Dim the lights, turn off your phone, pour a glass of something warming and swaddle yourself in your fluffiest throw blanket. Autumn is here in all her rain-soaked, hibernation-inducing glory — and what better way to celebrate than with a selection of autumn-scented candles?
After all, this season is all about great smells: the sweet scent of pumpkin spice, woodsmoke on a chilly night, a hearty soup simmering on the stove. And in our humble, candle-hoarding opinion, no cosy night in is complete without a lit votive or two. They can transport you from your cramped, dingy living room to an idyllic log cabin, a cake shop selling fresh pumpkin pies or a crisp walk through an apple orchard.
To help you get fully into the autumn mood, wherever you’re spending it, we’ve rounded up the very best scented candles on the market. Some are familiar favourites from cult brands like Diptyque, Jo Malone and NEOM: signature scents that we return to year after year to usher in the new season. Others are exciting newcomers in our rotation.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by us. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy or click on something we link to on our site, we may earn a commission.
Diptyque Feu De Bois, £54
We don’t want just to burn Feu de Bois; we don’t even want just to stick our nose right in and inhale the smoky, woody, warm aroma of blazing embers and lapsang tea. No. We want to live in it. Light this for true autumn cosiness and pretend you’re huddled around an open fireplace — it beats constantly refreshing the digital fire you’ve loaded up on YouTube.
Diptyque Feu De Bois Candle 190G, $, available at Space NK
Okiki Oro Candle, £35
Okiki — which means ‘prestigious’ in Yoruba — was founded in 2016 by mother and daughter Ade and Antonia. Each of their handcrafted beauty and home care products pays homage to the duo’s rich Nigerian and Ghanaian heritage. The Oro candle uses 12 essential oils including black oud, pink pepper, bergamot and vanilla to evoke a spiritual experience akin to soaking up the “relaxing energy drawn from the drumming beat of the Oro forest in our ancestor’s land of Ijebu (Nigeria)”.
It really does smell divine, with a warm, inviting scent that’s never cloying — perfect for those who love the sweet spiciness of pumpkin spice or cinnamon but are eager for something more refined and elegant.
Okiki Oro Candle, $, available at Okiki
NEOM Organics Perfect Peace Scented Candle, £48
Autumn candles tend to be sweet, smoky and spicy, which makes NEOM’s new Perfect Peace scent a breath of fresh air. It’s a light, uplifting and earthy fragrance thanks to a mix of pine, myrrh and zesty lime peel oils. Burn to clear your mind and unwind after a long, stressful day.
NEOM Organics Perfect Peace Scented Candle (3 Wick), $, available at NEOM Organics
Boy Smells Grace Candle, £54
Boy Smells’ Grace is as complex and alluring as its namesake, the inimitable Grace Jones. At once fresh and brooding, it defies definition and is inspired by Grace’s fluidity of gender expression and genre, as well as the beauty of her home country, Jamaica.
It has top notes of black pepper and bergamot, a middle of freesia, waterlily and Turkish rose absolute, and a base of wet stones accord, salted musks and cedarwood. We’ll be burning this to impress guests at dinner parties, the glow of candlelight forming the backdrop to an evening of good wine and good conversation.
Boy Smells Grace Jones Standard Candle 215ml, $, available at Space NK
Ruth Mastenbroek Ancient Frankincense Scented Candle, £45
Ruth Mastenbroek knows her stuff. She’s one of only a few independent female perfumers in the world and has been creating scents for over 30 years (she’s responsible for Jo Malone’s iconic Grapefruit candle — yes, the one that J.Lo loved so much, she bought 300 for her hotel room).
Of her own eponymous lineup, Ancient Frankincense is our go-to for chilly autumn nights. The rich, spicy mix of pink pepper, patchouli and cypress oil and frankincense, myrrh and labdanum resin warms up even the dullest, drizzliest of evenings.
Ruth Mastenbroek Ancient Frankincense Scented Candle, $, available at Ruth Mastenbroek
Diptyque Ambre Scented Candle, £75
Enriched with Egyptian incense and spices, Ambre is heady and sweet without being cloying. Think of it as a big mug of chai-spiced hot chocolate for the soul.
