Best Smoky-Scented Candles

Hello and happy ‘Turkey Day Eve!’ As usual, the holiday season is zooming past me quickly and I’m just trying to do my best to keep up! I realized it’s been a hot minute since I did a scented-candle post and as we are thick in the middle of cozy candle season, I’m going to remedy that situation right now!

One of my favorite genres for fall candles is smoky scents. If you’re a regular reader here, you already know of my love for smoky vanillas; they are my very favorite scent profile. I love to stock up on candles with cozy, smoky, woodsy vibes and have collected a number of good ones that I’d love to share with you today. If you’ve been searching for a great autumnal/wintry candle with a smoky feel, this list is for you!

Diptyque Feu de Bois (Wood Fire)

• Notes: rare woods, smoky notes, birch, juniper, cade
• Other Details: each candle is made up of a blend of several waxes, it takes two days to make each candle and eight separate processes, most of which are still done by hand, upcycling of their beautiful vessels is highly encouraged, 70g yields 20 hours burn time, 190g (standard 6.7oz size) yields 60 hours, 300g yields 75 hours, 600g yields 90 hours, 1500g yields 120 hours, made in France

If you love the smell of smoky woods, this popular scent by Diptyque is an excellent choice for your next candle purchase. It’s a cozy and sophisticated blend of woodsy, aromatic, and resinous notes that feels perfect for this time of the year into the holidays. There’s a slight sweetness present here, too, like a somewhat sweet ambery/resinous vibe. Birch is a note that tends to give a cozy, smoky impression and it does its job well here. All of the notes are really beautifully blended and you can never go wrong with Diptyque’s gorgeous packaging!

Find it here:

Feu de Bois – various sizes & products (at Diptyque)

Feu de Bois – various sizes (at ZGO Perfumery)

Diptyque Vanille

• Notes: vanilla pods, leathery accord, smoky accord
• Other Details: each candle is made up of a blend of several waxes, it takes two days to make each candle and eight separate processes, most of which are still done by hand, upcycling of their beautiful vessels is highly encouraged, 70g candle yields 20 hours burn time, 190g (standard 6.7oz size) yields 60 hours, 300g yields 75 hours, 600g yields 90 hours, 1500g yields 120 hours, made in France

The one that started it all: my love for smoky vanilla scents, my obsession with Diptyque candles, and the inspiration for this very blog post! I hail this fragrance as my favorite scent in the entire world. There’s just something about the perfect blend here of vanilla (my favorite note), the smokiness, and this really clean vibe. It’s just so sophisticated and refined. I love it so much, I have searched long and hard for a perfume to wear that smells exactly like this candle and I’ve gotten pretty close with Gallagher’s Vanilla Silk (sadly, discontinued but comes back from the vault as a limited edition from time to time), Anthropologie’s Pharmacia Vanilla Doré (hit or miss if they have it in stock), and the fragrance coming up next (Maison Margiela’s Replica By the Fireplace).

Find it here:

Vanille 190g/6.7oz candle (at Diptyque)

Vanille 190g/6.7oz candle (at ZGO Perfumery)

Maison Margiela Replica By the Fireplace

• Notes: chestnut, cashmeran, clove, pink pepper, guaiac wood, vanilla
• Other Details: each scented candle has its own mix of waxes, made of 7 to 8 different mineral waxes in different proportions for the best olfactory result, cotton-made wicks, the manufacturing process of each candle takes 7 hours and is semi-manual, high concentrations of perfume concentrate (10-12%) are used in each candle, 165g (5.8oz) candle yields 40 hours burn time, made in the south of France

I remember being so excited when I discovered this fragrance and its similar vibe to my favorite fragrance (Diptyque’s Vanille candle, listed above). However, they are not exact identical twins so I am quite pleased to own both. By the Fireplace has a decidedly more gourmand lean, with its chestnut and clove notes. It’s definitely also sweeter than Vanille. Both are absolutely amazing, though, and I think if you like one, it’s definitely worth trying the other. Bonus with this fragrance is it’s also available as perfume that you can wear (see link below)! All in all, they’ve done a fabulous job of recreating the snuggly feeling of roasting sweet and spicy chestnuts on an open fire in a cozy cabin.

Find it here:

By the Fireplace 165g/5.8oz candle (at ZGO Perfumery)

By the Fireplace 165g/5.8oz candle (at Nordstrom)

By the Fireplace EDT perfume 1ml sample, 30ml, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)

Bath & Body Works Smoked Vanilla

• Notes: creamy vanilla, smoked sandalwood, bourbon
• Other Details: infused with natural essential oils, made with a proprietary fragrance soy blend wax, lead-free wick, single-wick 7oz yields burn time of approx. 25-45 hours, single-wick 8oz yields 30-50 hours, 3-wick 14.5oz yields 25-45 hours

If you love Diptyque’s Vanille but feel the price might be a bit more than you’d like to spend (which I truly understand, their luxurious products do not come cheap!), may I recommend Bath & Body Works’ Smoked Vanilla as a great alternative. The scent here is just about smack in the middle of Vanille and By the Fireplace: a rich, sweet, smoky, woodsy, slightly boozy vanilla that’s easy to love. I try to stock up on this scent whenever B&BW is having a candle sale. They also carry their popular Wallflowers home-scenting product in this fragrance.

