Yankee Candle Review: What to Know Before You Buy

Jars, melts and scent families

The large jar candle is the Yankee Candle anchor, sold in sizes from small votives and medium jars to the large jar that burns for many tens of hours, with a lid that preserves scent when unlit. Wax melts, sold as tarts for a wax warmer, give fragrance without a flame, plug-ins give continuous room scent, and car fresheners, including vent sticks and hanging cards, extend the brand to a vehicle. That breadth means a household can carry one scent, such as clean cotton, from a living-room jar to a car vent clip.

Scent families are organised by type: fruity scents such as black cherry, floral scents such as lilac blossom, fresh scents such as clean cotton, food scents such as vanilla cupcake, and seasonal scents such as Christmas cookie and autumn leaves. Seasonal scents rotate, so a household that follows a Christmas or autumn favourite should buy it during its season, since it may not return until next year. The scent library is the brand's main advantage over a premium house, which offers far fewer scents.

Burning, wick care and safety

A jar candle burns best when the first burn melts wax across the full surface, which prevents tunnelling, the hollow that forms when a candle is burned briefly and repeatedly. Trimming the wick to a short length before each burn reduces soot and keeps the flame steady, and a candle should never be left burning unattended, kept away from curtains, draughts and pets, and placed on a heat-safe surface. A large jar should be burned in a room large enough for its scent throw, since a strong scent in a small room can overwhelm, while a small candle in a large room may barely register.

Wax melts need a warmer, with a tea light or electric heat source depending on the warmer, and the wax should be replaced when the scent fades, not topped up indefinitely. Plug-in refills are replaced when the oil is spent, and the refill cost is the ongoing spend for a household scenting several rooms. A candle that smokes heavily, flickers wildly or burns unevenly should be extinguished and the wick trimmed before relighting.

Position among candle brands

Yankee Candle is owned by Newell Brands and competes with Bath and Body Works on mass-market scent variety, where Bath and Body Works leads on three-wick candles and seasonal collections, and with premium houses such as Diptyque and Jo Malone on fragrance refinement, where it is lower-priced and less complex. Its case is library and burn time: a large jar that lasts weeks, in a scent a household already knows, stocked in almost every home store. Against a boutique candle it offers less on wax quality and fragrance layering, and against a store-brand candle it offers a far wider scent choice.

Who it is for

This fits households that burn candles regularly, buyers who follow seasonal scents, and gift buyers who want a safe, familiar candle gift. It also fits homes that want one scent across jars, melts and car fresheners.

Who should skip it

Skip it if a subtle, premium fragrance is wanted, if anyone in the household has fragrance sensitivity or asthma triggered by scent, or if an open flame is unsuitable, in which case wax melts or a diffuser may suit better.

How to choose before you buy

Start from the job, not the shelf. List what the product must do every day, then narrow by the feature that matters most for that job, and only then compare price. A product that does the main job well beats a cheaper product that does it poorly, and a product bought for a secondary feature often disappoints on the daily job.

Pick a scent family first, then a size matched to the room, large jar for a living space, medium jar or melt for a smaller room. Burn the first burn to a full melt pool, trim the wick, and never leave a candle unattended. Compare Yankee Candle with Bath and Body Works on mass-market variety and with Diptyque on fragrance refinement.

Frequently asked questions