The most complimented candles I own - handpicked by a Master Perfumer

Discover the best scented candles recommended by a Master Perfumer, from luxury brands to independent sellers

A selection of the best scented candles being tested in Laura's home: you can see Jo Malone, Diptyque, La Bougie, Penhaligon's and many other brands
(Image credit: Future)
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As a Master Perfumer, I’ll admit I’m something of a candle snob, but that also means I know how to spot the real gems. Too many so-called “best candles” rely on predictable lavender or generic blends that feel flat and uninspired. I wanted to go deeper, finding candles with complexity and character, scents that feel like a personal signature for your home.

To uncover the best scented candles of 2025, I put my nose to the test. I’ve shopped in Paris, Milan, Grasse, and London, explored the shelves of my favourite brands, and tested more than seventy different candles at home. From gourmand treats to green, herbal blends and even the cult-favourite tomato leaf candle that everyone’s talking about, I’ve tracked down scents that feel grown-up, sophisticated, and endlessly wearable, perfect for women who know the power of a well-chosen fragrance.

Every candle in this guide has been chosen not just for its scent but also for its quality. You’ll find clean-burning natural waxes, fragrances that last long after you blow them out, and blends designed for expert scentscaping and to make your home feel like a sanctuary. Whether you’re after the Mediterranean warmth of sun-drenched herbs, the earthy freshness of rain-soaked ground, or a hit of coastal sea air, this list is about more than ticking off the best Jo Malone candle. It’s about finding a candle that feels like it was made for you, or as the perfect gift for a friend.

The best scented candles for making your home smell expensive

A selection of the best scented candles being tested in Laura's home: you can see Jo Malone, Diptyque, La Bougie, Penhaligon's and many other brands

(Image credit: Future)

You don't get a home that smells incredible by chance. There are lots of ways to make your home smell good, from choosing fragrant indoor plants to carefully curating a collection of natural essential oils. By far the easiest way to get an enviable home fragrance is by choosing the right candle. That's why I, a Master Perfumer, have done all the hard work for you.

My three candles that always get noticed

Before I even started thinking about curating a guide to the best candles, I owned these three candles. I have proof of the multiple empty jars and vessels that I quite literally burn through them.

The White Company's Seychelles is a soft, clean, and sweet fragrance that you just can't go wrong with. It's an easy gift and also an easy online buy, because it smells exactly like it sounds. Aqua Di Parma's Fico Di Amalfi is the candle that I'm burning on a regular basis when the sun is out, because it has that wonderfully clean, invigorating freshness. And finally, the calming scent of Skandinavisk Ro is the candle I light come bedtime.

Herbal and calming candles

Herbal candles aren't new to the market, but the way that perfumers are crafting them certainly are. Thanks to Loewe's Tomato Leaves, this green, earthy scent has become a key player in all fragrance brands' candle collections.

The popularity of tomato has inspired herb garden style candles, which riff off the vine leaves with basil, rosemary and oregano as well as more simple blends of sea salt and rosemary. All of these are beautiful and will definitely get your house guests talking, especially those green-fingered friends.

Citrus and uplifting candles

You know those homes that you walk into and they just smell clean? The air feels lighter, the rooms are brighter, and everything is just sharper? Well, I'd say 99% of the time, a good home fragrance is behind that. From H&M's warm grapefruit to Jo Malone's elegant Golden Amber, these three are twists on the citrus fragrances that you might have expected to crop up here. Each perfumer has done a clever job of pairing the light citrus with a note that's woody or rich, which significantly helps the longevity of your candle's natural scent. Lemon and orange are fleeting fragrances without some master scent scaffolding around them. With these three candles, it's out with the old orange and in with the new.

Floral and fruity candles

I love a floral , but so many brilliant blooms are overdone when it comes to candles. When I was choosing these, I wanted candles that had some complexity and refinement, or such purity and clarity that they deliver exactly what they promise I ended up with cherry blossom from Diptyque, because who can resist that? As well as a richer, creamier wild fig candle from Rituals and a sweet, almost fruity Scandinavian candle too.

Rich and woody candles

Even though we are heading towards sunnier, warmer months, there is always a place for richer and woodier scents around your home. It might be that you want to curate a cosy, comforting energy in your lounge, or you want to feel indulged and treated. This is exactly what cocoa, sandalwood, figs, and smoky notes will do for you. I've got a spectrum of warm, gentle scents in the Rituals candle right through to ceremony-style smoky notes in Bamford's Explorer Candle. Each one, of course, looks beautiful too.

Fresh and green candles

Green fragrances come under a few different categories. I have a section on herbal candles further down, but what makes these candles different from your average green candle is how fresh they are. Meadow Mist is a classic blend of citrus and floral notes, but the twist of black pepper and delicate rose helps to elevate the whole scent to something a little more special. Similarly, La Bougie takes lemongrass, but rather than go gently, they are powerful with their scent notes. Each one hits you in the nose and wakes you up, like a morning espresso. I love it. And finally, Penhaligon's, my favourite perfume brand, makes a softer green candle. It's was a best-seller and a team favourite when I worked there.

Gourmand candles

It feels like gourmand candles and 'edible' scents have been trending for years and it doesn't show any sign of ebbing away. The recent surge of popularity for tomato candles shows that it's taking quite a natural turn, but if you love your candles to smell sweet enough to serve-up for dessert, I've found the best three. These are powerful, true-to-scent burns that hold surprising power for their lighter notes.

