Candle Fragrances: Natural, Fruit and Florals

Air-care candles have become increasingly popular, as consumers strive to ensure that their homes smell pleasant and contain decorative items. Consumers’ rising demand for more natural products is having an increasing influence on new product development and the latest fragrances, of air-care candles. In general, when it comes to fragrances there is now a much greater variety for people to choose from, including some ethnically-inspired options as well as numerous fruit, flower, herb, spice, dessert and beverage varieties.

Botanical/Herbal Ingredients

In line with consumers’ growing interest in more natural products, a range of new products has been promoted as containing botanical/herbal ingredients rather than synthetic elements. Several new products are scented with natural essential oils, such as lavender, citronella, chamomile, rosemary, bergamot and guaiac wood. Others were made from natural elements such as stearin, palm oil, vegetable wax and soy. Meanwhile, the new fair-trade candle from Kowalski’s Markets was formulated with andiroba oil, a natural insect repellent processed from the seeds or nuts of the Amazonian tree, Carapa guianensis.

Fruit & Floral Scents Dominate

An increasingly wide range of fruit scents is now available on the market. Berry fragrances remain a popular choice, including raspberries, ripe strawberries, blueberries and mixed berries. Citrus scents also are still prevalent, with examples including orange, grapefruit, lime and mandarin. Tropical fruits are common, including mango, passion fruit, pineapple, guava, kiwi and coconut. A new mandarin fig fragrance also was just launched.

Floral fragrances are another top choice for fragrances in this market, with popular examples including jasmine, rose, lavender, lilac, sweet pea, tulip and freesia. New under the Glade brand in Finland is the 3 Scents Paradise Garden Candle, which blends exotic floral scents of moonflower, golden lily and jade orchid. Numerous fruit and flower combination scents have also launched, with more unusual examples being bamboo jasmine and passion fruit with lotus.

Herbs & Spices Remain Popular

Various new products have been fragranced with herbs and/or spices this quarter, with examples including lemongrass, vanilla, ginger, clove, saffron, eucalyptus, Brazilian cilantro, mint, rosemary, thyme and tamarind.

One air-care candle that launched with mint was White Barn New York Fresh & Ripe Fresh Lemonade Scented Candle in the United States, which is said to have an effervescent and sunny fragrance. The candle is a blend of zesty lemon, grapefruit and sugar with crushed ice and a sprig of mint.

Again in the United States, Amazon Lights' Garden Candle is fragranced with andiroba, citronella, rosemary and thyme. The company supports fair trade in the Brazilian Amazon.

Dessert & Beverage Scents

Appealing to consumers who want to fill their rooms with indulgent scents, a range of new candles have been launched with dessert or sweet inspired fragrances. 

In the United States, the For Every Body brand has launched new scented candles. They are available in Birthday Surprise; Birthday Cake; Sugar Cookie; Cherry Limeade; Lemon Crisp; Chewy Chocolate Chip; Snicker Doodle; Pecan Pie; Crème Brûlée; Blueberry Muffin; Mango Tart; Apple Pie; and Cinnavanilla Sundae varieties. Various beverage-inspired scents have also launched, including green tea, white tea, blackcurrant tea, chai tea and coffee.

Ethnically-Inspired Fragrances

Growth in international travel and immigration has led to consumers becoming increasingly interested in products from foreign countries. Ethnic foods have grown in popularity, with consumers becoming more curious about international flavors and ingredients. Housewares, textiles, clothing and music from distant lands have all gained ground. Several manufacturers within the air-care candles sub-category tapped into the trend by launching new products in ethnically-inspired scents this quarter.

For example, World Market Scented Travel Candle retails in a Tahitian Vanilla scent. It is also available in Thai Mango, China Pear, Asian Poppy, Mexican Pumpkin, Malaysian Melon, Indian Sandalwood and Indonesian Teak.

Looking to the future, superfood fragrances could be made available, tapping into consumers' increasing health consciousness and love of trendy foods (e.g., Amazon-inspired fragrance containing acai berries and camu camu).

The Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD) tracks new product launches, trends and innovations internationally. For additional information regarding GNPD, visit www.gnpd.com or call Mintel International at 1-312-932-0600.

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