Whether you’re in the market for a toilet paper restock, a last-minute outfit, or a lightsaber to help you live out your childhood Jedi dreams, with one click of Amazon’s “add to cart” button, it can be on your doorstep by tomorrow afternoon. But right alongside your everyday essentials and not-so-essential impulse purchases (it really is *too* easy to momentarily black out and order a golf simulator before you even realize what you’re doing) are some seriously good scented candles.
Candles, for what it’s worth, can do a whole lot more than simply make your home smell good. These days, many of them are made with aromatherapy notes that have legitimate benefits for your mental and emotional state—if you’re looking to boost your mood, enhance your energy, or calm your stress, there’s a scent for you. Best yet? In most cases, a candle of your choosing can be on your coffee table and ready to be lit in 24 hours or less.
Lest you think ordering candles from a big box retailer limits you to cheap, cheesy-smelling options, allow us to enlighten you on some of the most truly luxurious options that Amazon has to offer. There are rich, smoky scents (at least one of which smells like extremely fancy weed), florals and gourmands, and even a sleep-inducing lavender candle that transforms into a sensual intimacy oil on meltdown.
Scroll through to discover 21 of the best candles on Amazon. Finding your space’s signature scent is just one click away.
The Best Candles on Amazon at a Glance:
We’ve been hunting down the best-scented candles online since 2010. Amazon’s great for affordable candles, though you won’t find fashion labels or more off-the-wall types like, say, geometric unscented candles. If you don’t see something you like here, check out the GQ guide to the best scented candles for every mood.
- Best overall candle: Capri Blue Volcano Scented Candle, $34
- Best spicy scent: Malin+Goetz Cannabis Candle, $64
- Best smoky scent: LEOBEN Company Cigar Lounge, $19
- Best herbal scent: LAFCO New York Signature Candle, Rosemary Eucalyptus, $75
- Best musk scent: Phlur Missing Person Scented Candle, $45
- Best clean scent: NEST Fragrances Linen 3-Wick Candle, $70
- Best floral scent: SALT & STONE Black Rose and Vetiver Scented Candle, $49
- Best fruity scent: Voluspa Forbidden Fig Candle, $39
- Best fruity-floral scent: Corpus The Cassis Candle, $76
- Best citrus scent: LA JOLIE MUSE Yuzu & Neroli Blossom Scented Candle, $22
- Best gourmand scent: Otherland Cardamon Milk Boxed Candle, $40
- Best sensual scent: Boysmells Slow Burn Candle, $56
- Best solar scent: Good Chemistry Lime + Sunshine Reusable Glass Candle,
$20$17 - Best green scent: Lake & Skye Verbena & Velvet Moss Candle, $48
- Best summer scent: Glasshouse Fragrances The Hamptons Candle, $50
- Best winter scent: ILLUME Noble Holiday Woodfire Soy Candle, $53
- Best mood-boosting candle: NEOM Happiness Scented Candle, $42
- Best bedtime candle: Beia Lavender Lust Candle, $52
- Best morning candle: Friday Collective Wake-Up Call Candle,
$21$16 - Best sustainable candle: Esker Terazzo Plantable Candle, $85
- Best candle to gift: Homesick Let’s Toast Scented Candle, $38
There’s a reason why this crowd-pleasing candle has more five-star reviews than any other on this list (a whopping 12,462, in case you were wondering). Simply put, it really is that good and has grown to cult-fave status as a result. It’s fragranced with a blend of tropical fruits and florals that will take you on a mini mental beach vacation—even when, in reality, you’re parked at your desk in the middle of a sweaty city—and is beloved for its 85 hours of burn time (another area where it bests the rest of the picks on this list). Those with an eye for design are in luck: The candle comes in four colored jar options to choose a match for whatever room you’re trying to scent.