The candle I'm burning this month

Neroli Di Amalfi

(Image credit: Future)

I love all of these candles and I switch them up depending on my mood, the time, and the weather. The one I'm finding myself reaching for this month is a brand new launch from Neil Strain, the luxury florist. His collection is as indulgent as it is beautiful. I have opted for Neroli Di Amalfi, because nothing says summer better than a citrus candle. This has the beautiful, floral top notes of orange flower and lemon, cut with zingy neroli and invigorating geranium. What makes it really special is the warm base notes of amber and musk. In a word, the candle is resplendent.

How we tested the best scented candles

A selection of the best scented candles being tested in Laura's home: you can see Jo Malone, Diptyque, La Bougie, Penhaligon's and many other brands

(Image credit: Future)

As you might have guessed, the woman&home team is fragrance obsessed. We have Master Perfumers, fragrance afficianados, and general candle geeks in our mix, so finding the perfect candle for every kind of home is like our dream task.

For this guide, we managed to test, burn, clean, and maintain each candle that you see in the guide. There are plenty that didn't make the cut, but if you want to know how we chose which are the best scented candles, here's an insight into the process:

  • Strength of scent: Was it detectable without even burning? How long does the scent last after burning for 2-4 hours, this is what many experts recommend to truly test the scent.
  • Burn time: An all-important factor when buying any scented candle is how long the approximate burn time is. We tested if we felt the times stated by the retailer are a true reflection of how long we burnt each for.
  • Value for money: Because scented candles can prove costly we assessed if each was worth its price tag, this depended on the burn time to weigh up the cost per use and whether the scent was powerful enough.
  • Scent: it's easy to make a simple candle, but you don't get complexity, refinement, and nuance by chance. Laura, our resident Master Perfumer, made sure to sniff out the candles that have some expertise behind them.

FAQs

What are the best scented candle brands?

What is the best-scented candle brand according to our editors? 

While the best scented candles come from a variety of brands, our editors each have their favourite brands for certain scents that they go to time and again.

  • Best budget candle brand: Aldi is reputed for high-quality scented candles under £5, proving that luxury doesn't have to cost a fortune.
  • Best luxury candle brand: Creed Aventus, known as a leader in men's fragrances, Creed Aventus also curates unisex candles infused with rich scents.
  • Best long-lasting candle brand: Yankee Candle boasts an enduring 110-150 burn time for each option. The brand also uses premium-grade paraffin wax and wicks made of 100% natural fibers.
  • Best candle brand for sweet and spicy scents: Diptyque reconciles sweet, soft, and floral notes with spicy, more intense aromas. In other words, shoppers truly get the best of both worlds at their fingertips.
  • Best candle brand for fresh and clean scents: The White Company is hailed for crafting great-smelling candles with fresh scents and earthy tones. The brand also makes top-rated seasonal-scented candles.
  • Best candle brand for woody and musky scents: Maison Francis Kurdijan creates candles with warm, winter-inspired scents. Think balsam fir fragrance, along with notes of anise, nutmeg, and tobacco.
  • Best candle brand for citrus scents: Acqua Di Parma is a brand renowned for strong citrus scents. Its Blu Mediterraneo candle line embodies sparkling citruses, rich fruity scents, and tropical coastlines.
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best scented candle on a window ledge during testing
(Image credit: Future)

What is the correct way to burn a candle?

We asked candle expert Jo Malone, founder of the Jo Malone brand and owner of Jo Loves, to share her tips for getting the most out of your best-scented candles by burning them correctly every time.

Jo says, “For the best possible burn and to prolong the life of a candle, it's best to burn the candle for long enough so that the whole surface becomes molten, this usually takes around two hours. Candles have memory, so if you blow out a half-melted candle it’s less likely to burn down evenly the next time."

"Avoid burning any candle for more than three to four hours at a time and once you have put it out, leave the candle to completely cool before relighting it. To get the best longevity out of your candle, it is important to trim the wick each time before relighting it. Trim the wick to between 4mm and 5mm as this allows the candle to burn evenly and also prevents smoking. Avoid burning the candle in a draft too, as this may cause it to smoke."

How do I choose a candle fragrance?

Offering some help with the buying journey of determining what scent is best for you Daniel Dutton, trade marketing manager at Diptyque suggests: "Ask yourself how you like to feel in your home or the room you are choosing a scent for?"

"You may also find it useful to consider when you like to light a candle so it is most appropriate for when you will be experiencing the fragrance. For example, if you are looking for a scent to relax on an evening think of which fragrances recall other times you have felt relaxed as fragrance and memory are so intrinsically lined."

"Taking this route light florals, you associate with being at one with nature or perhaps a fragrance associated with childhood may reveal itself to you that will create the mood you are looking for when you light your candle each evening."

Daniel adds: "Other factors worth considering are your choice of candle size and this will depend on the size of the room to be perfumed. It is, of course, also possible to increase the number of candles for a more intense olfactory effect as well as add drama from the increased luminosity of multiple flickering flames."

Laura Honey
Laura Honey
Homes Ecommerce Editor

Laura is woman&home's eCommerce editor, in charge of testing, reviewing and creating buying guides for the Homes section, so you'll usually see her testing everything from the best dehumidifiers to sizing up the latest Le Cruset pot. Previously, she was eCommerce editor at Homes & Gardens magazine, where she specialised in covering coffee and product content, looking for pieces tailored for timelessness. The secret to her heart is both simplicity and quality. She is also a qualified Master Perfumer and holds an English degree from Oxford University. Her first editorial job was as Fashion writer for The White Company.

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