Scent the Scene with These Local Candles
The products listed here were selected by a member of the editorial staff. Should you choose to purchase a product through a link on this page, we may receive an affiliate commission.
Antica Farmacista's springy aperol spritz scent fuels our year-round candle obsession.
Image: Antica Farmacista
MAYBE IT’S OUR eternal sweater weather. Maybe it’s our proximity to so many wonderful smells (woods meet sea meet coffee, and so on). Maybe it’s the natural dominion of a populous constantly swaddled in comfy flannels. Whatever the reason, Seattle’s kind of a candle capital. Light up with these picks from local makers and shops.
These products were chosen by our editorial staff from the Shops at Seattle Met, the city's first online marketplace bringing the best local businesses together in one place. Every purchase comes to you directly from a Seattle-area shop.
Who said candles are just for fall and winter? This aperol spritz–scented candle from Seattle-based Antica Farmacista's spring collection brightens up any Juneuary day.
Black-owned, woman-owned candle company Noir Lux Candle Co. gives back to the community through frequent partnerships with nonprofits like YouthCare, which serves local youth experiencing homelessness.
Support a longtime LGBTQ-owned local business and the Trevor Project, focused on suicide-prevention among queer and trans youth, at the same time. And get a great-smelling, out-and-proud candle out of the deal, too.
With its focus on the simple chicness of the French lifestyle, it's no surprise that Seattle-based French Girl sells candles whose packaging and vessels look equally nice. Available in six place-inspired bohemian scents, these make a great gift.
Cinnamon and vanilla complement tobacco and patchouli in this vintage-inspired glass candle from Paddywax, ideal for giving any room some subtle western flair.
These candles from Seattle-based Cura Co. look good, smell good, and do good, too: They're made in collaboration with Prosperity Candle, which provides jobs for women artisans and refugees in the United States.
Poured in Particle Goods' Seattle studio with an eye toward natural fragrances, this comforting candle with notes of leather, cedar, cognac, and thyme hits close to home in the best way.
No candle collection is complete without (at least one) pick from New York–based fragrance powerhouse, Nest. Mercer Island shop Terra Bella stocks several of the company's iconic scents, including refreshing ocean mist and cozy Moroccan amber.
Enhance the effect of L'Avant Collective's luxury cleaning products with this bright combination of bamboo and florals.
These wood-wick collaboration candles support two local Black-owned businesses: pandemic-hobby-turned-entrepreneurial success story Noir Lux Candle Co., and Shoreline favorite Black Coffee Northwest.
Ensconced in an earthy ceramic container, Norden's Aptos fragrance pays tribute to its Santa Cruz home base by combining sea- and forest-inspired scents with subtle spices.
Seattle-based Summit and Terrace emphasizes clean ingredients, from its untreated wooden wicks to its essential oil fragrances. Botanical scents like Oxford Tea come in nine-ounce glasses or petite, gift-worthy tins.
The perfect combination of traditionally masculine and feminine fragrances—cognac and leather, rose and vanilla—this candle from Seattle-based Antica Farmacista adds a little complex coziness to any home.
Evergreen trees and rain are just a small part of what makes the Pacific Northwest (smell) great. Noir Lux Candle Co. celebrates the season Seattleites half-jokingly keep secret with a sunny scent combo of sage, lavender, and lemon.
Mill Creek's Colorful Corvid draws on Washington iconography—from Mount Rainier to Skagit Valley tulips to Bigfoot—for these thoroughly local pours.
This candle was blended with utter neutrality in mind: Rich, woody scents combine with citrus and florals for a fragrance that knows no gender or season.
What can't Seattle fashion designer Luly Yang do? Her first candle, a bright, citrus-and-ginger scent contained in frosted glass, feels both awakening and spa-day-luxurious.
Colorful, holographic candles inspired by moods and occasions make great, personal-feeling presents: Pick gardenia-scented "BFF" for a just-because bestie gift, marine-scented "skinny dip" for your adventure buddy, or "beach vacay" for the friend who could use one.
Our Favorite Picks from Other Retailers
Image: Urban Outfitters
Ballard-based Good and Well Supply Co. is beloved well beyond Seattle for its original, illustrated designs and unique, outdoorsy scents—including a whole lineup of National Park–inspired candles.
Image: Nordstrom Rack
Boy Smells wins the day for its stylish packaging and subtle, unique scents, like this earthy, calming combo of (very light) cannabis, violet, and vetiver.