Spending $64 on a cannabis-scented candle may feel silly, considering you can step onto any New York City street and get a whiff of the real stuff for free, but it really is worth the investment. It has the same earthy scent as actual cannabis but transforms it into something truly intoxicating with the addition of peppery amber-patchouli, woody hinoki, and sandalwood. Minus the high, that is.
Lulu Candles keeps it simple, using quality soy-blend wax, cotton wicks, and essential oils. In that sense, it has much in common with plenty of other candles on Amazon, but with one noticeable difference that earned it the best-of status: It’s not overpriced. Look, we appreciate a designer scent-flex as much as anyone, but at $20, you can burn a Lulu candle (the brand has dozens of scents) every day, and save the fancy one for when company comes over.
Anything eucalyptus scented comes with an air of luxury; this candle is no exception. It pairs the invigorating plant with rosemary, basil, and sage for an herbaceous aroma that’s equal parts grounding and energizing. Considering many of these notes are linked to improving focus, a quick hit of this candle in the afternoon hours is one of the easiest ways to kick that 3 o’clock feeling and get into a flow state.
Phlur’s Missing Person perfume is one of the most viral fragrances of all time, and it’s even better in candle form. It’s hard to describe the scent, because it somehow smells like everything and nothing all at the same time—it’s more of a feeling than a scent (like I said: it’s hard to describe). Overall, it’s meant to evoke the same emotions you feel when you miss someone you love and does so with notes of skin musk and delicate florals. It’s the type of candle you’ll light when you’ve got someone coming over who you’re trying to impress, but you may find that you love it so much you want to save it all for yourself.
We’ve all got that one candle we light when our space needs a quick pick-me-up (read: the clothes chair has reached its peak, and you don’t have time for a deep clean), and if you don’t, this is the one worth investing in. It smells like crisp, clean laundry—plus a subtle hint of apple blossom and white orchid—and its three wicks guarantee that it’s got enough power to fill a large, sorta stinky space with something much more palatable.
Rose, in all its forms, is a floral candle staple, but the black rose notes used to create this scent profile are decidedly different than many powdery versions of the flower that are typically used. It’s got the same intoxicating sweetness but in an extremely subtle way, and deeper tones of musk, spice, and earthiness make it feel darker and more complex. Vetiver, the other main character in this aromatic mix, adds to its rugged masculinity with a touch of leather and smoke.
This candle smells nothing like what you would expect from a scent that technically falls into the “fruit” category. Unlike many other fruit notes—like airy apple or fresh berry, which tend to be sweeter and more lightweight—ripened fig has a complex depth that makes it feel indulgent and warm. Here, a velvety musk mid-note adds a creamy richness, and a touch of midnight rose rounds out the scent with a hint of delicate romance.
Certain scents get people to demand to know what you’re burning as soon as they enter your home, and this Corpus Candle is one of them. It’s somehow floral and fruity in a way that doesn’t feel overly feminine, likely thanks to its slightly spicy black currant base. Be warned, though: You may become so addicted to the scent that you’ll find yourself deep in $76 candle debt.
When looking for a citrusy scent on Amazon, you can’t go wrong with one of Mrs. Meyers’ $9 Lemon Verbena classics, but for a more sophisticated option, try this yuzu and neroli scent from La Jolie Muse. Yuzu, a Southeast Asian fruit that toes the line between a lemon and a grapefruit, combines the best parts of these more common notes. It’s sweet, tart, and slightly floral. It hits your nose with a vibrant burst of uplifting energy—which is only made more sensually stimulating with the addition of grapefruit and orange blossom. Spearmint and basil are also in the mix, along with subtle floral undertones, creating a refreshing and uniquely layered scent that will brighten up any space.
Gourmand notes like vanilla, caramel, and even marshmallow have become increasingly popular over the last few years, but these types of scents can be polarizing—especially when you’re filling your home with them. This “Cardamon Milk” candle, from beloved brand Otherland, strikes a perfect balance of subtle sweetness. The blend of frothy milk, praline woods, and cardamon is luscious but not saccharine and makes for a gourmand candle that feels elevated and grown up—not at all like something you’d gift to your 12-year-old niece.
