10 Best Scented Candles UK 2024 | Jo Malone, Yankee Candle, and More
Whether it's a triple-wick pillar or a tiny flickering tea light, a scented candle has the power to enhance any room in the house from bedroom to kitchen. Scented candles can set the mood, provide relaxation, and be the cherry on top that ties in your interiors. Not to mention, they're perfect for gifting.
From the affordable household staples of WoodWick and Yankee Candle to the high-end luxury fragrances of Jo Malone and Diptyque, scented candles come in all shapes, sizes, and smells for every budget. We've compared the top products from popular online retailers such as Amazon, eBay, and John Lewis to bring you our buying guide of the best scented candles in the UK.
Quick List - Top Scented Candles
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How to Choose a Scented Candle in the UK - Buying Guide
When deciding on which scented candle to buy, you'll need to consider a variety of things. Where will the candle go? What season are we in? Is the product natural or vegan-friendly? We'll discuss all of these points and more in this section.
Match the Fragrance to the Mood of the Room
The first thing to think about when choosing a scented candle is where it will go. You wouldn't dress yourself then add an accessory that completely throws your look, so why do it in your home? Scented candles are the perfect way to accent a room without too much effort. When choosing, think about the space, then match accordingly.
For the Kitchen or Dining Room – Use Clean, Fresh Scents That Won't Overpower the Smell of Home-Cooked Food
Kitchens are often the heart of a home. A place where families connect throughout the day, discussions are had, and food is shared. Adding a scented candle to that scene could only be the bow on top!
However, the last thing you want to do in a kitchen is cover up the smell of delicious cooking, or worse, spoil it. When choosing a candle for the kitchen, make sure to pick fresh, light fragrances that won't be battling with your home-cooked meals. Think white tea, wisteria, orange and neroli.
For Guys and Man Caves – Pick Woody, Musky Fragrances
Man caves, or indeed, bedrooms, conjure up images of dark wood, low lighting, coziness and class, so you'll want a scented candle to match.
Go for candles with a woody or earthy base blended with deep or musky fragrances. This will amp up the ambience of a gentleman's space, or any space where cosiness is key. Good base-scents to choose would be balsam, cedar or sandalwood.
For the Entrance or Hallway – Use a Welcoming, Fresh Scent That Becomes Your Home Fragrance
When it comes to scented candles, hallways and entrances shouldn't just be a passing thought – they are one of the most important areas of the house.
Entrance halls are the first impression and the lasting feeling of your house, so whichever candle you place here will become the signature fragrance for your home. Welcoming, homely scents for your hallway could be spring blossom or fresh linen.
For the Bathroom – Use Clean Fragrances or Odour Neutralising Candles
For the bathroom, the main purpose of a scented candle is to neutralise odours and provide a fresh, clean smell to the room. There are many candles specifically designed for neutralising odours in bathrooms, but if you want something with a little more fragrance, choose clean scents like citrus or baby powder.
Bathrooms are also often one of the smallest rooms, so you will only need a small candle – a larger one may be too overpowering.
Seduction or Sleep-Inducing For The Bedroom?
For the bedroom, you can go one of two ways. To create a romantic atmosphere, pick a candle with deep, musky scents like frankincense or rose.
Or, if you're feeling stressed or having trouble relaxing, drift down the relaxing route and add a sleep-inducing scented candle to your bedside table – lavender and jasmine are particularly popular fragrances to look out for.
Pay Attention to the Base Fragrance if You're Unsure What You Like
Most candle companies categorise their candles by base fragrance. Alongside the location, this can be a great place to start if you aren't sure what smells you like the most! The categories change depending on the company, but they all follow roughly the same pattern of woody, fresh, sweet and floral.
Woody fragrances invoke a cosy, warm feeling and are often mixed with forest smells like sandalwood, cedar or pine. Fresh fragrances such as citrus, watermelon and eucalyptus provide a more uplifting, invigorating atmosphere.
Then, we have the sweet-scented candles which smell more like food than decorations! These are fragrances like french vanilla, pear or chai. And finally, we have the floral category – these tend to be flower-based fragrances such as rose, sweet pea, honeysuckle or jasmine.
Cosy Christmas or Tropical Summer? Match Your Candle to the Seasons
When spring approaches, we begin to take our lives more outdoors – sunny fields, trees blossoming, flowers unfolding. Bring these floral fragrances inside with scented candles that contain light, fresh fragrances like sweet pea or jasmine.
