Turn the lights off, save on your electricity bill and create the perfect cosy night in with the best winter candles 2022 has to offer
It may seem odd to link the world of beauty, and more specifically the best winter candles 2022, with economics but in fact, the two are inextricably linked. For example, in previous times of global recession and financial downturn the sales of lipsticks have increased, a financial phenomenon that Leonard Lauder - beauty brand guru and heir to the Estée Lauder company - coined the lipstick index. (Side note: ever wondered what the best lipsticks of all time according to beauty experts are - we found out.) Whilst we don’t consider ourselves to be whizz financial analysts, it doesn’t seem that much of a stretch that as we face an energy crisis this winter that candles are going to play an even more important role than ever before. In fact, we believe there’s never been a better time to switch the lights off and opt for a candle instead. Not only do they create the perfect ambient lighting to calm and relax but they will scent your room, and potentially your whole house, at the same time. They are the perfect accompaniment for a moment of mindfulness or meditation, for the perfect bath or simply for when you’re sitting relaxing on the sofa watching some TV. This is why we’ve hunted down some of the best winter candles 2022 is serving up in the hope that they will bring you some happiness and joy - that is the power of a great candle.
How to care for your candles
If anyone knows how to get the most out of a candle it’s Jo Malone CBE. Follow her tips to make sure yours burns right and bright.
- Long first burn. “The first time you burn your candle, make sure you light it long enough to ensure your candle has a nice, even burn. For a regular-sized candle, you need to give it 1-2 hours, if it’s a bigger three-wick candle then that will need 2-3 hours.
- Prime position. “Make sure you burn your candle in a well-ventilated room and keep it away from drafts. After each burn, use a candle snuffer (which reduces the impact of the smoke) or blow out your candle.”
- Wick rules. “Always recentre the wick once it’s cooled down and if your candle comes with one, replace the lid. This will prevent any dust or debris from falling into your candle.
- Keep it trim. “Once your candle has cooled you will want to trim the wick, ideally using a wick trimmer or you can pinch off the excess wick with your fingers. You should always leave approximately 4mm of the wick and just remove the excess soot head from the previous burn. Keeping the wick at this length will help your candle burn evenly, prevent it from burning too fast and increase its throw (how the candle scents a room).
- Soot free. “If you notice any soot on the inside of the glass of your candle just wipe it away with a damp cloth.
- Know when to stop. “Always stop burning your candle when approximately 10mm of wax is left.
- Safety first. “You know this already, but never leave a lit candle unattended.”
11 of the best winter candles 2022
Best budget winter candle - M&S Apothecary Calm Scent Candle, £8
This strikes the perfect balance between being fragrant and herbal without being over-powering. It’s a mix of calming lavender with uplifting orange and an undertone of cedar wood which makes it smell a lot more expensive than what it is. It comes housed in an expensive-looking amber glass pot which you can use for storage after you’ve finished burning it, making this a brilliant budget buy.
Best luxury winter candle - Molton Brown Re-Charge Black Pepper, £85
If you are a fan of Molton Brown’s iconic shower gel in this very same scent then this candle is a no-brainer for you whether you’re treating yourself or asking it from someone else. If you’re not familiar with the scent then it’s spicy and peppery (as the name would suggest) and whilst it is very cosy and comforting there is also something very energetic about it. The sort of candle you might want to have lit if you’re working from home with a looming deadline or to scent your house for a night of festive partying ahead. It has three wicks, which doesn’t always mean triple the scent, but as you would expect from a British brand and powerhouse like Molton Brown, this candle does exactly that and will fill your house with its amazing scent. You are also getting a lot of candle for your buck - it weighs 600g - and will keep on burning well into 2023.
Best iconic winter candle - Diptyque 34 Saint Boulevard Saint Germain, £82
Named after the address of the very first Diptyque store in Paris, whilst there are many cult Diptyque scents this one in particular is one of those scents that may seem exceptionally familiar to you. Probably because you’ve caught a whiff of it in a fancy hotel, restaurant or friend’s house and loved it without knowing what it is. There is something comforting and soothing about it but also it has the ability to make a room or place automatically feel warmer and more inviting. There are notes of green moss and woods which give it that real wintery outdoorsy feel and then there is crushed blackcurrant and floral notes that elevate it and give it the ultimate sophisticated edge. This new version comes housed in a gorgeously frosty glass jar but there are others to choose from making it the ultimate in collector's items.
