Shopping Hack: Amazon Is the Place to Buy All the Best Candles (2025)

If you’re anything like us, you’ve spent a totally reasonable (read: insane) amount of time sniffing candles in person, only to impulse buy one off of Amazon at 2 a.m. because someone on TikTok said it smelled like “a sexy forest.” Do we have any regrets? No. That’s because Amazon is a seriously underrated goldmine of genuinely good candles. We’re talking designer dupes, nostalgic scents, crackling wood wicks that help ~set the mood~ on date night—the best candles on Amazon are totally dreamy (and even dreamier with Prime shipping).

Here's a lil peek...

The best candles on Amazon, at a glance:

• Best votive: M&SENSE Verbena Basil 12.9 oz. Candle
• Best splurge (on sale!): NEST New York “Ocean Mist & Sea Salt” 3-Wick Candle
• Longest burn time: M&SENSE "Orange Goji" 35 oz. Candle
• Best aromatherapeutic: MiraScents "Eucalyptus Mint" 19 oz. Candle
• Best gift: Birthdate Candles
• Best budget (on sale!): Mrs. Meyers Clean Day 4.9 oz. Candle

Below, we found 16 of the best candles on Amazon for every taste (scent?), budget, and vibe. Some are affordable little luxuries, others are splurge-y enough to gift your chicest friend. All of them are extremely sniff-worthy. Whether you're mood-setting for a bubble bath, trying to unwind with aromatherapy, or pretending you live in a Nancy Meyers movie, there's a candle for that.

Looks expensive. Smells expensive. Isn’t expensive—that’s a candle we can get behind. At first glance, M&SENSE's Verbena Basil candle looks like a $70 artisan candle you’d find in a designer boutique. Plot twist: It’s just under $30. You’d never know it from the sculptural, elegant votive and upscale scent. But that’s the beauty of a quality find, isn’t it?

Need to chill TF out? This candle has got you covered. Lighting this eucalyptus and mint candle is like throwing a weighted blanket over your nervous system and pretending your inbox doesn’t exist. The throw is strong enough to mask existential dread and whatever your roommate just cooked, so you can relax.

Clocking in at up to 150 hours of burn time, this extra-large candle is a slow-burning marvel. The capacity itself is something to behold, but the three wicks and soy wax also help prolong the burn while ensuring a clean, even melt. And it comes in the best scents. Choose from sweet treats, like “Creamy Vanilla Pie” and “Fudgy Cocoa Brownie”, tropical escapes like “Sunset Mandarin” and “Orange Goji”, and earthy favorites like “Peaceful Patchouli” and “Mahogany Sandalwood”. Truly something for everyone.

For the friend who has her moon, rising, and crush’s Venus sign memorized, this candle is basically her birth chart in wax form. Each one is tailored to your exact birthday, with custom scents and a horoscope breakdown that’s eerily on point (yes, even the part about your “tendency to overthink”). The glass is chic, the scent blends are shockingly good, and it makes for a great gift they’ll talk about for ages.

More of a dessert girly? This candle is a vanilla dream (but like, upscale vanilla, not like, one-note, middle school vanilla). Housed in a minimalist glass vase, this soy candle is blended with notes of fresh raspberry, whipped meringue, and a touch of cherry blossom to give it a fresh twist. It’s got two 100-percent cotton wicks that burn clean for 50+ hours and a non-toxic premium soy wax blend. Light it on a cozy night in, or when you want to make your crush think you’re baking something sweet à la Clueless.

Maybe you just left for college and are pining for the smell of your childhood bedroom and your mom’s cooking. Maybe you just moved to a concrete jungle and are dreaming of fresh-cut grass and wide open spaces. Or, maybe you’re spiraling after a late-night Instagram deep dive into your hometown crush’s wedding photos. Whatever the emotional damage, Homesick has a candle for that. With hyper-specific scents like “Grandma's Kitchen,” “Texas,” or “Gone Hiking,” these soy candles are designed to teleport your nose (and maybe your heart) back to simpler times. Light one when you're ready to romanticize your past.

