The 23 best scented candles for summer 2024, tried and tested

We’ve home-tested the best scented candles to instantly turn your living space into a fragrant haven

Nothing says “relax” like a scented candle. I’ve burnt around 50 of them for hundreds of hours in researching this piece, so I’m well-versed in what makes the best scented candles – the kind that instantly transform your home and your mood.
For me, lighting a scented candle is a ritual that marks the end of the working day. It’s also my go-to gift (along with diffusers) for friends and relatives, especially those who are tricky to buy for. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love the White Company’s Seychelles candle, for example. Jo Malone and Woodwick are good bets too.
In the summer you want candles with clean, citrusy or floral notes that evoke breezy days on the beach, so that’s what I’ve focused on for this update. You can read my full reviews of my favourite candles below, followed by a guide to how they’re made, but if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at my top five:
Caring for your candles is a necessity, even if that sounds faintly ridiculous. It’s worth investing in a wick trimmer to keep them in optimal condition. Remember to light a new candle for at least three or four hours the first time you burn it to stop the wax from ‘tunnelling’. 
Liz Drew, owner of specialist scented candle shop Osmology (and something of a candle expert), says: “This is really important, because wherever the ring of wax gets to when you first burn a candle, that’s where it will burn in future.” Scroll down to the bottom of this article for Liz’s fascinating explanation of how scented candles are made and how to tell a good one from a bad one.
After taking Liz Drew’s advice, I tried and tested a wide range of fragrances, from trusted classics (including The White Company and Jo Malone London) to exciting new releases. I’m always looking for an uplifting scent made with natural materials, an even flame and a long burn time – as well as a sensible price. 
I also noted how evenly each burned, how many times I found I could reburn without issues, whether any produced sink holes and how each cooled. I update this guide regularly, as the seasons change and new fragrances come onto the scene.
 
£50, Jo Malone
Best scented candle overall, 10/10
We like: the sophisticated scent – cosy, but not clichéd
Jo Malone’s fresh English Pear and Freesia candle is definitely a treat. Housed in a signature glass jar with a metal lid, the crisp pear and sweet white freesia fills my living room with the scent of an English wood in bloom. The price point to size ratio definitely means it’s a luxury, rather than an everyday, but it also makes an excellent gift. Each 200g candle provides 45 hours of burn time.
In the same range:
I also love Jo Malone’s Lime, Basil and Mandarin Candle (£56) which, as you can imagine, holds zesty layers of lime and mandarin for a cosy but fresh aroma.
£22, The White Company
Best value scented candle, 10/10
We like: low price for such a high quality candle
This perennially popular candle makes an excellent gift for her during the warmer months. It’s a crisp and citrusy blend of sea salt, bay and samphire that instantly makes you think of a breezy day at the seaside. This standard-sized candle burns for 33 hours but the large summer candle (£65), with three wicks, burns for 70 hours. 
If you prefer a slightly woodier scent to sweet florals, I’d highly recommend this candle. It’s part of a Summer Collection that includes three types of candles as well as a room spray, diffuser, scented oil and a gift set. It also burns evenly.
In the same range:
The White Company’s Love Candle (£22) smells like amber, tonka bean and oud and a £10 contribution from each sale goes to The Prince’s Trust, to help young disadvantaged women.
£56, Diptyque
Best luxury scented candle, 10/10
We like: the scent is like perfume 
In the world of high-end candles, Diptyque is considered up there with the best. The Parisian candles are famous for being very high quality, always using real fragrances and beautiful designs.
Diptyque’s best selling fragrance, Baies, has even been nicknamed the scent of Paris. It smells like freshly picked blackcurrant berries blended with roses and pleasantly scents the room without being overpowering.
£17, M&S
Best budget candle
We like: you can buy a refill to slot back into the jar
M&S sell an excellent range of well-priced candles in aesthetic opaque jars. This Restore candle is their bestselling, with notes of geranium and cedar wood. It’s worth noting this candle has three wicks – for less than £20, this is excellent value for money.
£75 each, Santa Maria Novella
Best looking scented candle, 10/10
We like: the 800 year-old Florentine heritage
If you’re looking for a heritage candle brand, it’s hard to beat one that was founded during the crusades. Florence’s ancient Santa Maria Novella apothecary still sells beautifully-packaged, naturally scented products to those in the know. Their new Firenze 1221 candle collection comes in eight varieties. My favourite scent is the heavenly, oriental melograno, but they all have an effortlessly classy vibe.
£55.50, Pott Candles
Best reusable candle, 10/10
We like: the beautiful handmade pot means you can buy refills and carry on using
If you love candles but worry about the waste after you finish with them, Pott Candles has come up with a solution. Each candle is sold inside a handmade ceramic pot, so subsequent purchases need only be for refills of the wax candle inside. It may look expensive, but refills for the standard size then only cost £27.50, or £20.50 if you buy a subscription.
I tried the brand new blush candle with a blossom candle inside. It has notes of peony, red rose, geranium, musk and spiced amber. The result is a floral smell that’s balanced with a warmth – it’ll best suit anyone wanting a summery smell but nothing too sweet. 