Best winter candle for Christmas - Jo Loves Christmas Trees, £55
As soon as this gorgeous red and gold candle gets burning you can smell real-life Christmas trees everywhere. It’s delicious pine with a little hint of incense and amber too. However not only does this candle look and smell good, but it also does good too. Between now and the end of the year for every candle bought, Jo Loves will donate 28p to the charity, Magic Breakfast which provides nutritious breakfasts to hungry children in schools across the UK.
Best winter candle to scent your entire home - Nest New York Wilderness Scented Candle, £45
Imagine sitting by a crackling winter fire, in a warm cosy room with your drink of choice in hand and loved ones nearby. This candle is all of those things poured into a sophisticated pinstriped glass jar. The scent is a bit smoky, a bit sexy, very warm and inviting. It’s quite heavy making it the perfect candle to burn in winter (you might find it a bit too much in warmer months). If you’re unfamiliar with Nest, this is a brand with expertise and heritage at its core. Founded and created by fragrance doyenne, Laura Slatkin who has created home fragrances for over 100 luxury brands, Laura knows how to blend scents so perfectly that you’ll find one that fits you like a piece of couture. And this home scenting know-how is why these are the candles that you can light in one room and smell in another. Perfection.
Best vanilla winter candle - Lohn Feu, £30
Lohn (meaning scent in Estonian) candles are inspired by ancient trading routes and are imaginings of what those routes might have looked and smelt like using some of the ingredients that would have been discovered along the way. This one is a blend of cardamon, saffron and vanilla and manages to be creamy without being too sweet and sickly. Instead there is a freshness to it that makes it unlike any other we’ve smelt. It’s the perfect price point to gift to someone but should you keep it for yourself then you will be so impressed with how far-fetching the scent goes in your home.
Best fashionista winter candle - Liberty Hazy Days Candle, £52
Iconic department store Liberty London is known for their prints and this winter they are imagining, via the power of candles, what they would smell like. Hazy Days is a slightly blurred and dreamlike soft floral print used throughout the store, and it’s that feeling of when you shift from reality to the ‘somewhere else’ that the scent of this candle captures. It’s calming, serene and floaty with notes of patchouli, citrus and cedar. Great for when the darkness outside feels a bit too much to cope with and you need a moment of escapism.
Best cult winter candle - Boy Smells Ash, £42
Boy Smells started as an experiment in the kitchen of real-life partners Matthew and David who wanted to created things they’d want to use on a daily basis. Top of the list? Candles with amazing scents that rejected gender norms. And so a cult brand was created that’s become a global success story and Ash is one of their best-sellers and ideal for winter. It has that smokiness that happens once a fire has gone out with a hint of sexiness thanks to vetiver and a lightness from having notes of lemon and hay in the mix. The perfect candle for a home that doesn’t have a working fireplace, but wishes it did.
Best philanthropic candle - Good Candles Reading Books, £35
With Pat Butcher as his biggest inspiration and the need to create something meaningful during lockdown that would make his daughter proud as his motivation, marketing genius Olly created Good Candles. A candle company with a difference. There are currently five candles (with more to come) on offer and each gives money back to amazing causes such as food banks, suicide prevention and planting more trees across the world. The company’s tagline is ‘setting fire to money never felt so good’ and we couldn’t agree more. If you’re looking for a cosy candle for winter, or you simply want to buy something that will make you feel good in every sense, then Reading Books, which has that amazing old book smell, is a great place to start where at least £3 for every candle bought will go to The National Literacy Trust.
Best niche brand winter candle - To The Fairest Élan Vital, £45
Named after the philosophical notion that élan vital (life force) encourages change and creativity this is a candle that is uplifting, happy and hopeful - something that we all need more of right now. It is described as a woody scent but we think it feels lighter and fresher than a traditional woody scent maybe thanks to the lily of the valley note. And this is a candle that comes from a brand making choices to reduce its impact on the world. The entire supply chain is based in the UK to reduce carbon footprint, they run a limited production minimising waste and prioritising quality.