Kacey Musgrave is known as an artist who has no skips on her albums, and the same sentiment stands for her scents. Her first collaboration with Boysmells, which launched in 2018 alongside her Golden Hour album, was an instant classic (and her recently released Deeper Well is just as good). It’s spicy and woody, with notes of black pepper, incense, raspberry, and cedarwood that feel altogether very sexy. As one reviewer puts it, it’s the perfect scent to slowly burn as you sip red wine and see where the night takes you.
“Solar” scents that are meant to evoke a feeling of being drenched in the sunshine have recently become a thing in the fragrance world, and this candle smells like what you would get if you bottled up a summer afternoon. Subtle fruity notes like pineapple, melon, and raspberry serve as the base for a lot of lime—all you’ve to do is add the margarita.
Green fragrances run the gamut from airy and light to deep and earthy, and this scented candle will give you the best of both worlds. The richness of the velvet moss creates a solid base beneath the zestiness of verbena and eucalyptus. Rounding out the scent profile are cedarwood and sandalwood, which add a hint of subtly sweet warmth.
Live the life of the Hamptons elite—without having to schlep out to the “end of the world”—with this candle, inspired by the iconic beach town. The scent is as special as the location it’s meant to emulate, with light woody base notes layered underneath fig, light florals, lemon verbena, and an unexpected green cognac. Cocktails behind the hedges have never felt so close within reach.
You’ll not need a wood-burning fireplace with this candle, which flawlessly mimics the scent of the real thing. The blend of smoky cedar, earthy amber, and enveloping suede will mentally transport you to a cozy cabin in the woods, and you can rest easy knowing you can reap all the benefits of a crackling fire without lifting any logs.
Scent is the sense that’s most closely linked to the part of your brain that controls emotion, which means that sniffing certain scents genuinely can help boost your mood. This “Happiness” scented candle from aromatherapy NEOM brings some of those scents together for the ultimate light-up spirit lifter. It combines white neroli, lemon, and mimosa flower and has 100 percent natural ingredients and essential oils. For best results (on your mood, that is), the brand recommends pairing the candle with some quickie breathwork—breathe in through your nose for 7 seconds and out through your mouth slowly for 11 seconds, then feel the fragrance working its magic.
This pick is perfect for bedtime in more ways than one. First and foremost, it smells like lavender, which has been scientifically proven to aid in sleep and relaxation. Sleep will be the last thing on your mind, though, because when this candle melts down, it turns into a sensuous “intimacy oil” that can be used for massages or whatever else you’ve got on your sexy-time menu (just no internal use, please).
Wake up and smell the coffee—and I mean that as literally as possible—with this energizing candle. It basically smells like an $8 latte, with notes of coffee and cold brew, along with a few gourmand accents like whipped vanilla, brown sugar, caramel, and foamed milk. It’s sweet but not disturbingly so—the richness of the coffee makes for a nice balance. Considering sniffing a cup of morning fuel can have the same energizing effects as actually drinking one, this might just be your secret weapon for *finally* kicking your three-a-day habit.
The natural elements are hard at work here, thanks to the aromatic notes that make up this candle’s scent. Cedar, rose, and palo santo essential oils—used in aromatherapy to reduce stress, clear your mind, and boost your mood—come together to form a scent profile that’s woody, sweet, and musky all at once. The best part, though, is that each candle comes with seed paper and a soil pod, which means that when the candle burns out, you can repurpose its vessel as a planter.
Candles make for an A+ gift for a host or hostess, and Homesick’s cheeky line is filled with options that will make a last-minute purchase (thanks, Amazon Prime) feel genuinely thoughtful. This “Let’s Toast” scent is perfect for any occasion, but you can also go for something more personalized based on the recipient’s zodiac sign, favorite city, or whatever event they’re celebrating. With 80 hours of burn time, these candles are truly the gift that keeps on giving.