Some people wouldn't even dream of lighting a candle during summer, but it can be a great way to immerse yourself even more into the chilled, summer vibes. Opt for tropical or fresh smells during summer like coconut or sea breeze.
Other Things to Think of When Choosing a Scented Candle
Aside from the fragrance and mood that a scented candle sets, there are a few other considerations to take note of before you buy. Here are the most important!
Did You Know That the Wick Can Make All the Difference?
If you're relatively new to scented candle shopping, you might not know that there are a variety of materials used to make wicks – and they do make a difference to your burning experience. If you purchase a large candle, it should have multiple, evenly-spaced wicks to allow for an even burn.
Quality candles will use a cotton or linen wick. These emit a much stronger scent from the candle. Wooden wicks are also great as they produce a cosy fire-crackling sound but require a little more maintenance. Top tip: trim the wick before each use to maximise an even burn, making your candle last much longer!
Would You Prefer a Vegan or Natural Candle? There Are Two Types of Wax Used in Candle Making
Paraffin is the most common type of wax in candle making, however, it produces the most soot out of all wax types.
Soy wax candles are 100% vegan and made from soybean oil. These are by far, the most sustainable option as soy is biodegradable. Soy wax also provides a lasting, clean burn.
Candles can also be made from beeswax, but as the wax naturally smells like sweet honey, it isn't used in scented candle making.
Rather Than Size, Check the Burn Time of the Candle
Size is generally a good indication of how long a product is going to last, but not always. It's important that when shopping for a scented candle, to check the burn time as well as the size.
You'll often find that because of the ingredients used, a smaller candle can have a similar burn time to a larger one.
Top 10 Best Scented Candles in the UK
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | WoodWick Crackle Jar Linen Candle | | Our Number-One Candle With a Crackling Wick | |
2 | COWSHED Balance Restoring Room Candle | | A Mood-Enhancing, Relaxing Candle from a British Favourite | |
3 | Diptyque Figuier Scented Candle | | The Perfume-Infused Luxury Scented Candle | |
4 | Shearer Amber Noir Large Candle Tin | | The Affordable Candle With a Luxury Scent | |
5 | Yankee Candle Autumn Glow | | The Never-Ending Candle to See You Through Autumn | |
6 | Molton Brown Rhubarb & Rose Scented Candle | | A Unique Blend of Fruity, Zesty and Bitter Aromas | |
7 | Neom 3-Wick Bedtime Hero Scented Candle | | An Essential Oil Candle to Lull You To Sleep | |
8 | Molton Brown Russian Leather Single Wick Scented Candle | | The Woody Candle Perfect For a Gentleman's Den | |
9 | The White Company Seychelles Signature Candle | | A Refreshing Scent to Accompany Long Summer Nights | |
10 | Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Home Candle | | The Sophisticated Scent from the Perfume Leaders |
Our Number-One Candle With a Crackling Wick
Our top spot goes to the Fresh Linen candle produced by WoodWick. WoodWick's scented candles have the edge on most other candle brands due to their unusual wicks. Instead of cotton, they use organic wood which when lit, crackles away like a cosy fireplace.
This particular product is one of their finest, throwing a powerful, fresh fragrance of newly washed linens in a far reach around the room. To add to the pro-list, WoodWick only uses soy wax, and their large-sized candles burn for an incredible 130 hours!
A Mood-Enhancing, Relaxing Candle from a British Favourite
Infused with a unique blend of essential oils, this balance-restoring candle from Cowshed is an elegant addition to any home. With fragrances chosen to specifically to enhance your mood and relax your mind, this is a perfect candle for a study or living room.
As well as using a scent-boosting Egyptian cotton wick, Cowshed get an additional bonus point for using natural soy wax, so all of their candles are eco-friendly, non-toxic, and safe for vegetarians.
The Perfume-Infused Luxury Scented Candle
Diptyque are another of the luxury leaders in candle-making, and their signature Figuier scented candle is one of the best. With a woody but fruity fragrance, this candle creates a lovely Mediterranean atmosphere in any living room.
Diptyque’s candles are intense, strong and renowned for their incredible throw (how far the fragrance of the candle will reach). You’ll even be able to smell these perfectly-paired notes reaching your nose before you’ve even lit the wick.
