, too. Thirty-nine reviewers commented favourably on the candle’s burn time, including one customer who lights it during their hour-long reiki session every night, and another who says they had it on in their home every night during the winter (a third reviewer said they estimated it lasted a few months). The hourglass-shaped jar, which one customer called visually striking, was also commended — the wider top helps the wax pool evenly and prevent ‘tunnelling’ — when a candle burns down the center without melting the edges. This had 1,372 reviews in total, with 80 percent of those being five stars, and comes in a variety of scents including typical scents like cinnamon chai and applewood, and more unusual ones like radish and rhubarb.
Best-rated candle made in the UK
All of St Eval’s tin candles are hand-poured in Cornwall, and this bay and rosemary scented one has 168 reviews on Amazon, with 86% of all reviews being five stars (the highest on our list). 39 reviewers said they loved the herbal scent, including one candle fanatic who usually shops at Diptyque, and a repeat customer who buys 3-4 at a time and places one in every room of their house. According to 23 reviewers, the candle is also long-lasting – St Eval says it should burn for 45 hours, but several customers say it lasts longer. One reviewer also wrote that the smell – strong but not overwhelming – was good at masking pet odors and smells from the kitchen, too.
Best-rated scented candle gift set (4 candles)
This four-candle set from YMin is the best-rated multipack on Amazon, with 83-percent five star reviews (out of 812 reviews total). It has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5, and 164 reviews proclaim it the perfect gift, including reviewers who bought them as anniversary presents, parents buying them for teachers, and one customer who got them for her new boyfriend’s mum at Christmas. Twenty-five reviewers also spoke highly of the scents — which include cinnamon, orange blossom, english pear, and agar wood scents. The candles are a natural soy wax, and according to reviewers have a burn time of around six hours each.
Best-rated scented candle gift set (12 candles)
This comprehensive collection features twelve different scents, among them black cherry, cotton fresh, and sea salt, and has 1,586 reviews in total. Eighty percent of those were five stars, with the set averaging 4.7 stars out of 5, and perhaps unsurprisingly, this was recommended by many reviewers as a perfect gift (57 reviewers picked it up as a Christmas presents). In total, 190 reviewers said this candle set made a lovely gift, including a woman who called it a fantastic alternative to expensive perfumes. One customer bought them for a friend’s 70th birthday and said the variety was useful as she didn’t know what her friend’s favourite scent was. The gift box the candles arrive in was also positively reviewed by 115 customers, and though the manufacturer says each candle burns for up to ten hours, several customers noted the burn time as much shorter. Despite that, 42 reviewers wrote that they thought this set was great value for money.
Best-rated scented tealights
Given how popular their other candles have been, it will come as no surprise that Yankee Candles’ tea lights are the best-rated on Amazon. The “seaside wood” scent features driftwood and citrus notes, and has 6,925 reviews in total, with 81 percent of those being five stars. One reviewer found them to be just as enjoyable as a jar candle, saying the smell was prominent without being overpowering. Several reviewers said the scent was strong even without the candle being lit, including someone who kept a tea light in their knitting bag because it left such a nice scent and a mother who dotted them around her daughter’s nursery. Yankee says the burn time is between four and six hours.
Best-rated scented chef’s candle
This is the best-rated chef’s candle (meaning it’s designed to neutralise strong odors) and comes from Price’s, a British company with a royal warrant that provides goods to the Queen. It contains extracts of basil, patchouli and geranium, and has 156 reviews, with 72 percent of those being five stars. One reviewer said it works best being lit during cooking, rather than after, and completely eliminated a strong vinegar smell lingering in their kitchen after making chutney. In fact, the small candle seems capable of handling a number of strong smells — customers wrote that it was effective at neutralising smells such as fish, curry, and burnt toast, though not the smell of steak, according to one review. But reviewers agreed the smell was a selling point; 23 reviewers praised it specifically, including one who said it left their house smelling like it has just been cleaned. Three reviewers enjoy this candle so much they light it in other rooms of the house, too.
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