How the scented candle went from stocking filler to luxe home must-have

In case you’ve been living in a scent-free space, you might have noticed fragrant candles are everywhere. On coffee tables and desks; on bedside tables and bathrooms, and, if reports from e-commerce cosmetic website Adore Beauty are any indication, they’re flying off shop floors, too.

The boom reflects not just the jump in sales during the pandemic. The limited edition from Glasshouse Fragrances, called Movie Night, a 380-gram soy candle with a heady bouquet of caramel, popcorn and choc tops, sold out in just seven days last June, but sales — which are currently at 105 per cent for April – mean it’s set to continue throughout 2021, too. Once considered the fall-back gift for the Kris Kringle at work, like a Millennial version of bath salts, those “smelly candles” used to be what you bought last minute for the new girlfriend of that relative who RSVP’d late to Christmas Day lunch. 

Otherwise, you didn’t give it much thought — candles belonged in the bedrooms of teenage girls, addicted to lip balm and in the darker scenes of kinky vampire movies. Twenty years ago, they were a tad too dramatic to light unless you were religious — or Emo.

But that was about to change. “It was Christmas 2006 and I was shopping in David Jones trying to replace a beloved candle from back home in New York and just couldn’t find what I was looking for.” This is how Nicole Eckels, CEO of Glasshouse Fragrances, remembers what sparked her idea to start her own candle business. “Instead, I found high-end brands from Europe that were out of my price range and lower-end options that were either non-fragranced or poorly constructed.”

That was back when you had a chance to either go high or go cheap. Those that went high, headed straight for Diptyque, the luxury Parisian perfumerie; one of the pioneers of turning best-selling fragrance into wax. These days, that space is being taken up by the likes of Le Labo and Jo Malone to name just two of hundreds. Diptyque had been around since the 1960s, but their glass-encased candles, replete with baroque French calligraphy on the label, didn’t really reach saturation point until the early 2000s. 

Appearing on the shelves of beauty blogger’s homes, the $90 Diptyque candle, in fragrances like the floral Baies or woody Figuier became instantly aspirational via Tumblr and then Instagram. But they weren’t what you bought if you were a present short on Christmas Eve. These sorts of candles, smelling like a mix of bubble gum and cough medicine, were available from your local chemist or Target, gathering dust around their wicks before you snatched them up them for $9.99.

But in 2021 fragrant candles have evolved from the byzantine uses of unaffordable luxury or quick-grab gifts. We buy them now as acts of self-care; like a bouquet of flowers, or a bottle of wine, candles now exist in our homes as functional ornaments of beauty and comfort.

Kirsten Walker, co-founder of Palm Beach Collection of fragrant candles, says the pandemic allowed people to focus more on their living spaces, and candles became a manifestation of that.

“We’ve noticed during the past year as people were spending more time at home, they were looking at ways to create a stress-free, relaxing space. Small improvements, such as adding decorative homewares and scents throughout the home, are a cheap and effective way people can boost comfort levels.”

It’s the type of philosophy that led her to relaunch a giant candle range. It’s 850 grams of wax that can burn all night.

“We decided to relaunch our Deluxe candle range, which has a 120-hour burn time, so customers can enjoy their favourite Palm Beach Collection scents for longer. It makes the perfect gift, even for yourself when you’re looking to add a little joy to your day and make time for self-care.”

And, as manufacturers have become better skilled at developing complex fragrances, candles have risen in status from a last-minute buy to a thoughtful purchase, as Nicole Eckels explains: “On the 4th of March, Glasshouse Fragrances pre-released one candle from the Mother’s Day capsule in time for International Women’s Day, only on their e-commerce site. 

“Our expectation was not that the sales would soar, but to provide a teaser of the collection we were launching on March 25,” she says.

“But within one week of launching the ‘Ode to Women’ candle the fragrance house had sold through 60 per cent of the sales allocation. When we compared the first seven days of Mother’s Day launch last year, there is an 80 per cent increase already.”

Part of the reason, according to Eckels, is the tangible consumer excitement over Mother’s Day this year. People can actually visit their mothers. But there is also an undeniable demand for a smoky scent that is yet to, uh, really flame out. 

“2020 was full of lessons,” adds Eckles wistfully. “I would like to believe that the things we all rediscovered in 2020 — like the importance of finding the simple pleasures in life — will continue for years to come.”