Summer is synonymous with a very specific scent palate.
In the home scenting space, citrus and floral notes tend to dominate this time of year with compositions bursting with the fresh notes of lemon, orange blossom, bergamot, jasmine and rose.
These lighter ingredients are designed to not overpower your olfactory when the mercury rises. When you catch a whiff of their uplifting aroma, they will have a mood-boosting effect, rather than feeling too heavy, cloying or oppressing.
But fragrance houses have got creative over time and while these blooming bouquets in bougie form are ever popular, there is a new crop of alternative components injecting spice into your space. Earthy, warming notes of amber, cedarwood and tobacco are popping up, putting an even headier and seductive twist on the classic summer candle.
No matter which direction you go to set the fragrance of your humble abode, never underestimate the transportive escapism of a candle. The right cocktail can bring the Italian Riviera to your living room, no frequent flyer miles required. Alternatively, they can ignite the aroma of a blossoming flower garden exploding with ripeness in your bedroom or even infuse your kitchen with the nostalgic salty but warming experience of a lazy beach day.
Scent is also crucial in setting the ambience for your ever-filling social calendar so there are candles to imbue lively, refreshing notes for hosting al fresco BBQs or warming, sultry blends for a seductive summer evening.
Shop the best candles below
Trudon Versailles Classic Candle
POV: you walk through the iconic Hall of Mirrors and make your way into the lush gardens that surround the Palace of Versailles, suddenly an irresistible aroma fills the area. It is this scent experience that drives the Versailles collection from one of the oldest candlemakers in the world. Trudon blends honeysuckle, oak and blue iris with thyme flower, peony and mint. At the heart are notes of tulip blossom, rosemary and tuberose for a scent palate that is floral, vibrant and fresh.
Buy now £98.00, Harrods
The Dorchester Spa Candle
Bring the heady rose aroma of the legendary Park Lane bolthole to your home with its Spa Candle. The Dorchester has teamed up with Scottish skincare label ishga, a brand known for its sustainable seaweed-based offering. The candle has been created from the by-products of the Dorchester roses previously displayed in the hotel. The soft scent combines rose absolute, rose geranium and frankincense.
Buy now £75.00, The Dorchester
NEST New York Sunlit Yuzu & Neroli
Entice the senses with this aroma dubbed sunshine in candle form. NEST has created a mood-boosting concoction harnessing the vibrant citrus notes of the named yuzu with mandarin and neroli that is immediately uplifting from the first moment you catch a whiff of the optimistic scent.
Buy now, Cult Beauty
Bottega Veneta Candle Collection
A striking trio of candles to make a statement addition to your bookshelf or mantle, Bottega Veneta’s new home fragrance vessels are encased in clay with a volcanic glaze. Handmade and hand-poured, each is unique and one of a kind.
The green Raintree candle combines fig, thyme and lavender absolute to reflect the Mediterranean summer, while the yellow Lantern is sensual and seductive with notes of incense, suede rose and vetiver. Last but certainly not least, the red Edstone sets plum nectar with tobacco, cedarwood and amber for a deep, rich and earthy concoction.
Buy now £320.00, Bottega Veneta
Diptyque Café Candle
This limited-edition candle from Diptyque is part of a collaboration between the French fragrance house and Parisian coffee company Café Verlet. Bringing the expertise of one of the oldest establishments serving up the brew, the Café candle infuses the aroma of the signature house-roasted coffee with the latter as the starring note.
Buy now £59.00, Space NK
Cult Gaia Mast
You may be most familiar with Cult Gaia for its caged bags and marbled acrylic clutches but now the fashion label has infiltrated the fragrance space with a collection of three candles. The trio includes Mast, a summer scent powered by Italian bergamot, tropical coconut and sweet Brazilian cumaru. The continent-crossing aroma dries down with orange blossom, Haitian vetiver and ambery forest notes.
Buy now £59.00, Cult Gaia
D.S. & Durga Big Sur After Rain
The Californian coast inspired this candle composition from alt fragrance label D.S. & Durga. More specifically, the aromas that emanate from the eucalyptus groves after a rain storm. This is achieved through top notes of coastal rain eucalyptus shoot, a heart of magnolia Pacific spray and the woody base of eucalyptus leaf wet wood.
Buy now £60.00, Harvey Nichols
& Other Stories Palette Cypress Scented Candle
The transportive aroma of the Palette Cypress Scented Candle is achieved through a cocktail of fresh acai and geranium. Setting the olfactory mood for your summer soiree, a pairing of the aforementioned with bergamot, cyclamen and peach flower is equal parts uplifting and enticing.
Buy now £23.00, & Other Stories
Carrière Frères The Frangipani Plumeria candle
Spotlighting distinctive or exotic ingredients is the Carrière Frères M.O. The brand has formulated the Frangipani Plumeria candle with a warm and evolving scent composition that is juxtaposingly warm yet fresh. It opens with a note of bergamot before the blossoming array of white flowers fills the olfactories. The final touch is the vanilla base that provides a tropical feel.
Buy now £60.00, Carrière Frères
Santa Maria Novella Rosa Novella Scented Candle
Santa Maria Novella has captured the lively aromas that scent its own gardens with Rosa Novella. The fragrance of spring awakening captures the flowers as they bloom with a citrus top note evolving into rose and white flowers. But this is no ordinary floral aroma. It is anchored with green herbaceous elements of oregano and pepper as well as a base of moss and wood for a seductive edge.
Buy now £75.00, Santa Maria Novella
