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Header image courtesy of Diptyque
Originally published by Shania Siu. Last updated by Celia Lee.
Over the past year and more, many of us have been forced to navigate the rocky seas of working from home—how do we stay energised for work, trapped indoors in our pyjamas, while combating a worldwide pandemic?
The answer typically lies in our environment: Spruce things up with a nice scented candle to keep you alert and in the mood for productivity! On the flip side, if you need help unwinding at night before bed, or wish to liven up your living room while you kick back and enjoy some shows on Netflix, a scented candle might also be just what you need.
With the market overflowing with options—many of which are similar in price points and scents—it’s not easy to know which candles give you the most bang for your buck. Behold—here are the best places to buy candles in Hong Kong to transform your living space.
Most of us will be familiar with this luxury French fragrance brand—there is a reason why Diptyque is one of our personal favourites! Its scents are well-balanced, and you can take in gentle hints of every underlying scent in their candles from across the room.
If you are interested in flowery, sweeter scents, try the bestseller, the berries candle and the signature roses candle. To get the best of both worlds in one sniff, get the genévrier candle—our must-buy pick—for a spicy yet fruity blend of pure bliss. For those who prefer a milder scent, try the jasmine candle, which is perfect for tea lovers. Finally, those who prefer woody scents would love the bestselling fig tree candle.
All of the standard candles are 190 grammes and can burn for up to 60 hours. A smaller version at 70 grammes offers up to 30 hours of burn time. While Diptyque candles are on the expensive side, know that you are not merely paying for the brand name—you are paying for high-quality ingredients and a superb home fragrance experience!
An unsuspecting and modern brand with a simple yet effective packaging design, Malin+Goetz is rising to the top of our list as one of the best brands for candles out there. Since 2004, it has been launching one-of-a-kind scents back-to-back, offering aromatic products that will hook you in and keep you coming back for more.
Malin+Goetz’s dark rum candle is our current personal favourite—relaxing, soft, deep, and truly addictive. Its scent is unique, too, unlike other floral or woody scents in the market. Other fantastic options include the mojito candle and the earthy vetiver candle.
It’s incredibly tempting to get all of its products in the same scent, such as body wash, hand lotion, perfume, and more. What a way to surround yourself with pure bliss at all times! Stop by the physical stores and grab yourself a candle. Each 290-gramme candle can burn for up to 60 hours—it’s an excellent deal, we promise!
A more affordable option on this list, Rituals sells classic and luxury candles that offer rich scents for those who wish to allow each candle to transform their work area, living room or bedroom into a completely different space. Its classic line comes in 290-gramme sizes, and each candle can burn for around 50 hours. Our favourite is the must-have The Rituals of Sakura candle, inspired by the scents of rice milk and cherry blossoms. Rituals’ candles come in beautiful jars that also make for excellent room décor, too.
On the other side of the aroma spectrum, the wild fig candle in the private collection is woody, with hints of sandalwood, Chinese orris, and cocoa. Its smell is sure to remind you of a cosy summer day, and its black-coloured glass jar with a gold seal-shaped design makes its products a chic addition to any living space. Rituals’ private collection includes 360-gramme candles that burn up to 60 hours; for the extra-large, 1,000-gramme option, each candle has three wicks for a stronger scent.
Snugly set up in the outskirts of Hong Kong, this artisan store creates handmade batches of premium items that do not require you to fork over the big bills. Made with vegetal wax and equipped with lead-free cotton wicks, BeCandle packs its products in clear glass jars that emanate class and elegance.
We recommend the jasmine peach candle for a refreshing and sweet scent reminiscent of spring—its notes of citrus, waterlily, and musk even add a unique layer of depth to the candle. To liven up your room’s vibe with an energising and soothing dose of tea, try the green tea candle with hints of lemon and jasmine. Its large candles come with two wicks at 500 grammes—each candle can burn for up to 120 hours. On the other hand, its standard candles are 200 grammes and can burn for up to 50 hours.
BeCandle also has a Sai Kung Soil series. Representing Sai Kung’s rich history, the pots are made from discarded soil of a local construction site under a landslide mitigation project of a church. You can also repurpose your empty candle pots with BeCandle’s sustainable reuse programme and bring your used pot back to its store for refills.
BeCandle, 102 Man Lin Street, Sai Kung | (+852) 8481 7684
While this English brand is usually known for its wide range of perfumes, Jo Malone’s candles are certainly not to miss out on, either. We recommend the English pear and freesia candle for a flowery yet gentle scent—the smell of fresh pear tones down the sweetness of the freesia, so it’s not overpowering at all. Its blackberry and bay candle is also another favourite of ours, with its harmonious blend of autumnal wood and berries. For a more sweet-smelling scent, the peony and blush suede candle is for those who want to enjoy the classic Jo Malone candle experience—this scent is one of its most popular colognes.
