We Burned 51 Festive Scents — These Are The 13 Best Holiday Candles to Scent Your Season
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We want to light Nest Fragrances Holiday and Voluspa Sparkling Cuvée all winter.
Sephora / Anecdote Candles / Pexels
You could say that our team at InStyle has a thing for candles. With all of us describing our candle collections as “expansive” — most of us keep at least 10 in rotation at any given time — we’re definitely experts, especially when it comes to festive scents. While we all have our seasonal favorites, we decided to bring some new options into the mix this year, testing 51 different holiday candles to determine which holiday scents are actually worth buying.
To get the full experience of each candle, we burned every one we received for at least two hours (with most being burned for up to five), then determined if we would recommend it or not based on how powerful the scent smelled, the scent itself, the packaging, and whether the special qualities actually classify it as a holiday candle. (We also compared notes about which brands tunneled.) We split our favorites into scent groups, giving you a low-cost, mid-range, and splurge pick for each category.
Related: Shopping for a New Fragrance? Here Are the 15 Best Perfumes for Women
Fresh Scents
Best Budget: Friday Collective Cozy Time Tumbler Candle
What We Love: The aroma is equal parts fresh and inviting, making it a nice transitional scent to take you from Thanksgiving to New Year.
What We Don’t Love: The vessel isn’t very festive.
The holiday season evokes emotions that we wish we could jar up and preserve forever — like the feeling of sledding after a fresh snowfall, cuddling up by the fire, or watching your favorite Christmas movie. While none of these activities have a defining scent, the Cozy Time candle from Friday Collective somehow perfectly captures the essence of each.
Midnight orchid and patchouli brighten the deeper aroma of fresh balsam to create an inviting scent that InStyle commerce writer Caitlyn Martyn says is unlike anything she’s tried before but also incredibly familiar. “It's light, airy, and strong but not headache-inducing, and gives off holiday vibes without being over the top.” She adds that it’s a lovely transitional scent that she plans to use as a segue from Thanksgiving to Christmas. “The best part is that it’s really fragrant right after lighting and stays that way until blown out.” Though the vessel is a pretty two-toned green, we think a more festive design would make this candle even better.
Price at time of publish: $16
Size: 8 ounces | Wicks: 1 | Key Notes: Midnight orchid, fresh balsam, and patchouli | Burn Time: 45 hours
Best Mid-Range: Voluspa Sparkling Cuvée Large Jar Candle
What We Love: The scent is delicate yet manages to envelop the entire room.
What We Don’t Love: It tunnels ever so slightly.
Light, fresh candles are often reserved for sunshine and warmer weather — but Voluspa proves that airy fragrances can be just as merry as more traditional holiday scents. Ideal for those who find woody or gourmand candles to be too overpowering, this effervescent fragrance instantly brightens your space with a lively blend of sparkling wine, bright pomelo, and juicy red currants. As the delicate aroma envelops the room, hints of sweet rose petals and nectarines emerge to create a celebratory atmosphere. “This is definitely a sophisticated winter fragrance,” says InStyle commerce editor Mary Honkus. “I imagine Jay Gatsby burning it at one of his fictional holiday parties.” Beyond the aroma, the embossed glass jar definitely fits in with Gatsby’s grandeur aesthetic, too. Just be sure to allow the thinnest top layer of wax to melt before snuffing it out, or it will begin to tunnel ever so slightly.
Price at time of publish: $30
Size: 9 ounces | Wicks: 1 | Key Notes: Sparkling wine, pomelo, and rose petals | Burn Time: 60 hours
Spicy Scents
Best Budget: Yankee Candle Holiday Sage
What We Love: It’s a no-frills, classic holiday scent.
What We Don’t Love: The container is big and bulky, which makes it difficult to store.