You know that moody, intellectual smell you pick up on when walking into your favorite bookstore to definitely pick up a piece of classic literature and definitely not one of the new ACOTAR books?? Yeah—this candle is that smell jarred. It smells like a library book in the best way possible, complete with notes of old paper, leather bindings, and fresh ink. Light it when you want to feel bookish, whether that’s with Tolstoy or fanfiction, we won’t judge.

Yes, it’s expensive. But so is therapy, and this candle smells like an emotional breakthrough at a 5-star resort. NEST New York’s candles are the definition of luxe thanks to their sophisticated glass votives and thoughtful scents. The three wicks on this bad boy throw scent like it’s nobody’s business and will fill your room with aquatic ocean mist and sea salt for hours on end. It’s the kind of candle that makes you want to put your phone on “Focus” mode and drink spa water.

For our fellow mermaids busy daydreaming about their next beach escape on company time, turn your home into paradise with this candle by Voluspa. It smells like an umbrella drink served in a coconut shell, with notes of fresh coconut, mango blossom, and ripe papaya swirling together in a tropical haze. The 5.5 oz. embossed glass jar is chic enough to display on your bookshelf or desk, and with a 50-hour burn time, it’ll outlast your PTO. Light it, shut your laptop, and cue up Margaritaville…

This candle smells like you just saged your apartment and then did a yoga class. The scent is pure Palo Santo: woody, resinous, and warm. It’s small but mighty, with a surprisingly strong throw that lingers even after you’ve blown it out. If you want your space to smell like you meditate (even if you don’t), this is your shortcut.

You’ve probably taken a whiff of this blue jar while meandering around your local Anthropologie. Another cult favorite, Capri Blue “Volcano” smells like what we envision the White Lotus resort to smell like—a touch tropical, a touch bright, very rich. It’s citrusy without being sharp, sweet without giving you a headache, and bougie enough to make your $10 Amazon side table feel like a boutique hotel nightstand.

This is the candle equivalent of crisp white sheets, freshly folded laundry, and a hangover-less morning. Yankee Candle’s “Clean Cotton” has been around forever—and for good reason. It smells like detergent, but in a quiet-luxury, nostalgic way (like your mom’s house on chore day, but elevated). The scent fills a room without knocking you out, and the big glass jar lasts forever. If you're looking for something safe, reliable, and universally pleasant, this is it.

Aromatherapy on demand. These little tins are perfect for switching scents with your moods—or for gifting to all the friends during the group chat’s Secret Santa. Each pack comes with six 3.5-ounce amber jars of timeless scents everyone will love, like fig, cedar teakwood, and grapefruit. Dish ‘em out to your friends on birthdays and other special occasions, or gift the whole box on its own—the set makes a great present.

When you dream of cozying up in front of a stone fireplace sans the actual fireplace, this wood wick candle gives you that log-cabin feel even when you’re miles away. The wide wooden wick delivers a soft, cozy crackle that turns your living room into an ASMR dreamscape, while the “Coastal Sunset” scent is warm, beachy, and just a touch coconutty. (There are plenty of other scents to choose from, too.) It’s comforting without being cloying, and the wide glass jar lasts up to 50 hours of burn time.

“Ojai Lavender” by P.F. Candle Co. has amassed a cult-following, and it’s easy to see why. For one, the smell is divine; with notes of bergamot, eucalyptus, rose, lily, lavender, and mint, it offers a complex yet soothing aroma that transports you to sun-drenched fields and lavender farms. Plus, it’s hand-poured in California using domestically grown soy wax and phthalate-free fragrance oils, and it burns cleanly for 40-50 hours. Then there’s the apothecary-inspired amber jar, which adds a bit of rustic charm to any space. It’s seriously the best. Prepare to get plenty of compliments when you light it.

If shelling out $60+ for a candle isn’t your thing, save your money on this small-but-mighty candle from Mrs. Meyers. True to the brand’s ethos, all of its candles are made to be good for you and the environment. Think: better-for-you plant waxes, lead-free wicks, cruelty-free ingredients. The scents are even better; there’s a spicy apple cider, crisp lavender, and tangy basil that will make it smell like you’ve got a green thumb even when you’ve forgotten to water your garden for the third time this week. For under $10, it’s a no-brainer.