Candles from lighting to telling stories with scent

Speaking of candles, they have evolved from a lighting tool in the past to an essential element for creating atmosphere, especially in autumn, becoming the most popular time to buy.

Amazon data shows that from October to December 2023, the average sales of candles were higher than at other time points, and 2022 also showed the same seasonal trend.

Whether you’re adding a warm element to your home or dressing up your Halloween scene during the fall, candles are a must. In October 2023, 16 of the top 25 best-selling candles on Amazon had an autumn or Halloween theme, reflected in scent or appearance. For example, Candwax’s Bleeding Pillar candles shed wax tears like blood and are unscented. A set of three is priced at $19.95, making it suitable as a cross-border selection for specific holidays.

Candwax is a traditional candle brand known for its long burning time, handcrafting, no wax dripping, classic shape and smokelessness.

Boy Smells is from Los Angeles, USA. Founded in 2015, it is famous for its gender-neutral fragrances and has a cumulative investment of more than $7.4 million. The brand is uniquely positioned to create a non-binary olfactory experience that blurs traditional gender boundaries. The product line expanded to include fragrances, room fragrances, candle care tools and gender-neutral underwear.

The top three best-selling candles are the woody/earthy Hinoki Phantom, the fruity/smoky Banana Pudding and the gourmet/spicy Vanilla Era. Hinoki Phantom is described as the scent of “sacred forest + smoked resin meditation”, and the background image uses elements such as smoke and trees to provide a more specific imagination.

The difficulty in selling candles online is that they cannot convey the fragrance. Therefore, brands such as Boy Smells, which sell unique scents, pay special attention to text and visual communication, and express the sensory feelings and imagination brought by the fragrance through imagery.

Otherland uses scent to tell stories. It was founded in 2017 and received an investment of US$2.7 million in 2019. The brand focuses on candle sales and is popular for its rich fragrance experience and beautiful visual packaging.

Otherland’s candle themes are inspired by different stories, emphasizing that smell is the carrier of stories. For example, the scent of Canopy candles is composed of sandalwood, golden amber and moss, and the brand provides a series of keywords, as if telling the experience of visiting temples on summer vacation in Southeast Asia. When selecting products across borders, consider the story represented by the fragrance.

In addition to the “sense of story”, Otherland also emphasizes the ingredients of the candles, using clean, long-lasting burning coconut wax and soy wax to ensure that there is no animal testing during the production process.

There is SCENT QUIZ in the navigation bar of the Otherland independent station. You can choose your favorite flavor through a preference test, such as the time and place to light candles, your favorite travel scenes, etc. After answering the questions, you need to fill in your email to get the test results.

P.F. Candle Co provides home fragrances and is known for its affordable and laid-back California-style scents. It has been operating independently since 2008. Its products are mainly candles, followed by car fragrances, room sprays and incense cones.

P.F. Candle Co’s best-selling product Marshmallow Roast for Peanuts is a limited edition nostalgic series that matches the common memories of people in a specific region. A blend of lemon, cedar wood and vanilla, the scent is inspired by late night roasting of marshmallows around a campfire with friends, recalling nights spent with company.

Apotheke is inspired by traditional pharmacy supplies, and its design focuses on calming and healing feelings. The scent of the best-selling product Charcoal Classic Candle combines the aroma of charcoal, cedar wood, sandalwood with smoke embers, charred maple and raspberry, and the black and white packaging is low-key and textured. The brand emphasizes that the ingredients are safe, ethical and cruelty-free, and safe for children and pets.

It is not difficult to see that the above brands all value natural and harmless ingredients. Sustainability is an important trend, including in the candle industry. More and more brands are using natural wax, environmentally friendly packaging and non-toxic fragrances, emphasizing clean burning and being harmless to children, animals and the environment, reflecting the brand’s sense of social responsibility.

Another trend is the rise of personalization, where scents are increasingly personal and carry unique meanings. Many brands allow customers to customize scents or add personalized messages on labels, making them ideal for gifting.

According to social media trends, candles that have attracted recent attention are not only Halloween and autumn themes, but searches for Christmas candles have also begun to increase, with related searches on Pinterest increasing by more than 100%.

In addition, the demand for DIY candles increases with the arrival of autumn and winter, with both weekly and monthly searches increasing by 30%. Selling candle material packages is also a good product selection idea. FindNiche data shows that the top-selling DIY candle-related products include essential oils, natural mica powder pigments, PVC label stickers, silicone molds, heat guns and candle wicks.