If you are in search of the best home fragrance to emit scent into your home and to impress guests whilst doing so, then we can help. We've been working to test a huge range of home fragrances, from candles to reed diffusers, room sprays and even fragrance oils. No matter which one you are after, we've got 15 suggestions below for a lovely smelling home.
Within this guide, you'll find our favourite home fragrances that we've had hands-on experience with. Whilst testing these home fragrances, we've tried to determine where they are best suited to live inside your home, otherwise, the decision is yours when it comes to choosing a spot for your new home fragrance.
There's no doubting that home fragrance is an important part of your home decor. In fact, Michelle Feeney, the founder of Floral Street, explains "Scenting your spaces can make you feel good about life, by creating the right atmosphere to reflect how you want to feel". With this in mind, you might want to invest in some of our home fragrance picks just below, so that you can match your home design to your home's scent, as well as the season. Keep scrolling for our list which includes some of the best candles plus plenty of reed diffuser recommendations.
How to choose a home fragrance?
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First thing's first: what type of home fragrance should you go for? This can be tricky to decide, so we're here to simplify your decision. You can, of course, buy a matching candle and room spray, for example, or the same candle and reed diffuser fragrance for the best of both worlds.
Choose a candle if you want to add light whilst making your home smell nice, and if you have somewhere in mind to place it that's safe and out of the way from potential curious hands (or paws).
Reed diffusers are great because they do the job for you, with very little effort required other than the infrequent turning of reeds.
Opt for a room spray if you want something that you can completely control – these are particularly handy for a quick spray just before guests arrive. Or, to mask unwanted odours fast.
Last but definitely not least, fragrance oils are great for emitting smell throughout a long period of time, kind of like a candle but a lot safer. You need to mix a few drops with water and add this to your essential oil diffuser – for a very calming and lovely smelling ambience.
Let's get to it then...
15 best home fragrance buys
This impressively scented candle is powerful yet in a good way. When testing, we realised that it doesn't even need to be lit to emit fragrance, in fact, we could smell it before we even got it out of its box. It's the perfect sweet yet warm balance for spring and summer, and we love it for lighting inside a living room. Whilst testing this candle, we noticed that it burns impressively clean, leaving no wax behind as it emits fragrance. Plus, its two cotton wicks ensured a soot-free burn!
Scented with help from vanilla bean, anjou pear, white musk, and sweet citrus florals, it's the perfect combination of not too sweet. It's definitely a scent that a lot of people will get on with as it's unobtrusive so great for placing in areas in which guests will enjoy. It's also created using non-toxic coconut and soy-based wax and it's vegan.
When it comes to this candle's packaging, this home fragrance is hand-poured in Australia, straight into a gorgeous white glass vessel that has a matte finish. With minimalist detailing on the vessel, it reads two quotes – one on either side of the jar. You could definitely make use of this vessel after use, plus there's the fact that it comes in fully recyclable packaging.
Buy now: Damselfly Grace Universe Candle, £48, Urban Outfitters
This fragrant reed diffuser ought to wow your senses and uplift a room. It's nice and small, too, so as not to be obtrusive on if on show. We say to place this reed diffuser in a hallway, toilet or even a spacious living room. When to use it? It's pretty much a year-round winner, meaning that you can use it in spring, summer, autumn or winter. When testing this reed diffuser, we immediately noticed how powerful it is when it comes to masking odours and fragrancing an entire room from wall to wall. Its fragrance also, surprisingly enough, lasts quite a while. It's worth us noting that we tested the mini version, and we would definitely buy it again.
Sweet yet creamy thanks to cherry blossom and rice milk notes, this powerful reed diffuser smells elegant yet delicate. There's no need to turn the reeds of this diffuser as frequent as others, since it always manages to flood a room, no matter how small or large
Housed inside a white recyclable glass vessel that's ribbed and tall in height, this diffuser is easy to hide but also looks the part when on show. Refills are available, so that you can buy an entire bottle of fragrance and fill your vessel up as and when it's necessary.
We're not usually fans of sweet candles as they are often quite overpowering, but this one from SKANDINAVISK, their Lempi Scented Candle, is lovely and subtle. It comes inside a decorative glass jar, complete with a wooden lid, making it ideal for Skandi-style, boho or modern homes. We first tested this candle a year or so ago, and since we've bought it again as we love it that much. It's perfect for lighting in spring and summer and it'll be sure to wow your guests. We've had people ask us what the fragrance is, they've loved it that much! When it has been burning inside our home, we noticed that it burns without tunnelling, though you might want to keep its wick trimmed, and it gave a soot-free burn.
This sweet candle has notes of peony and rose, as well as strawberries and mosses. It's definitely not too sweet, that's for sure. It'd be a great burn for spring or summer days and evenings.
