It began with tomatoes. Thanks largely to Loewe’s gangbusters Tomato Leaves line and outdoorsy lifestyle brands like Flamingo Estate, the aroma of these red fruits can now be found in any well-appointed home. Much like owning Aesop’s Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash or Diptyque’s Baies candle in years past, catching a whiff of tomato is a surefire sign that someone has taste. The spicy-sweet, fresh, and green scent isn’t going anywhere (at least for now), but this summer, we’re upping the ante. I give you: garden candles.
It’s something I picked up from the zeitgeist: candles perfumed with oregano, mushrooms, even obscure fruits like kumquats. After talking to fragrance experts about the best scented candles for this summer, my hunch was confirmed. ‘Garden scents are having a big moment,’ says P.F. Candle Co. founder and creative director Kristen Pumphrey. ‘I’ve noticed that fruit notes in particular have been very popular — this is a trickle-down from fine perfumery. Cherry, peach, watermelon, fig — true-to-life fruit scents that feel vivacious and fun.' Also in that garden camp are savory suspects: vegetables and herbal scents like rosemary, mint, and eucalyptus — ‘anything that feels like a cooling evening in a summer garden,’ Kristen continues.
APOTHEKE Founder, Chrissy Fichtl, attributes the rise in fresh culinary-scented candles, like tomatoes, to familiarity. Embodying what summer felt and smelled like in years past with olfactory profiles that are "real," rather than classically beautiful, these scents are nostalgic. So this season, we’re saying yes to fruits, which were always a summertime scent staple, but also to vegetables, which are finally getting better PR.
The whole garden is trending, and I’m here for it. Think zesty citrus, sweet peach, and spicy chili — is your mouth watering yet? Sink your teeth into this culinary goodness.
Garden Candles
Price: $36
I love botanicals — in my drinks, on my decor, and now, in my candles. This fresh herbal candle by Anthropologie is a serendipitous blend of woody goodness: foliage, elm, fresh moss, and dewy fern, with a hint of lavender. Why touch grass when you can smell it? Storied and elegant, it's held in a beautiful French apothecary jar that looks great in a bathroom or perched on a shelf. With a perfect 5/5 rating and under $40, this is a go-to summer scent.
Price: $56
As an Aquarius, I gravitate toward the niche. Boy Smells never fails to deliver something unusual, but this collaboration with country artist Kacey Musgraves really hit the mark. Best described as earthy meets gourmand, it features top notes of saffron, raspberry, and eucalyptus, paired with mushroom, lavender, and sage, grounded in oakmoss and patchouli, all held together with beetroot and amber. Have you ever smelled such a thing? Exactly. Its 4.87/5 star rating says it's time to give in to curiosity.
Price: $24
Kristen Pumphrey, founder and creative director of P.F. Candle Co., loves ‘fresh, spa-like scents’ for summer days, ‘with notes like lemon verbena, lavender, and eucalyptus.’ She adores this Wild Herb Tonic candle for its light and uplifting feel, capturing the essence of mountain baths, morning air, and grass between your toes with its earthy blend of lemon balm, crushed thyme, orange rind, and fir. Offering a moderate scent throw, the blend is equal parts energized and sophisticated. Perfect for lazy afternoon baths.
Price: $44
I asked APOTHEKE Founder Chrissy Fichtl what her favorite scent was for 2024. Her answer: Peach Truck, a recent collaboration ‘that captures walking through a peach orchard,’ dancing with ‘notes of peach, crisp bergamot, jasmine, green galbanum, cedarwood, and vetiver.’ It evokes farmers markets and, of course, peaches, Lana Del Rey vibes — nuanced, mysterious, and sweet.
Price: $150
The candle that started it all. I would be remiss not to include it. The brainchild of Loewe Creative Director Jonathan Anderson and master perfumer Nuria Cruelles, this candle smells like a vegetable garden with a tomato twist. It’s a light, fresh scent that would be great on its own in any glass jar, but the sculptural bold red candlestick makes it even better. Doubles as table decor.
Price: $70
Maison Margiela’s Replica fragrances are impeccable at capturing memories. My favorite, now discounted scent, ‘Lipstick On,’ is Chicago, 1952. Not that I was alive then, but it certainly smells like what I would imagine. This one, ‘From the Garden,’ feels similarly spot on, described as a blend of earth and tomato leaves. While that might sound a lot like the Loewe variety, I assure you, it is not. Grounded in patchouli, it’s markedly stronger. If Loewe is brunch or tea time, then this one is a dinner party.