You can put on the holiday tunes, light the fire, and bake all the cookies, but sometimes it truly doesn’t feel like Christmas until you light a spicy, wintry candle. For InStyle’s senior commerce editor Shannon Bauer, this scent is what brings the festive feeling to light. Herbaceous sage intermingles with crisp evergreen trees, warm cinnamon, and earthy rosemary to create a fragrance that Bauer says is a total holiday crowd-pleaser. “I’ll consistently burn it because it isn’t overly sweet or tree-like — it’s just very pleasant.” The only unpleasant thing is the sheer size of the jar: Though we love that it can burn for an extended amount of time (up to 150 hours), finding an adequate storage space for this monster candle can be a tricky task, especially if you have limited space.
Price at time of publish: $40
Size: 42 ounces | Wicks: 1 | Key Notes: Sage, rosemary, and evergreen | Burn Time: 150 hours
Best Mid-Range: NEST New York Holiday Candle
What We Love: It comes in five different sizes, including a giant four-wick version and a miniature ornament.
What We Don’t Love: The glass looked a bit charred after a longer burn.
A quintessential holiday scent, Nest Holiday fills your entire home with aromas of cinnamon, cloves, and orange once lit. Even the smaller 8-ounce candle envelops an entire room in its rich smell without overwhelming the senses — but luckily for those with larger spaces, Nest makes five sizes, including a mega 77.2-ounce option. Bauer calls this candle “the epitome of Christmas,” adding, “This is what you would burn if you're hosting a holiday party and you want everyone to comment on how good your home smells.” It burns evenly each time you light it (just make sure to trim your wick). But InStyle senior commerce editor Chloe Anello notes that her vessel looked a bit charred at the three-hour mark, which is within the recommended burn time, so you may not be able to get as long of a burn out of it per light.
Our team also tried Nest’s other scents — Birchwood Pine, Hearth, and Blue Cypress and Snow — with all receiving rave reviews. Nest makes the best matches, too; they’re long enough that you don’t burn your hands and are easy to strike alongside the box without breaking it. Bring this candle over to any host this year with a box of the brand’s signature matches, or as Bauer puts it, “Splurge on a nice candle, and no one will notice that your appetizers are cocktail weenies and cookies from premade dough.”
Price at time of publish: $46
Size: 8.1 ounces | Wicks: 1 | Key Notes: Pomegranate, pine, cinnamon, cloves, and mandarin orange | Burn Time: 50-60 hours
Best Splurge: Jenni Kayne Musk Glass Candle
What We Love: It has a long burn time for its size.
What We Don’t Love: It’s more subtle than some of the other candles on this list.
Anyone whose holiday decor hardly strays from a white, beige, and gold palette might appreciate the subtle, sophisticated glass vessel from Jenni Kayne, which is known for luxurious cashmere throws and elegant tablescapes all in neutral shades. Byrdie and Brides associate director Avery Stone says, “While I wouldn’t associate this candle with the holidays upon first seeing (and smelling) it, its scent feels equal parts cozy and sophisticated, thanks to notes of spicy cardamom, amber, sandalwood, and orchid.” The black vessel with a white label will “blend into any décor,” as Stone says. It’s not meant to be an overt holiday smell, but once lit, the spiciness transports you into the festive season — it doesn’t need to burn long to be able to smell throughout your entire home. We also tested Jenni Kayne’s Cedar scent (one of Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2019), which we thought was more subtle smelling than “Musk” with notes of rose, tobacco leaf, fir needle, and cedar, but the white vessel does feel more holiday-like, in case that’s important to you.
Both scents come in nearly the same size as other candles on our list, but it has a longer burn time of up to 80 hours, as opposed to the standard 60 for higher-end candles.
Price at time of publish: $65
Size: 10 ounces | Wicks: 1 | Key Notes: Cardamom, amber, sandalwood, and orchid | Burn Time: 60-80 hours
Gourmand Scents
Best Mid-Range : Anecdote Candles Snow Day
What We Love: It truly lives up to its name.
