How to Choose Your Candle
A helpful guide to finding your favorite scents.
Not sure what the different “notes” in your favorite candle mean? The notes are a breakdown of a specific scent within your fragrance, ie orange peel would belong to the citrus fragrance family. All fragrances can be sorted into one of ten families, and knowing which of these fragrance families you enjoy smelling can help you pick a candle you’ll love, every time.
You may have never heard of gourmand before, but you certainly know the feeling of wanting to take a bite of something that smells really delicious. I wouldn’t recommend biting into your candle, but if you’re the type of person who loves a sweet, bakery, dessert scent, then gourmand scents are probably what you want to look for when you’re choosing a new candle.
We’re breaking down the ten scent families to simplify choosing the right candle for your personal scent palette. (Still working on that scratch and sniff app.) You can find our candles in 48 United States and a few shops abroad, so be sure to check out what’s nearest you if you still prefer to pick your candles the old fashioned way—by smelling them.
The Ten Fragrance Families:
Spiced—These fragrances are exciting, vibrant, intense, and depending on which spice they’re embodying, can be cooling or warming. Here are our choices if spiced scents are your fav: True North, Palo Santo, and Beachwood.
True North—Sandalwood + Clove soy candle $25
Palo Santo—Sandalwood + Moss soy candle $25
Beachwood—Sea Salt+Teakwood soy candle $25
2. Gourmand
These fragrances are sweet, addictive, delicious, decadent, and smell so good you want to take a bite. Our picks for you: Ranger, Dark Roast, and Cowboy.
Ranger— Bourbon + Maple soy candle $25
Dark Roast— Coffee + Cream soy candle $25
Cowboy— Tobacco + Honey soy candle $25
3. Amber
These fragrances are intoxicating, exotic, warm, and sensual. They can be powdery or musky. Our picks for you: Bandit, Scenic Route, and Voyager.
Bandit— Sandalwood + Ozone soy candle $25
Scenic Route— Amber + Driftwood soy candle $25
Voyager— Amber + Smoked Oud soy candle $25
4. Woody
These fragrances are rich, grounding, deep, timeless, and long lasting. Our picks for woody scents: Take a Hike, True North, and Mahogany.
Take A Hike— Oakmoss + Cedar soy candle $25
True North— Sandalwood + Clove soy candle $25
Mahogany— Almond + Shea soy candle $25
5. Aromatic
Natural, fresh, clean, herbaceous, and ever green fragrances. Our picks for you: In the Pines, Howler, and Scout.
In the Pines— Evergreen + Cypress soy candle $25
Scout— Spruce + Dragon’s Blood soy candle $25
Howler—White Pine + Eucalyptus soy candle $25
6. Floral
Feminine, colorful, delicate, heady, and happy. Our picks for floral scents: Heartbreaker, Nomad, and Ocean Rose.
Heartbreaker— Roses soy candle $25
Nomad—Black Amber + Lavender soy candle $25
Ocean Rose—Ozone + Amber soy candle $25
7. Citrus
These fragrances are zesty, energizing, bright, fresh, and uplifting. Our pick for citrus lovers: Easy Tiger
Easy Tiger— Blood Orange soy candle $25
8. Marine/Ozonic
These fragrances are brisk, cooling, breezy, salty, and pure like fresh air. Best choices for ozone lovers: Sel De Mer, Captain, and Jump in the Lake.
Sel de Mer—Cardamom + Plum soy candle $25
Captain— Sea Salt + Orange soy candle $25
Jump in the Lake—Eucalyptus + Ozone soy candle $25
9. Green
These fragrances are lush, dewy, leafy, natural, and grassy. Our picks for you: Ride or Die, Fig Tree, and Outlaw.
Ride or Die— Earth + Embers soy candle $25
Fig Tree— Jasmine + Bamboo soy candle $25
Outlaw— Cinnamon + Vetiver soy candle $25
10. Fruity
These fragrances are vibrant, sweet, juicy, succulent, and tangy. Fruity scents you’ll love: Lovestruck, ‘Til Death, and Night Sky.
Lovestruck—Fruits + Florals soy candle $25
‘Til Death—Black Currant soy candle $25
11. (Bonus) Smokey
Not technically its own fragrance family but we do love a good smoked oud. These fragrances are rich, warm, complex, ashy, burning, long lasting, and are usually woody. Our Smokey favorites: Campfire, Smoked Oud, and Folklore.
Campfire—Bonfire +Saffron soy candle $25
Smoked Oud—Incense + Leather soy candle $25
Folklore—S’mores + Embers soy candle $25