The Best-Smelling Candles for Your Home
“Nothing lasts forever” is so much more than just a line written by the sonneteer, Axl Rose. Fall marks a seminal moment of change, not just in terms of weather, but also when it comes to your wardrobe, makeup, and even the fragrance with which you fill your home. Whether you’re burrowing down for some much-savored alone time or gathering with friends, an aromatic candle can set any kind of autumn mood. Selecting the right candles, whether a seasonal favorite for yourself or a timeless scent for a friend, is always an easy task. We’ve compiled 15 of the finest, timeless, and just-released fall candles for your review—as you set your mood and spirits into cozy mode.
The minute you light this candle, it feels like someone brought out a harp and started playing for the cherubs—it’s that heavenly of a scent. The aromas are milky and floral, perfect if you love rose scents but want something a tad more layered for fall. Fragrant rose is delicately infused with vanilla and agar wood here, to welcome the season with open arms.
We loved this product for a variety of reasons. First, the candle comes in an attractive cream-colored container, carrying with it a floral and fruity combination that is just subdued enough. For years, Trudon has earned its rightful place in chic European homes, burning atop fireplace mantles in snowy San Moritz chalets or sitting on a rustic table overlooking the waters of Capri. Vesta is the brand’s newest scent from the Les Albatres collection, but will be an all-time classic, no doubt about it. Featuring tangerine, rose, freesia, and moss, this candle makes a thoughtful gift—or indulgence for yourself.
You can never go wrong with this candle. A divine play of sage and lavender gives all the sublime fall feels, as only Tom Ford can do. It’s really the bitter almond parlayed with the rich leather notes that keep the fragrances elevated in such a tasteful manner.
Aromatic and healing, this candle feels and smells like a spiritual cleansing. It’s perfect for a deep mediation—or simply for your nightstand after a long day—with ancient cleansing properties of green frankincense, cedar, juniper, and black pepper at work.
One of our essential seasonal favorites—particularly because of the refined and distinguishable combination of notes. Jo Malone’s scents are always unique, but this one—with ripe pear enclosed by white freesia—sets a beautiful mood for any room. The ultrafine end notes of amber, patchouli, and wood give just the right amount of depth and subtle flavor.
There seems to be a steady four or five Diptyque scents that candle lovers always gravitate toward—and this one is by far their most sophisticated fall scent to date. Inspired by their flagship Paris boutique, which opened 1961, the Parisian flavors of green accord, moss, blackcurrant leaves, and savory fig leaves blend to create one of the most sophisticated candle scents from the brand.
We couldn’t help but envision this candle being lit on a crisp fall evening in the den. Inspired by Frédéric Malle’s childhood memory of standing before a great sandalwood Buddha statue in a Parisian apartment, this woodsy candle is a deep medley of notes, including sandalwood.
This classic and timeless favorite is ideal for a high-brow party, filled with smoky and sexy notes to carry the evening. Cedar and birchwood give the candle one of the most charming musks to ever be created. It’s not heavy and has just the right medley of notes.
Fall in New York City has been captured flawlessly in this sublimely crafted candle. Inspired by the mood perfumier Francis Kurkdjian feels when looking out on Central Park from his balcony, there’s an alluring cognac that is layered with Virginian cedar and cinnamon to feel crisp and cozy once.
A unique take on the most fragrant and merry outdoor scents, this candle will sit beautifully on outdoor tables burning next to early evening dialogue and aperitifs. The aroma contains African frankincense, Egyptian geranium, nutmeg, patchouli, and fir balsam housed in a beautiful porcelain vase.
For a woodsy fall candle, this is one of the cleanest and most pleasantly smelling scents for the fireplace—or your coffee table. The aroma emits soft cashmere feelings of the fragrant Cypress tree that are long-lasting and charming.
Floaty and beautiful, this candle remains appropriate for a captivating fall burn. Tuberose and bergamot harmonize with jasmine, sandalwood, and a very light strand of patchouli to create a charming, effeminate story. We loved, in particular, the balance of tuberose and orange blossom that contains just the right proportion of woods to floral to give it an edge.
This scent is soft, graceful, and deep, blending an alluring fusion of fig, black tea, and bergamot. This product was named after sixteen-year-old Ava Grace, who lost her battle with brain cancer—prompting her family to create a candle in her memory. All proceeds benefit the neuro oncology program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
This one is fruity, but certainly not overbearing. Perfect for any occasion—be it festive or solitary—Autumn Plum is also a long-lasting aroma with just the right amount of wild plum, cinnamon, cashmere wood, and patchouli leaf to leave a presence, but not overpower the room. This one is so appropriate for fall, but we would use it as an all-year-round candle as well.
We could burn this candle all day and night. An essential autumn delight, Santal is a clean-burning, non-toxic candle that merges this season’s most savory notes of spicy cardamom, orange blossom, Iris, and cedar wood. We loved it because it brought a sense of calm and peace to each room.
