Top 5 compared
The best scented candles
A room that smells good and the soft glow of a flame, for a quiet night in or when friends come over.
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The top 5 at a glance
A scented candle is wax blended with fragrance and poured around a wick; as it burns, the pool of melted wax carries the scent into the room. Most come in a glass jar with one cotton wick. Some have a flat wooden wick or three wicks instead, and sets of small candles give a different scent for each room.
On the first lighting, let the wax melt right out to the edge, or it tends to tunnel down the middle every time after. Trim the wick before relighting, keep the flame out of drafts and away from anything that can catch, and never leave a lit candle unattended.
What matters
- Burn time in hours, which says more than the jar size.
- A wooden wick, if you’d like a soft crackle as it burns.
- Pure soy wax, if you’d rather not burn paraffin.
#1WoodWick Medium Hourglass Candle, Vanilla Bean (275 g)
$30–$50
Light it and the flat wooden wick crackles softly, like a small fire across the room, while vanilla with sugar cookie and graham cracker drifts out of the hourglass jar. It’s a warm, easy scent in WoodWick’s everyday size, with a wooden lid to keep dust off between evenings.
What owners say: Owners love the warm vanilla and the comforting crackle, and say it burns for days on end, longer than other candles.
A closer look: A wooden wick wants a little more care than a cotton one: break off the blackened tip before each lighting so the flame catches cleanly and the crackle stays steady. At about 11.5 cm (4.5 in) tall, it sits happily on a bedside table, a bathroom shelf or a desk.
- Wooden lid keeps dust off
- Fits a bedside table
Best for: A cosy crackle in any room
- Burn time
- Up to 60 hours
- Size
- 275 g (9.7 oz) jar
- Wick
- Wooden (crackles)
- Wax
- Soy and paraffin blend
- Scent
- Vanilla, sugar cookie
#2WoodWick Large Hourglass Candle, Vanilla & Sea Salt (609 g)
$30–$50
WoodWick’s crackling wooden wick in its large hourglass jar, with 609 g (21.5 oz) of wax and up to 130 hours of burning, for a candle that’s lit most evenings. Vanilla and sea salt is fresher than a plain vanilla: soft vanilla blossom with a hint of jasmine.
What owners say: Owners call the scent glorious, love the crackle and say a jar lasts a long time; some have made it their go-to candle for years.
A closer look: Give a jar this size a sturdy, open spot such as a coffee table, and put the wooden lid back on once the wax has set. Cleaned out with warm water, the empty jar makes a pot for cotton pads or makeup brushes.
- Wooden lid included
- Jar reusable once empty
Best for: Fresh vanilla for the coffee table
- Burn time
- Up to 130 hours
- Size
- 609 g (21.5 oz) jar
- Wick
- Wooden (crackles)
- Wax
- Soy and paraffin blend
- Scent
- Vanilla and sea salt
#3Yankee Candle Large Jar, Balsam & Cedar (623 g)
$20–$30
Yankee’s classic large jar, with up to 150 hours of burning in it, and Balsam & Cedar smells of fir and cedar with a little citrus and vanilla underneath, with no added parabens or phthalates. Yankee began in 1969, when 16-year-old Mike Kittredge melted crayons to make a candle for his mother.
What owners say: Owners are very pleased with the scent and find a single jar keeps burning for a long time.
A closer look: Put it out for good once only a thin layer of wax is left, so the glass doesn’t overheat. A woody scent like this suits a front hall, where it’s the first thing anyone notices on the way in.
- No added phthalates or parabens
Best for: Weeks of evenings from one jar
- Burn time
- Up to 150 hours
- Size
- 623 g (22 oz) jar
- Wick
- One natural-fibre wick
- Wax
- Plant wax blend (soy and paraffin)
- Scent
- Balsam fir and cedar
#4Alikiai Scented Soy Candles (12-pack)
$20–$30
Twelve little soy candles, each its own scent, from rose, lavender and jasmine to sage and cherry, boxed together as a set. Each burns for 15 to 20 hours by Alikiai’s figure, so there’s a different scent for every room, or a fresh one each week.
What owners say: Owners like the scents and how pretty the little candles look, and some hand them out as party favours; the burn time divides them.
A closer look: Small and light, one packs easily for a weekend away. Burn each for no more than two hours at a time, as Alikiai advises, and once they’re finished the patterned tins hold earrings or paper clips.
- Comes boxed as a set
- Travels well in a bag
- Tins reusable once empty
Best for: Sampling a dozen scents
- Burn time
- 15–20 hours each
- Size
- 12 candles of 71 g (2.5 oz)
- Wick
- Cotton, one per candle
- Wax
- Soy wax
- Scent
- 12 scents, rose to cherry
#5Glade 3-Wick Candle, Vanilla Caramel Twist (193 g)
Under $10
Three wicks melt the top of the jar quickly, so vanilla, caramel and cream fill a kitchen or a hallway soon after it’s lit, with three times the glow of Glade’s one-wick candle, by Glade’s figure. The wax is infused with essential oils, and it’s made in Canada.
What owners say: Owners love the smell, rate its quality and value, and say it lasts well.
Heads up: Glade’s own limit is four hours a burn, so let it cool and harden before lighting it again.
A closer look: Three flames get through the wax faster than one, so it suits evenings when you want plenty of scent quickly rather than a slow burn over many nights. Set it on a heat-resistant surface, as Glade asks.
- Made in Canada
- Wax infused with essential oils
- Brighter glow than one wick
Best for: Kitchens and hallways, scented fast
- Burn time
- About 30 hours
- Size
- 193 g (6.8 oz) jar
- Wick
- Three wicks
- Wax
- Paraffin-based
- Scent
- Vanilla, caramel, cream
How they compare
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| Feature | #1WoodWick Medium Hourglass | #2WoodWick Large Hourglass | #3Yankee Candle Large Jar | #4Alikiai 12-pack | #5Glade 3-Wick |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best variety pack | Best budget | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.4 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 8.9 |
| Price | $30–$50 | $30–$50 | $20–$30 | $20–$30 | Under $10 |
| Burn time | Up to 60 hours | Up to 130 hours | Up to 150 hours | 15–20 hours each | About 30 hours |
| Size | 275 g (9.7 oz) jar | 609 g (21.5 oz) jar | 623 g (22 oz) jar | 12 candles of 71 g (2.5 oz) | 193 g (6.8 oz) jar |
| Wick | Wooden (crackles) | Wooden (crackles) | One natural-fibre wick | Cotton, one per candle | Three wicks |
| Wax | Soy and paraffin blend | Soy and paraffin blend | Plant wax blend (soy and paraffin) | Soy wax | Paraffin-based |
| Scent | Vanilla, sugar cookie | Vanilla and sea salt | Balsam fir and cedar | 12 scents, rose to cherry | Vanilla, caramel, cream |
| Best for | A cosy crackle in any room | Fresh vanilla for the coffee table | Weeks of evenings from one jar | Sampling a dozen scents | Kitchens and hallways, scented fast |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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