FROM HOME Wafting

Over the past three years, sales of scented candles, diffusers and incense have exploded. JO FAIRLEY explores how we’ve become obsessed with scenting our space, as we meet deadlines and conduct Zoom-a-thons

ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK, I trundle up to London on a train. Quite often, nowadays – on Mondays and Fridays, anyway – the carriage is positively Marie Celeste-like, at least till we reach the suburbs. So while I don’t need a survey to tell me that office attendance still isn’t back to its early 2020 levels, according to the government’s February Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN), 44% of working adults reported having worked from home at some point, in the previous seven days.

That’s a lot of home-working. And what it’s translated to, in the perfume world, is a heck of an uptick in home fragrance sales. Between March 2021 and 2022, UK sales of scented candles totalled £418 million, having grown 12% during the first year of lockdown. Which only goes to show: I was definitely not the only one splashing out a don’t-tell-my-husband sum on home fragrances, to boost the feel-good factor of the space I was confined to for all but a short burst of exercise every day.

Unboxing a fresh scented candle was as much of a treat as ordering from The Wolseley at Home’s meal delivery service – but without the mountain of washing up. In the past, I might have burned through a scented candle once every six months. Now, it’s one a month, at least. Lighting a candle on my desk has become an unmissable morning ritual, while I wait for my computer to boot up.

As Michelle Defina of fragrance house Takasago explains, ‘People see their homes as their safe havens, their shelters from the storm… We expect that the delightful ritual of lighting a candle and creating a mood at home will show no signs of slowing down.’

Agrees Laura Slatkin, founder of NEST New York, ‘Consumers have really treasured finding peace, tranquillity and energy from different fragrances – and it’s addictively comforting.’

But for Chris Yu, co-founder of United Perfumes, this isn’t so much a post-pandemic lifestyle shift as a reflection generally of our growing sophistication, as scent-lovers. With business partner Laurent Delafon,

Chris previously oversaw UK distribution for Diptyque, Fornasetti’s home fragrances and Trudon. In 2022, Chris and Laurent introduced the ultra-luxe Florentine Ginori 1735 collection to the UK, while also launching Ostens candles, from their own fragrance house.

‘Nowadays, when I sit down at a dinner party with people I’ve never met and they discover I work in the fragrance world, they start telling me everything they know about scent. It happened with food; today, almost every fridge has a jar of pesto and some galangal, because we’ve learned so much about flavour. Now it’s the same with fragrance. As you start to understand more about it, learning how it works in your environment and changes you and choose citrus and more invigorating notes. Home scents are great stimulants and offer a sense of comfort and variety, and we see more customers wanting to harness the strong emotional power of scent in their homes to excite, soothe, calm and more.’

Adds trend watcher Amanda Carr, one half of Jasmine Award-winning website We Wear Perfume, ‘Using candles and diffusers more frequently and without guilt is giving the consumer a confidence to curate their personalised home scent, by layering candles as a double-burn option.’ the people who come into your home, you gain confidence. And it’s much less “threatening” – dare I say deadly? – than making a mistake with a perfume. If you burn a candle and don’t love it, you can give it away.’

To wit, right now on my desk, Fragonard’s minty-fresh Menthe Basilic and Wings of Wisdom Lunatic are flickering alongside each other. I’m not completely crazy for either of them on their own right now, actually – Fragonard’s is definitely too fresh and cool for a cold winter’s day, while Wings of Wisdom’s vanilla, tonka, jasmine and incense creation creates a mood that’s a little too smoochy for daytime. But together? It makes for an uplifting yet centring combo that helps me feel calm and focused – the exact frame of mind I seek when hurtling towards about seven deadlines at the same time.

Or, perhaps, simply “layer” it with another candle. Diptyque, for instance, make a recommendation with each candle sold for another scent within their range that it will pair perfectly with. And as the brand’s UK and Ireland MD Amanda Morgan says, ‘Different spaces can be scented differently to create different moods and atmospheres. For a cosy room you can choose more woody, resinous and comforting scents, or for an uplifting office space you could

Says Chris Yu: ‘We’re also seeing people use home fragrance to make the shift from working day to relaxed evening vibe. At The Corinthia Hotel, for instance, where they burn Ginori 1735’s candles, the daytime scent is Purple Hill – all calming, soothing lavender, violet, citrus, white flowers and white woods. But at night, they switch to Amber Lagoon, which is a sexy, happy amber bomb.’

It isn’t just candles we’re going crazy for, though. Pinterest reported searches for incense sky-rocketed 80% in one single month, in 2022, definitively shaking off its hippiedippy vibe and acquiring a new chic – thanks in no small part to Perfumer H’s Wood Land incense, which has acquired a cult following. Sales of room sprays remain strong, but new tech advances in the realm of electrical diffusers offer super-stylish, more diffusive alternatives to the traditional ‘scented-sticks-in-a-vase’ versions – and importantly, we are selecting them as much to complement our décor as for the scents themselves.

‘Scentscaping is definitely a new element of interior design,’ says Amanda Carr, while Chris Yu observes: ‘Home fragrance has now moved from being functional to being an integral part of the decorative living space. And it’s more important than ever that it fits with our home aesthetic.’ Back in the day, he recalls, eyes popped and jaws fell open when United Perfumes introduced Fornasetti candles at £99; today, Ginori 1735’s top-of-the-range scented candelabra sculpture candle will set you nearly

Connock London

Amanda Connock’s family has a rich heritage, sourcing and supplying speciality ingredients to the perfume world. She took that one stage further, launching her own brand, later responding to calls to launch a candle from customers ‘addicted’ – there’s no other word –to Connock London’s exotic Kukui fragrance. The even deeper, warmer Kukui Noir and airier, greener but equally elegant Vittavelli have since joined the home fragrance line-up. From £35 for 220g to £65 for 760g three-wick connocklondon.co.uk

£1,600 – but will provide as much of a decorative talking point for your guests as a piece of artwork or a designer rug. ‘These are wedding list items that are seen as last-a-lifetime keepsakes,’ says Chris.

