Best Yankee Candle scent: Find your perfect match

Finding the very best Yankee Candle scents is no easy task, especially when you consider just how many different varieties there are. That’s why we’ve done the hard work for you, by sniffing our way through bundles of popular scents to find the best for every nose.

A good scented candle can not only make your home more inviting but also cultivate a specific mood, which is ideal if you want to relax after a long day or get into the festive spirit. One of the biggest benefits of Yankee Candles specifically is that you can buy them in an array of sizes, meaning you can try a scent in a smaller size before making a costly commitment. And, once you know what you like, you’re guaranteed to get your money’s worth, as the largest candles have a burn time of up to 150 hours.

In our roundup, we’ve tested a wide range of Yankee Candle classics, as well as newer fragrances to find the best of the best. Not sure where to start? Give our buying guide below a quick read for some tips on picking the right scent for you and your home.

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Best Yankee Candle scent: At a glance

• Best clean Yankee Candle scent: Clean Cotton | £22
• Best fruity Yankee Candle scent: Mango Peach Salsa | £24
• Best seductive Yankee Candle scent: Midnight Jasmine | £22

How to choose the best Yankee Candle scent

Much like food, drink or perfume, your choice of candle scent is likely to be pretty personal. However, fragrances can often be grouped, so depending on what you like and what atmosphere you want to create, there are a few select categories scents can be grouped into.

Typically Yankee will combine two or more of these scent categories in order to create more complicated scents.

The most common categories are:

Fruity: As the name suggests, these types of candles are based on fresh fruits. There are a few sub-categories here depending on the type of fruit, with the most popular being citrus (think lemon, grapefruit and lime) for its zingy, refreshing profile, and is best if you enjoy clean, bright smells. If you want something a little softer or more mellow, consider opting for something such as peach or red berries.

Clean: While most cleaning products tend to have a mixture of fruity or floral scents, Yankee Candle is well known for its range of “clean” fragrances, emulating the scents of freshly washed fabrics. This style of scent is ideal when you want a neutral, pleasant smell without too much character.

Sweet: An excellent contrast to the more sour, citrus scents, sweet Yankee Candle scents are often based on classic kitchen staples such as vanilla, icing and cookies. Best avoided if you’re not a dessert fan.

Spiced: If you want to evoke that festive winter feeling, spiced scents such as cinnamon, nutmeg and clove are ideal. They offer warmth and complexity in colder months, without being too sweet, sour or fresh.

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The best Yankee Candle scents in 2023

1. Clean Cotton: Best clean Yankee Candle scent

Price when reviewed: £22 (large jar)| Check price at Amazon

If you love the smell of clothes fresh out of the machine or on the line, this is the scent for you. Yankee has managed to mimic the scent of laundered fabric impressively accurately with this candle. It has a comforting smell that’s fairly light, so if you prefer your fragrances not too fussy or full on, you’re guaranteed to love this. Ideal for working or relaxing, Clean Cotton is the ultimate fresh scent.

Key details – Burn time: 30h (small), 75h (medium), 150h (large)

2. Mango Peach Salsa: Best fruity Yankee Candle scent

Price when reviewed: £24 (large jar) | Check price at Amazon

Want to recreate that feeling of being on holiday somewhere tropical? Mango Peach Salsa is ideal for doing just that. It combines ripe juicy notes of mango, peach, nectarine and orange, with sharper citrus fruits such as lime and grapefruit for a sweet-yet-fresh smell that’s bound to get you feeling alive and invigorated.

It’s quite a powerful scent, so not one for those who prefer subtlety, but handy for when you want the scent equivalent of a beachside cocktail served up in a pineapple.

Key details – Burn time: 30h (small), 75h (medium), 150h (large)

3. Lemon Lavender: Best zesty Yankee candle scent

Price when reviewed: £25 (large jar) | Check price at Amazon

It’s not often you see these two paired together, but after smelling this candle, you’ll be surprised they aren’t more often. The zestiness of the lemon provides a lively energy, while the more relaxing floral notes of the lavender softens the harsh citrus acidity. This is a really good scent if you want your home to smell super clean, while also giving off a gentle calming aura.

Key details – Burn time: 30h (small), 75h (medium), 150h (large)

4. Fresh Cut Roses: Best classic floral Yankee Candle scent

Price when reviewed: £25 (large jar) | Check price at Amazon

While rose-scented fragrances may have a reputation for being a little old-fashioned, there’s a reason that roses are a classic. It’s somehow both a straightforward and a complex scent at the same time. The main prevailing note is rose, but since the smell of roses is inherently quite complex, it’s ideal for those who prefer a classic, sophisticated and potentially romantic fragrance.

As it’s reminiscent of a classic English rose garden, it’s also nice if you want to bring the great outdoors inside.

Key details – Burn time: 30h (small), 75h (medium), 150h (large)

5. Midnight Jasmine: Best seductive Yankee Candle scent

Price when reviewed: £22 | Check price at Amazon

If you’re after a scent that’s gentle and seductive, Midnight Jasmine is an excellent choice. It’s another floral scent, meaning it’s a tad more sophisticated than big, blousy fruit fragrances. The dominant note is jasmine, which is typically richer and sweeter than a lot of other florals, but this candle does a good job of ensuring it’s not too heavy or overpowering.

Instead, it’s pleasingly light and evokes feelings of a summer breeze with flowers in bloom, with just enough of the rich centre to ensure it’s not boring.

Key details – Burn time: 30h (small), 75h (medium), 150h (large)

6. Sparkling Cinnamon: Best Christmas Yankee Candle scent

Price when reviewed: £21 | Check price at Amazon

During our testing, we found that most of the Christmas scents verged on the sickly-sweet side. However, Sparkling Cinnamon bucked that trend, offering up a perfect balance of sweetness and spice. Expect notes of fresh orange and creamy vanilla alongside the more dominant cinnamon. It conjured up thoughts of steaming hot mulled wine, festivities and cosy fires.

There is still a dominant sweetness, which helps to soften the sometimes harsh smell of cinnamon, but it’s not overpowering, So if you’ve got a sweet tooth, this is an ideal choice for the festive period that won’t induce flashbacks of too many chocolates eaten.

Key details – Burn time: 30h (small), 75h (medium), 150h (large)