£38, Neom
Best citrus scented candle
We like: as intended, it really does put you in a good mood
Neom’s Feel Refreshed candle is part of its wellbeing line promising to make you feel different emotions. In this case, happy. I’m always a little cynical about these things, but the crisp scent of the zingy lemon and white neroli is so clean and fresh that it seems to work. 
It’s balanced by woody mimosa which is much subtler than the lemon but enough to prevent the smell tipping over into being too sharp. It’s all completely natural and free from harsh chemicals.
In the same range:
Neom’s Real Luxury Candle (£38) has notes of lavender, jasmine and sandalwood – perfect for unwinding in the evenings.
£70, Acqua di Parma
Best premium scented candle, 10/10
We like: the jar is perfect for repurposing as a decoration
Displaying an Acqua di Parma candle in your house is a fast-track to impressing guests; the Italian heritage brand is the epitome of sophistication. My favourite of Acqua di Parma’s candles for summer is the Oh L’Amore, pictured above. It emits a woody, spicy scent with notes of black pepper, clove and tonka bean, presented in an iconic glass yellow jar.
In the same range:
Another of my favourites from Acqua Di Parma is La Casa Sul Lago (£70), a fresh scent that combines floral lily of the valley with clean aquatic notes.
£46, Daylesford
Best jar candle
We like: you can re-use the jar
Daylesford, created 40 years ago by Carole Bamford who was an early proponent of organic farming, is perhaps best known for organic groceries – but the homeware section is not to be overlooked. I particularly love Daylesford’s new Wildflower candle, part of the wider Wildflower collection illustrated by Hugo Guinness.
The key scent notes include cornflower and bluebell, with less prominent notes of hyacinth, jasmine, rose, violet and musk. It’s a strong scent which is worth bearing in mind, but a really pretty, feminine one at that. The ceramic jar is definitely a keepsake.
£90, Jo Loves
Best candle with a unique smell
We like: somehow it smells exactly like spring
Jo Loves was formed in 2011 by Jo Malone, 12 years after leaving her self-named perfume business. This unique candle features three scents layered on top of each other – citrussy Tahitian gardenia, fresh orange blossom and floral tuberose blossom. It helps that the jar is nice enough to make a keepsake.
£37, John Lewis
Best scandi scented candle, 10/10
We like: the simple design makes it a great gift for men and women
You may have heard of the Danish word ‘hygge’ which doesn’t have a direct translation to English but means something between cosy, comfortable and content – it depicts a much slower pace than living in most British cities.
This Skandinavisk candle succeeds in emulating this feeling with notes of black tea, mint leaves, dried apples and baked cinnamon. It’s made from Swedish rapeseed wax and the fragrance gently scents a room rather than overpowering.
£150, House of Swaine
Best British-made scented candle, 10/10
We like: the unusual scent
Luxury goods brand Swaine London’s candles are particularly luxurious – this certainly isn’t an everyday purchase at £150. The candle inside the Swaine branded glass jar is made from 100 per cent vegetable wax, meaning it’ll give off few toxins as it burns.
The leathery fragrance was developed in Grasse, a region on the French riviera considered the world’s capital of perfume. The key notes are bergamot, cedarwood and vanilla, evocative of an old English drawing room.
£28, Aery Living
Best eco-friendly scented candle, 10/10
We like: the natural scent
Some people will much prefer a herbal scent to a floral in summer and this Aery Living Herbal Tea candle blends bottom notes of thyme and lemongrass topped with middle notes of sage, lavender and camomile and top notes of eucalyptus and coriander.
The complex blend of notes creates a completely unique scent that’s hard to compare to anything more established. It’s herbal, slightly floral and a little woody.
£59, Liberty
Best nostalgic scented candle, 10/10
We like: the candle jar lists the key scents, in case you forget
Award winning for good reason, Liberty’s Hera candle evokes a smoky drawing room filled with elegant guests, like the kind of party Oscar Wilde (a frequent shopper at Liberty) might have had. There’s a certain nostalgic emotion attached to the scent, which I love. The key notes are rose, woodland moss and golden amber which are handily listed on the frosted glass jar.
£42, Keep Candles
Best scented candle with a reusable pot
We like: the pot doubles as a coffee mug once burnt
Keep Candles designs all natural candles to be used as homeware after burning. The candles inside are available in a choice of four scents, I chose the lime and lavender in a classic mug candle
The ceramic pot is freckled and reasonably heavyweight – you can feel the quality. The scent is calming with a hint of freshness from the lime and fills the room easily, making it perfect for unwinding at the end of the day. I’m very much looking forward to using the pot for my morning coffee once I’ve burned the whole candle.
£35, Space NK
Best scented candle for a holiday scent
We like: it smells like holiday
Sea salt and basil are the order of the day for Space NK’s Mykonos Blue candle, in a striking blue glass jar, inspired by the ‘island of winds’ in the Greek Cyclades islands. Having visited last summer (and dreamed about it ever since), this Space NK candle really does take me back. I love the natural scents; sea salt and basil blended with fresh seaweed. Almost as good as the real thing.
