Fragrance oils are magic spells that can be infused with ordinary candles to create a variety of atmospheres. They also have the ability to take your homemade candle-making abilities to the next level.
However, to achieve these benefits you must know how to pick out the best fragrance oils for candles from a sea of mediocre and ineffective products.
This is why we’ve designed this guide to make you aware of all the qualities that make a great fragrance oil.
We’ve tried to keep the guide short and sweet, so you can get a complete overview without taking up too much of your time.
We hope you enjoy the read!
Best Fragrance Oils For Candles: Our Top Picks
1. P&J Trading Floral Premium Grade Fragrance Oils
Do you want to recreate the aura of a garden around your house without actually growing one?
Then this set of fragrance oils will be the optimal choice for you. It contains 6 bottles of scented oils, including rose, violet, jasmine, lilac, Freesia, and Gardenia.
The bottles are made of amber-colored glass. Each of them contains 10-millimeters of scented oil.
The caps have a ridged pattern for ease of use and are equipped with a tamper-protection ring, ensuring you’re getting a product that has not been impurified in any way.
The caps are also equipped with a euro dropper, which allows a spontaneous yet measured pour every time. If you are a DIY obsessionist, this product will be like a Christmas gift.
You can use the oils to make homemade soaps, personalize waxes for candles, and add beautiful scents to regular incense sticks.
The manufacturer claims the fragrance oils are especially effective while working with soy-based candle waxes.
The oils are prepared by IFRA certified perfumers with over a half-century of experience. The formula is naturally a trade secret, though we sense the oils obtain a healthy ratio of essential oils and finely tuned aromatic chemicals.
The oils have a flashpoint of less than 200-degree Celsius. So, be careful while using them at high-temperature settings.
Highlighted Features:
- Crafted by IFRA certified perfumers with decades of experience.
- Can be used for DIY creations as well as practical applications.
- Oils are highly concentrated and diffuse a pleasant yet powerful scent.
- Comes in a decorated package, making it a perfect gift item for any event.
- The choice of aromas is synergic and complement each other.
2. Barnhouse Blue Premium Grade Fragrance Oils
This product brings to you the aliveness of summer by delivering a set of 6, expertly crafted fragrance oils for candles.
Each oil is preserved in a secure, auburn glass bottle. The patterned caps make the bottles easy to operate, while interference-prevention rings ensure that your product has not been tampered with.
Each bottle cap is equipped with a dropper and holds 10-milliliters of liquid. The ergonomic droppers allow you to smoothly and precisely pour out the fragrances for various uses.
For example, making Potpourri, homemade incense sticks, and of course candles (including gel-based ones).
Among the scents, the Fresh Cotton and Sweet Pea were our favorites. Mountain Rain and vanilla offer a milder taste if you have a dislike for strong fragrances.
Baby powder will be an ideal choice to perfume your kid’s room, while the ocean breeze will take you back to the tranquil sceneries of the sea.
These vegan-certified oils are highly dense. Thus, you may need to use a diluent for applying the product with air diffusers and perfumed baths.
We assume the oils are prepared largely with natural extracts, mixed with aroma chemicals to enhance certain factors.
Highlighted Features:
- Offers a combination of mild and strong fragrances.
- Provides a highly dense oil, which lets you do more with less.
- Prepared largely from natural extracts.
- The entire set is vegan certified.
- Provides a wide range of fragrance options to choose from.
3. Good Essential Fragrance Oils Set
This product takes you back to the atmosphere of an exotic garden you might’ve only read in books or seen in movies.
Every fragrance is secured in a beige, rectangular glass bottle. The gap-ridged caps make using the bottles a breeze, while the tamper-prevention circles assure you that the product was delivered to your home straight from the factory.
The bottles are designed with a combination of internal and external grooves, which ensures a secure grip of the cap, eliminating issues of spillage. Each bottle includes 5-milliliters of liquid.
The product includes some of the best fragrance oils for candle making, as it perfectly balances all aspects of great fragrance oil.
By extracting the fragrance profile of Honeysuckle, Magnolia, Gardenia, Spa, Lilac, and Jasmine, Good essential offers you a chance to turn your home into the garden of Eden.
If you are interested in natural self-care such as aromatherapy, herbal baths, etc. these oils can serve you quite effectively. You can also apply them to experiment with regular as well as soy candle wax, crafted cones, etc.
The oils are produced with medium concentration, so using a diluent is not always necessary.
The product has been praised to work particularly well with spicing up the scent of your air freshener and diffuser.
Highlighted Features:
- Specially crafted oils to conduct aromatherapy at home.
- Provides medium density oils to be easily usable with air fresheners & diffusers.
- Offers a collection of rare fragrances with a wide range of varieties.
- Will appeal to the customers interested in natural self-care.
- Offers uniquely shaped bottles, packed in a tastefully decorated box.
4. Eternal Essence Oils Fragrance Oils Gift Set
Ever wondered how a mermaid would smell like?
You might just find that out in this set.
The set contains six, round-shaped chestnut bottles. Each bottle contains 10-milliliters of liquid.
