Burning Candles Is My Favourite Hobby—These 17 Luxury Buys Are Worth Every Penny
We've rounded up the best luxury candles, from Byredo to Diptyque.
Eleanor Vousden
If I could be any animal, I would without a doubt be a hermit crab. Much like the aptly named crustacean, I, too, find great joy in curling up at home and, if I had the chance, would love to live permanently in such a state. Sadly for me, my job as a beauty editor requires quite a lot of running around from appointment to appointment, and so it’s not very often I find myself with a lot of time at home.
However, it’s because of this that I have developed a penchant for buying items that really level up my time at home. More specifically, I have become somewhat obsessed with buying and collecting the best candles. The first thing I do when I get home is light a candle. I want my entire flat to be filled with a luxurious, mind-soothing aroma.
This brings me to my next point. While a great candle is without a doubt the one beauty-and-lifestyle product that can lift my mood the most, a candle that has great promise but yields little results leaves me feeling immensely let down—especially when said subpar candle has a bulky price tag. As a general rule, I believe that you get what you pay for with candles. The more expensive they are, the more luxurious and room-filling the scent. However, that’s not to say there aren’t some luxury candles that leave me feeling let down.
To ensure you’re purchasing candles that deliver the most bang for their buck, keep scrolling for the 17 best luxury candles I would buy on repeat (if my pay cheque allowed it), from autumn candles to cosy up with and winter candles for all of your Christmas hosting.
Best Luxury Candles 2025
- Best woody luxury candle: Byredo Tree House, £70
- Best cosy luxury candle: Beauty Pie Bahia De Miel, £20
- Best festive luxury candle: Diptyque Sapin, £72
- Best floral luxury candle: Cire Trudon Joséphine, £40
- Best fresh luxury candle: Loewe Tomato Leaves, £366
1. Byredo Tree House
Key notes: Cedar, bamboo, sandalwood, guaiac wood, hay
Byredo is responsible for creating the chicest of chic candles, and while all of its home fragrances are exquisite, Tree House comes out on top. In fact, it's potentially my favourite candle of all time. Like freshly cut wood but with the warmth of a crackling open fire, it's one of the most comforting candles in my collection.
2. Beauty Pie Bahia De Miel
Price shown is members' price.
Key notes: Pressed basil, liquorice milk, balsam fir, guaiac wood, wild honey, red juniper, vanilla, musk
This would ordinarily retail for £35, but Beauty Pie members can snap it up for just £20. Beauty editor Eleanor Vousden tells me that this candle smells like a luxury Parisian hotel. "It's a really complex and classy scent that smells three times its price tag and is unlike anything else I've smelt," she says. "Fresh out of the box, it leans a little masculine with a smoky trail, but whilst lit it's balanced with subtly sweet honey and vanilla that has a creamy, intoxicating milkiness. Burn this on cosy nights when you require a moment of luxury."
3. Diptyque Sapin
Key notes: Siberian pine, resin, cedar, patchouli
If you're looking for the best Christmas candle, look no further. Diptyque's Sapin candle smells exactly like walking through a snow-dusted forest of pine trees, but it's not overly festive if you want something to burn beyond December 31.
4. Cire Trudon Joséphine
Key notes: Bergamot, kaffir lime, spices, camellia, Egyptian jasmine, Turkish rose, Indonesian sandalwood, iris, white musk
Cire Trudon candles embody everything that a luxury candle should. They look beautiful on the shelf, are unlike anything else out there and smell every bit as expensive as they are. This particular scent is floral, earthy and deeply rich all at once.
5. Loewe Tomato Leaves
Key notes: Tomato leaf
Loewe's candles are a thing of beauty (just look at the ribbed ceramic vessel) and the tomato leaves scent smells exactly like wandering into a sun-dappled greenhouse. It's refreshing and herbal.
6. Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540
Key notes: Jasmine, saffron, bitter almond, cedarwood, musk, ambergis accord
I rarely find a fragrance that I'm just as happy to burn in my home as I am to spritz over myself as a perfume, but Baccarat Rouge 540 is one of them. It's elegant, warm and a little bit sweet, plus totally addictive.
7. Cowshed Relax Calming Room Candle
Key notes: Lavender, eucalyptus
Candles in the bedroom haven't always been my thing, but this one is really deserving of its place on my bedside table. It's deeply relaxing, calming and sleep-inducing.