£42, John Lewis
Best scented candle for all seasons, 9/10
We like: the radiant citrus scent which isn’t too sharp
It’s all well and good having a scent to match the season, but if you’re not a regular candle user, sometimes you just want something that burns well all year round. This Molton Brown Orange and Bergamot candle is a blend of orange, mandarin and neroli oil. The smell of orange trees is fresh, without being so sharp that it only suits summer.
£70, Space NK
Best sophisticated scented candle, 8/10
We like: the rich sophistication
I wasn’t expecting to love BYREDO’s cult favourite candle, as the scent is described as “a world of old books.” But it’s not leathery nor heavy at all. It’s sophisticated; the scent is light enough to burn for hours whilst being rich enough to keep things interesting. 
Fruity and floral notes of peach, plum and peony combine with leather, patchouli and vanilla for something unexpectedly comforting, exactly like leather-bound books in a cosy library. Each 240g candle burns for approximately 60 hours. 
£29.97, Amazon
Best bio-based candle, 8/10
We like: the wooden wick creates a crackling sound
New to Woodwick’s repertoire is this eco-conscious ReNew range, created with bio-based ingredients, upcycled glass and a wooden wick. The wooden wick is unique in this list and results in a gentle crackling sound as this candle burns, which is like calming white noise to me.
This tomato leaf and basil scent is perfect for summer. The full tally of fragrance notes includes purple basil, litsea, sweet orange, sage, thyme, gardenia, rosewood, crushed basil and wood. That’s quite a list for the affordable price. I’ve found it to be a great candle for neutralising cooking smells in the kitchen.
£19, Holistic London
Best responsibly sourced scented candle, 8/10
We like: the smaller jars are perfect for dotting around the house
Natural, vegan and supportive of female farmers is what you can expect from Holistic London, which ensures the harvesters are cared for outside of picking season as well as during. 
I love this warming Moroccan Orange and Mimosa for spring. Although the top notes of bergamot and eucalyptus are quite floral, it’s warmed with base notes of cedarwood, patchouli and clove.
£36, Fortnum & Mason
Best designed scented candle, 9/10
We like: the pot is perfect to keep for trinkets
As is to be expected, they don’t come cheap (this price is just for the votive candle) but Fortnum & Mason sells a beautiful line of British inspired scented candles. This particular one is inspired by the rooftop gardens of Fortnum & Mason’s flagship store in Piccadilly. 
The scent is primarily a mix of sweet orange and eucalyptus as well as pink grapefruit, coriander, lavender and more. It’s not the strongest scent but confidently refreshes a room. It comes in a lovely pot which I’m going to keep on my bedside table for trinkets.
£22.50, L’Occitane
Best scented candle which burns evenly, 9/10
We like: the aromatic hint which balances the floral smell
If you’ve ever been lucky enough to visit the depths of Provence in south France, you might remember the sweet familiar scent of lavender and herbs permeating every inch of air. The closest I’ve found to that back in Britain is inside a L’Occitane store.
I particularly love this Uplifting Candle which combines immortelle, basil, cypress, eucalyptus and more. It’s fairly aromatic compared to others on this list owing to the immortelle scent, harvested from a plant nicknamed the curry plant. Don’t let that put you off – the result is a herbal delight.
£54, Harvey Nichols
Best unusual candle
We like: we wouldn’t have put these scent combinations together, but they work
Tobacco and cinnamon aren’t necessarily scent notes you’d generally associate with white rose and lily, yet Discotheque has fused the unfamiliar to create Upstairs. It’s supposed to evoke the warmth and romance of a jazz bar. Each candle jar is crafted by hand and individually hand sprayed, so no two look the same.
 
As with perfume, creating a home fragrance is a fine art that’s more complicated than it first appears. Candles can be made from different types of wax and each has its own merits. Soy or paraffin (also known as mineral) waxes are the most common. Soy is generally preferable since it burns slower and is more environmentally friendly. Paraffin is cheaper and more readily available as it’s a byproduct of the oil industry.
“Each type of wax has a different personality,” says Liz Drew. “Soy wax is the most popular of the more eco-friendly options and has a nice, clean burn, but it doesn’t give as strong a scent as mineral wax. Other options include beeswax, which gives a lovely long-lasting burn, and coconut or rapeseed wax, which hold scent really well.” Beeswax also gives the “cleanest” burn, free from soot and smoke. 
“Cheaper scented candles tend to be made out of a petroleum-based wax, and people are on the fence about whether they give off nasties or not,” Drew says. “My opinion is that there’s nothing that bad about them – it’s just down to personal taste and how strong you like the smell to be.” 
There are also different ways of scenting the candle itself. “Some customers like to have all natural scents that are essential oil-based, and there are brands which specialise in that,” Drew continues. “But then more manufactured or artificial oils can still be incredibly high quality – it just depends what you’re looking for. As long as it’s a high quality candle, you won’t have any issues.” 
Most candles use a mixture of natural and manufactured scents. Essential oils (such as lavender, jasmine and bergamot) smell beautiful and have calming properties, but go off quickly, says Drew. 
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