This vegan-friendly Swedish candle is made from rapeseed wax while the glass vessel is made from 30 per cent recycled materials. It has a cotton wick, too. It arrives in completely recycled packaging and comes with an FSC-certified wooden lid to prevent the candle from dusting when in use. You can also use this as a surface protector for your candle to sit on whilst it's burning. Choose from two sizes or there's a reed diffuser available, too.
This unique blend from small Bath business Orphic Living offers a powerful fragrance – and it adds both warmth and style to a room that might need it. In fact, it's perfect for placing in your hallway, to flood each and every room in your home with fragrance. Otherwise, it's perfectly suitable for a bathroom or bedroom and you'll definitely want to pop it on show thanks to its lux looking amber glass bottle. When using this reed diffuser inside our home, we noticed how impressively long-lasting its fragrance is, making it well worth its price tag.
Scented to be spicy with notes of leather, tobacco, amber and musk, this reed diffuser is definitely best for the colder months of autumn and winter. Its bold blend is best suited for smaller rooms and it has woody base notes to warm your rooms.
You can buy the same fragrance in a candle and room spray to match. Plus, the reeds that come with are made from rattan. This reed diffuser makes a lovely gift idea, plus it arrives in completely plastic-free packaging. Flip the reeds every 2-3 days, or when you believe it's needed, to emit fragrance.
Buy now: Orphic Living Black Tea, Patchouli, Peppercorn Scented Reed Diffuser, £18, Etsy
A unique blend of fragrance, this Slab Lab candle is made using coconut and rapeseed wax, while we think it's the perfect burn for last summer, early autumn. For when the evenings begin to get chilly and you choose to retreat inside. This is the perfect candle to burn inside a living room on a cosy evening. It always managed to fill our room when we tested it, and it burned to be clean.
Boasting a strong scent even before being lit, this candle boasts notes of chamomile, clover honey and bergamot, mixed with English lavender and freesia. Topped with fragrant vanilla and tonka bean. It's sweet yet warm and definitely unique.
Hand-poured into a grey glass vessel, with plain white labelling, this rapeseed wax candle is GMO-free and plant-based. It also has a long burn time of 40-45 hours, while the lack of tunnelling is impressive, to say the least.
Buy now: Slab Lab Scented Candle Fog, £25, Trouva
Bring the outdoors in with help from this gorgeously fragranced organic candle from Sunday of London. This fresh candle ought to refresh any room once lit, even a windowless bathroom, plus its calming fragrance definitely adds a sense of tranquillity to your home. We say to light it in a bathroom or kitchen, but we found whilst testing that it really works anywhere. We noticed a small amount of tunnelling in this candle whilst testing, which can perhaps be blamed on the shape of the jar. However, once finished we carved this candle wax away and used it in our wax melt burner to make use of it.
Scented with fragrance oils only, this candle is a mix of bergamot, basil, thyme, lavender and ylang-ylang. Aromatherapy grade oils ensure it's powerful enough to make a statement, plus it's not even the slightest bit overpowering, just impressive. It smells luxurious and best of all: natural. It's made using creamy coconut wax that's GMO-free, with a 100% pure cotton wick. No synthetic smelling fragrances here!
Made in small batches with zero palm oil used in production, this candle has an impressive 40-hour burn time. We can vouch for the fact it burns clean, too, and it has a handy screw-on lid for when not in use, to prevent dusting. Poured inside an amber glass jar, it's definitely aesthetically pleasing enough to show off on your bathroom side or kitchen island.
Buy now: Sunday of London III. Rooftop Garden Botanical Candle, £26, Trouva
The White Company's bestselling Fireside diffuser deserves pride of place in your home during autumn and winter. Why? Its scent mimics that of a burning fireplace, with a teeny hint of chocolate for warmth – and comfort. Place this inside a cosy room such as a living room or bedroom and thank us later. We used it in our bedroom from September to December and each and every time we walked in there, we experienced a gust of this delightful fragrance. It's powerful enough to notice it yet not too powerful to give you a headache.
With scent notes of smoked woods, fresh birch and rich patchouli mixed with creamy vanilla and a dash of amber, this unique blend will definitely turn noses. Plus, we found that it immediately scents a room. Pop it in the centre of your space for the best outcome.
Poured inside a classic The White Company diffuser vessel, this woody fragrance not only looks the part but it smells the part, too. It comes with rattan reed sticks that you can use as many of as you like, dependant on your room size. This reed diffuser is said to last for 3 months, making it perfect for use from October to December.
