Whether you’re into fruity, floral, or more unique scents, these artisans offer a variety of premium scented candles that smell as good as they look.
Scented candles: what’s not to love about them? They’re a must-have in any home, as they fill its spaces with pleasant fragrances and set the mood through an ambient golden glow. They’re a go-to for self-care days or rainy afternoons as you enjoy a warm beverage, and are testament to the power of simple joys.
That said, not all scented candles are made equal. A handful of Philippine-based artisans go above and beyond. They use premium ingredients to create candles that not only look sophisticated, but also provide luxurious scents that are balanced yet decadent, strong but never overpowering. Many of these brands also use beeswax, soy wax, or coconut wax. These are naturally-derived bases that produce a clean, long burn. A stark difference from paraffin-based candles, which burn quicker and produce a lot of smoke due to their synthetic nature.
So if you’re on the lookout for good scented candles to add to your collection, Lifestyle Asia editor-in-chief Candy Dizon has curated nine local brands that offer just that:
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Meadow
Meadow is a home scents and perfumery brand that aims to imbue everyday moments with joy and serenity. Through uplifting and inspired fragrances, it brings a little bit of nature’s beauty and restorative qualities to inner sanctums. Each candle is made with locally-sourced, artisanal beeswax from a small producer in the Philippines. They also feature blends of quality fragrance oils from France and the USA.
Meadow’s candles are emblematic of the inimitable charm and gentleness of handmade objects. They feature lovely visuals that founder, lifestyle journalist and fashion designer Marianne Perez, handpaints herself. The candle maker offers all kinds of scent profiles to ensure there’s something for everyone. Fans of floral notes will love their Chinoiserie scent, which takes inspiration from evening walks through an Asian garden with its blend of ginger flower, jasmine, neroli, lilac, and sweet notes of vanilla, passionfruit, and nectarines. Meanwhile, Lotus Ikebana is a minimalist interpretation of lotus flower, green tea, and yuzu aromas.
They also offer more fruity-floral blends, like their Afterglow candle, which is bright and bubbly like a sparkling cocktail at sunset. It features notes of nectarine blossom, pear, peach, mandarin orange, tiaré flower, jasmine, and vanilla. Daydream, on the other hand, features a bold pink grapefruit scent, with lychee, plum, strawberry, and clementines.
Other unique scents include Café Culture (their coffee-inspired candle) and Gold Dust (which gives off a delectably sweet gourmand scent).
Meadow is available at www.meadowlifestyleshop.com. For more updates, follow the brand on Instagram at @meadow.ph.
Ilka
Ilka, the eponymous brand of perfumer Ilka Mara Poe, offers bespoke luxury fragrances, including scented candles in exquisite jars. What makes Ilka stand out is the brand’s dedication to sustainability, as candles are also refillable. Customers need only label jars with their name, fill up refill orders through a form, and send off their candle jars to Ilka’s studio in New Manila or Frankie General Store in Power Plant Mall.
Though customers can choose their own fragrance blends, the brand also offers a number of on-hand scents. These include a blend of bamboo, eucalyptus, and sampaguita; one of bergamot, cedarwood, and vetiver; and another of coffee, hazelnut, and vanilla, among others.
When creating their bespoke candles, customers have them in 150 gram and 265 gram jars, depending on their needs. These jars come in a variety of appealing designs that will add a touch of modern elegance to any space, like textured jars that take inspiration from spices and classic, matte ones in black and white colors.
Shop for Ilka’s bespoke candles and follow its social media for updates through https://linky.ph/candlesbyilka.
Lumi Candles PH
Lumi Candles PH has become a go-to brand for all things scent. It even offers custom fragrance services for companies, venues, and other interior design projects. What initially started as a hobby in 2020 became a full-on brand with various fragrance products, including its popular luxury-scented soy wax candles.
The candles come in generous 100 ml, 200 ml, and 800 ml jars. They have a wide selection of scents for different tastes. Those who enjoy the classics might like their subtle Vanilla scent, with notes of cream and brown sugar, as well as Fresh Bamboo, which offers a clean fragrance through a top note of fresh water, heart notes of freshly cut bamboo and fresh leaves, and a base note of oak moss.
Honeydew Melon is a fun, fruity scent with top notes of melon and honey, then a base note of milk. Lovers of spice-inspired, holiday scents can indulge in the fragrance of their Merry Cinnamon candle, which features a very strong cinnamon smell that will fill any space with warmth. Meanwhile, Happy Sunshine is summer in a jar with its top notes of orange, blood grapefruit, indian mandarin, bergamot, apple, and plum; heart notes of lily of the valley, freesia, orchid, rose; and base notes of mimosa, lily, magnolia, musk, amber, and oakmoss.
Lumi Candles PH also prioritizes sustainability, with refill systems for many of its products, including their scented soy candles.
Shop Lumi Candles PH at https://lumicandlesph.com/, and follow the brand on Instagram @lumicandles.ph.
Vintage Candles PH
Vintage Candles PH offers scented soy wax candles with refined old-school charm. Run by entrepreneur and photographer Casey Russell, the business started its journey in an effort to support the community of Romblon island during the pandemic. Today, its candles are a popular choice for those seeking to add a touch of ornate, hand-crafted beauty to their homes.
