The Best Fragrance Oils for Candles (That Actually Smell Good!)
A curated list of the best fragrance oils for candles to make your home smell amazing!
Ever since I began making candles, I’ve been on a mission to find fragrance oils that actually smell good and have a good scent throw.
I do have a sensitive nose, but I was surprised at how many of the fragrance oils I tried had stinky chemical odors and didn’t resemble the natural ingredients they were supposed to at all.
After trying many, many different brands and hundreds of scents, I finally have a list of winners. And I’ll continue to add to this list as I test more fragrances.
Fragrance Oils vs. Essential Oils in Candles
When I first began making candles, I was excited to make all-natural candles with essential oils.
But after wasting A LOT of expensive essential oils, here’s the conclusion I came to: You can pour as many essential oils as you want into your candle wax, but you’ll just be wasting your expensive oils.
The heat from the candle flame breaks down the essential oils (and so does the heat used in the candle-making process). Bottom line: It’s just not a good use of essential oils, and it’s not an effective way to scent your home either.
Natural Fragrance Oils for Candles
BUT. And this is a big but. You can get all-natural candle fragrance oils that are made entirely from plants. My favorite brand of natural fragrance oils is Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.), and I’ll list a lot of my favorite scents from them below. But this post is not sponsored and I’m only sharing my own honest opinions.
When I was first starting my candle making journey, I just assumed that fragrance oils from companies with names like “Plant Guru,” or “Essentials” would have all natural ingredients.
Not so, and it can be difficult to find lists of ingredients. But you should assume that any fragrance oils that don’t specifically claim to be naturally derived are chemical-based, even if they have natural-sounding names.
How to Make Candles
Making scented candles is fun and easy. This quick-start tutorial will tell you everything you need to know, and the basic recipe will work with any of the fragrance oils in this post. I’ll also include links to individual recipes and projects as we go.
How to Make Soy Candles: A Beginner’s Guide
If you want to take a deeper dive into the best candle waxes, wick types, containers, and wax dyes, this post will answer all your questions:
How to Make Candles: A Beginner’s Guide
How to Make Wax Melts
I also love to make scented wax melts! These make perfect gifts and I like to pair them with an inexpensive wax warmer in a gift basket.
That’s what everyone is getting for Christmas this year. Shhhhh!
Check out the simple tutorial below for DIY wax melts. You can use this recipe with any of the fragrance oils listed below.
How to Make Wax Melts: Everything You Need to Know
Candle Fragrance Oils
Now, on to the best candle fragrance oils I’ve found for each season and occasion…
Fall Fragrances
Autumn scents are an important part of the Fall experience, from pumpkin spice to cinnamon & clove, to apples & chai tea. I’ve tested several new Fall fragrances this year and added them to this list.
And of course a few of these scents could be great for Christmastime too.
Spiced Pear & Whiskey
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.) This is probably my very favorite Fall scent. You can see it in this scented soy candle tutorial. This one would be great for Christmas time too!
Pumpkin & Persimmon
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.) This is the best pumpkin spice fragrance I’ve found. And trust me, I’ve tried A LOT of them! Here’s my recipe for DIY Pumpkin Spice Wax Melts.
Pumpkin Harvest
From Nature’s Oil This is another nice pumpkin spice-type fragrance.
Here’s the tutorial for the Fall scented candle below using Pumpkin Harvest.
Maple Chai & Sweet Cream
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.) This one reminds me of something sweet and freshly baked.
Apple Rind & Cinnamon
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.) This one is a lovely classic apple cider scent!
Christmas & Holiday Fragrance Oils
This is where it all began- me trying to find a convincing Christmas tree scent to make scented candles. I was trying to make up for the fact that I finally got a fake tree last year. I’ve tested at least 9 different fir and tree scents trying to find the perfect fresh cut tree scent.
And then as I was testing more oils this year, a giant fir tree came crashing through my roof during a wind storm! It turns out THAT is the way to get your house to smell like a Christmas tree. But I digress.
I’ve come to the conclusion that you really can’t beat the real thing. But these three candle fragrance oils are the closest I’ve found.
Cloudberry & Balsam
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.)
Juniper Spruce & Balsam Fir
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.)
Tree Sap & Fir
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.)
Peppermint Swirl
From Nature’s Oil. This nice strong peppermint scent is perfect for Christmas time!
Candied Citrus Peel
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.)
Warm Gingerbread & Masala Chai
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.)
Raw Cinnamon & Clove
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.)
Floral Scents
I honestly didn’t think I liked very many floral scents until I got Makesy’s Floral Fragrance Discovery Kit. There are a lot of lovely subtle scents in there that don’t remind me of stinky 90’s potpourri at all! Here are a few of my favorites thus far:
Lilac & Mimosa
From Makesy I just discovered this lovely floral scent. I’ve used it to make room spray, and plan to use it in a candle next. This is my favorite of the floral fragrance oils so far!
Lavender Leaf & Balsam
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.)
Star Jasmine & Santal
From Makesy
Orchid & Black Amber
From Makesy
Fruity & Tropical Fragrances
Pink Sands
From Candle Lynn on Etsy. This is probably my all-time favorite candle scent! It transports me to a spa at a Caribbean beachside resort, and it’s a very convincing copycat for Yankee Candle’s Pink Sands. You can see the recipe for these Pink Sands Wax Melts below:
Tangerine & Peach Tea
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.) This one is nice and fruity, yet authentic and sophisticated.
