The Candles You Should & Shouldn’t be Buying This Holiday Season

DISPATCH from a self-proclaimed candle expert: the candles that are and are NOT worth your hard-earned money, from Diptyque-level luxury to Amazon steals.

Hi everyone :)

If you’ve read my Substack before, you know I’m very much NOT a commerce writer and influencing, deinfluencing etc is not really my jam. That said, I have a lot of heavy stuff going on right now and I feel compelled to keep things light n’ fluffy on here for this week. My father has been repeatedly hospitalized with an unknown diagnosis and I’m facing down a big career transition. I left my job as co-founder and CMO of Scent Lab quite suddenly last week and will be taking the rest of the year off to rest, recharge, and be there for and with my family.

Lucky for you, I guess, all roads have (somehow) led to a breakdown of what candles you should and shouldn’t be buying this holiday season. Menty B’s come in all shapes and sizes, babes.

That said, I AM an expert. I’ve been candle-obsessed since I was what, 13 or so? Then, running my own pop-ups and boutiques for nearly five years, my candle exposure exploded. I encountered hundreds of candle brands at various tradeshows, personally purchased hundreds more for my own research and enjoyment, and sold dozens of candle brands in my own stores. Years later consulting for and then joining Scent Lab, a 2X-award-winning fragrance brand (claiming Allure’s ‘Best of Beauty’ seal and Cosmo’s ‘Holy Grail’ seal for its candles) only deepened my obsession and expertise. I know all about the different types of wax, burn times, throw (ie how much physical ‘space’ the candle’s scent takes up as it burns), but most importantly, I’ve purchased and burned through like, 4,000 candles or more in my lifetime so I know from personal experience which are good, which are all hype, and which ones you’ve never heard of but should start supporting, like, now!

I will be exploring a range of price-points on both the (L)IT LIST and the (W)ICK LIST [get it??]. Let’s get into it, shall we!!!!

**please note I don’t do ANY AFFILIATE STUFF so this is all from the pureness of my candle addicted heart, no money is being made.**

🔥THE (L)IT LIST🔥

These are candles that are objectively GOOD. The throw is STRONG - meaning the candle does its f*ckin job and makes your space smell LIKE THE CANDLE.

KEAP: WOOD CABIN

HOW I FOUND IT: I discovered Keap via Bulletin back in 2016, and we started selling them in our stores shortly after. I think someone on our merchandising team discovered them or Alana, my business partner, found their Kickstarter. We couldn’t keep them in-stock - people were obsessed. This particular scent has always been my favorite. It’s a lit fireplace in a jar. It’s warm, comforting, smokey, toasty, crackling, soothing goodness. The throw is really intense. If you light this in your NY apartment, you can trick any guest into thinking you have a freshly lit fireplace going somewhere they can’t see. This is the candle that’s often lit in the Joseph Leonard bathroom in the West Village - my favorite city spot for a burger and a drink. I went recently and noticed it was replaced by a Mrs. Meyers bodega candle. I asked where Keap went. “Everyone kept stealing it,” the manager told me.

SMELLS LIKE: Cedar, Palo Santo + Fireside Embers.

WAX: Coconut

BURN TIME: 45 hours

NOSE: Christophe Laudamiel, who, fun fact, designed Abercrombie & Fitch’s signature store scent (!). All candles are maker-made in Kingston, NY <3

BUY IT: HERE for $55.

OLD WHALING CO: SEAWEED AND SEA SALT

HOW I FOUND IT: A b*tch I now hate recommended this candle to me. I’m not sure I can buy it again because I hate hating people, and this candle reminds me of her. But it’s such a shame, because this candle is seriously DIVINE. It’s definitely a weirder move to go seaweed + sea salt for winter but personally, I LOVE a coastal, oceanic holiday vibe. Snow on the beach and all that. This candle makes me think of Cape Cod at Christmas or Provincetown in the winter and what a chilly, jolly, salty, cozy vibe it must be. When I first lit this candle, I forgot, and then I left the house to walk the dog and run errands and came back to an apartment that smelled like the underbelly of a yassified ocean dock - like what Gwyneth Paltrow’s yacht bottom would smell like if it wasn’t cleaned enough. I mean that LITERALLY GUYS!!! YACHT BOTTOM IS NOT A EUPHEMISM FOR ANYTHING ELSE! But… it would def smell a little pungent but also really crisp and clean at the same time? Get it, and you’ll get it.

