Self-Care in a Jar—The 12 Best Candle Brands We Keep Stocked At All Times

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There’s something so luxurious about the scent of a beautiful candle wafting through your home, but you won’t get rich, complex scents from just any candle. The best candle brands create gorgeous candles with an impressive “throw”—a term for how far the fragrance spreads—and come in attractive vessels that add to your home’s decor. 

“I lean toward a simple, sophisticated design that feels like part of my home decor,” says Camille. “On a coffee table, bookshelf, or bedside table, candles can make an impact in how a room looks and feels, so I consider the design as much as I do the scent.”

The 12 Best Candle Brands for At-Home Luxury

I love candles that have earthy, aromatic notes like sandalwood and sage, but there are scent options out there that are guaranteed to suit any preference. Whether you like a fresh floral aroma, complex, exotic scents, or gourmand candles that smell good enough to eat, you’re sure to find your new favorite.

If you’re shopping for candles online, these are some of our all-time favorite brands that use high-quality ingredients for beautiful scent combinations. 

1. Casa Zuma

The new Casa Zuma DayBreak Signature Candle will turn your home into a relaxing retreat. These limited-edition candles are hand-poured in Los Angeles using natural coconut and soy-based wax, and they’re scented with non-toxic fragrances that are free from parabens, phthalates, and sulfates. 

The candle features notes of citrus, jasmine, and wild cypress to emulate the sun-soaked energy of a beautiful morning. It also comes in a simple glass vessel that matches any decor—regardless of whether you’re a neutral minimalist or a colorful maximalist—and you can even reuse it once the candle is done burning. 

2. Target Threshold 

You’d never know that Target’s line of Threshold candles are a budget-friendly pick. Not only do they smell beautiful, but they also come in stylish vessels that will elevate your home’s decor. The brand has hundreds of scents to choose from, ranging from aloe and bergamot to cashmere persimmon, and thanks to the retailer’s generous return policy, you can return their candles within the year if they don’t live up to your expectations.

3. Diptyque 

Diptyque is a luxury French fragrance brand that’s well-known for both perfumes and high-end candles. Its products are made in France, and master craftsmanship is part of every step of the process, from scent creation to wick trimming. Today, the brand has more than 50 scents to choose from, and the candles come in a range of sizes from small single-wick jars to extra-large five-wick containers. 

4. Flamingo Estate

Flamingo Estate is a Los Angeles-based lifestyle brand that celebrates nature and gardening. It has a unique collection of candles for anyone who loves earthy scents like jasmine, rose, and even Roma heirloom tomato. The hand-poured creations are made from vegetable wax and they’re vegan, cruelty-free, and FSC-certified as well. 

Camille’s personal favorite is the Climbing Tuscan Rosemary Candle, which boasts notes of rosemary leaf, juniper berry, and atlas cedarwood.

5. Capri Blue

Best known for its iconic Volcano scent, Capri Blue offers dozens of candle options in colorful vessels that will stand out in your home. Its candles are made from soy wax mixed with food-grade paraffin. Capri Blue often collaborates with brands like Anthropologie to release exclusive designs. As an added bonus, they’re on the more affordable side, too. 

6. Trudon

In a word, Trudon candles are masterful. Each candle is manufactured by artisans at the Trudon workshop in Normandy, and the glass vessels feature the brand’s signature emblem as an eye-catching accent. We also love that these candles come in a wide range of sizes so you can find the perfect one for your space. 

7. Salt & Stone

For a simple design and an elegant fragrance, you can’t go wrong with a candle from Salt & Stone. The vegan-friendly candles are formulated with coconut- and soy-based wax while the glass vessels have a beautiful minimalist look. Currently, the brand offers five scents, including gourmand, floral, and woody options to suit every preference. 

8. Brooklyn Candle

Brooklyn Candle creates beautiful soy candles that are petroleum-, cruelty-, and phthalate-free, as well as 100% vegan. Every candle is hand-poured by the brand’s in-house team of artisans, and there’s an impressive range of scents to choose from, including aromatic, spice, fruity, and woody options. If you want to experiment with a few different fragrances, opt for Camille’s favorite, a mini set of fresh and floral scents. 

9. Boy Smells

Despite the brand’s name, Boy Smells candles are for anyone and everyone. All of the brand’s candles are developed and designed in Los Angeles using an all-natural coconut and beeswax blend, and they’re hand-poured in reusable glass vessels.

We love that each candle is given a “Scentensity” rating on a scale of 1 to 5 to let you know the strength of its fragrance, and most of the brand’s scents come in multiple candle sizes as well. Camille recommends the LES Scented Candle, available in 8.5- or 27-ounce vessels, with notes of black currant, peach blossom, and jasmine rice.

10. Le Labo 

Le Labo is known for its fine fragrances, all of which are hand-formulated. If you love the brand’s iconic fragrances—such as Santal 26—you can enjoy them in candle form as well. 

The candles are available in both concrete and glass vessels and contain a high dose of fragrance oils to ensure the scent fills the entire room. The hand-poured candles are also paraben-, phthalate- and cruelty-free for a clean burn. 

11. Corpus 

The chic candles from Corpus are made from clean soy wax and a proprietary phthalate-free fragrance blend. The brand is known for its vegan, plant-based skin care products that are clean and sustainable. Currently, they sell three different candle scents (White Woods, The Cassis, and Dark Flowers), all of which come in elegant glass jars in a forest green hue.

12. Otherland

Otherland is a great option if you’re looking for refined scents and clean-burning fragrances. The brand’s hand-poured candles are made from a coconut and soy wax blend that’s free from parabens, sulfates, and phthalates, making them a better option for your home. The candles are sorted by scent category on the Otherland website, and you can even create a custom bundle of three, six, or nine candles to save on your purchase. (Because, let’s face it—who can buy just one candle?)

Why Trust Us

Hi, I’m Camryn! I’ve spent years researching and writing about home decor as a freelance writer and product tester, and my work has been published in InStyle, Martha Stewart, Forbes, and more. In my time as a product tester, I’ve become somewhat of a candle collector, and I’m always searching out new scent combinations and clean fragrance options to brighten my home. 

I’ve personally tried out several of the candle brands included on this list, and many of the other recommendations come from Camille, a top lifestyle expert who’s been sharing tips on interior design for over a decade. She also owns and operates her interior brand, Casa Zuma, and is just getting started in the candle and fragrance business.

Prices were accurate at the time of publication.