Muskmellon & Strawberry Bellini
From Makesy
Calamansi & Tangerine Blossom
from Makesy
Beachy Scents
Sun Lotion & Sea Breeze
From Makesy
Citrus & Herbal Scents
Lemon Verbena & Thyme
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.) I really love this fresh clean scent in the kitchen! Or actually anywhere, and I just ordered a big bottle of it.
Sweet Citrus & Tonka Bean
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.) What is a tonka bean, you ask? I had to look it up too, and I’m still not exactly certain. But they sure smell good!
Citronella Fragrance Oils
Last summer I was determined to make effective mosquito-repelling citronella candles for my outdoor living spaces. These oils are the winners from my experiments:
Bug Off
From Nature’s Oil
Citron & Camphor
From Makesy
Fresh Laundry Fragrance Oils
Who doesn’t love the smell of clean laundry? These fresh linen scents are perfect for candles, wax melts, and DIY room spray!
Washed Linens & Clean Musk
From Makesy
Luxury Fragrance Oils For Candles
Vanilla & Cashmere
From Makesy (formerly The Wooden Wick Co.)
I know I’ll have many more great scents to add to this list now that I’ve discovered a few great fragrance oil companies. I hope this helps you find fragrances you love for your DIY candles and wax melts too!
Fragrance Oil for Beeswax Candles
Bee Balm & Coco de Mer
Yellow beeswax has its own natural scent, so people often make beeswax candles without adding any fragrance oil. But this amazing fragrance enhances the beeswax scent and I love it! This is a great one for Fall and Winter. Here’s my tutorial for beeswax candles and here a tutorial for beeswax wax melts using this candle scent.
More DIY Candles & Wax Melts…
What is The Best Wax for Candles? Soy vs. Beeswax vs. Paraffin
The Best Candle Jars & Tins & Where To Get Them
The Best Wax Melt Molds For Every Occasion
How to Make Candles: A Beginner’s Guide
The Best Wax Melters On A Budget
Will bees wax work with the fragrances? Have you tried it
Hi, thanks for asking! I just got beeswax to experiment and will let you know. From what I’ve read I think it should work, but do know that beeswax has a little bit of its own fragrance, unlike soy wax or paraffin. So my guess is it will go really well with some fragrance oils, and not quite as well with others. Update coming very soon!
Thanks for this post, Jess. It was super helpful! I’ll be doing my own candles after 15 years! Wish me luck 🙂
I’m glad it was helpful! I hope you enjoy making your candles! Let me know if you run into any issues I can help with.
I am so glad there is a new oil company. I hope that I can become a new customer.
Yes I’ve been really happy with Makesy (Wooden Wick Co.). Not sure why there aren’t more high quality oil companies for DIYers.
There are many of them. Little Bee Scents, Stone Candles, Midwest Fragrance Company, Sixteen Seventeen, Brambleberry, Hive and Honey Candle Co and Maryland Wax Club to name a few.
i have been making candles too and really appreciated finding your site. Anything that helps me do a better job is worth reading. I’m looking for a chaparral fragrance oil that works for candles and was wondering if you have ever found one. thank you for any thoughts you have.
Hi Cindi,
Thanks & I’m so glad to help! But sorry I’ve never even heard of chaparral and had to google it!
Can’t wait to start my candle making journey, with your information. Candles for every occasion:)
Thank Jess
Oh I’m so glad to hear that. I hope you love it as much as I do!
Thank you for this amazing article ❤️ Can you tell me for soy wax candle -250 ml jar how much oil do I have to use ?
Thanks Reneta! It should be about 1.5 Tablespoons or .75 oz. or 22 ml. I hope this helps! This post has a fragrance oil conversion chart on it- you’ll have to scroll down a bit to find it. Good luck!
Thanks for some of these fragrance oil options! I really appreciated it!
You’re very welcome. I hope it’s helpful!
At what temperature should soy wax be poured with fragrances “Makesy” to make it smell better? Based on your review, I decided to try these oils. I don’t see this information anywhere.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Kateryna,
Add the fragrance oil when the wax is around 170 degrees F for optimal fragrance throw. Here’s a soy candle tutorial: https://jessicawellinginteriors.com/how-to-make-soy-candles-a-beginners-guide/ and here’s one for paraffin candles: https://jessicawellinginteriors.com/how-to-make-scented-candles-for-fall/ Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!
This article has lots of information about using essential & fragrance oils for candle making. Kudos to the writer for this fantastic guide to fragrance oils for candles. Highly recommend giving it a read.
Thank you so much!
Very well written and explained. This article covers all the important points related to fragrance oils.
I had a family member that passed away suddenly that used to make candles that she called China Rose. I bought several boxes of votives and a few larger 3 wick. My supply has dwindled over the last 10byears and I have been unable to match that fragrance. I know that it is little to go on but have you ever heard of that fragrance or maybe have an inkling of what oils might be used to create it? I could send you a sample if that might help. Thank you for any help you can provide.
I wish I could help but I’ve never heard of that fragrance either. My suggestion would be to order the floral sample box from Makesy and see if there’s anything in there that resembles the scent you remember. Sorry I know that’s probably not much help.