SMELLS LIKE: Sea spray, jasmine, mandarine, sand, bergamot, musk, sage.

WAX: Soy + Olive.

BURN TIME: Doesn’t say but it’s 12 oz, so I’d guess ~65.

NOSE: Family-owned, candles are hand-poured. No nose listed.

BUY IT: HERE for $22.

APOTHEKE: CHARCOAL CLASSIC

HOW I FOUND IT: When I lived in Williamsburg 16 lifetimes and 3 boyfriends ago, my apartment was next to a pilates studio that lit this candle religiously. I wasn’t making enough money to splurge on the $44 price tag, but I did it anyway. I then fell deeper into my Charcoal addiction and got the reed diffusers, which I still use to this day. I love the black vessel. I love the black wax. But the scent is really that special and to me, it’s a very accessible, earthy fragrance. I smelled the Loewe tomato leaves candle at a friend’s place recently and was like wait, hmm, why is it giving a tinge of...Charcoal by Apotheke? Well, it’s because Charcoal’s top notes are burnt maple, raspberry, and tomato! who knew! It’s also quite woody, but not in an obvious way. It’s a true to itself, doesn’t-smell-like-anything-else candle that I come back to again and again, and I scoop it up every time it’s on sale… like right now!

SMELLS LIKE: Burnt maple, raspberry, tomato, embers, cedarwood, cinnamon, green clove leaf.

WAX: Soy blend.

BURN TIME: 60 - 70 hours.

NOSE: Founder Chrisy Fichtl.

BUY IT: HERE on sale, for $33. It is out of stock at APOTHEKE because it’s really good.

TRADER JOES: WINTER CANDLE TRIO

HOW I FOUND IT: While stumbling high af around Trader Joe’s last week, obviously…

I lit the Nutmeg first, then the fresh Currant, then the Cranberry Pine. The gourmand-gorging tween inside me cannot resist the Nutmeg. I want to go back and buy up a zillion more trios so I can create a little family of Nutmeg minis and light them all at once. It’s REALLY GOOD. It smells less like nutmeg and more like a sweet sugar cookie to me, so if you’re into sweet and toasty, stock up on this next time you pop into TJs! I think the pack is only $8.99.

SMELLS LIKE: No scent notes are listed. You kind of have to go with god.

WAX: Soy blend.

BURN TIME: Each mini lasts around 8 hours maybe?

NOSE: NA.

BUY IT: AT TJS!

LE LABO: AMBROXYDE 17

HOW I FOUND IT: I was at Bloomingdales hunting for the perfect birthday gift for my friend Jon, who I know wears Le Labo’s Another 13 as his signature scent. He also has immaculate taste and just bought a brand new condo. So I visited Byredo, Jo Malone, and finally Le Labo to find a fool-proof, luxury candle for his new home. Unbeknownst to me, in getting him the Ambroxyde 17 candle I basically bought him a companion home scent to Another 13. They are both made with the cruelty-free cousin to ambergris, which is produced in the digestive system of sperm whales. Cute. That’s what gives this candle it’s fresh, skin-like, dewy, but slightly clinical smell, and it also has musk, jasmine petals and moss.

SMELLS LIKE: ambergris, musk, jasmine petals and moss.

WAX: Soy blend.

BURN TIME: 70 hours.

NOSE: Nathalie Lorson of Firmenich designed Another 13, the perfume very similar to the Ambroxyde 17 candle. Unclear on who did the candle, though.

BUY IT: HERE for $87.

😔MY (W)ICK LIST😔

These are candles or candle brands that, based on my personal experience, are problematic in some way - big or small. Perhaps the throw is not strong, or they are overpriced for the value, or the wax is shady. I still support all makers, creators and anyone building a business so take this with a grain of salt and if you love these brands or product, keep shopping, spending - do you!