Diptyque Ambre Scented Candle 300g, $, available at Selfridges
D.S. & Durga Portable Fireplace Candle, £60
Hailing from Brooklyn, D.S. & Durga doesn’t create scents so much as stories. The Portable Fireplace candle has the most specific blend of campfire components: dwarf pine, atlas cedar, oak ash, tar, resin and more. Once lit, you’re instantly transported to a rustic log cabin complete with its own wood burner.
D.S. & Durga Portable Fireplace Candle, $, available at Liberty London
Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Home Candle, £55
Combining the juiciness of fresh pomegranate with traditional seasonal spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom and turmeric) and a smoked, woody base, this is the perfect scent for curling up with a good book on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It’s comfort in a candle — no wonder it’s a brand bestseller.
Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Home Candle, $, available at Jo Malone
While you may know Grenson from their handcrafted, beautiful leather shoes, their foray into scented candles isn’t completely new. Having already collaborated with Haeckels, Grenson 66 is their first solo venture. A combination of fresh citrus, warming deep musk, bergamot and leather, it’s a crisp and woody scent that every home needs.
Grenson 66 Candle, $, available at Grenson
Floris is a brand that has been around since the late 170os when Juan Famenias Floris and his wife Elizabeth began selling perfume, combs and shaving products in the elegant quarter of London’s St James. Since adding to our collection these long burning candles are definitely a favourite. This decadent scent boasts rose petals, orange blossom and jasmin. The strong woody notes make the fragrance extremely calming and relaxed, just what we need at home to be honest.
Floris Rose & Oud Scented Candle, $, available at Floris London
If you know your fine fragrance you’ll know this brand already but do take a look at the candles. They’re delicious and have amazing longevity – we could smell ours for days after it flickered its last. In fact, we almost wish they didn’t last as long as they do, because repurposing the geranium-red hand-blown glass holder is such a joy. Say hello to the fanciest cotton bud/makeup brush/pen pot you ever owned.
Frédéric Malle Santal Cardamome Scented Candle, $, available at Liberty London
With all-natural plant wax, pure cotton wicks and romantically complex scents, Buly 1803 has the integrity of its candles nailed. But what makes us ache for one of our very own is the carved marble jar topped with a shining glass bell, for soot-free snuffing-out and dust-protective purposes. Généraux d’Empire is an olfactory orgy of rose petals, violet, blackcurrant, peppermint and musk – a potent explosion of blooms.
Buly 1803 Generaux d’Empire Scented Candle, $, available at Net-A-Porter
British chandler Rachel Vosper puts as much thought into her candle containers as she does the wax inside – currently available are crystal bowls, bark-like patterned ceramic or simple glass jars with optional vivid leather sleeves. She’ll also fill anything you bring from home, from teacups to random family heirlooms. Fragrances are heady and floral – we love Hellebores, with peony, wild rose, sap and patchouli.
Rachel Vosper 1 Wick Glass Jar available in all scents., $, available at Rachel Vosper
Buy a candle from Lola James Harper and you’re buying a quirky little window into someone else’s world, each inspired by a bona fide moment, person or place. The Surf Shop Of Stephane is a waxy, woody paean to Stephane (who does own a surf shop), The Music Studio On Trufo Street is a blend of musk and rose, and The Coffee Shop of JP is a coffee and spice recreation of a Parisian café. Unusual and beautiful.
Lola James Harper The Surf Shop of Stephane Candle, $, available at 24 Sevres
There’s this little boutique off the beaten track… But, really, what you won’t know about Zara Home is that it takes its candles seriously enough to draft in the most respected noses in the fragrance industry in order to make them. Alberto Morillas has created perfumes for everyone from Le Labo to Lanvin (his own line, Mizensir, is sold at Harrods and Colette). With his help, Zara offers up beautiful home fragrance at a sensible price point.
Zara Home White Jasmin Aromatic Candle, $, available at Zara Home
So you don’t have a music room, summer house or snug? Not a problem – upscale London florist By Appointment Only has recreated all these (and more) in candle form. Having dressed every space imaginable, from stately homes to Mayfair hotels, we trust them when they tell us a powder room smells of jasmine, musk, vanilla and bergamot. Poured into Italian crystal, this is the candle other candles want to be when they grow up.
By Appointment Only Perfumes Powder Room candle, £55
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
8 Candles That Are Too Pretty To Burn