The Affordable Candle With a Luxury Scent
This dark, floral candle brings a seductive, sensual and mysterious ambience to the room. With musky fragrances such as amber and tuberose, this is an excellent candle to burn in the bedroom or living room on a cold winter's evening.
The candle may only have a 40 hour burn time, but it is one of the most affordable products on our list and has held the number one spot on Amazon for scented candles for quite some time!
The Never-Ending Candle to See You Through Autumn
If you are even the slightest bit interested in scented candles, you've probably heard of the household brand Yankee Candle. Their candles are cute and inexpensive with a far throw and generally, a very powerful, distinctive fragrance.
Their Autumn Glow candle is one of many seasonal scents, with vibrant notes like citrus and fresh cut herbs blended with golden sunlight and woody patchouli to evoke an autumn forest walk. And with a burn time of over up to 150 hours, this is the candle that keeps on giving!
Molton BrownRhubarb & Rose Scented Candle
A Unique Blend of Fruity, Zesty and Bitter Aromas
Molton Brown has been around for decades and their Rhubarb and Rose candle is one of the most popular products on the market. With a unique blend of fruity, zesty and bitter notes, this candle will fill your home with sweet scents in no time, making it particularly good for burning during the spring seasons.
This is a great candle to place anywhere in your home that needs a bit of uplifting energy, but we think it works particularly well in the hallway.
Neom 3-Wick Bedtime Hero Scented Candle
An Essential Oil Candle to Lull You To Sleep
This three-wick beauty is a bedroom staple for those who have trouble relaxing after a hard day’s work. The scent is sweet, calm and fruity with accents of ylang-ylang and cedarwood.
NEOM use natural soy wax which is great for the environment, and by using pure essential oils, the sleep-inducing effects of their bedtime hero candle are some of the best. The three-wick design looks the part, though it does mean the burn time of this candle is only 50 hours.
Molton BrownRussian Leather Single Wick Scented Candle
The Woody Candle Perfect For a Gentleman's Den
Russian Leather, the sophisticated scent from Molton Brown, is one of the best man-candles on the market. Conjuring wooden cabins in the raw Siberian forest, this intense fragrance combines warming, woody notes of forest pine, roaring fires and worn leather.
With a fragrance inspired by the vast Siberian wilderness, this classic scent uses smokey notes like tobacco and birch to offset the subtle sophisticated top notes like purple basil and black tea. The fragrance, however, can be quite intense!
A Refreshing Scent to Accompany Long Summer Nights
Lighting the Seychelles Signature candle from The White Company will fill your room with the exotic yet subtle fragrances of the Indian Ocean. With high notes of fresh orange, coconut and almond, these scents provide the perfect balance for a fresh, uplifting summery candle.
Though excellent quality, the Seychelles Signature candle will only burn for 33 hours. So, in terms of value, the cost can be seen as pretty steep when compared to other well-loved brands.
The Sophisticated Scent from the Perfume Leaders
One of the gods of the perfume industry, Jo Malone candles are equally as decadent, equally as pungent and as gorgeously presented as their fragrance line. With an overall dark, rich and exotic smell, this is the perfect candle for creating a sensual atmosphere.
As with anything Jo Malone, pomegranate noir promises to add an air of sophistication to any room but will work exceptionally well in the bedroom. One of the flaws of Jo Malone is that they carry out testing on animals in countries that legally require it, such as China, which may put some shoppers off.
More Finishing Touches for Your Space
Lighting a candle or adding some fragrance to a room can instantly transform the ambience, all for very little effort and cost! Whether you're going for fresh, cosy, or romantic, here are a few more ideas to freshen up your space.
Summary
With the incredible variety of scented candles to choose from in the UK, shopping can be a little overwhelming. We hope that you've found our buying guide useful and that you're well on your way to purchasing a deliciously-fragranced scented candle of your own. Enjoy!
Author: Roxy Pratley
Top 5 Scented Candles
No. 1: WoodWick｜Crackle Jar Linen Candle
No. 2: COWSHED｜Balance Restoring Room Candle
No. 3: Diptyque｜Figuier Scented Candle
No. 4: Shearer｜Amber Noir Large Candle Tin
No. 5: Yankee Candle｜Autumn Glow
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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