Life
One much-needed self-care ritual that I developed shortly after moving to New York was to come home and light a scented candle, a peony-pink Voluspa tin I picked up on a whim. The best luxury candles are not always have the highest price tag, but they will have the most sophisticated scents. They’re the candles you burn because you love the way they look and because they make you feel a certain way. A Sicilian Tangerine or Morrocan Amber scent can transport you to that specific place without ever leaving your living room.
Luxury candles have more refined fragrances than something you’d pick up at the mall. They’re nuanced and layered, just like perfume. You’re paying for the skill that blended the scent just as much as you are the high-quality ingredients. One easy hack for finding a luxe candle is to look for scents that have a few different fragrance notes. This usually translates into a more complex and, therefore, an implicitly higher-end fragrance.
Knowing what goes into a high-end candle will also help you know when to snap up that under-the-radar find. Most candles are made from paraffin or soy, and sometimes the two are blended together. Each candle wax has its pros and cons: Soy comes from soybeans, so it's naturally cruelty-free, and produces little to no soot, but it tends to be more expensive and may not be as strongly scented. Paraffin, on the other hand, usually packs a stronger scent and is budget friendly — but it gives off soot and is made from a petroleum byproduct. Blends of both waxes will strive to provide the best of both worlds.
And since you'll be spending a fair amount of money on a premium candle, you'll want to maximize its burn time. To make your candle last, be sure to burn it until the entire top layer of wax is melted the first time you light it and trim the wick before each use to avoid a sooty jar.
Ahead, you'll find the best luxury candles on Amazon. Light one (or several) at the end of a long day — or the beginning of a great one.
We only recommend products we love and that we think you will, too. We may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was written by our Commerce team.
1
A Designer Candle With Luxe Modern Scents
This designer scented candle on Amazon is one you might find at a high-end department store (minus the trip). NEST uses a soft, cosmetic-grade blend of soy and paraffin wax for a clean burn and steady kiss of fragrance. The etched stripe glass container was designed to blend seamlessly into any room, and the brand turned to artisan perfumers to formulate their scents with the same care of a luxury perfume. This one blends warm Moroccan amber with patchouli, bergamot, and eucalyptus.
- Available sizes: 4
- Available scents: 23, including Sparkling Cassis and Cashmere Suede
2
This Intoxicatingly Woodsy Scent With A Cult Following
Lulu Candles has developed a devoted following for their eco-friendly, vegan soy wax candles in boutique blends — but their No. 14 candle — with sandalwood, oud, and jasmine — is a reigning favorite for its complex warm and earthy floral scent. In fact, it has a 4.6-star rating on Amazon after more than 4,700 reviews. One shopper confessed that it had replaced a much more expensive candle in their home: “I had recently finished my Le Labo candle and was looking for a new long lasting amazing smelling candle.” Long story short? “I’m hooked.”
- Available sizes: 7
- Available scents: 38, including Wild Lemongrass and Midnight in Paris
3
An Artisanal Candle In Rustic Apothecary Jars
Paddywax Candles wrap unexpectedly sophisticated and fresh natural scents in eco-conscious packaging: glass apothecary-style containers that are intended to be reused. This Sea Salt & Sage candle — featuring a vegan soy blend wax and notes of ocean air, sea spray, and driftwood — smells aquatic and soothing. The candles are hand-poured in Nashville, Tennessee, so there's also a nice "Made in the U.S." element. "Treat yourself," one shopper wrote. "I normally don't buy candles like this but this one smells so delicate and fresh. It's a nice gift to get yourself when you need a treat. So far it seems to be burning evenly and for a long time."
- Available sizes: 6
- Available scents: 8, including Geranium & Basil and Vetiver & Cardamom
4
This Champagne Candle In A Sophisticated Printed Tin
Californian luxury brand Voluspa raises a glass with this Jay Gatsby-esque candle in notes of brut champagne, warm vanilla, and barrel oak. The brand is known for making some of the most beautiful candles on the market — you’ll want to save this black tie-worthy tin long after the flame goes out. Voluspa boasts that their coconut wax blend burns up to 90% cleaner than a 100% soy wax counterpart, and they're hand-poured in the U.S. too. One reviewer commented: "The tin it comes in is so cute and chic. Giving as a housewarming gift and the 'champagne' scent is perfect to celebrate."
- Available scents: multiple other scents are available on Amazon like Pink Citron and Gardenia Colonia
5
An Aromatherapy Candle With A Seriously Gorgeous Jar
This beautiful aromatherapy candle looks incredibly high-end in a chic, hand-blown glass container that doubles as a veritable decor objet. One hundred percent soy wax is used in these eco-friendly candles, and this particular scented candle features notes that are both floral and earth. It comes in a silk box that's perfect for gifting and promises to be both clean-burning and long-lasting. "I am so impressed," one shopper raved, describing the fragrance as "a nice floral, strong but comfortable." If you don't consider florals groundbreaking, there are other sophisticated scents in their own beautiful painterly jars.
- Available scents: 5, including Black Cedarwood & Juiper and Citrus Junos
6
An Energy Cleansing Sage Candle That Makes A Great Housewarming Gift
I'm a Reiki practitioner and believe the energy of your home is worth paying attention to. This calming aromatherapy candle in soy wax, features purifying white sage and palo santo, which is said to cleanse the energy in a room, while the lavender essential oils calm and uplift. The sprinkled dried sage on top looks lovely as well. “The beauty of this candle is it’s not super strong, and it complements the lavender so nicely. Even a great gift for someone who isn’t into ‘cleansing their home’ because the scents compliment each other so well," one shopper noted. Although, it's worth mentioning that other reviewers were surprised by the candle's size, which is 6.5 ounces.
- Available scents: multiple other scents are available on Amazon like Money Drawing Eucalyptus Mint and Ardent Rose Jasmine
7
This Set Of Four Luxe Votive Candles
A set of scented votive candles are a nice way to try out several fragrances before committing to a larger piece, and they look nice clustered together unlit as a decorative vignette, too. These soy votives come in chic black or a crisp alpine white jars, each with a different variety of four scents that are crafted from perfume-grade oils. With these romantic votives, you can add luxe ambience that will make every room feel like a high-end haven at a budget-friendly price. "Gorgeous candle set with the loveliest scents!" a shopper raved, calling them an "absolutely stunning candle set."
- Available scents: two different 4-packs
8
These Small-Batch Scents To Fuel Your Wanderlust
With this France-inspired candle you can dream of flaky croissants, tobacco smoke, and fresh lavender. It's part of Homesick's line of internationally inspired scented candles, that are blended with destinations in mind to evoke a feeling that will transport you. You can also buy scented candles for your home state, and candles for cities that will give you all the nostalgia (or travel fever) you can handle. Each 13-ounce candle is poured from soy wax and is made in small batches in the U.S. But what really stood out was the personal touch that made them a thoughtful gift to give or receive. "This candle is a beautiful reminder of my sweet friends on the other side of the globe," another review explained.
- Available scents: 10