What We Don’t Love: All of the holiday candles have the same vessel, making them easy to mix up.
After burning this for an hour, Anello says her apartment smelled like a warm cup of hot chocolate. “It actually brought me back to being home from school on a snow day. I typically hate sweet scents, but this one is irresistible,” she says. With essential gourmand notes of brown sugar, maple, butterscotch, and vanilla, the candle undoubtedly smells sweet, but it won’t overpower the senses. Unlike L’or de Seraphine’s candle, which only has two notes — plum and oud — this one isn’t sugary or fruity; it has a more complex, rich smell, capturing different elements of the gourmand scent category than L’or de Seraphine’s.
We tested the rest of Anecdote’s holiday collection, too, and also recommend Spiked & Spiced and Midnight Moonlight. Bauer noticed a bit of tunneling on hers after four hours of burning, but Martyn and Anello say theirs burned evenly. All the holiday candles have the same vessel, though — a lovely, modern gold tumbler — which makes it easy to mix up if you buy more than one.
Price at time of publish: $34
Size: 9 ounces | Wicks: 1 | Key Notes: Brown sugar, maple, butterscotch, pecan, vanilla, sandalwood, and caramel | Burn Time: 70 hours
Best Splurge: Byredo Symphonique Candle
What We Love: The sophisticated glass doesn’t scream holiday, so it can be used year-round if it hasn’t been fully burned.
What We Don’t Love: For the size and price of this candle, we wish it had a longer burn time.
Of course, we know Byredo for its luxury candles — the black glass jar can be recognized everywhere, as can the sophisticated scents that are more complex than anything we’ve smelled before. Anello thinks this would be an excellent candle for anyone who wants a light touch of holiday without anything too overpowering. The orange and ginger notes pushed us to categorize this more as a gourmand scent than spicy or woody, which we also considered for it. It flows through a few different categories, in our opinion, making it a good choice for someone who doesn’t have a favorite. We only wish this had a longer burn time, considering some smaller or similarly priced candles hit close to 70 or 80 hours, whereas this is only 60.
Price at time of publish: $90
Size: 8.5 ounces | Wicks: 1 | Key Notes: Anise, bitter orange, ginger, clove, beeswax, cedarwood, bran | Burn Time: 60 hours
Woody Scents
Best Budget: Homeworx Holiday Snow Day Scented Candle
What We Love: It has four wicks, which makes it perfect for burning in larger spaces.
What We Don’t Love: It takes a while for a full layer of wax to melt, so try not to burn it unless you plan on staying in for a longer period of time to prevent tunneling.
Woody candles are difficult to get right — they can easily become too intense and suffocating, especially when it comes to more affordable brands. Yet, Bauer says that Homeworx really hit the nail on the head with this pleasantly surprising mint and fir needle-forward candle. “It reminds me of playing outside in the snow and coming inside to warm up — hot chocolate in hand with a candy cane stir stick.” Stone tacks onto this feeling: “When I burned this, I felt transported to holiday parties, making cookies while snow falls in the background, and cozying up with a blanket listening to music.”
More than anything, what makes a winning candle is the feeling it evokes, and Snow Day condenses every cheerful winter activity into an 18-ounce jar. Because it is so large, both Bauer and Stone recommend reserving it for larger spaces. “It really fills the air,” says Bauer. And while it does burn smoothly, this isn’t a candle you should light for shorter periods of time. Keeping it lit for three to four hours ensures it stays level and doesn’t tunnel.
Price at time of publish: $18 (originally $30)
Size: 18 ounces | Wicks: 4 | Key Notes: Mint, bergamot, fir needle, musk | Burn Time: 30-55 hours
Best Mid-Range: Otherland Forest Veil
What We Love: This candle comes in a decorative box, so it’s super giftable.
What We Don’t Love: It’s only sold online, so if you’re on the fence you won’t be able to run to a store to test it out.
