2020 Candles Exist, and Yes, They Smell Like Banana Bread and Hand Sanitizer
To say that 2020 has been a trying year is potentially the understatement of the century, but in the off chance you are looking for a way to commemorate this year, candles that smell like 2020 are here.
How exactly could a calendar year be encapsulated by way of scent, you might ask? Well, there are two different approaches, and only one smells like dirt.
First up, there’s the ‘2020 scent’ candle (£14.99 or roughly $20), a limited-edition kerasoy wax candle with four layers inspired by some surely familiar scents to most of us. Sold by British-based candle company Flaming Crap (yes, really), this candle features the “subtle scents” of banana bread, hand sanitizer, DIY and wood musks, and “budget aftershave and an earthy essence” inspired by Joe Exotic of the early pandemic streaming hit “Tiger King.”
Each layer of this vegan-friendly candle will burn for roughly 7 hours, no doubt harkening back to exclusively 2020 memories of endless banana bread recipes and the unending hunt for hand sanitizer. It’s unclear how, exactly, this unique blend of scents will smell together, but this candle is so popular, its first shipment has already sold out, with the manufacturer noting that new orders will arrive in time for Christmas, if you’re planning on gifting this to a weary loved one for the holidays.
If you’re simply fed up with this dumpster fire of a year and have few fond memories of it, don’t worry, there’s a 2020 candle to fit your mood, too. Candlemakers JD and Kate Dobson are selling their own 2020 scented candle ($22), a kitschy hand-poured candle that smells like garbage (or more accurately, dirt, per the website) and features a handmade wax dumpster filled with trash for added effect. The candle’s tin notes other bad years in recent history, along with a checklist of “all the terrible things that [have happened] in 2020,” and a reminder to not leave your lit candle unattended, because, “this is not the year to test your luck.”
In the product’s Q&A, the creators note that after you burn it, “your only souvenir from 2020 will be horrible memories,” and honestly, that might just be the best gift of all.