Buy now: Fireside Diffuser, £21.60, The White Company
Witchy's The Moon candle is essentially the scent of wintertime – but in candle form. Plus, it's made in small batches by a small business and is sustainable and cruelty-free. It even has a wooden wick and it's decorated with 2 ethical crystals. Whilst testing this candle we enjoyed its fragrance in our living room, although be aware that you do have to remove the crystals from the candle before each use. It also burns fast but evenly, and it gives off an almost immediate scent. Incredible.
This candle smells undeniably great even before it's lit. Once you do light it, though, you'll want to wait until it has melted slightly to remove the crystals as the candle melts even more. It has scent notes of ginger, cinnamon and vanilla, it might sound like a classic though rest assured it will flood your entire room with its to-die-for scent.
Decorated with crystals and poured inside a premium glassware vessel, this soy candle is made using perfume grade fragrance with an FSC-certified wooden wick. It can burn for a whopping 50 hours inside your home. It also makes a lovely gift idea.
Buy now: Witchy The Moon Tarot Candle, £26, Etsy
This subtle odour neutralising spray is perfect for all-around use – a few sprays of this and your home will smell as fresh as... fresh pineapple and Tunisian rosemary. You can also use it on your upholstery. We tested this room spray all around our home and noticed that its fragrance gave a natural scent to our home. Whilst the scent didn't linger for hours, it's great for a quick refresh before guests are arriving. Not to mention it's better for the environment than your average air freshener.
This spray is infused with natural essential oils to offer a fresh (and green-smelling) scent. It's subtle yet still manages to banish nasty odours with just a few presses on the trigger. It smells like a welcoming blend of pineapples and rosemary.
The bottle this home fragrance is inside is made from 99.9 per cent recycled plastic, while the trigger is made of 35 per cent recycled plastic. The scent itself is free from propellants and dyes, and Air Wick by Botanica is currently collaborating with WWF to fight wildflower habitats with each purchase.
ESPA's Restorative Candle is uplifting, powerful and elegantly housed in a white glass vessel. It's best suited for larger rooms thanks to its floral yet sweet natural scent, so we say to place it in a spacious bedroom or large living room. When burning this candle inside our home, we noticed some slight tunnelling, however, it did burn to be completely soot-free.
With floral notes of rose geranium and palmarosa, and sweet notes of orange blossom and lavender, it's definitely one to light in spring or summertime.
This ESPA candle is housed in a lovely and elegant looking glass jar, complete with a metal lid to pop the candle on when burning. It's made of 100% natural wax, and it's suitable for vegetarians.
This fuss-free essential mist kit comes with a diffuser and a fragrance (of your choice). Simply open the bottom of your diffuser and pop your fragrance inside, and then switch it on. Choose between three intensities – low, medium and high – depending on your room size. The first switch is low, and this means the device will power up every 17 minutes, for just 4 seconds. The medium option makes this diffuser turn on every 12 minutes, for 5 seconds, while the highest intensity will have it working every 10 minutes, for a total of 6 seconds. This essential mist kit is perfect for pet owners as it works to scent your home all day long. We tested it in our bathroom and we love it for ease of use – and for ease of mind that our windowless bathroom always smells good. We say to select one fragrance and buy two or three, to dot around your home. This way, your home will smell the same, everywhere, and all of the time, without worrying about a thing.
This scent, Balancing Peony & Jasmine, is a great choice for spring and summer, as it aims to bring the outdoors in and make your home smell as fresh as... fresh flowers!
You can easily hide this diffuser behind some books, or even a candle or just tuck it away in a hallway or bathroom. They are pretty much great for anywhere at home since they are portable, too. One fragrance refill should last you 45 days on average, while the machines come in your choice of black or white, to fit in with your home decor. The idea is that you buy the diffuser once, and then buy more refills of each fragrance so you can switch things up depending on the season.
If you are yet to invest in an essential oil diffuser, then we suggest doing so ASAP. It's the only way you can use this fragrance oil – just a few drops in some water will flood your bedroom with a subtle yet calming smell. We tested this essential oil diffuser along with a Made by Zen diffuser, and to say that we were impressed by the result would be an understatement. It's nice and powerful and anything but subtle, whilst its herbal scent will be sure to soothe wherever it's used.
Made by Zen's fragrance oils are made of pure essential oils, and in the case of their Sleep oil, it's lavender, mandarin, patchouli, sage and sandalwood. A fresh combination that will subtly give your bedroom a relaxing and soothing smell (and feel).
This fragrance oil may be only 15ml, but this should last you a good while – a little goes a long way. You could also add this fragrance oil to dried flowers or potpourri – though we suggest using it with a diffuser, such as the Made by Zen Luminiare Aroma Mist Diffuser from John Lewis, or the Ellia Adore from Homedics.
Buy now: Made by Zen Sleep Purity Range Scented Essential Oil, £9.99, Amazon