Shopping

The Best Fall Candles (for Seances, Thunderstorms, and PSL Vibes)

The 11 Best Fall Candles for Autumn and Fall 2023

Whether you lean into a nondenominational “Christian girl autumn”  and start hoarding pumpkin-spice accoutrements as soon as September hits or you’re the type that’s in denial about summer ending until literally Thanksgiving, nothing quite kicks off that autumnal mood like a fall-scented candle. There’s something about sparking up a seasonal, harvest-inspired votive that makes us want to run and jump into a pile of leaves, drink cider, and absolutely demolish 30-50 (feral hogs) pumpkin pies. So if you want that special fall feeling without having to haul ass to an apple farm and get covered in hay, there’s no easier way to manifest it than lighting up the autumn candles for bringing all the joys of spooky season indoors.

These are the best fall candles for seances, covering up burnt-turkey smells, and masking the pack-a-day smoker upstairs. There are stellar options in every price and scent range, from “Cardamom Chestnut” to “Oktoberfest,” that evoke all the hayrides, apple picking, pumpkin carving, and scaring the absolute shit out of trick-or-treaters that make spooky season the best season. So let’s get lit, and class up this joint.

Videos by VICE

Anecdote Candles

We like Anecdote for its ephemeral scents like the aptly scented “Basic,” which smells like “pumpkin spice lattes and cable knit sweaters”—aka cardamom, clove, cinnamon, and a hint of Valencia orange—and a woody amber-tobacco scent called “Ghosting” (which, according to the brand, “smells like no calls and close calls”) that really sum up what this (cuffing) season’s about. The hand-poured, coconut-soy wax candles use phthalate-free fragrance oil, with high-quality scents that burn for 40 to 50 hours, And the fall bundle is currently on sale and includes all four autumn scented candles—Basic, Bonfire Blaze, Farmers Market, and Ghosting.

Apotheke

You might know food-forward scent brand Apotheke from its popular tomato tarragon candle or its Shake Shack burger-themed candle collab, which used special ScentTrek technology to nail that “burger in the park” scent. But we’re most excited about its new line of fall scents that are totally unique from a lot of the other seasonal candles we’ve seen. Burger-adjacent scents aside, we think that Cardamom Chestnut and Blackberry Honey smell like Ina Garten’s kitchen during the autumn (aka: the jam-making, pie-baking time of the year).

Brooklyn Candle Studio

Brooklyn Candle Studio has a ton of scents that pay homage to the most iconic, nostalgic moments of the fall season, but we particularly like “Woodsmoke, which evokes “the comfort of a cozy cabin, cocooned in a worn, soft blanket, a crackling fire wrapping everything in a snug layer of warmth” and has notes of cedar leaf, incense, and even leather. (Take me there now.) The brand’s candles are made of vegan-friendly 100% soy wax and come in a chic, simple glass jar with a gold lid for easy transportation—ideal for minimalists.

Homesick Candles

You can get a candle from Homesick themed for wherever in the world you wish you were—regardless of where (or how fictional) that location is. Tatooine, Tulum, and even Yankee Stadium are all real options offered by the brand (the latter of which, surprisingly, doesn’t smell like B.O and stale beer—it’s actually a fragrance combining “milkshake,” churro, tonka, and cement). Just in time for leaf peeping, you can snag four new fall scents from Homesick. At the moment, we’re crushing hardest on “Game Day,” which smells like fresh-cut grass, charcoal, cedar, and hops. Perfect for lighting up during #Mondaynightfootball while you’re watching from the couch. You can grab all four new seasonal candles (including Fall Hearth, Orchard Picnic, and Sunflower Fields) now. (Oh, and you can still snag our fave from last fall—Oktoberfest.)

P.F. Candle Co.

When it comes to long-lasting, intricate scents with understated packaging, P.F. Candle Co., is the GOAT (I have a very neurotic particular friend who normally shuns the aesthetic of brown glass containers, but loves the scents so much that she cannot stop buying them). The brand’s Spiced Pumpkin candle is a bit more nuanced than your regular-degular Yankee Candle, with top notes of cinnamon and toasted nutmeg, and base notes of creamy butter and brown sugar, all on a hearty pumpkin base. This candle is straight up pumpkin pie™, and we want one in every room.

Designer scents at SSENSE

Let’s get real—is there anywhere better to gorge on luxury designer home goods? Absolutely not. Not only does SSENSE always have the best selection of designer fashion in the game, but it’s also home to a variety of other designer goods… including and especially candles. Where else can you get a seasonal Cedre 11 Le Labo candle and a new Margiela “Autumn Vibes” Replica candle? Don’t know, don’t care.

Anthropologie

Undeniably, the best place to look for fancy candles that won’t cost more than your monthly pet insurance is Anthropologie. The brand just dropped a ton of super luxe etched glass and hand-painted fall-themed candles that look way more expensive than they are.

Don’t get too stoned and forget to blow your candles out!


The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals?Sign up for our newsletter.