Best Candles Scents for Summer: Best Smelling Scented Candles 2021

Now that summer has arrived and you’ve switched out your winter apparel for your favorite warm weather attire, it’s time to give your home a little seasonal update, too. One of the best (and easiest!) ways to liven up your interior decor and adjust the ambiance in your home is by lighting a scented candle, as a new fragrance can entirely transform the atmosphere.

During the summer, we recommend selecting chic votives that will harmonize your interiors with the bright and sunny days outside. Even if you’re spending hours on end at the desk in your tiny apartment, you can still light a candle that immediately changes your mood and transports you to a whole new place.

Subscribe to Observer’s Lifestyle Newsletter

So even if you have to skip out on that trip to Italy this summer, you can still let the aroma of the Amalfi Coast sink into your living room. Missing out on that big beach weekend? Just light up your favorite sea salt and coconut votive. Don’t worry if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the many candle options out there, as we’ve found all the best, most luxurious and aromatic bougies to light at home this summer. Below, see our favorite candles for the season.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Anouche Scented Candle

You simply can’t go wrong with any Maison Francis Kurkdjian fragrances, but this particular rose and plum candle, which is inspired by the perfumer’s memories of his grandmother’s rose petal jam, is especially lovely for summer. $85, Neiman Marcus.

Apotheke Candy Store Candle

This votive smells of coconut, vanilla, patchouli and amber, in the prettiest iridescent rainbow vessel. $38, Apotheke.

Cire Trudon Salta Candle

Cire Trudon is one of the oldest candlemakers in the world, and is up there with the most luxurious votive options out there today. All the candles are so chic, but we love the grapefruit fragrance for an unexpected citrus-y floral for these warm days. $40, Cire Trudon.

Hotel Collection Sweetest Taboo Candle

We love the way the vanilla warms up the notes of pomegranate and peony in this indulgent fragrance. $39.95, Hotel Collection.

Carrière Frères Orange Blossom

This orange blossom bougie is perfect for these hot summer months. $54, Carrière Frères.

Arôme Malibu Candle

Dreaming of picturesque days in Malibu? This fresh and citrusy votive was inspired by the California beach town, with a delightful fragrance of mandarin, lime, lemon, coconut and wood. $28, Arôme.

Literie I Have a House in the Hamptons Candle

Light this cheekily-named candle and the room will fill with the essentially summer scents of rosé and melon, because you should be able to take that beach weekend scent back into your everyday life. $35, Literie.

Nomad Noé Pioneer In Tasmania Sea Salt and Coconut Candle

If all you ever want is for your home to permanently feel like a perfect warm day at the beach (and honestly, this is all we ever aspire to), then light up this dreamy votive, which smells of sea salt, coconut and laurel. $65, Nomad Noé.

Olivia Palermo x Sicily Hill Citrus Blossom Candle

Olivia Palermo and Sicily Hill’s new summer-inspired candle exudes the loveliest bouquet of lemon, peony and white blossom. $69, Sicily Hill.

L’or de Seraphine Whitby Candle

Bring the ocean to you with this pretty beach-inspired candle, with its notes of sea salt, violet and vetiver, all in a chic wave-y vessel. $40, L’Or De Seraphine.

Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi Candle

Can’t get to Italy this summer? Well, you can still imagine you’re lazing about the Amalfi Coast thanks to this candle, with its mix of bergamot, italian, grapefruit, jasmine, fig and cedarwood. $75, Saks Fifth Avenue.

Naturally Drenched Juneteenth Candle

Founder Jamila Powell created this bergamot, citrus, cherry blossom, jasmine and amber-scented Juneteenth candle to symbolize the past and future within your home. $18.65, Naturally Drenched.

Area Candle #One

If you prefer smokier scents, you’ll love this citrus, oak moss and vetiver candle. $70, Area Home.

Diptyque Citronnelle Candle

Citronella candles are a necessity during the mosquito-filled summer months, but the scent isn’t always the most aromatic. Luckily, French fragrance house Diptyque released a brand-new citronella bougie for the season, with a lovely fragrance of lemongrass, verbena, neroli and orange blossoms, so you can still repel bugs, but in a cute way. $68, Diptyque.

Urban Apothecary London Fig Tree

Fig is one of our go-to candle fragrances no matter what the season, and we really love the way it mingles with the coconut, violet and cedarwood here. $52, Cie Luxe.

Aromatique Fresh Hydrangea Cube Glass Candle

Is there anything more quintessentially *summer* than fresh hydrangeas? There’s nothing like the view of pretty blue flowers framing a seaside shingled house, but even if you can’t make it the beach, you can still pretend you’re there with this floral hydrangea candle, with hints of honeysuckle, rose, green hyacinth, geranium, lily, bergamot and oak moss. $23.50, Aromatique.

Boy Smells Pride Extra Vert Candle

If you prefer fresh candle scents, you’ll love this mint, fig, daffodil, cypress, juniper berry, tarragon and basil-fragranced votive, in a shimmery green vessel. Your candle purchase also helps support a good cause, as the brand donates 10 percent of sales to The Trevor Project. $39, Boy Smells.