The bottle mouth is protected by a black, ridged cap made of a thermoplastic polymer derivative. It is further secured by a plastic ring to ensure that the product wasn’t compromised in any way.
Each bottle cap has an attached dropper to it. This allows you to conveniently and precisely pour out the oils.
The set contains a combination of all the fragrances you can imagine finding on a bay area, such as Barrier Reef, Honolulu Sun, and Mountain Meets the Ocean.
The manufacturers also add a twist of imagination to the fragrances, naming them as Beautiful Day, Caribbean Escape, and Mermaid.
The oils are highly effective at producing candle waxes, so it’ll be a delight for you to make homemade candles with these babies. You can also personalize your air freshener, dryer sheets, soaps, scent diffusers, etc.
For home use, you can use them to scent your drawers, carpets, and potpourris. The concentration level is high. Thus, it should not be used undiluted.
The formula seems to be an expert take on combining natural extracts and fragrance chemicals. The perfumers are certified by the IFRA, so you can be certain about getting the highest quality product.
Highlighted Features:
- Provides an ergonomic cap with an aperture reducer for safety and precision.
- Offers an imaginative getaway to the ocean amongst a busy life.
- Features expertly crafted oils prepared by IRFA certified perfumers.
- Includes thermoplastic polymer derivative caps for durability.
- Delivers highly concentrated oils that last for a long time.
5. Barnhouse Blue Tropical Bliss Premium Fragrance Oils
The tropical area has always been a symbol of adventure and passion. And now, with this product, you can bring that spirit of exploration and relaxation right inside your home.
Barnhouse blue decorates the fragrant oils in beautiful, dark-brown bottles with a circular body and rectangular neck. Each of the six bottles is decorated with ribbed caps and intrusion-protective rings.
The caps use a euro-style dropper. The oils are produced expertly, using a high amount of concentration level. Thus, if you want to use them in a diffuser, a little use of diluent may be needed.
The fragrant types are largely based on fruity flavors, such as Mango, Pineapple, Pear, Coconut Cream, etc. It also offers a combination of scents such as Honeydew Melon and Tropical Passion fruit.
Each bottle contains 10-milliliters of liquid. The manufacturers use a 3:5 ratio of essential oils and aroma chemicals to create oils that are perfect to produce quality, homemade health care products.
You can use these oils to make both regular and gel candles as well as create your own beauty care and skin nourishment products.
You can also use it to add your personal touch of scent and taste to non-fragrant lotions, shampoos, incense sticks, etc. The product is certified by Msds and doesn’t usually cause allergic reactions.
Highlighted Features:
- Applies 3:5 ratios to create balanced, high quality fragrance oils for candles.
- Perfect for making regular and gel candles as well as healthcare products.
- Provides Msds report to ensure that the oils won’t trigger any allergic reaction.
- Provides pure as well as combined fragrances to maintain a smooth balance.
- Can be used to add your personal touch to non-fragrant products.
6. P&J Trading Woodshop Set of Premium Grade Fragrance Oils
If you have a fascination with woods, you’ll find this product quite fascinating.
The product contains six fragrant oils, including Bamboo, Forest Pine, Cedar, and Teakwood. To add a little twist, they have also produced fragrances like fresh-cut wood and leather.
Each bottle, holding 10-milliliters of liquid, is in a tawny-colored glass bottle. The caps are equipped with an attached dropper, which provides a measured and hassle-free pouring system.
P&J Trading’s oils are famous for being excellent at making soy candle wax. But we have reviewed and found out that the oils are just as effective at producing regular candles as well.
Many of us are terrified of commercial cleaning products containing harmful chemicals and releasing toxins.
If you have children at home, then this concern is even greater for you. However, using this oil, you can produce your own homemade cleaning products.
As most reputed fragrance oils for candles, these too have a high concentration level. Thus, you should use diluents to apply the oils for certain uses, such as aromatherapy, diffusers, and baths.
The manufacturers claim that the oil formulation is designed by highly skilled, IRFA certified perfumers. This can explain why most users report these oils to be among the finest natural fragrance oils for candles.
Highlighted Features:
- Provides an ignition point of less than 200-degree Celsius to increase safety.
- Oils are crafted by highly-skilled, IRFA certified perfumers.
- Comes in a gorgeous package, making it an ideal gift choice for any house party.
- Simulates an experience of being in the mysterious and lovely woods.
- Particularly effective at producing soy-based candle waxes.
7. Eternal Essence Oils Scent of A Woman Gift Set of Premium Fragrance Oils
Named after one of the most beloved movies of all time, this set of fragrances truly reminds you of beauty and grace.
The oils are produced using mostly natural extracts (also known as essential oils).
The set combines 6 different fragrances into a beautiful package and is often praised by the users as the finest natural fragrance oils for candles.
Each glass bottle is armed with a black PP plastic cap, euro dropper, and heightened ridges. It also offers a plastic seal at the bottom of the cap to keep the product secure until it reaches your hand.
The cap, dropper, and aperture reducer provide a perfect container to store and use the oils with ease and fluidity.
The manufacturers have gotten quite creative with the names as well.
