Don’t you love when your home smells perfectly clean or when you step into a friend’s place and discover an elegant aroma? Well, for the past few months, I’ve been on the hunt for the best home fragrance. I decided to kick off an unofficial “scent-sational” experiment to find the perfect option.
My starting point? Instagram! Gotta love social media, right? I ran a poll on my Instagram Stories asking to share your favorite home scents. Thankfully, you pulled through for me, and the exercise proved to be extremely helpful. Y’all know your candles and room sprays, my goodness!
Countless recommendations came streaming in. I wrote down every single one that was submitted. The hardest part was narrowing down the list!
Why Home Fragrance Matters
Since we’re spending nearly all of our time at home, and in full nesting mode, home fragrance is a welcome addition to our environment. Candles and diffusers create immediate ambiance and warm up a space.
Additionally, the human sense of smell is incredibly powerful – it’s linked to memory, colors, mood, emotions, and even hunger. After researching the science of smell, I wanted to find a fragrance that feels (and smells) like home.
Finding the Best Home Fragrance
Truthfully, home fragrance selection is completely subjective! The best starting point is finding the notes that align with what you love. Florals? Citrus? Musky? The list goes on and on.
Another recommendation is to look at your favorite perfume to understand what ingredients and scents are in it. Typically, you’ll love a home fragrance using similar notes to your body spray or perfume!
I’ve worn the same perfume since high school. It’s fun to put your stamp on something! College and high school friends still reference my perfume as something they remember me by. The scent is so good! Best of all – Bob loves it, which is really all that matters 🙂
Similarly, I want guests to immediately associate our home with a signature scent. Hopefully, it’ll be an aroma that makes them comfortable and happy. Best of all – stress free. We all need a little r&r these days.
Our Signature Home Fragrance Selection
Okay, so I narrowed down my top three picks for a signature home fragrance below. This exercise was not easy! As a Myers-Briggs “P,” I like to explore all options before making a decision. Simple tasks like ordering dinner or in this case – picking a single scent – can feel like a massive to-do.
Ultimately, I was able to narrow down three picks in alphabetical order. We’re going to keep burning the scents to narrow it down to one. Right now, I seriously love all three!
Capri Blue Volcano
What was the number one recommendation I received on Instagram for a home fragrance? Capri Blue Volcano. After all, it’s the signature fragrance of Anthropologie stores. Yes, while their retail locations smell great, I’m not exactly looking to replicate their scent in our home.
Well, after burning the scent for a couple weeks, I fell in love with it. Sigh. Seriously, I wanted to dislike it, haha! But the fragrance ended up lifting my mood and made every room feel cozy. Here’s the catch – the aroma is much more potent than the two below. In some ways, that’s a good thing; a little goes a long way.
The only downside (and thankfully someone warned me), you need to follow the burn instructions to a tee. Otherwise your Capri Blue Volcano candle will have issues with a deep hole in the wax. Plus, the longer it burns, the lower it gets.
However, I love it’s a soy-blended candle. They describe the scent as a mix of tropical fruits, sugared oranges, lemons and limes, redolent with lightly exotic mountain greens. Target sells a similar scent at a lower price point, but it’s definitely not as potent as Capri Blue.
diptyque Figuier
While more expensive than the other two brands, diptyque Figuier is a divine scent. I love its fruit-forward essence and scent of a fig tree and fresh garden. The scent is not overpowering, and I love it for warmer weather months. Also, can we talk about their room diffuser?! The design is a work of art.
The first time you use the candle, diptyque recommends burning it for at least two hours until the whole top is liquid with wax. Before lighting, trim the wick to 1/4-inch length. After blowing out the candle, recenter and straighten the wick.
Voluspa French Cade Lavender
Another top recommendation was Voluspa’s French Cade Lavender. I was 100% sold after reading the description of the aroma – notes of French cade wood, verbena, and Bulgarian lavender. Together, they have a soft blend that’s effortless in the air. I also love these products are hand-poured in the U.S., not tested on animals and phthalates, parabens and sulfate-free. Sign me up!
Generally, the scent is much lighter than Capri Blue Volcano. Depending on the day, I prefer having it burn in our home to have a softer fragrance. There’s something so clean and refined about the brand and the French Cade Lavender option. I’m a fan!
What are the Best Seasonal Scents?
Home fragrances aren’t a one-size-fits-all seasons situation. Certain scents align better with spring, summer, fall or winter. Therefore, I wanted to highlight some additional scents that we still plan to use throughout the year. I adore each one of these aromas, and I strongly encourage you to check them out!
Truly, I dare you to try the fall and winter scents and not feel in the spirit for autumn and the holidays! Frasier Fir is a longtime love. You see, they used to be a client at my former PR agency. I loved every minute of working with them. Moroever, the products are GREAT.
Also, Voluspa’s Gogi Tarocco Orange is perfection. In fact, it’s currently competing against French Cade Lavender, as I’m not fully sold FCL will be our signature fragrance. Trust me, try both! You’ll love them.
Seven Home Fragrance Brands We Plan to Check Out
Alright, there’ll never be enough time or money to test every candle. However, I have a running list of other fragrances I want to try. Here are seven companies that I plan to purchase from soon:
The 125 Candle Collection
First of all, their luxe branding is divine. Coupled with the fact the candle containers are beautiful, 125 Candle Collection is a slam dunk for scents. Furthermore, they’re urban luxury candle brand that was created in Harlem. The “125” stands for 125th street, located in the heart of the vibrant community. The brand has three different candle scents which burn up to 70 hours, although they have mini candles so you can test them out.
Anecdote
Unsurprisingly, the team at Anecdote (including my wonderful friends, Danielle and interior designer Amelia), came out with a line of signature candles. We own the Italian Fig, which smells amazing! Unfortunately, we couldn’t find it in our house for a few months. Eeks! Thankfully, we recently stumbled on it while cleaning last weekend, and I can’t wait to burn it!
Bella Auset
In brief, be sure to buy this brand. Sure, the soy wax candles with messages on the bottle are amazing. But the founder, Tricia Messeroux is amazing. Trust, read her story! I love these candles are only $15 and have sayings like “Classy, Sassy and Smart Assy” and “They Told You You Couldn’t So You Did.”
Boy Smells
Beyond the great branding, this company came up numerous times as a recommendation on Instagram. From what I can gather, their scents Kush and Ash are popular, and a few of you recommended Cameo and Lanai.
Forvr Mood
Recently, YouTube star, Jackie Aina launched a brand new candle line featuring four fragrances. Each candle burns up to 65 hours, and the names are adorable like “Caked Up” and “Cuffing Season!” Sadly, they’re currently out of stock, but I have a feeling Jackie will restock soon.
Jo Malone
For the most part, I’m a diptyque and Voluspa loyalist. Therefore, I haven’t dipped my toe in the Jo Malone waters yet. Thankfully, Wood Sage and Sea Salt was a top recommendation from a reader, and based on research, Pomegrante Noir is the bestselling candle for the brand.
Nest Fragrances
Okay, so I realize this brand is extremely popular and available nearly everywhere. I simply haven’t tried it yet! From what I’ve heard from Instagram, we should try the Moroccan Amber and Grapefruit scents (also available on sale).
Where to Buy Home Fragrance
Lastly, here are the best online destinations to purchase home fragrances. Overall, I recommend getting a tester and/or sample to see which one you love the most.
In Closing
To summarize, there are countless brands doing epic things with home fragrances. What are your favorites? I’m always interested in adding to my growing list! Drop a comment below!