At The Perfume Society, meanwhile, news of home fragrance launches and innovations pings into our inbox on an almost daily basis, with exciting brands emerging at an ever-faster pace. I’ve hand-picked some of my favourites to share, over the next few pages.

And all I can say is when home smells this good – and looks this stylish, too – I’m not expecting standing room only in those train carriages again, anytime soon…

Boujee Boujies

Perfumer Pia Long teamed up with so-knowledgeable fragrance industry trainer and writer Nick Gilbert to debut a five-strong collection which reflects their belief that ‘Burning a candle is like dressing the set of a movie.’ With a 100% natural wax that blends rapeseed, soy and beeswax, options include sticky, juicy, tart and fresh Queen Jam, unashamedly animalic Cuir Culture and cool, green Succulent. The mini candles offer up to 20 hours’ burn, and are a great way to get an idea of how your own personal ‘film set’ might smell. From £18 for 60g mini candles to £35 for 220g boujeebougies.com

La Montaña

Cassandra Duncan was inspired to found La Montaña by the scents and aromas of her adopted home in the mountains of Spain. Alfredo’s Café captures caffeinated wafts across the terrace of a local drinking spot, while Cloudburst conjures up misty, herbal air of an early morning before the valley awakes. Particularly clever is the idea of a spritzable Home Fragrance Discovery Set, allowing you explore the full range of scents before settling on a favourite.

From £20 for Discovery Set to £100 for 650g deluxe three-wick candle lamontana.co.uk

Ostens

Think: elegant, mouth-blown scalloped glasses and a trio of transportive scents. Launched in 2022, Ostens Illuminations echo the fragrances from the house founded by Chris Yu and Laurent Delafon, who have a strong background in UK’s scented candle business. Opulent Rose, sense-cocooning Cashmeran Velvet and radiant Jasmine showcase precious materials from French ingredients house LMR Naturals, ‘born from our desire to create beautiful fragrances, using the world’s finest ingredients in their purest form,’ as they explain it. Already beloved by the candle cognoscenti.

£65 each for 220g ostens.com

Cloon Keen Atelier

Founders of this Galway-based fragrance house, Margaret Mangan and Julian Checkley, believe that ‘the right scent can create a world of its own, it can transport you, through imagination and memory, to the past, to a place – real or imagined, to a mood and a way of feeling.’ Newest is Aesthetic Lily, a Living Headspace Technology-captured perfect white lily, joining vibrant, hints-of-fruit Gooseberry Leaf and Antique Library (all polished wood, leather and spices) as the tenth in their stunning home olfaction collection.

£45 for 280g candle lessenteurs.com

Perfumer H

‘Perfumer H’ is Lyn Harris, one of Britain’s most accomplished perfumers, classically trained in Paris and Grasse. Lyn has offered candles (and now incense and room sprays) since first opening the doors to her Marylebone boutique in 2015. Candles – from mysterious, woodsy Charcoal to sense-awakening, hit-that-deadlineon-time Mint Tea – are available in simple ‘Utility’ jars, or beautiful glass vases hand-blown by Michael Ruh, which can be refilled time and again. (And you’ll want to.)

From £30 for 30 incense sticks to £155 for 325g glass candles perfumerh.com

Annick Goutal

Under-the-radar treasures in Goutal’s fragrant line-up are the six candles, poured into faceted, coloured glass jars (which are joined each Christmas by a seasonally-perfect collector’s edition). This is travel, via wax and wick, with Un Air d’Hadrien conjuring up the cypress-lined terraces of Tuscany, and Ambre et Volupté carrying us on a magic carpet ride to the desert, where resins are burned as night falls. £49 each for 185g escentual.com

NEST New York

Laura Slatkin is home fragrance ‘royalty’, having, with her husband Harry, first introduced America to the joys of scented candles. (Also, Elton John, whose first order totalled $28,000!) Having sold that business, Laura poured her expertise and style into NEST New York, creating candles and diffusers for not-silly-money that are now exciting perfumistas on this side of the Atlantic. Among spring 2023’s introductions is zingy Lime Zest & Matcha – a perfect choice for sluggish mornings – as well as Midnight Moss & Vetiver, joining the nature-inspired Wilderness collection. From £16 for 70g votives to £90 for 600g three-wick cultbeauty.co.uk

Chase & Wonder

The USP of this UK-based candle and diffuser name is that their candles look as darned good as they smell, decorated with eye-catching black and white illustrations and flashes of gold. Chase & Wonder laudably offer 300g candle refills for their ceramic vessels, as well as clear glass options – but really, isn’t that missing half the point? A fragrance sample pack offers cards spritzed with all the different scents, for just £4.95 – worth it simply to use them as fragrant bookmarks, after you’ve decided whether to swing for The Alpine Lodge, The Flower Lady, or maybe The Country Garden. From £58 for 300g candle to to £120 for 750g; refills available from £35 chaseandwonder.com

Ginori 1735

For more than two centuries, Florence’s Ginori family firm have been ‘turning porcelain into pure beauty’. But it wasn’t until 2021 that they introduced incense burners, ceramic diffusers and scented candles, paying homage to the story of Catherine de’ Medici and the characters of her court, via statement home fragrance pieces for the home. Most recently, they’ve worked with too-cool-for-school designer Luke Edward Hall on five more scented introductions, which whisk us to Marrakech, Rajasthan, Big Sur, Venice or the Cotswolds.

From £100 for 80 incense sticks to £1,594 for ceramic designer candelabra ginori1735.com