Find it here:

Smoked Vanilla 14.5oz 3-wick candle (at Amazon)

Smoked Vanilla – all products (at Amazon)

The Selby is in Your Place by Todd Selby hardcover book (on Amazon)

DW Home Smoked Vanilla

• Notes: clove, raspberry, vanilla, eucalyptus, cinnamon, maple, dark smoked wood accord
• Other Details: 100% vegan friendly and cruelty-free, does not contain any animal products, not tested on animals, made from proprietary wax blends that include coconut, palm, and small traces of refined paraffin, non-toxic for humans and pets, wicks are 100% cotton and lead-free, average ounces of wax per size: single-wick: 9oz (yields approximately 33 hours burn time), double-wick: 15oz (yields approx. 56 hours), triple-wick: 13oz (yields approx. 26 hours)

Though this candle shares its name with the above offering from Bath & Body Works, it’s a completely different take on the smoked vanilla theme, with added fruity and spicy notes. I especially notice the maple note; think smoked maple vibes. There’s also a nice touch of (somewhat sweet) fruitiness here with the yummy raspberry note. And of course, there’s lots of vanilla! Add to that a healthy dose of the autumnal spices, cloves and cinnamon, and you have the perfect autumn candle.

Find it here:

Smoked Vanilla 15.1oz 2-wick candle (at Amazon)

Eames: Beautiful Details hardcover book (at Amazon)

Voluspa Burning Woods

• Notes: smoky cedar, burning woods, embers, Himalayan juniper, fir balsam, sage, cade, patchouli
• Other Details: hand-poured in California, clean-burning coconut wax blend, 100% natural wicks, free of sulfates, phlalates, pesticides & parabens, vegan, never tested on animals, available in several different sizes as well as a reed diffuser, 4oz yields 25 hours burn time, 4.5oz yields 35 hours, 9.5oz yields 60 hours, 12oz yields 40 hours, 36oz yields 100 bours, 123oz yields 250 hours, reed diffuser has a life of 4-6 months

For my fans of the non-sweet scents, here is just the smoky candle for you! This is also my pick for the most masculine-leaning candle of the bunch, with its notes of cade, juniper, and balsam. This refreshing scent is full of aromatic, nature-inspired notes and reminds me of sitting around a campfire in a woodsy forest. And as always, the beautiful Voluspa packaging is the icing on the cake!

Read more about my favorite wintry/holiday-scented Voluspa candles here!

Find it here:

Burning Woods 12oz 3-wick tin (at Voluspa’s Amazon store)

Burning Woods – entire line (at Voluspa’s Amazon store)

Burning Woods 9.5oz classic candle (at ZGO Perfumery)

Bath & Body Works Pumpkin Bonfire

• Notes: white pumpkin, clove buds, glowing embers
• Other Details: infused with natural essential oils, made with a proprietary fragrance soy blend wax, lead-free wick, single-wick 7oz yields burn time of approx. 25-45 hours, single-wick 8oz yields 30-50 hours, 3-wick 14.5oz yields 25-45 hours

For a smoky take on the popular pumpkin-scented candle genre, I offer this fabulous choice from Bath & Body Works. It features the well-loved pumpkin spice vibes with cloves as the stand-out spice. As I’ve mentioned before, it reminds me of another favorite B&BW scent, Marshmallow Fireside but with an added pumpkin-y twist.

Read more about my favorite pumpkin-scented candles here!

Find it here:

Pumpkin Bonfire – entire line (at Amazon)

HONORABLE MENTION: Votivo Smoked Wood & Amber

• Notes: Earl Grey Tea, Bergamot, Clove, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Oud, Tonka Bean, Smoke, Amber
• Other Details: soy blend wax, paper & cotton wicks, paraben-free, phthalate-free, formaldehyde-free, 6.8oz size yields 60 hours burn time

This delightful-looking scent is just an honorable mention only because I don’t own it yet but it looks SO good! I am a huge fan of Votivo scents, in general, and featured their holiday collection in my Fabulous Holiday Gift Guide last year. With notes of Earl Grey tea, clove, orange blossom, and amber, this looks like it will have a warm, spicy, and aromatic vibe. You really can’t go wrong with Votivo, all of their fragrances are so good and the packaging is beautiful and timeless.

Find it here:

Smoked Wood & Amber 4oz travel tin, 6.8oz full size (at Votivo’s Amazon store)

Votivo’s holiday candle collection (at Votivo’s Amazon store)

HONORABLE MENTION: Aquiesse AQ Portfolio Collection No. 030 Embers (discontinued fragrance)

• Notes: Indian saffron, cardamom, English leather, olibanum, tobacco, musk
• Other Details: handcrafted in California, soy wax, lead-free wick, 4.5oz yields 45+ hours burn time, 11oz yields approx. 100 hours

I have one more honorable mention I want to give a little shout out to because I like it so much. Aquiesse creates some truly lovely and unique fragrances for candle lovers. Their ‘Embers’ fragrance is an older candle that I’ve had forever (seriously, it’s probably around 15+ years old) and, sadly, they no longer create this scent. But I felt it might be worth searching for because it’s such an elegant smoky fragrance. It features spicy cardamom, saffron, cozy leather, tobacco, musk, and incensey olibanum. This refined scent seriously gives off ‘wealthy grandpa’s study‘ vibes, lol!

Aquiesse does currently carry a different smoky scent called Fireside Wish, with notes of nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla, tonka bean, and a smoky, woodsy tobacco that looks extremely delightful and has been added to my wish list!

Find it here (maybe?):

Embers (search on Mercari)

Embers (search on eBay)

Similar vibe from same brand – Fireside Wish 10oz (at Aquiesse)

Marshall Acton II Bluetooth Speaker

And there you have the rundown of my favorite smoky-scented candles! What are your thoughts on this genre of scent? Do you enjoy this type of fragrance for the cooler weather months? Have you tried any of these fragrances before? Or perhaps something new has caught your eye from my recommendations here? Please let me know in the comments section below! 🕯️

Happy Thanksgiving! 🍂🦃🍁

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