From refreshing scents that fill your home with the essence of a luxurious spa to moodier notes that make you want to burrow down into the sofa, candles have the power to set the tone for your entire home. Here are our absolute favourite scents from Irish brands.
Sinéad Keenan, Contributing Fashion Editor
My favourite Irish candles are Clean Slate. I adore their Moody and Amber fragrances. It fills my home with a warm, enveloping scent that feels both inviting and calming. I also love the screw lid amber glass jars the candles are poured into; they have a simple, timeless beauty and look so lovely dotted around the house on shelves or side tables.
Susan Vickers, Account Manager
I came across the brand Pamalam in my local coffee shop, Brindle, and their candles are incredible. I first picked up Amber & Citrus, which is so fresh and uplifting, perfect for the brighter months.
Now that we’re into autumn/winter, I’m burning Clove & Orange and it’s the ultimate cosy scent for this time of year. I can’t wait to try some of their moodier winter fragrances next, like Oudh & Bergamot. I also have a soft spot for La Bougie, especially Mission Fig, with its gorgeous blend of parched earth, fig leaves and blond wood.
Bill O’Sullivan, Creative Director
My favourite Irish-made candle comes from the brilliant Galway brand Fiáin. Founded in 2017, I stumbled across them in 2020 and instantly fell for their #3 Leather & Oudh candle – now perfectly renamed ‘The Bougie One’.
Over the years, Fiáin flirted with a few gorgeous side projects – think handcrafted leather wallets, keyrings and shaving accessories – but these days they’ve returned to what they do best: candles, wax melts and soaps that smell nothing short of divine.
Part of what made Fiáin stand out to me is their beautiful branding and understated, design-led packaging – all clean lines and natural tones that look as good on your shelf as they smell in your home. The brand also has a strong environmental ethos, using sustainable materials, recyclable packaging and responsibly sourced ingredients.
‘The Wild Within’ collection features six evocative scents, and they have four more inspired by the changing seasons, so there’s genuinely something for everyone. Still, for me, nothing beats the rich, warm indulgence of The Bougie One, especially as we head into the winter season.
If you’re torn between scents (and who wouldn’t be?), I’d suggest starting with a gift set of their small candles from fiain.ie, the perfect way to find your signature scent.
Sarah Gill, Deputy Editor, IMAGE.ie
I was born to exist purely by the flickering glow of candlelight, and I think Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb just to spite me. Overhead lighting is cruel and harsh, and should only be used in instances of lost-back-of-earring or fine-I’ll-hoover. The antidote to unwanted wattage? Well, candles of course. In this regard, VOYA has my heart. The African Lime, Lemon & Clove scent makes your home smell like a very expensive spa.
I also adore the Cedar Atlas scent from La Bougie. It reminds me of a very specific day in November 2018 (being late for a play in the Abbey Theatre and feeling equal parts ashamed and smug because I got to sit beside a fabulously-smelling older lady), and hits me with a powerful blast of nostalgia whenever I light it. The olfactory nerve, I am your biggest fan.
Holly O’Neill, Editor, IMAGE.ie; Beauty Editor, IMAGE Magazine
Cloon Keen create unmatched, uniquely Irish scents, like Autograph Tree, a tribute to the copper beech tree in Coole Park where the faded initials of Lady Gregory, W. B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Sean O’Casey and J. M. Synge are found, to Antique Library, inspired by the Long Room in the library of Trinity College Dublin. Their candles look like beautiful works of art in your home, or make for extremely chic gifts.
Ruth Maria, Photographer, IMAGE Magazine
I really like Eimear Wright candles, especially for a cosy festive evening as they have the wooden wick which crackles like a fire. The Fig Bay Leaves scent is gorgeous.
Doireann Murray, Chief Revenue Officer
I adore Brooke and Shoals purely for the sheer range of scents they offer. Hours could be lost browsing through the different fragrances, but for me, you can’t beat the Sweet Basil Bay & Neroli. I light the wick and feel instantly decompressed, and now that we’re inching towards Christmas, I think I’ll have to try the Cedarwood Nutmeg & Orange. I also love Avoca’s Wind Down scented candle. It’s made to help you cleanse away the day with lavender, rosemary, and citrus notes to soothe, uplift, and refresh.
Shayna (Sappington) Healy, Branded Content Editor and Wedding Editor
The Home Moment’s Turf candle will forever be my favourite for this time of year – it’s so cosy! It combines an earthy, nostalgic turf scent with sweet vanilla… it’s akin to sitting by a crackling fire. A close second is Max Benjamin’s candles – they last so long and have such lovely scents. French Linen is my go-to but I’ll my trying their Cloves and Cinnamon this season too. Finally, my mom loves La Bougie’s candles so I always pick her up one when I’m visiting home, particularly their Sage and Bitter Orange!
Amber O’Shea, Social Media Manager
I absolutely love a good candle. It makes me so happy and I adore the French Linen Water scent from Max Benjamin, and it lasts for so long. I love gifting these to friends and family for birthdays or Christmas, they’re so loved by everyone I know and I have recently started to use their body care, which smells absolutely divine!
I also adore candles from Herb Dublin. Oh my god, every single one smells amazing and they’re really unique scents, not too overpowering but comforting, rich and luxurious. I love the Buttercup & Bee Balm and the Lavender scents from them.
I was gifted this Irish Botanicals Elderberry & Spotted Nettle Candle from a friend for my birthday and it had little flowers inside it and the smell was so incredible I had to run and purchase another immediately. If you’re looking for something comforting and that smells gorgeous, this one is perfect. It smells the whole house up!
Katie Brady, Marketing & Memberships Executive
Both myself and my mother are Max Benjamin stans through and through. I have one of their candles (currently French Linen Water) perpetually lit in my bathroom. I have a strict No Big Light rule in an attempt to wind down and get cosy, and these candles really help achieve that zen.
I have also recently discovered Wizard and Grace – essential oil candles that are 100% natural and sustainable. I have my eye on their Samhain Gift Set – what a gorgeous gift to mark a time of year meant for slowing down and reflecting.
Dearbhla Lovett, IMAGE First Activations Freelancer
I’m a big fan of unwinding in the evening by lighting a cosy candle and sitting down with a cup of tea. I love a good natural candle, with the scent preference depending on the season and my mood! I love these Bread & Weather candles, Geranium Vetiver is one of my favourites, a subtle spa scent.
Coming into the winter months, I love this Forest Deep candle from Dunnes Stores – cheap, cheerful and smells like Christmas! Last year, I bought these Acla Candles as a gift, and I had to go back and buy one for myself when I smelled the candle lit! Irish Traffic Jam was one of my favourites!
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