13 Refreshing Candles With the Airy Scents of Summer

Photo: Johanne Kristensen / Unsplash
"A great summer scent is one that can transport you to all your favorite warm-weather moments," says Carol Han, founder of sustainable candle company NETTE. "A walk through a ripe vegetable garden full of heavy heirloom tomatoes, a field bursting with wildflowers, or a beloved beach house." The best summer candles inspire happy memories of your favorite moments as more brands infuse their products with scents of linen, freshly cut grass, and citrus.

"When you’re stuck inside at work during a glorious summer day, it can be such a therapeutic thing to have a candle burning that takes you to a happy summer memory or cherished place," says Han.

The mood-boosting benefits of scent is what makes such candles a popular self-care purchase. So grab a matchbook and bring vacation vibes inside with the best scented candles for summer.

The best summer candles with light and refreshing scents

By Rosie Jane Angie Candle — $40.00

Made with 100 percent coconut wax that’s paraben- and phthalate-free, this candle is called a “love letter to Los Angeles.” Long-lasting with a 60-hour burn time, the notes of honeysuckle, jasmine, and fig fill your space with summertime.

Here for the Burn As If! Candle — $35.00

This Clueless inspired candle, with scents of mango and guava, comes in a reusable 9 oz glass container. The 60-hour burn time will have you “totally buggin!”

diptqye candle
Diptyque Baies Indoor/Outdoor Candle — $345.00

An outdoor scented candle? Yes! The biggest scented candle you’ve ever seen? Probably! Five wicks in a beautiful earthenware pot disperse a bouquet of roses, sweetened with blackcurrant leaves.

Literie Smells of Summer Set — $65.00

Why have one candle when you can buy a summer-scented set of two? This light and sweet scented duo includes iconically named candles: “I Have a House in the Hamptons” and “Soft Serve From the Corner Truck.”

Venus et Fleur Nue Tuberose — $129.00

This soothing, floral-scented candle is made with soy and coconut blend wax for a long, clean burn. It comes in a beautiful handcrafted reusable porcelain vessel. The scent profile features its namesake, tuberose, combined with touches of orange blossom, bergamot, freesia, and lotus.

Homesick Wildflowers — $34.00

“Whether hosting a candlelit twilight dinner in your backyard, or lounging on a lazy summer day with a good book, candles add an unbeatable ambiance and air of sophistication to your summer,” says Lauren Lamagna, director of product development and merchandising at Homesick. This wildflower scent with notes of jasmine, lavender, peony, rose and geranium is complex, but also has the “calm, carefree vibes of summer and can freshen up your home year-round.”

Hotel Collection Dream On Candle — $50.00

Make your own home the ultimate staycation with these 70 hour burning candles that smell like your favorite hotels. This delicate scent, which combines white tea, aloe vera, and a hint of woodsy cedar is light, calming, relaxing, and fresh.

Prim Botanicals A Fresh Start Candle — $34.00

Summer is the perfect time to reset, renew, and re-everything else. This bright scent is perfect for that. The hand-poured candle smells like citrus, fresh flowers, and the sea and burns for 60 hours.

Caldrea Sea Salt Neroli Candle — $24.00

Yellow is the color of sunshine and summer. This beautiful glass candle will brighten up any room and is made with a mix of vegetable wax, beeswax, and essential oils for a clean, natural scent that will burn for up to 45 hours.

Otherland Matchpoint Candle — $36.00

Nothing says summer like the smell of fresh tennis balls. Well, maybe if you combine it with the scent of freshly cut grass and cucumber. This Otherland candle comes in a beautiful, colorful, art deco jar, and smells like ever summer adventure you can’t wait to have.

Nette Another Life — $68.00

If you like sweeter, more comforting scents, this rich blend of vanilla, cocoa, cedar wood, and patchouli is perfect. Made for summer evenings (or if you want to bring cabin vibes to your studio apartment), this minimalist, chic, glass candle is cozy to the max.

The Black Home Aphrodite Candle — $40.00

Made with a 100 percent renewable, eco-friendly soy coconut wax blend and hand-poured in NYC, this 60+ hour burning candle channels its namesake, Aphrodite. As the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and passion, this scent is meant to evoke all of those attributes and bring a passionate intensity to any room with a mix of tuberose, Ylang Ylang, and sandalwood.

Brooklyn Candle Studio Catskills Escapist Candle — $38.00

The Catskills are synonymous with summer. Made in Brooklyn with 100 percent soy wax for an eco-friendly clean burn, this woodsy scent smells just like summer camp or a cabin getaway.

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