Quince Makes the Best $24 Candles I’ve Ever Tried
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The world of home fragrances, which encompasses candles, incense, diffusers and sprays, is fast growing. That includes the prices. Candles that were sub-$25 are now at least $30, and I expect that number to rise. Affordable candles that smell nice are increasingly difficult to find, especially ones that don’t smell like artificial fruit or give you a headache. But then there’s Quince. The brand is known for making high-quality dupes of popular brands, and many of its items have become popular in their own right — the linen sheets, for example, have been crowned our best overall sheets, and we also swear by its cashmere sweater, which which we’ve recommended as the best affordable one for men and women. So it stood to reason that its candles would be good, if not great. That said, I hadn’t heard much about them from my fellow scent-obsessives, and I was eager to test them out.
I got a package of their Coastal scents a few weeks ago, a limited-edition collection that was inspired by summers by the water: clean, citrusy marine notes packaged in a cool-blue votive. There are three candles in the collection: Sunwashed Linen, Citrus Éclat, and Golden Amber. Of the three, my favorite scent was Golden Amber. I usually go for spicier, muskier notes and this was the closest, with notes of white amber, pear, and musk. The brand says it works with master perfumers, and based on the complexity of the scent profile, I believe it. It reminded me a little of the Keys Soulcare candle, which has this creamy, milky scent with grounding musky notes.
At first sniff, I knew I would like how it burned. It has a grounded, almost creamy scent. The pear note isn’t too sweet either. It balances the scent profile so it doesn’t veer too far into Hollister-store territory. The cold throw, or how strong it smells when unlit, isn’t overpowering to the point it scents the room, but you can definitely smell it if you’re close enough. Quince also offers three scent-intensity levels: delicate, medium, and intense. This candle is rated as medium, and when lit, it really fills a space. I burned it for a few hours and while it wasn’t scented to the point of knocking me out, I definitely noticed the scent in my living room, which is around 150 square feet. I was looking to see if there was any tunneling, and I was pleased to see that it left an even pool of wax. While tunneling isn’t the end of the world and can be easily fixed, it is annoying, so I was happy I didn’t have to worry about that with this.
At $24, this is one of the best candles I’ve tested at this price point, beating out the Hearth and Hand candles by a mile. In comparison, those feel manufactured in a dupe lab but without the secret ingredient that gives it real personality. It’s in league with the P.F. Candle Co. candles, which I’ve long-loved. Where the Quince candles have a slight edge is that they’re slightly bigger, at 8.8 ounces, which translates to around ten more hours of burn time, so you get a little more bang for your buck. These have endless affordable gifting potential and don’t feel painful to purchase on repeat. Now, I’m looking forward to testing new scents and telling people about the cheap candles that smell much more expensive than they are.
QuincecandlesItried
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The scent notes in this are exquisite: amber, cardamom, iris, neroli, smoke, leather, sandalwood, cedar, and sueded vanilla — smoky, woody and a little sexy. It smells much more expensive than it is and has a delicate throw that won’t disturb sensitive noses. Commenters noted it’s spiritually similar to Le Labo Santal 26, which, though I can’t confirm, I believe.
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Mediterranean Fig feels like a candle one might find at a spa. It has an intense throw and fig notes in the top, middle, and heart notes.
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For a fruitier option, I’m a fan of this pomegranate candle, which has notes of mandarin, plum, and red berry with a heart note of cedarwood.
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An alternative to the pricier Loewe Tomato Leaves candle, this one also has notes of tomato leaf, fir balsam, blackcurrant, and oak moss.
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One of the newer candles in the lineup, this quickly became one of my favorites. It’s both fresh and woody without leaning too far into forest territory. The core notes are familiar favorites: amber, sandalwood, musk and vanilla. Those are paired with citrusy and fresh middle and top notes, like citrus, green apple, cardamom and orange blossom. The result is a balanced candle I’d place in any room of my house.
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Another standout: this medium-throw candle, which has notes of peach, apricot, ambrette, magnolia, cedarwood, musk, and violet. It’s a little surprising and doesn’t smell like anything else I’ve tried.
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