Here's How to Smell a Candle the Right Way During Your Next Scent Shopping Spree

Leave it to TikTok to make you feel like you’re doing everything the wrong way—from how to use a can opener to how much toothpaste to squeeze onto your toothbrush. (They have a whole page dedicated to common mistakes.) And, apparently, the latest action that needs correcting is how to properly smell a candle. According to users on the platform, picking the perfect scent is not just a matter of holding the fragrant wax up to your noise—and candle experts agree.

Earlier this month, TikTok user Savan Meaux posted a video about the matter that has since gone viral with more than one million views. In the flick she writes, “In my 25 years of living no one was going to tell me that there’s a right way to smell these candles without picking up the entire thing,” over a video of herself taking the top off of a Bath and Body Works candle, suggesting that the best way to sniff a candle is by wafting the lid.

Meet Our Expert

• Nicole Eckels is the founder of Glasshouse Fragrances.

• Jeriel Sydney is co-founder of body care and home fragrance brand Fablerune.

• Teri Johnson is the founder of Harlem Candle Co.

• Mei Xu is the founder of Blueme Fragrance.
  

A user added to the conversation by commenting, “Yes, that is the correct way. The true scent of the candle rises to the lid,” while another one wrote, “I’ve always done this because I’m so paranoid I’ll drop it.” A third commenter offered that warming a bit of the wax on your finger will give you the most accurate sense of the fragrance.

To fully understand why any of these techniques matter, we tapped four fragrance experts to explain the the proper way to test a candle when shopping for new scent.

Why It Matters

Nicole Eckels, founder of Glasshouse Fragrances, says there are some important terms to know, such as “cold throw,” a candle’s scent when unlit, and “hot throw,” a candle’s scent when lit.

“The cold throw offers an initial impression, but the fragrance’s true character only really emerges when the wax is heated by a flame,” Eckels explains. “Wax is a bit like a zip file. It holds in all of the information in the fragrance, and until it's ‘opened’ (a.k.a. lit or heated) you can't actually experience its full potential.”

Option 1: Smel the Lid

Basically, it's often easier to get an idea of what the candle is going to smell like hot when you're smelling the lid, as opposed to smelling the candle itself.

"The lid of the candle captures a good representation of the fragrance without being compromised by the environment," says Teri Johnson, founder of Harlem Candle Co. "The lid of a candle ultimately will give you a more concentrated scent than by smelling the wax alone."

Jeriel Sydney, co-founder of Fablerune, concurs. She explains that smelling the lid allows testers to experience the full scent profile of the candle, as the base notes are often more prominent under the lid, while the top notes are more prominent on the wax surface.

“When a perfumer builds a fragrance for a candle they artfully craft layers upon layers to create a seductive story. A moment captured in scent,” Sydney says. “To properly smell a candle, we recommend lifting the lid and gently smelling the inside while holding the container a few inches away, focusing on the air trapped beneath the lid.”

Option 2: Smell the Box

However, just giving the lid a quick whiff might be too simple. Sydney explains that it takes longer for the scent of certain candles, especially those made with fine fragrance and essential oils, to be fully realized and appreciated. “Take a few minutes. Smell the lid, the box, the jar.” Johnson agrees: "If the candle comes in a box, I recommend smelling the inside of the box which oftentimes can give you a great idea of the candle’s cold throw," she says.

Option 3: Smell the Cloche

While many candle stores showcase their candles with lids, more luxurious stores (like Blueme's new Soho pop-up) have their candles encased in glass cloches, which create a little bubble of air around the candle while sealing in the fragrance.

"We use a glass cloche over each of our candles so that each cloche creates the air space that is great for you to sample each scent from the glass themselves," says Mei Xu, founder of Blueme Fragrance. "It works amazingly well. Particularly when you try more than two fragrances."

Johnson agrees, stating that smelling the cloche is "the best way to capture the headspace of a fragrance."

Option 4: Agitate the Wick

Eckels notes, however, that a strong cold throw doesn’t always guarantee a potent hot throw. As such, she thinks there are better ways than to smell a candle. “One of those is agitating the wick—you’ll want to take the tips of your fingers, and gently grab the top of the wick and lightly shake it back and forth. This breaks the seal of the wax just enough, releasing more fragrance molecules for you to smell the fragrance very clearly,” she shares.

Tips

“Sample fragrances early in the day when your mind is clear and not clustered. If you feel the scents are hard to pinpoint, it is best to smell some coffee beans in between smelling different scents,” suggests Xu. “Start with a subtle, ozonic or water/sea wind kind of scent, move on to floral and herbs, and last to woodsy and oriental notes, which are much stronger in general.”

Option 5: Get Into the Wax

Akin to a perfume test strip, “if you have a napkin or a piece of paper towel you can rub it on the wax and use it as a smelling strip," says Johnson.

Take this method a step further by following Eckels' method. “Especially with our candles, because the wax is so soft and beautiful and natural, you can lightly scrape a small amount of wax with your finger, rub it onto your skin, and then smell the area," she says. "The warmth of your skin helps to release the fragrance, and gives you a much better idea of what the candle will smell like when it is lit.” Sydney agrees; she says although this method can be a little “germy,” it unlocks more of the candle’s complexity.

Read the original article on InStyle