You might want to consider the most popular candle scents when picking out a choice gift for your most finicky of friends. Think about it: the scent in your home is about as personal as the color of a lipstick. Bold and brash scents, soft and simple ones, or even scents with dripping with attitude can clue your company into you as a person.
Sure, there are go-to scents. Vanilla or a crisp citrus are sure bets for anyone’s home. They are classic. Then there are the those who prefer a more complex scent —a forrest mahogany teakwood or cinnamon pumpkin latte if you will. Whether your preference is food related, or fragrance related, you no doubt have a perfect pick.
But, how does your favorite candle scent pick compare to the rest of the country?
Our friends at Shane Co. asked these burning questions too. So, they, along with Google Trends, took a big breath and went about sniffing out America’s most popular scent.
Most Popular Candle Scents in the US
1. Pumpkin
Anyone with a nose knows that pumpkin is the perfect home perfume aroma. What surprised us was that it was a victory over the second most popular scent by a very thin margin. Pumpkin latte anyone?
That said, the fall favorite of pumpkin scent was the winner in eight locations: Arkansas, D.C, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.
2. Vanilla
If nine is fine, then eight is great! That is how many states ranked vanilla as their favorite. Vanilla candles were supreme in: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Virginia.
The vanilla scent conjures up both a cooking and clean feeling in any home. We like Vanilla as it is one of the few scents that is acceptable as a gift for both a female or a fella.
3. Lavender, Lemon, and Rose (3-Way Tie)
In the third place spot, we have a three way tie. After vanilla, there’s a huge drop-off and a huge debate over the next best scent.
The sweet-scented springtime smell of lavender took home the prize in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.
The citrusy and clean concoction of lemon was the winner in Massachusetts, Missouri, and Tennessee.
And blooming to the top of Louisiana, Nevada, and Oregon was rose.
4. Citrus, Coconut, Peppermint, and Gardenia (Four-Way tie)
Not to be outdone by the three-way tie in the third spot, the number four spot also produced a tie, a four-way tie.
Citrus was oh so sweet in Florida and Washington. If your sniffer has ever gotten a whiff of the orange trees while they are in bloom you can certainly understand why this scent ranked highest in one of the highest orange producing states.
Coconut knocked out all the other competition in Alabama and Arizona.
Peppermint was a cool fresh number one in Maryland and Ohio.
And good old fashioned gardenia blossomed to the top in New York and Texas.
5. Smell Ya Later – Or Not
Most other scents ranked as favs in one single state. Kentucky liked maple, cedar ranked #1in Iowa, and cotton did in Illinois.
Fraser fir was the winner in Utah, mahogany teakwood in Georgia, balsam in New Hampshire, and tobacco in Michigan.
But, for the life of us we can’t figure out why apple, eucalyptus, and cinnamon didn’t rank at all!
We sniff out the top scents across all 50 states. Get a whiff of which scents were sensational and which ones were scent packing.