If you thrive in nature and feel at home in the forest, this candle brings the great outdoors into the comfort of your home in a merry way. “It really smells just like a pine forest,” says Bauer. And where woody scents walk a fine line between being welcoming or intrusive, this one is a happy medium. “It’s strong, but in a very natural way,” she adds. Rich notes of cedar are softened with light sandalwood and earthy vetiver to create a well-rounded woody scent that satisfies all noses. We recommend buying multiples, too, because it will arrive in a decorative box with a custom matchbox, adding to the candle's experience (and making it a welcome holiday gift, too).
We know that some people like to sniff test scents before committing to them, but you won’t be able to with this one because it’s only sold online. Rest assured that this is a woody scent you won’t experience buyer's regret with, though.
Price at time of publish: $36
Size: 8 ounces | Wicks: 1 | Key Notes: Cedar, sandalwood, vetiver | Burn Time: 50 hours
Best Splurge: Maison Margiela REPLICA By The Fireplace Scented Candle
What We Love: It definitely smells like burning wood, but in a subtle, refined way as not to overwhelm a smaller space.
What We Don’t Love: We wish it came in larger sizes.
Within the team, most disliked the woody scents because, as Martyn puts it, “I just don't like the idea of a burning smell in my room.” They recommend saving these types of candles for larger spaces or as a gift for hosts who have airy homes. However, Anello thinks this might be a universal exception because the scent resembles stepping outside in the winter and smelling the smokiness of a faraway fire in the air, rather than a bonfire directly in your home. “I grew up in a very wooded area and in a home with the fireplace always on in the winter, so I find the smell very homey and soothing,” says Anello. “But now that I live in a city, I understand where my colleagues are coming from. However, I think this one is subtle enough to convert any non-believer.” The vanilla and orange flower mix with the woodier chestnut and clove scents to create a more subtle fireplace smell. It creates a cozy atmosphere that feels explicitly like the holidays.
One note: It only comes in a small size, just under 6 ounces, so we don’t think it will be suitable for larger spaces.
Price at time of publish: $65
Size: 5.8 ounces | Wicks: 1 | Key Notes: Clove oil, chestnut accord, and vanilla accord | Burn Time: 40 hours
Other Products You Might Like
Homecourt Balsam Fireplace Limited Edition Candle
This candle rivaled Maison Margiela Replica for Anello — similar price range, the experience evoked, and quality — but this candle smells a bit more like a fire burning, which some of our team didn’t love, whereas we appreciated the subtle, more universally appealing profile of the other. With notes of fir balsam resin, eucalyptus leaf oil, juniper berry, salted amber, cardamom, and papyrus, it has a rich woody scent that lightly spreads throughout the room, and Anello thinks it's pleasant for those who love this type of candle. We loved the look of the ceramic vessel, too; the deep green looked sophisticated enough for anyone who doesn’t want an overtly holiday candle. You also get 60 hours of burn time from this 8-ounce candle, which is on the high end for the candles we liked.
Hotel Lobby Holiday Candle
We loved the details of this brand. Not only did it come in a beautifully packaged box with a bow wrapped neatly around it, but also the candle information came on a plastic key card instead of a piece of paper. The entire presentation felt well thought out, so this would make a particularly good gift. We appreciated how high-end these candles were, specifically the Holiday scent, which has notes of evergreen, fresh pine, balsam fir, and blue spruce. Because of the price, these little details make a huge difference in the value. Anello thinks it does invoke a holiday-at-a-hotel feel. Martyn felt like the Cabin scent was “a little too smokey” for her taste because she burned it in a smaller room. In general, we all agreed that these candles need an airier space because of their strength.
