Fitness
Best Candles to Gift for Holidays, Housewarmings, and Special Occasions
There’s something about unwinding after a long day with a candle that makes the dizzying deluge of your inbox melt away. Some candles, quite frankly, are poorly designed and horribly scented, while others instantly enhance ambience no matter what room they inhabit.
We searched high and low to find the best candles to gift this season (not a saccharine wickster in sight). Below, our 15 favorites for gifting, whether you want to splurge on a candle quartet for someone near and dear or pick up a candle that helps fight wildfires for the treehugger in your life.
1. Esas JOY Kolonya + Candle Set
Isn’t “joy” the finest word in the English language? Here, the mellifluous noun comes to life in a rinse-free hand cleanser with holiday-appropriates notes of fir balsam, peppermint, and citrus. The hand cleanser and hydrating serum comes with a candle made with a blend of organic jojoba oil and sustainably sourced candelilla wax.
[$92; esanyc.com]
2. The Home Collection Set of 4 Soy Candles by Lisa Queen Design X Apothenne
Two LA-based companies, interior design firm Lisa Queen Design and candle brand Apothenne collaborated to make magic in the form of four candles that burn for up to 65 hours. They’re made with non-GMO soy wax and premium essential oils. Each is designed for a different space in the home and features a whimsical illustration. The set comprises odor-neutralizing In the Kitchen, That Focused Place, For Quiet Spaces, and For Intimate Spaces.
[$150; lisaqueendesign.com]
3. Koselig Candle Co. 3-Scent Traveler Bundle
Minnesota is wild, from its North Shore to its funky craft beer scene. And its candles are pretty sweet, too. This trio of soy candles—in sage and lemongrass, cactus blossom and rose, and birch and black pepper—are great for travel, or just jazzing up a night at home.
[$30; koseligcandleco.com]
4. Paddywax Yin-Yang Candle 11 oz in Black Salt + Teakwood
Nashville-based Paddywax has dreamt up this ceramic candle with two different fragrances and wick. The recipient can light them alone or at the same time for a hybrid aroma. We love Black Salt + Teakwood the most, but it’s also available in other scent combos and colors, like Palo Santon + Cade in black and Cactus Flower + Watermint in pink.
[$36; paddywax.com]
5. Hope Fragrance HOPE Scented Candle
Audrey Gruss, founder of the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF), designed her fragrance and candle collection with a mission, named after her mother, Hope, who grappled with the debilitating mental illness. Here, an elegant glass vessel with gold circles holds an eight-ounce candle with notes of lily of the valley, tuberose, gardenia, and more. All net profits from this candle go to HDRF.
[$75; bergdorfgoodman.com]
6. Curie in a Candle
Available in three scents—White Tea, Orange Neroli, and Grapefruit Cassis—these candles are all hand-poured in America. Crafted with coconut soy wax, they’ve got a 55-hour burn time. Throw in the brand’s whipped body wash discovery kit ($24) if you want to round out this gift.
[$32; curiebod.com]
7. Olive & Cocoa “Home Sweet Home” Candle Set
Need a housewarming gift? Nab this candle gift set, which comes with a grapefruit-scented candle, white crystal, and bundle of white sage to get all the good energy flowing. The gift arrives wrapped together in a hand-crafted wood crate, tied together with ribbon. Another Olive & Cocoa option we love? The Winter Candle Set ($78), which includes a three-wick candle that smells like pine and spice—plus matches, also wrapped in a wooden box with ribbon.
[$78; oliveandcocoa.com]
8. Gray Whale Gin Gray Whale Soy Candle
For the spirits enthusiast in your inner circle, try this candle made from an upcycled Gray Whale Gin gin bottle, perhaps paired with an actual bottle of the gin (if you can find it at a store near you). Each candle is made with essential oils, provides up to 200 hours of burn time, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to Oceana, an ocean conservation nonprofit.
[$40; graywhaleginshop.com]
9. DEHV Candle Co. Sequoia Gift Set
This candle is another LA collaboration, this time between DEHV Candle Co and organic soap maker Wild Lather. The result? A soap and candle bundle with a scent that brings to mind California Sequoia trees, thanks to notes of cypress, sage, moss, lavender, vetiver, coriander, and spruce. Even better than the delightful smell: 5 percent of sales goes toward forest fire recovery through One Tree Planted and Save the Redwoods.
[$50; dehvcandleco.com]
10. Hawthorne Fresh and Clean Candle Set
This trio of candles comprises Warm and Woody Citrus, Pear and Basil Marine, and Smooth and Aromatic Wood. They’re all stellar scents and made from a blend of soy wax and paraffin (they’re also free of sulfates, parabens, silicones, and phthalates). Each has a burn time of 50 hours—and if this bundle isn’t quite right, there’s also the Dark and Woody Candle Set ($99).
[$99; hawthorne.co]
11. Mise en Scènt Genre Collection Candles
French new wave? Old Hollywood? Mystery? Pick your friend or family member’s favorite movie genre for these candles inspired by films in each category. The Mystery scent, for instance, includes fragrance notes of saffron, absinthe, black currant, anise, patchouli, and more that come together to create an air of mysticism.
[$36; miseenscent.com]
12. St. Brown & Co. Luxury Gift Box
This set includes two candles with crackling wooden wicks, a wick trimmer, snuffer, and two match boxes. It’s all handsomely presented in gift wrapping. You can pick the scents you want for each candle. With choices like Lemon Verbana + Thyme, Spiced Pear + Whiskey, and Driftwood + Junipers, there’s no shortage of superb selections.
[$120; stbrownco.com]
13. Gentleman Farmer The Distinguished Gentleman Set
The Wood Paneled Library Candle is made from soy-coconut wax that has hints of leather and spices, balanced by bergamot and vetiver. It lasts for up to 55 hours of burn time—but that’s not the best part. It also comes with whiskey stones, which keep beverages cold without diluting them.
[$54; shopgentlemanfarmer.com]
14. LAFCO Rose de Mai Signature Candle
Rose-scented candle? Don’t mind if we do. This soy wax candle has an intoxicating medley of honey nectar, spicy geranium, sandalwood, and more. It provides up to 90 hours of curl-up-with-a-book burn time. The Rose de Mai is our favorite in the Absolute collection, with the Orange Blossom a close second. You can also shop the full line here.
[$95; lafco.com]
15. Greentree Home Candle Josee Pillars
Choose your size (squat, medium, tall) and color for these sculptural beeswax candles, which arrive in a gift box. Burn times for these unscented tapers vary by size, from 30 to 50 hours. For another solid pick, we like the Fluted Pillar ($72), which provides up to 70 hours of burn time.
[$33-$34 each; greentreehomecandle.com]
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