Also, I think paraffin wax is objectively gross so a lot of my determinations below tie back to that. Paraffin wax, when burned, releases toxic and carcinogenic chemicals into air in enclosed spaces. There are so many other options so it’s kind of like, let’s just not? u know? Especially if you have pets or kids - and I’m not even a Clean Girl!! I’m gross!!! But I am sensitive to fragrance and whenever I burn a paraffin candle I get congested immediately which says to ME that this isn’t Big Soy or Big Coconut trying to CONVINCE us that paraffin wax is bad. My BODY tells me it’s bad.

DIPTYQUE: overpriced, low burn time, uses paraffin wax, bad throw. OVER IT. BYE.

BOY SMELLS: I am sorry. Don’t come for me. Maybe I haven’t tried the right SKUS and I’m willing to convert. But I don’t think the throw is strong enough and I don’t feel the scents are potent enough. If you love any of their stuff please comment your faves and I’ll stock up!

SEDA FRANCE: You might be like - wtf is Seda France - but they make the divine signature fragrance at Coming Soon and this is hands-down my moms favorite candle. They use paraffin wax and the throw is SO intense and the fragrances on all their candles are SO intense and I get pretty congested on all of these. But if you have plenty of space at home and you don’t have pets or kids I LOVE the Coming Soon signature scent (Japanese Quince) so maybe you can swing the paraffin and maybe you won’t get congested like I do?

PF CANDLE CO: I did a massive haul for the holidays and I was disappointed. The throw on these is quite minimal. I LOVED how my picks smelled in their glass jars, but I can barely smell these when lit, it’s crazy. Maybe I got a bad batch? I do want to say this indie brand has grown TONS since their inception and I’m excited for their continued success. They own the wholesale candle game like no other and they’ve managed to bootstrap a serious high margin business.

GLOSSIER: Wake up, babe. Glossier makes candles! Same issue as PF Candle Co. I LOVE how the candle smells in the jar, but I can’t really smell it once it’s lit.

🙏MY WISH LIST🙏

These are candles I’ve bought but not tried yet, am planning to buy and try, and am a little too excited for in my funemployed era. I have two consulting clients who are launching their brands in Q1 and have some of my own stuff cooking for next year, and nothing gets me going work-wise like a fresh cup of tea, taking a candle’s virginity and throwing my hair up in a messy bun. Let’s hope these babies do their duty and TRANSPORT ME.

TRUDON: SPIRITUS SANCTI AND TRUDON MANDURAI

I got two. They were on sale on Farfetch for $25 off, so I lept forth. I jumped head first. I pounced. Spiritus Sancti smells like incense and Mandurai smells like Indian jasmine, ylang ylang and resin. I smelled them IRL and died for both, but tbd on the throw. Stay tuned.

NOPALERA: TEPOZTLÁN CANDLE

I met the founder of Nopalera, Sandra Velasquez, at a dinner recently after admiring her brand from afar for many years. This candle has my name written all over it. Bonfire smoke, sandalwod, cedarwood, eucalyptus, copal, birch, patchouli. UGH. Everything Sandra does is so thoughtfully executed and so beautifully done. I imagine this candle will be divine. Can’t wait.

BYREDO: ANCIENT SAND

Scent Lab and Byredo share the same luxury fragrance house. Meaning, the folks who design their perfumes and candles for $100+ design Scent Lab’s for $38+. Despite this, I own zero Byredo candles (though ‘Pulp,’ their juicy, addictive albeit discontinued perfume is a summer go-to of mine). I smelled Ancient Sand last week in Williamsburg and boyyyy do I want it. The scent is woody with notes of raspberry, carrot seeds, rose and cardamom.

I’m also quite curious about Joya, Flamingo Estate, and Midnight Soak by Audo Copenhagen. LMK if you’ve tried them :)

Lastly, I will forever be waiting for this brand to come back and this candle to restock. This is my all-time price-meets-quality-meets-throw-meets-simple-design fever dream of a candle. Alex, the founder, was/is such a talented nose and I miss Mojave Daydream so very much. I wish I stocked up on a zillion the last time I saw them in-store somewhere.

Talk soon,

Ali 🧘‍♀️