Nomad Noé LOVER in Jerusalem
Byrdie senior commerce editor Jill Di Donato prefers a “fuller, darker holiday scent” as opposed to fresher options, like this candle from Nomad Noé. “The notes of green fig, petitgrain, sandalwood, and iris are woodsy with touches of musk — absolutely divine. The scent evokes a warm and winter feeling, without any treacly or saccharine notes,” she says. We didn’t think this candle screamed holiday quite as much as the others did, so if that’s more your speed, we recommend trying this candle. And as Di Donato notes, “I also appreciate that this candle is clean and nontoxic, so I can feel good about burning it around my family.”
What to Keep in Mind
Burn Time
Burn time is closely correlated with the size of your candle — so typically, the bigger the candle, the longer you’ll be able to burn and enjoy it. Of all the candles on our list, Yankee Candle Holiday Sage has the longest burn time (up to 150 hours), which makes sense because it is our largest pick at 42 ounces. But there are also some surprisingly smaller options that have impressive longevity (like Anecdote Candles Snow Day, which has a burn time of 70 hours despite being 9 ounces). Be sure to check the packaging for an accurate estimate before purchasing.
Wick Amount
Wick count may not be a key factor you think of when candle shopping, but it’s actually an important one, especially when it comes to where you’ll be burning it. Candles with multiple wicks actually carry scent further, making them ideal for larger spaces (think: your great room or dining room during a holiday party). Bath & Body Works Sugar Plum Fairy and Homeworx Snow Day on our list have three and four wicks, respectively. If you live in a smaller apartment, it’s best to stick with one-wick candles to not overwhelm the space.
Scent Profile
The scent profile of your candle is perhaps the most important thing to think about, and it all comes down to personal preference. For this guide, we broke up the scent profiles down into the four most popular holiday categories: fresh, spicy, gourmand, and woody. Fresh holiday candles tend to be light, airy, and less traditional than classic festive scents, but they still manage to invoke a cheery feeling when lit. Spicy scents run the gamut of aromatics — think cinnamon, cloves, ginger, allspice, and peppermint. Gourmand fragrances reach far beyond freshly baked cookies: They tend to be more complex and include notes of chocolate and caramel but can also be brighter with sugared citrus. Finally, the base notes of woody scents bring attention to wintry trees like balsam, fir, and pine.
Your Questions, Answered
What makes a candle holiday scented?
While there are countless candles labeled “holiday scented,” what truly makes a candle perfect for the holidays is the feeling it evokes when lit. When a whiff transports you to happy memories of making gingerbread houses, coming in after playing in the snow, or spending time with family, we consider that to be the ideal holiday scent — and that's deeply personal for every individual.
Beyond the scent, aesthetically pleasing candles that are reserved for festive occasions can also be considered great holiday candles (which is why we included a few excellent options that feel less obtrusive). Also, they can be considered more non-denominational in an oversaturated market of Christmas-themed candles.
How far in advance should I burn a candle before having company over?
This all depends on how you want the scent to permeate your space. Typically, we’ll light our candle an hour before company arrives and blow it out after three. The scent will still linger while it’s not lit, and three hours ensures that the wax stays even.
How do I get my candle to burn evenly?
The answer isn’t so simple — it depends on how large your candle is. A good rule of thumb is to burn the candle for an hour per inch of the vessel diameter for an even burn. This will ensure that it doesn’t tunnel, and you’ll get the most hours out of it.
Why Shop With Us
Chloe Anello, senior commerce editor, and Mary Honkus, commerce editor, both joined InStyle’s commerce department in 2022. Both burn candles daily, but for this story, they tapped the rest of their team to help test over 50 different holiday candles. InStyle and Byrdie commerce writer Caitlyn Martyn, InStyle and Byrdie senior commerce editor Shannon Bauer, Byrdie and Brides associate commerce director Avery Stone, and Byrdie senior commerce editor Jill Di Donato all tested seven to ten candles each, then reported back on their favorites. Altogether we compared notes of brands we loved, brands that tunneled, and brands we weren’t too sure about in order to pick our favorite scents.
Related: 18 Must-Have Fragrances That Will Last All Day Long
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