You can get the usual 200-gramme candle that burns for 45 hours. Alternatively, Jo Malone offers travel versions at 60 grammes—these candles can burn for up to 18 hours. If you want to fulfil your candle cravings for the coming whole month or so, get the deluxe candles—600 grammes should last you up to 90 hours.
An affordable candle brand with all the scents you can think of, Yankee Candle is the best brand for newbies who wish to be introduced to the world of home fragrances. Its aptly named Soft Blanket, Midnight Jasmine, Lilac Blossoms, and Tropical Starfruit are exactly what they sound like, and you are bound to find one that suits your candle preferences.
A small 100-gramme jar candle can be burnt for 20 to 30 hours. Large candles are sized at 620 grammes. Tumbler candles are 200 grammes each and can burn for 35 to 55 hours. If you want to start small and invest in a cheaper home fragrance before deciding whether or not to splurge on high-end candles, Yankee Candle is the place for you to start your candle journey.
A luxury solution to your fragrance needs, Stockholm-based brand Byredo only uses high-quality materials coupled with modern, minimalist designs for its candles. For a woody but gentle scent, try the Bibliothèque candle—its vanilla, patchouli, and leather base notes match perfectly with the violet and peony heart notes and peach and plum top notes.
For those who want a rich-smelling smoky rose, the Burning Rose candle is an excellent choice. For a more unique floral scent, try Loose Lips, with its rice powder and orris butter base notes, violet, morello and cherry heart notes and its rose water top notes. Byredo’s candles all come with top-notch cotton wicks and burn for up to 60 hours. Whether you want to lace your home with tinges of floral scents to feel like you are in a flower garden, or if you want some woody scents to remind you of a cosy library, Byredo has it all.
Makers at The Candleholic are candle enthusiasts just like you, so you can expect the finest blends of scents. Delivering candles and diffusers made by the best craftsmen in Vietnam, the brand uses palm and coconut wax, infused with a blend of American essential oils.
What’s more, The Candeholic is certified material-safe, petroleum-free, and 100 percent vegan, bringing environmental sustainability to the fore of sensory relaxation. From the wide range of scents on offer by the brand, we recommend Starry Night for lovers of flowery and woody scents, and Paperwhite Ylang for those wanting to be surrounded by the scents of local flora, such as paperwhite, wild magnolia, and ylang-ylang.
Behind the homegrown business Woodco is a mother and daughter duo striving to capture moments of life in wax. With an added ounce of nostalgia, each candle from Woodco is sure to bring you back in time to precious moments in life you never thought you could forget.
All candles are made in small batches from a blend of coconut and soy wax, infused with up to 10 different essential and fragrance oils. Step into a whimsical land of fantasy with the Spring Rain candle, a blend of matcha, guava, and the earthy scent of “rain.” Tired from a long day in the city? Night Light fills your room with a relaxed vibe with its soothing scents of cedar, ylang-ylang, and fig. For those looking to spice up their candle game, Woodco’s Peace and Pom lets you do this literally with a blend of Sichuan pepper, vetiver, and pomegranate.
Committed to using beeswax, Carroll and Chan is another environmentally-friendly candle manufacturer to have on your radar. Handmade in Hong Kong and Amsterdam, candles from Carroll and Chan are perfumed by European specialists, encased in exclusive designs by local artists, and packaged in plastic-free gift boxes.
Its bestselling large jar candles burn for approximately 55 hours and come in six scents. For a bit of richness, the Eastern spices candle creates a particularly oriental atmosphere with a blend between saffron, cinnamon, and clove, while the Indian sandalwood offers a woody scent of violets and patchouli, and is perfect for everyday use.
Carroll and Chan, 11 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central | (+852) 2545 0099
IIBoyz is a local brand hand-making aromatic candles with a metropolitan theme. Inspired by nature and travel, each scent on offer represents to the makers a snapshot of their experiences in different cities. Handcrafted in Hong Kong, IIBoyz’s candles use a soy wax base and come in five scents representing five different cities.
Mykonos takes inspiration from the Aegean Sea in a blend of bergamot, grapefruit, white tea, and cedarwood; London features bergamot, grapefruit, cedarwood, and white tea in a sophisticated blend; Bangkok is represented by a refreshing mixture of lemongrass, green tea, ginger, and cedarwood; and Kyoto is fruity and grassy with its blend of orange, basil, coriander, vetiver, and cedarwood. Specific to the city, IIBoyz also features a candle that represents Hong Kong: a delicate blend between grapefruit, black pepper, ylang-ylang, vetiver, geranium, and rosewood to balance the urban and natural.
Bath & Body Works is one of the most famous body care and fragrance brands out there. From three-wick to single-wick candles, and different premium and chic holders and accessories on offer at Bath & Body Works, there is bound to be something for you.
We recommend the three-wick eucalyptus spearmint candle for an aromatherapeutic experience, or the gingham candle for a refreshing scent of blue freesia, white peach, and fresh clementine in your living room this autumn.
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