These Are the Best Spring Candles of 2022

Tara BellucciNews and Culture Director
Tara BellucciNews and Culture Director
Tara is Apartment Therapy's News & Culture Director. When not scrolling through Instagram double-tapping pet pics and astrology memes, you'll find her thrift shopping around Boston, kayaking on the Charles, and trying not to buy more plants.
updated Apr 8, 2022
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Cozy flatlay with wooden tray, cup of coffee or cocoa, candle, notebooks on white sheets and blankets

Do you hear the birds chirping? See the trees blooming? Feel the rain… raining? Spring is here and it’s time to update your home’s scent. When it comes to spring candles, there are a lot of options out there, and I (again) made it my personal mission to smell as many as my nose could handle, so that I could bring you only the best.

I reached out to a variety of candle brands all across the price spectrum, from big retailers to small batch producers. Then, because everyone is different, I invited some friends over to join me for an evening of sniffing a record breaking 100 of them (yes, it was quite daunting). Each candle was grouped into categories by scent notes, and placed in individual paper bags (not lit, don’t worry) so that the smell was concentrated and that my testers weren’t immediately influenced by the packaging.

What you’ll find below are the highest rated candles by scent category, plus a few wild cards worth noting.

Floral candles

Fresh Cut Lilacs Candle
$25

Scent notes: Lilac bouquets, dewy greens, soft spring air
Comments: "Very lilac," "Mother's Day"

$25 at Bath & Body Works
Metallic Rose Candle
$38

Scent notes: Rose, raspberry, leather
Comments: "Beauty and the Beast," "classic rose"

$38 at The 125 Collection
Sakura Blossom Festival Candle
$31

Scent notes: Red berries, apple, pink grapefruit, rose, freesia, cherry blossom, sandalwood, vanilla
Comments: "Floral pop," "sweet"

$31 at Yankee Candle
Black Iris Oak Candle
$42

Scent notes: Iris, violet, musk, cinnamon, black pepper
Comments: "Like a hug"

$42 at Apotheke
Hackney Garden Candle
$44

Scent notes: Orange peel, ivy, neroli, patchouli, white moss
Comments: "Lightly sexy," "Don't know what that is but I like it"

$44 at Boy Smells
Wild Brooklyn Lavender Candle
$65

Scent notes: Lavender, vetiver, herbs, suede, asphalt
Comments: "Herbaceous," "like a woodstove"

$65 at DS & Durga
28th Street Flower Market Candle
$45

Scent notes: Peony, rose
Comments: "Fresh flowers," "very rosy"

$45 at Literie
White Gardenia Candle
$27

Scent notes: White gardenia, fresh picked greenery, sweet apple, white tuberose
Comments: "So clean and cozy," "heartwarming"

$27 at Bath & Body Works
Lavender Fields Candle
$55$45

Scent notes: Lavender, jasmine, blue violets, soft musk
Comments: "Comforting," "best lavender"

$45 at Fernweh
No. 15 Cedarwood + Lavender Candle
$36

Scent notes: Sweet orange, eucalyptus, lemon, rose, peony blossom, lavender, cedarwood, orange flower, patchouli
Comments: "Smells like trees."

$36 at Outdoor Fellow
Two Weeks Notice Candle
$26

Scent notes: Palo Santo, black cedar, smoky musks, citron, vanilla orchid, amber mist
Comments: "Woodsy," "cologne"

$26 at Anecdote Candles

Fruit candles

Iced Berry Lemonade Candle
$16

Scent notes: Strawberry leaf, lemon sugar, mandarin, ruby red grapefruit, yuzu, red raspberry, pomelo, pineapple, vanilla Bean, malt, violet leaf
Comments: "Melted popsicle," "yum"

$16 at Yankee Candle
Pink Pineapple Sunrise Candle
$16

Scent notes: Sweet pink pineapple, palm sugar, sun-drenched nectar
Comments: "Surprisingly fresh," "fresh and fruity"

$16 at Bath & Body Works
Lemon & Lilac Candle
$20

Scent notes: Lemon, lilac
Comments: "Bright and energetic," "cozy springtime"

$20 at Maggie Valley Collective
Tahiti
$39

Scent notes: Tahitian sea salt, island air, blue sage, lemon Blossom, lime, neroli, coconut water, driftwood, white teak, dewy greens
Comments: "Smells like a coconut," "Bahamas or Turks & Caicos"