Price: $60
Olives could have their own breakout scent story. I mean, hello! Olive oil cake and olive oil drizzle ice cream?! We’re obviously getting crafty, and I’m loving it. This Flamingo Estate candle takes it right from the source — from the tree, that is — with this herbal and bright scent. Hard to describe, but it smells (and feels) like new — a cleanse of sorts. One of the many happy reviewers (4.8/5 star rating, might I add) muses, ‘The fragrance is beyond compare. It is sensual and natural. A true delight!’ Another describes it as ‘walking in a vineyard in Italy.’
Price: $64
Strawberries are pretty pedestrian — the poultry of fruits. But for whatever reason, candles never really caught on. Perhaps the berries are too sweet, too one-note to fragrance an entire room. Well, MALIN+GOETZ went where no one has before with this one: a luxury, strawberry-scented candle. I mean, they’re not exactly the first to try, but they did do it best with unexpected additions of fresh bergamot and pink pepper with warm musks, jasmine petals, and soft orris root. It makes the common fruit feel exotic.
Price: $80
Inspired by the Maker hotel’s idyllic ‘The Gardener’ room, this candle smells like the entire outdoor scene: mostly citrus with notes of mint, basil, bergamot, ginger, tomato leaf, verbena, green fig, rich amber, wet grass, and cypress. Basically, it’s what you wish the outdoors smelled like. It’s also non-toxic, which is rarer than you might expect for a luxury candle. I love its ribbed glass container, which not only is so classically elegant but is made from recycled glass originally from the hotel. Yep, each and every detail of this candle is fleshed out to perfection.
Price: $76
This Diptyque candle had me at its delightfully charming, colorful label. Illustrated by artist Alexandre Benjamin Navet, it looks, in a word, like vacation. Apart from its vessel’s good looks, this candle is a fantastic transition scent from late afternoon into night: the zesty playfulness of lemongrass and geranium, cooled by lemon eucalyptus. Like the sunset after a fun filled summer day. You might be pleased to learn that it’s also designed to repel mosquitoes inside or outside — so if that doesn’t scream summer, I don't know what does.
Price: $24
Watermelon feels like backyard barbecues and poolside lunches. It’s a summer fruit through and through, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it in a candle — until now. The unique fragrance pairs the sweet watery goodness with a kick of chili — unexpected, vibrant, and fun. ‘This scent just feels like summer in a jar,’ muses P.F. Candle Co founder and creative director Kristen Pumphrey. One reviewer raves: ‘I really hope this makes a return as a permanent offering; it's quite possibly my favorite candle, ever, full stop. It's bright and light, juicy and earthy, not too sweet, and just really interesting. It’s like your favorite Bonne Bell chapstick from childhood, all grown up. It's an excellent summer scent, but I'm still burning it in late fall.’
Price: $79.95
Leave it to Monse and Oscar de la Renta co-creative director Laura Kim to dream up a scent so creative, so spot-on for the garden mood of the moment, that none of us could have guessed it: carrot. And before you protest that carrots and candles don’t mix, think again. It’s not just carrots, but leaves and lingering notes of citrus, eucalyptus, and amber — romantic and earthy, which is echoed in this beautiful pink marble vessel. I’d describe it as an extra elevated everyday scent, perfect for spirited summer dinners and lazy brunches alike.
How Can I Transition My Candle Scents into Summer?
If you buy as many candles as I do, you might find yourself still trying to get through your musky sandalwood scents while the outdoors is already in the 90s (and humid). But don’t put them into storage just yet. Like the fragrance we wear on our bodies, candle scents can be layered too, creating aromas that are entirely one-of-a-kind.
‘Just like with clothes, certain fragrances can provide a bridge to a new season,’ says P.F. Candle Co. founder and creative director Kristen Pumphrey. ‘Herbal scents like rosemary, eucalyptus, and lavender blend the best with warmer scents from previous seasons,’ she explains. For example: Amber and rosemary? Patchouli and eucalyptus? Lavender and vanilla? Now we’re talking. Nuanced and arguably more luxe-smelling than burning these aromas on their own.
How Can I Make the Most of My Garden Candles?
Really good candles aren't cheap: often just around the $100 mark, even for luxury ones, our brains don’t seem to register how quickly the costs can add up (perhaps I’m speaking for myself here). Naturally, we want to stretch the shelf life of our candle scents, amplifying their aroma and getting the full fantasy.
‘You can use a candle warmer to reduce heat in the summer months without sacrificing scent,’ says Kristen Pumphrey, founder and creative director of P.F. Candle Co. ‘The candle warmer lamp warms the top layer of wax and can be set on a timer for busy summer schedules,’ she explains.
Another simple yet effective tactic: ‘Buy a larger candle,’ notes APOTHEKE Founder, Chrissy Fiechtl. ‘The more wicks you have, the stronger the scent throws.’ It might be pricier, but for several times the smell, it’s an idea worth considering.