8. Les Senteurs Forêt Foray
Key notes: Elemi resin, fir balsam, vetiver, amber, cedarwood, oakmoss, cypriol, cashmere woods, patchouli
The idea of burning a festive scent all year round fills me with dread, but the freshness and earthiness of this fir balsam candle keep me burning it from January through to December. It's the sort of scent that clears the senses and leaves you feeling freshly invigorated.
9. Le Labo Santal 26
Key notes: Australian sandalwood, cedar wood, vanilla, amber, coco, musk
Le Labo candles are equally as chic as the brand's cult perfumes. Santal 26 is woody and smoky, but coco, vanilla and musk give it a creaminess that makes you want to wrap yourself up in the scent and stay exactly where you are.
10. Dior Eden-Roc
Key notes: Sea salt, pine trees
Eden-Roc is the sort of fragrance that makes you want to book a one-way ticket to the South of France. Named after and inspired by the iconic hotel on the French Riviera, Eden-Roc is light, summery and impossibly fresh thanks to Mediterranean notes of pine and sea salt. Just close your eyes, and let it whisk you off to warmer times.
11. Jo Malone London Lilac Lavender & Lovage Townhouse Candle
Key notes: Lavender, lovage
Jo Malone London's Townhouse collection cranks the brand's already cult and beautiful candles up a notch. In stunning ceramic jars, I've made it my mission to collect the full lineup. This one, however, is my favourite. If you don't like lavender, it's not for you, but its freshness is far more reminiscent of the British countryside in spring than it is of the powdery lavender scents you might find in bathroom air fresheners.
12. Sunspel Oak Wood
Key notes: Bergamot, neroli, English camomile, angelica seed, cedar wood, sandalwood, oakmoss, amber, frankincense
I'll admit I wasn't expecting a huge amount from this candle when I first tried it. However, I was seriously mistaken. At first, it is fresh and citrusy thanks to bergamot and neroli, but it has a deep woodiness to it that makes it smell luxe and expensive. It's the sort of candle you'll want to light first thing on a Sunday morning when you have nothing to do but enjoy some time at home.
13. Jo Loves Fig Trees
Key notes: Fig, cassis, amber
Fresh, delicate and a little bit sweet, this is a candle I would burn in every room if I could. It envelops you in a sense of calm and comfort that you'll struggle to find elsewhere.
14. Wildsmith The Bothy
Key notes: Sage, rosemary, peppermint, Palma rose, chamomile, rose, sage, lime
If you like a spa-like scent, look no further. This candle is crisp, herby and impossibly fresh. If you want to create a sanctuary at home, this is the one for you.
15. Evermore London North
Key notes: Black pepper, cinnamon, cypress, oud, leather, tobacco
Imagine walking into an old member's club, and the smell of leather chairs, smoke and rich aftershave fills the air. That's basically what North smells like. It is, without a doubt, one of the most luxurious scents you will ever stumble across.
16. Diptyque Feu de Bois
Key notes: Wood, Lapsang tea
Another crackling, woody, fire-like scent, this candle won't fill just the entire room with its cosy but fresh scent, but your entire home. This supersized version makes for the perfect table centrepiece and will burn for an impressive 90 hours.
17. Malin+Goetz Otto Super Candle
Key notes: Grapefruit, cardamom, geranium, rose, oakmoss, vetiver
Floral, earthy and undeniably vibrant, this blend of citrus, flowery notes and mossy earthiness makes Otto a springtime classic. The moment the clocks go forward, I dust this candle off and burn it all season long. Plus, this extra-large version looks so incredibly luxe.
Why Trust Us
At Who What Wear UK, we know that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. Our editors have tested thousands of products over the years—spanning skincare, makeup, hair and nails—and work closely with trusted experts including dermatologists, makeup artists and leading industry insiders to ensure every guide is well-researched, inclusive and relevant to you.
We focus on formulas that deliver, whether they’re affordable favourites or luxury investments. Our product selection is based on tangible results, ingredient know-how and what we’d truly recommend to a friend.

Shannon Lawlor is the beauty director at Who What Wear UK. With over a decade of experience working for some of the beauty industry’s most esteemed titles, including Marie Claire, Glamour UK, Stylist and Refinery29, Shannon’s aim is to make the conversation around beauty as open, relatable and honest as possible. As a self-confessed lazy girl, Shannon has an affinity for hard-working perfumes, fool-proof makeup products and does-it-all skincare.
- Eleanor VousdenBeauty Editor, Who What Wear UK
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