admin Fall is one of those extreme-festive seasons that overwhelms the senses (sights, tastes, and smells). And because smell is the strongest of all the senses, it’s tough to live our best autumn lives engulfed in a cloud of over-the-top fragrances. To avoid that fate this year, we hunted down the best fall candles filled with only the softest and coziest fall scents — NOT the ones that smell like a PSL fever dream.
The votives ahead hold reviewer-nose-approved autumn aromas, from falling leaves to wood fires to sophisticated (subtle!) pumpkin spice. Don’t live in fear of the season’s infamous scent explosions — instead celebrate all the evocative sweater-wearing, red wine-sipping, and apple-picking notes it has to offer.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff—and, while we do receive commission from Amazon, all of the goods linked to on our site are independently curated by our Most Wanted shopping team editors. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication.
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Nest Pumpkin Chai Classic Candle
It’s time to pull on some fuzzy socks, wrap a blanket around yourself, and go watch the colored leaves fall off the trees. But don’t forget to light a cozy candle to really let the fall fever set in. Nest’s Pumpkin Chai does just that with its warm blend of wild pumpkin, spicy masala chai, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon.
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Nest Pumpkin Chai Classic Candle, $, available at
Anthropologie Cheena Harvest Pumpkin Spice & Black Walnut Gourmand Glass Pumpkin Candle
If you’ve never waltzed into an Anthropologie just to sniff around the candle section, then you are missing out. This perfectly on-theme pumpkin piece smells of a freshly roasted pumpkin with a base of sweet honey, walnut, and warm spice. According to reviews, this candle is “irresistible.” And if you don’t like the glass ramekin, this scent also comes in a wooden vessel — crafted from real wood!
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Anthropologie Glass Pumpkin Candle, $, available at
Anthropologie Pumpkin Spice & Black Walnut Gourmand Wooden Pumpkin Ca, $, available at
Jenni Kayne Cedar Glass Candle
Customers rave over this best-selling candle’s “addictive,” “classic,” and “cozy” scent. Its notes of rose, tobacco leaf, fir needle, and cedarwood create a refreshing fragrance that complements the season’s more traditional smells (spice, amber, ginger, etc.). Give it a try if you’re interested in a new approach to autumn aromas.
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Jenni Kayne Cedar Glass Candle, $, available at
Otherland Rattan
The praise for this stylish votive — filled with hand-poured soy and coconut wax and scented with an autumnal blend of sandalwood, golden amber, and warm musk notes — is lofty. As one reviewer put it: “(I) cannot say enough good things about this candle. I have raved about it to so many people and absolutely intend to buy more. The scent throw is impressive and the packaging is exceptional. This product is such a great value for money!”
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Otherland Rattan, $, available at
Diptyque Ambre Scented Candle
It totes a premium price tag, but with 4.6 out of 5 stars and 5,000+ reviews on Google, this spicy autumn scent is worth the seasonal investment.
As one reviewer gushes, “This is one of my all-time favorite candles from Diptyque. It has a really nice woody spice scent that is beautiful in autumn and winter…find that even when the candle isn’t lit you can smell it faintly in a room which I really like.”
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Diptyque Ambre Scented Candle, $, available at
Le Labo Santal 26 Classic Candle
Whether you can sniff out a signature Le Labo scent in a lineup of 20 different samples or are unfamiliar with this fragrance empire, we’d like to think this candle is a universal crowd-pleaser. For $82, you get a small-yet-mighty 100% soy wax candle with warm notes of amber, cocoa, vanilla, cedar, spices, and sandalwood. One happy customer writes, “Earthy, woody, warm. Rooms immediately enveloped in transcendent scents. Enrapturing. the senses. Will be a regular burn.”
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Le Labo SANTAL 26, $, available at
Public Goods Cedar & Suede Soy Candle
For just $7.95, Public Goods provides you with classic hypnotic fall scents of sandalwood, jasmine, Turkish rose, amber, and leather, all in one jar. Verified buyer Sopip M. says “(I) would buy this over and over again.” Meanwhile, Bill B. mentioned its “clean burn, subtle aroma.”
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Public Goods Cedar & Suede Soy Candle, $, available at
Malin + Goetz Leather Scented Candle
Malin + Goetz has a plethora of delicious-smelling candles but this one takes the cake. One new fan had this story to share: “I was at a client’s house and could not imagine what this smell was. Finding this candle burning in the next room was amazing. It permeates everywhere! The smell is clean, organic, and calming.”
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(Malin + Goetz) Leather Candle, $, available at
Boy Smells Cashmere Kush Scented Candle
This darker candle is a smokier, more sensual remix of the brand’s best-selling Kush candle. Its notes of pot flower, cashmere wood, white amber, vetiver, tulip, and powdery musk combine to create a relaxing and lovely aroma that will ease you through the autumnal equinox. One reviewer says, “(T)he scent is strong enough to radiate even when cold.”
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Boy Smells Cashmere Kush Scented Candle, $, available at
Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte Large Jar Candle
For some, autumn is all about pumpkin patches, crunchin’ leaves, and enjoying the light and airy transitional weather outside. If you prefer the ultimate classic fall experience then you’ll get a kick out of this candle’s, “fall in a jar” charms. Plus, when we’re not gushing over the kabocha pumpkin, fluffy vanilla marshmallow, whipped coconut créma, and cinnamon-spiced brûlée notes, we’re gazing at its beautiful jar.
