The Guide to Finding the Best Scented Candles for Your Home
8 Sustainable, USA-Made Candles for Your Home
We’ve searched high and low for the very best smelling candle brands from all across the country, and created a guide that covers everything from burn time and wax ingredients, to detailed scent descriptions and ideas on how to reuse the containers once the candle has run out.
Below you’ll find a ton of candle options — single and double wicks, stone vessels and glass ones, natural scents (and some, like the Space Candle, that are quite literally out of this world). Despite their many differences, all of these candles are made in the USA, use organic materials for their wax and wicks, and place an emphasis on sustainability — through reuse, donating a portion of proceeds, or recyclability.
Take a look at our eight favorites below, or shop the full collection of candles right here.
“One small scent for man, one giant scent for mankind.”
If you’ve ever wondered what space smelled like, look no further than this groundbreaking Space Candle from our friends at COOL MATERIAL.
COOL MATERIAL used astronaut descriptions of what outer space smells like, and made a 100% soy wax, made-in-the-USA candle that’s as close as most of us will ever get to smelling it for ourselves.
It’s an extremely unique scent — somewhere between metal and what we imagine the ozone layer might smell like. We can’t quite put a finger on it, but trust us, you’re gonna love it too.
The Space Candle:
Burn Time: 80 Hours
Scent: A unique scent crafted from astronaut descriptions of what space smells like
Wax: 100% Soy Wax
Origin: Made in the USA
Other Notes: Recyclable
Based out of a quaint Richmond, Virginia workshop, Square Trade Goods Co. mix and pour all of their candles by hand, crafting their scents from scratch using 100% natural ingredients.
They capture outdoor scents that are immediately familiar — the fresh air of the forest floor, the sea spray off the coast of Big Sur, or the campfire smoke that lingers in your sleeping bag.
The Big Sur Square Trade Goods Co. Candle:
Burn Time: 50 to 60 hours
Scent: Smells like fresh ocean air mixed with the giant Redwoods and campfires of Big Sur
Wax: 100% natural U.S.-grown soy wax for a cleaner, longer lasting burn
Origin: Poured by hand in Richmond, VA with 100% American-made ingredients
Other Notes: Doubles as a resealable container when candle burns out
Also hailing from Virginia, Sydney Hale Co. has been hand-pouring their candles for more than a decade. They utilize a double wick design that helps ensure a more even burn, and once your candle does finally kick the bucket, the glass can be reused as a handsome whiskey tumbler.
The Sydney Hale Co. Woods Candle:
Burn Time: 50 hours
Scent: Smells refreshing and full of invigorating scents like bay leaf, bergamot, resinous Australian sandalwood, smoked cedarwood and dried hay
Wax: Long-lasting soy wax candle with double wick design for an even burn
Origin: Made in the USA
Other Notes: Doubles as a drinking glass or container when candle burns out
Made in small batches in Seattle, Washington, Good & Well Supply Co. have been making long-lasting, clean-burning, and all natural candles that smell just like our favorite National Parks. We love that they come in durable containers we can toss in the trunk, and that even the wick is made from USA-grown balsa wood.
In fact, we love them so much that we put together a guide to finding the right National Park scent for your home.
The Yellowstone Candle:
Burn Time: 80 hours
Scent: Smells like vetiver, pine needle, and sandalwood
Wax: All-natural soy candle that's 100% vegan and eco-friendly
Origin: Seattle, WA
Other Notes: Poured in durable and recyclable metal containers
Norden Candles might be the most beautiful on the list. Each one is hand-thrown at a small studio in Southern California where their team takes great care to create unique vessels that you’ll want to hang on to forever.
They make the perfect planter for your cacti or succulents once they burn out (an incredible 80 hours from the first time you light it) and they come in a variety of scents from our favorite spots in California — Joshua Tree, Ojai, and Big Sur.
The Norden Joshua Tree Candle:
Burn Time: 80 hours
Scent: Smells like deep wood tones, bright herbal notes, eucalyptus
Wax: Soy wax fragranced with 100% all-natural essential oils
Origin: San Diego, California
Other Notes: Reusable hand-thrown stoneware vessel
Outdoor Fellow crafts each of their candles in NYC, where they blend together unique scents like black pepper and cedarwood to create one-of-a-kind candles like their signature No. 1 Fireplace + Clove.
Plus, the minimal glass design looks just as at home on a bookshelf in the city as it does on the coffee table in your cabin.
The Outdoor Fellow No. 1 Fireplace + Clove:
Burn Time: 40-50 hours
Scent: Smells like black pepper, cedarwood, clove, and fireplace
Wax: Natural coconut blend wax
Origin: Hand-poured in NYC
Other Notes: Reusable glass vessel, and with each candle sold, Outdoor Fellow donates 5% of proceeds The Trust for Public Land
The 42 Pressed Candles are inspired by the striking landscapes where they source their distinct scents — Desert, Ocean and Taiga.
The resealable jars are easily reused as a small container, and the unique hand-torn labels are some of the coolest candle branding we’ve seen.
The 42 Pressed Desert Candle:
Burn Time: 45 hours
Scent: Smells like clary sage, piñon , copal and dry wood
Wax: American-grown soy wax
Origin: Charleston, South Carolina
Other Notes: Recyclable frosted glass jars and a hand-torn paper label that resembles the horizon of the desert
Tallgrass Supply Co. hand-pours all of their US-grown soy candles into mini paint tins, and creates powerful blends reminiscent of the lush Oklahoma landscape that surrounds them.
Included in the Tallgrass Supply Co. Oklahoma Candle Mini Tin Set are three scents — Roughneck (a blend of amber, lemon, and lavender) Wildfire (a mix of smoke, bergamot, and cedar) and River Fork (scented with honeysuckle, fresh rain, and bourbon).
Tallgrass Supply Co. Oklahoma Candle Mini Tin Set
Burn Time: 20 hours
Scent: Reminiscent of the wild landscape of Oklahoma
Wax: Natural fragrance oils and waxes made from US-grown soy
Origin: hand-poured in Oklahoma City
Other Notes: 10% of candle sales go to conservation efforts to restore America's prairies
You can check out even more great candle brands from all across the USA right here.