Some signature products include the brand’s floral scented flower-shaped candles, as well as seashell-shaped candles (which come in plain and gold foil variations). Other scented candles with unique designs include Dream Land (a galaxy-themed candle with notes of lavender, chamomile, and jasmine) and Fairy Dust Coffee (embellished with glittering hearts and featuring a sweet, coffee toffee scent).
Vintage Candles PH also uses natural materials to house some of their creative candles, like the lavender-scented Mother Pearl candle (with a shell that customers can use as a jewelry dish once the wax melts) and the upcoming Coconut Candles. The latter uses discarded coconut shells from Western Samar to promote a more sustainable approach to candle making.
Shop Vintage Candles PH on Shopee or their official website, and follow them for updates on Facebook or Instagram @vintagecandlesph.
The Good Wick Candles
The Good Wick Candles has a range of scented, hand-poured soy wax candles that look as wonderful as they smell, featuring aesthetically-pleasing decor on their packages and the wax itself. The candle maker has an extensive line-up of fragrances including those that take inspiration from sweet treats like Chocolate Truffle and Banana Pudding, as well as their popular Manifestation and Zodiac candles.
The Zodiac line has a candle for every sign, with decor to complement their characteristics and corresponding crystals. Scorpio candles have a coffee, vanilla, and cinnamon fragrance with tourmaline, red jasper, and citrine stone decor. Meanwhile, Taurus candles feature chocolate truffles, cappuccino, and orange notes with malachite, lapis lazuli, and rose quartz crystal embellishments.
Manifestation candles bring dreams closer, featuring scents and decor made to attract everything from abundance to love. The line’s Healing & Protection candle has fig, pear, Roman chamomile, and honeysuckle notes with obsidian, amethyst, and lapis lazuli crystals. Its Love candle gives off the romantic scent of french lavender and vanilla bean, with rose quartz, amethyst, and lapis lazuli crystals.
Shop The Good Wick Candles through https://linktr.ee/thegoodwick, and follow them on Instagram @goodwickcandleph and TikTok @thegoodwickcandleph.
Fäe Naturals
Fäe Naturals offers hand-poured scented candles made from beeswax and premium fragrance oils. Though the brand occasionally creates custom scents for special events and collaborations, it offers two signature scents that are very popular among its following.
These include the Winter’s Evening candle, which contains pine, eucalyptus, nutmeg, and peppermint oils that evoke the atmosphere of a crisp, cool forest clearing. There’s also the Silvergil candle, which features almond, vanilla, amber, and pomegranate oils for a nuanced scent. Fäe Natural’s candles come in 90 gram and 210 gram jars that are suitable for different spaces and needs.
Shop Fäe Naturals candles at https://bijouxfah.com/collections/fae-naturals, and follow them on Instagram @faeallnaturals.
Soyphisticated Collection
“Relax and unwind the SOYphisticated way” is the motto of hand-poured, soy wax candle maker, Soyphisticated Collection. The brand offers candles with a range of luxe, calming scents, as well as custom gift services for special occasions or events.
Some of their scented candles include Calm (lavender), Relief (peppermint), Radiance (fresh bamboo), tranquility (green tea), Romance (hibiscus), Peace (white jasmine), Comfort (bergamot), and Indulge (vanilla). Customers have a choice of candles in 100 gram tin cans or 250 gram glass jars, both of which have an understated yet elegant look to them.
Order and get updates on Soyphysticated Collection through its Instagram @soycandles.ph.
Ito Kish
The brainchild of designer Ito Kish, his eponymous brand offers a range of home decor, furniture, and gifts for discerning customers who want a touch of proudly-Filipino beauty in their homes. The brand’s lovely roster of gift items includes three special scented candles to set the mood.
There’s Kisig, with its oud wood fragrance that always adds a touch of class to any room; Sigla, with a coconut and coffee combination that’s quintessentially Filipino; and Yumi, with its delicate scent of jasmine.
Shop Ito Kish scented candles at https://itokish.com/product-category/gifts/, and follow the brand on Instagram @itokish for more updates.
Truest Candles
Truest Candles are as true as they can be, using durable wicks made from cotton and paper, as well as a premium blend of coconut wax and vegetable wax for the best burn (coconut wax having a 50 percent longer burn time than paraffin wax). Cute jars with vibrant, patterned designs hold the candles, making them tasteful decorative pieces for rooms as well.
A Very Happy Place captures the scent of flowers caught in a warm breeze through subtle citrus notes, hints of aromatic ginger, and tropical floras like plumerias and gardenias, all of which are balanced with an edge of peppermint. Meanwhile, Spaces Between Memories is a lush fragrance of blooming rosebush and earthy oakmoss, with hints of sea salt, musk, amber, and fresh leaves. Both candles come in jars with a stunning Apricity Lily design featuring illustrated lily of the valley flowers.
Shop Truest Candles at https://topiary.store/collections/home, and follow @topiarythestore on Instagram for more updates.
Banner photo by Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash.