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Voluspa Spiced Pumpkin Latte Large Jar Candle, $, available at
Homesick New York Candle
Now, we could take the easy route and go straight for Homesick’s festive fall collection. But thanks to one impassioned Refinery29 reader’s comment, we’ll opt for the nutmeg and cinnamon concoction that is the Homesick New York candle. “Homesick’s New York (state, not city) candle is the best,” they wrote. “Smells like spiced cider and hay rides in the Hudson Valley.” Enough said.
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Homesick New York Candle, $, available at Homesick
SweetWaterDecor Hello Fall Hand-Poured Candle
This hot cider- and cinnamon-scented candle is handmade in the U.S. with premium fragrance oils, soy wax, and a cotton wick — the entire shop also boasts over 15,500 reviews on Etsy with fall-obsessed customers raving, “I’m so happy I purchased the Hello Fall candle. Smells amazing, just like fall, and beautiful jar. The shipping was lightning speed, and (the seller) Melissa was super helpful with my questions. I also love that this candle is handmade with soy wax. I can’t wait for fall!”
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SweetWaterDecor Hello Fall Candle, $, available at Etsy
Linnea Candle, Harvest Pumpkin
Crafted from soy wax infused with pumpkin and herb fragrance oil, one repeat purchaser describes this candle as a “great fall candle” that has “such a soft pumpkin/spice/warm scent without being overwhelming.”
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Linnea Harvest Pumpkin, $, available at
Blomus Fraga Fig Scented Jar Candle
This pretty fig candle boasts rave reviews such as “Simple and sleek,” and, “The scent is divine. It looks just as it appears online. Quality made and handsomely designed.”
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Blomus Fraga Fig Scented Jar Candle, $, available at AllModern
Brooklyn Candle Studio Montana Forest Minimalist Candle
A candle “reminiscent of nature in a far-off place” (per its on-site description) is a home fragrance worth buying, especially come fall. For those who run to the woods in autumn instead of to pumpkin spice lattes, it’s worth giving those notes of pine, moss, and cedarwood a try. Customer Jennifer W. had this evocative description: “Smells like the mountains after a rain shower. Clean, crisp scent with the perfect amount of pine.”
Brooklyn Candle Studio Montana Forest Minimalist Candle, $, available at
LAFCO Amber Black Vanilla Foyer Candle
The folks at LAFCO wanted to craft the ultimate cozy candle, and they did just that with this clean-burning soy option. As one reviewer exclaimed, “I always have this candle burning at home — it has a warm, vanilla, and brown sugary smell that instantly relaxes me when I get home.”
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Lafco Amber Black Vanilla Foyer Candle, $, available at Neiman Marcus
Byredo Tree House
Handmade in France, this luxury candle infuses the enticing scents of bamboo, pimento, hay, labdanum, and leather — resulting in an aroma that one reviewer describes as able to “fill the room within a matter of minutes! This one smells like forest, grass, and log burners.”
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Byredo Tree House, $, available at Nordstrom
D.S. & Durga Portable Fireplace Candle
This luxury candle — filled with notes of pine to cedar, ash oak, and birch wood — as one Amazon reviewer frankly put it, “really does smell like a wood fire.”
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D.S. & Durga Portable Fireplace Candle, $, available at SSENSE
Apothecary Sandalwood Tobacco Scented Candle
“These scents create the warmest, homiest fragrance that everyone should have in their house come fall. I use it on my bar area for a little accent and touch of color,” an avid reviewer says of this highly rated candle filled with hand-poured sandalwood, cedar, tonka bean, and tobacco-scented wax.
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Cost Plus World Market Apothecary Sandalwood Tobacco Scented Candle, $, available at Cost Plus World Market
Aromatique Cinnamon Cider Medium Glass Cube Candle
Aromatique doesn’t play around when it comes to fall candles. This sweet scent will have your living space doused in apple cinnamon aromas for days. One Amazon reviewer’s grandma fully approves, “My Grandma loved buying these candles for years, but the store closed down she always got them from… She says they burn well, last her all of December (she uses it as a Christmas scent) and it matches her decor!”
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Aromatique Cinnamon Cider Medium Glass Cube 12oz Candle, $, available at Amazon
P.F. Candle Co. Amber Jar Soy Candle
This natural soy wax candle is infused with cozy notes of musk, amber, lavender, sage, and orange that make for the perfect refreshing fall candle. One reviewer claims they’ll “buy many more,” and that they’re “super sensitive to scents, but this one didn’t give (them) a headache.”
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P.F. Candle Co. Amber Jar Soy Candle, $, available at
Anthropologie Pumpkin Ramekin Candle
If you’ve never waltzed into an Anthropologie just to sniff around its candle section, then you are missing out. This perfectly on-theme pumpkin piece comes in three different autumn scents: Pumpkin Patchouli, Pumpkin Spice, and Pumpkin & Sweet Vanilla. According to reviews, these candles are “divine,” “perfect for fall,” and simply “smell so good,” regardless of what scent you pick.
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Anthropologie Pumpkin Ramekin Candle, $, available at
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