Rachel Wallace
Celebrity brands are an inescapable modern phenomenon. It’s no longer enough to be a triple-threat entertainer, stars today must also be entrepreneurs, branding wares so that their fans can own a piece of them. Certain industries are particularly well-suited to these licensing deals and partnerships; for example, you may have noticed that nearly every one of your favorite singers also has a beauty brand or that you could stock an entire bar with celeb-backed alcohol products.
Lately the home decor space feels like their next frontier, with collaborations and collections popping up left and right. Some stars, like Drew Barrymore, have created full-on furniture collections, while others, like Kim Kardashian, have only dipped their toes into the space with a few products. Celebrity-branded candles are especially popular—whether as part of a larger home line or as a standalone product—and we suspect there are a few reasons for this. First, everybody loves candles. Second, they make great gifts. And third, even if we hate to admit it, we want to know what our favorite star’s home smells like, and we want ours to smell like that too.
Below, AD editors weigh in on the celebrity-branded candles we think you should get a whiff of.
“Not to toot my own horn, but I’m a bit of a candle connoisseur. Over the years, I’ve spent a great deal of my free time writing about the subject, from the weird to the blob. Celebrity candles are my favorite category because I am deeply fascinated by the lengths that so many stars are willing to go for the sake of pedaling out merchandise. This candle collaboration from Kacey Musgraves and Boy Smells ranks in my top three of all time. The scent notes are a superior blend of smoky and spicy that will transport you to another dimension where the vibe is always sexy. Slow Burn is a modern classic that must be added to your rotation!” —Sydney Gore, senior digital design editor
“I was initially hesitant about these since I typically go for a more fruity or flowery fragrance, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the two candles from Drake’s Better World Fragrance House that I tried out. I tested the Muskoka and Williamsburg Sleepover (LOL) candles and found that both have a fairly masculine scent but are pleasantly subtle, as opposed to how overpowering so many of the musk or tobacco-scented candles, often made with a male demographic in mind, are. The glow of the flame through the blue glass of the container is also a really nice look. These would make a solid holiday gift for any of the Drake fans in your life.” —Charlotte Collins, associate digital features editor
“As someone who passionately hates the taste of tomatoes, I was genuinely surprised at how much I liked Cravings’s Tangy Tomato candle. The winter blues are certainly settling in in my house, and I appreciate the fresh garden scent the candle brings to my space. It’s what I think my house might smell like if I lived in a Nancy Meyers movie kitchen and just happened to leave the window open throughout a spring day, welcoming in the wafty scent of hearty produce I’d certainly have outside my doorstep in this fictional scenario. All the Cravings candles are incredibly potent—I could smell them through the cardboard box they came in long before I lit any matches—which, in my opinion, is what you want out of a candle. But these can become overwhelming to the more scent-sensitive, so steer clear if you prefer something subtle.” —Katherine McLaughlin, associate digital features editor
“With his homeware line, Houseplant, Seth Rogen is something of a mad scientist. One day, he’s dreaming up a freestanding ashtray (cross-joint, anyone?); the next, he’s experimenting with gloopy glazes to make a dripped-out ceramic vase. For this sturdy soy candle, he turns down the heat to make the vessel’s surface creep and crawl, resulting in a cool two-toned crackle. When lit, it gives off a cozy, bright aroma, foregrounded by bergamot, lemon, and cardamom, with a few notes of sandalwood at the base. Now that I’ve burned through mine, I plan on filling the leftover pot with—what else?—a house plant.” — Lila Allen, senior editor, AD PRO
“Troye Sivan is a man of taste, so when he launched his own home goods brand I just knew that we were all in for a treat. Tsu Lange Yor debuted with three candles, but all you really need is Sassafras. Full disclaimer, I don’t love soy-based candles, but whenever I light this, I hear the intro of Sivan’s song “One of Your Girls” in my head as the smell of woods, smoke, warm spice, and leather permeates the room. As does the sensual experience that is intended: ‘crackling underfoot, fire, burgundy carpet, early sunset, good sleep.’” —Sydney Gore, senior digital design editor
“This sage and oat milk candle from Keys Soulcare by Alicia Keys envelopes your space with a warm, soothing scent that’s sweet and light. Hand-poured and housed in a simple, yet chic black glass vessel, the votive is an excellent choice to create a sense of calm—or inject a small piece of Keys’s home into your own.” —Audrey Lee, commerce writer
“This candle smells as sexy (freesia, musk, cedarwood) and looks as cool (black wax, black vessel, black label) as you might expect from THE Grace Jones and Boy Smells. The fragrance is a little bit mysterious, perfect for an evening at home, and is meant to evoke Jones’ home country of Jamaica, so it’s also got a hint of subtle floral sweetness.” – Rachel Fletcher, senior commerce editor
“The aroma of patchouli emanates from the rows of old, musky books in the study. You sit back in the worn-leather club chair and take a swig of an Old Fashioned, tastes of barrel-aged bourbon and sweet simple syrup linger on the tongue. That’s the image crafted in the mind’s eye with a waft of the Cece Candle, produced by Courteney Cox’s Homecourt brand. Liken it to the actress’s iconic Bruce Springsteen music video cameo: One spark of this sultry, woodsy fragrance warmed with notes of cinnamon and cardamom, and you’ll want to be dancing through the night.
Scent aside, there’s even more to love. The soy-wax blend candle’s kiln-fired ceramic canister has a naturally coarse exterior, an artisanal texture that plays as nice against glossy marble countertops as it does rustically hewed wood tabletops. And I especially love that the Homecourt label is engraved as a maker’s mark on the base as opposed to the facade, meaning the piece could integrate nicely with the rest of your pottery collection when candle-burning ceases.” — Mel Studach, editor, AD PRO
“The aptly named Bright, Hot Candle from Harry Styles’s Pleasing collection did not disappoint. Its sweet plum, cedarwood, and amber notes filled my living room without being too overpowering, and the lid is a great perk to shut in the smoke after you snuff it out. The chic glass bowl makes it kind of a showpiece. It’s officially billed as a “keepsake glass bowl” and without any branding splashed across, it actually does lend itself to being repurposed in the home.” —Charlotte Collins, associate digital features editor
“The scent of any candle is perhaps its most important facet. For the Catherine Martin Starry Night Woody Amber & Oakwood Metal Candle, the smell makes one feel as if they’ve become a denizen of an Algonquin Round Table–like gathering: The room filled with mahogany, leather, and dim lighting. But my favorite part of this candle has to be the gold-colored vessel. With the style of an Art Deco statement piece, the shape and slightly larger size harps back to a previous era of entertaining. In my mind, if the roaring 1920s had a scent, it would be this.” —Nick Mafi, senior features editor
“Full transparency, I have never lit this candle because it’s a hot commodity. (Who would have thought that the world as we know it would never be the same after this dropped in February 2020?) Gwyneth Paltrow has become somewhat of a polarizing figure in pop culture, but at the core everyone wants what she has and this candle was proof. What started as an inside joke between two founders turned into a sold-out product that still has a waitlist, even though it was not to be reproduced again. (Since then, Goop and Heretic have released another candle called This Smells Like My Orgasm.) Every now and then, I’ll open the box and take a whiff; like a hit of serotonin through the nervous system, my nostrils are filled with the fresh aroma of bergamot, damask rose, cedar, and ambrette seed. If that makes me a freak then so be it!” —Sydney Gore, senior digital design editor
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