$39 at RareLumiere
Kalahari Watermelon Candle
$32

Scent notes: Chilled watermelon, pressed lime, basil
Comments: "Crisp and clean," "subtle Jolly Rancher"

$32 at Voluspa
Watermelon Lemonade Candle
$27

Scent notes: Watermelon ice, sparkling water, Meyer lemon
Comments: "Candy," "Richie's Italian Ice"

$27 at Bath & Body Works
Aegean Figue Candle
$49

Scent notes: Green fig leaves, amber, wood
Comments: "I want to bite into it."

$49 at AveSeena
Pear + Honey Candle
$24

Scent notes: Pear, honey
Comments: "Delicious," "very sweet"

$24 at Bare Candle Co.
Homebody Candle
$26

Scent notes: Citron, bergamot, lemon, green tea, jasmine petals, black tea buds
Comments: "Smells like expensive cologne," "delightful"

$26 at Anecdote Candles
LOL Candle
$34

Scent notes: Mango, green coconut, lavender, linen, woods
Comments: "Both fruity and comforting," "very mango"

$34 at Spoken Flames
Lychee Bergamot Candle
$36

Scent notes: Lychee, lily, bergamot, red tea, geranium, amber, musk, citrus, coriander
Comments: "Fresh," "like a delicious cocktail"

$36 at Taolia
Rosemary & Bergamot Soy Candle
$45

Scent notes: Bergamot, rosemary, lily, vanilla, musk, blonde woods
Comments: "Can a scent be beautiful? This one is."

$45 at Fernweh

Fresh candles

No. 18 Beach at Night Candle
$13

Scent notes: Citrus, sea salt, ozone, plum, cardamom, amber, dark musk
Comments: "Blissful beach day"

$13 at Backyard Candles
Serene Retreat Candle
$60

Scent notes: Bergamot, fir, eucalyptus, cyclamen, lavender, gardenia, plum-rose, cinnamon, clove, moss, amber, tonka bean, musk
Comments: "Not usually a fan of fresh scents, but this one is good."

$60 at The Worthington Collection
Optimistic Lotus & Aloe Candle
$31

Scent notes: Marine accord, dune grass, water hyacinth, blue chamomile, lotus blossom, aloe, vetiver, sea moss, wet stone accord
Comments: "Clean, light, lovely," "reminds me of a fancy spa"

$31 at Yankee Candle
Rain + Sugarcane Candle
$24

Scent notes: Rain, sugarcane
Comments: "Earthy and sweet," "morning hike"

$24 at Bare Candle Co.
Hive & Wick Green Market Candle
$28

Scent notes: Bergamot, freshly cut grass, herbal clary sage, green banana, cedarwood
Comments: "Smells like a fresh kitchen," "fresh with a whisper of earthy"

$28 at Anthropologie
Sunday Farmstand Candle
$34

Scent notes: Bergamot, lemon, tomato vine, fresh air, green ivy, cucumber, oakmoss, musk, patchouli bark
Comments: "Italian vacation," "garden"

$34 at Homesick
Extra Hour Candle
$36

Scent notes: Shiso leaf, verbena, mint
Comments: "Cilantro?" "Like a smoothie"

$36 at Otherland
Black Fig & Olive Candle
$41

Scent notes: Black fig, Meyer lemon, Tonka beans
Comments: "Subtle in a nice way"

$41 at Paddywax
Afternoon in Central Park Candle
$45

Scent notes: Grass, bergamot
Comments: "Summer breeze," "beautiful"

$45 at Literie
White Lodge Candle
$35

Scent notes: Cedarwood atlas, fir needle
Comments: "Smells like Vermont," "very woodsy"

$35 at Sea Witch Botanicals
Kindred Candle - Linen Oakmoss
$28

Scent notes: Linen, fresh rose, golden ylang, dew-covered oakmoss, patchouli, amber
Comments: "Sublty refreshing," "like sniffing a blanket fresh from the dryer"

$28 at Anthropologie
Bamboo Santal Candle
$36

Scent notes: Green tea, bergamot, jasmine, clove leaf, patchouli, sandalwood, tonka bean
Comments: "Love this one, a nice balance"

$36 at Taolia

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