For example, you’ll find fragrances like Twilight Woods, Juniper Breeze, Guava Colada, and Love Spell. They’ve also provided mixed fragrance oils like Guava Colada, Passion Fruit, and Guava, along with specific scents like the Bali Mango.
You get to have 10-milliliters of each of these innovative and fresh oils. This is one of the most recommended products by chandlery experts to create and personalize both wax and gel candles.
Highlighted Features:
- Provides a combination of truly imaginative fragrances.
- Praised by chandlery (candle-making) experts for making quality candle wax.
- Uses IRFA certified experts to produce the highest quality oils.
- Offers a PP plastic cap with heightened ridges and a plastic seal for safety.
- Can be used to scent dryer sheets, carpets, and massage oil.
8. Tropical Gift Set of Premium Grade Fragrance Oils
This product is another prized possession from Eternal Essence Oils.
Like the previous product in the list, this set is also targeted at an ocean-themed vibe. It includes fragrances like Pina Colada, Coconut Cream, Bay Rum, Pineapple, Ocean Breeze, and the exotic Tahitian Vanilla.
This set does a fantastic job at recreating those super relaxing moments, where you were sipping on Pina Colada, feeling the sea wind taking away all your worries and anxieties.
In terms of container quality as well, no compromises were made.
Each bottle is secured with a polypropylene plastic cap and an ergonomically patterned exterior for ease of use. They are also equipped with a euro dropper and an aperture reducer.
These features allow you to pour in the oils with exact precision, speeding up your workflow and avoiding spillage.
Each bottle contains 10-milliliters of liquid.
The density of the oils is rich and nuanced. The manufacturers constantly research and upgrade their formula to keep improving the quality of the oils.
You can use these oils with a variety of candle waxes, ranging from soy to gel candle wax.
Users also prefer the unique fragrance profile to recreate a mood of the ocean by perfuming their bedsheets, cabinets, carpets, and potpourris. You can use them to personalize soap bases and massage oils as well.
Highlighted Features:
- Provides a VEGECERT certified product to cater to vegan consumers.
- Offers high-quality fragrance oils for candles that meet the IFRA standard.
- Features an active blog to provide new recipes and DIY tips & tricks.
- Includes a rich, complex, and durable density to the oils.
9. Freshly Baked Gift Set of Premium Fragrance Oils
If you want your house to have the sweet smell of a bakery then few other products will be able to beat this one.
The set offers six fragrance oils, covering most of the desserts we love and cherish.
Among them, our favorite is Blueberry Pancakes and Chocolate Fondue. The Caramel Nut Muffin flavor is pleasantly strong. The Butterscotch Cookie Dough, Creamy Nutmeg, and Cinnabon also provide a balanced and realistic fragrance.
Each bottle contains 10-milliliters of liquid.
The auburn glass bottles are designed using PP plastic caps and intrusion-blocker rings to prevent tampering. The cap is equipped with a euro dropper to release the oils without wastage and has external, heightened ridges for ease of use.
The oils are manufactured for multipurpose use.
Along with candle making, you can also use them to produce a variety of DIY household items, such as soaps, sanitizer tools, massage oil, etc. You can also use these oils on sugar scrubs to add your own unique touch.
The oils are finely crafted, using a half a century old formula, and have a complex, high level of density. It is certified by IRFA and VEGECERT.
Highlighted Features:
- Allows you to create the sweet atmosphere of a bakery at home.
- Meets the IFRA, and VEGECERT standard.
- Provides a creative combination of fragrances of all your loved desserts.
- Features a half a century old formula to provide a complex and high density.
- Delivers the oils in an easy to use and secure containers.
10. Fruity Gift Set of Premium Grade Fragrance Oils
The aroma of certain fruits offers a subtle yet engaging experience. However, we can’t just randomly spread around cut open fruits to achieve that sensation. This is why Eternal Essence Oils has brought in a convenient and elegant solution.
Using their highly praised and top-reviewed oils you can perfume any candle wax including soy and gel. Thus, it delivers you the sublime scent of exotic fruits enmeshed with the mysterious light of a homemade candle.
You can also use them to have fruity baths, produce massage oils, and add a little fruity spice to your sugar scrubs.
The set contains six types of scents, including Honeydew Melon, Pear, Grapefruit, Mango Madness, apple, and our personal favorite strawberry. Each bottle contains 10-milliliters of oil.
The intrusion blocker ring at the base of the cap will ensure you that the product has not been tampered with.
The fragrance oils are protected by chestnut-colored glass containers. Each container uses an ergonomically ridged cap for rotation convenience. The caps are made from Polypropylene plastic, which makes them ultra-durable.
Each cap has an attached dropper for convenient and measured pouring, eliminating the possibility of spillage.
Adding an aperture reducer to this design ensures your oil is properly used without any waste.
Highlighted Features:
- Provides oils that meet the IFRA standard.
- Features carefully picked, highly pleasant, and a wide range of fruity scents.
- Offers ultra-durable, Polypropylene plastic caps with intrusion-blocker rings.
- Includes a set of pure fragrance oils that exude authentic aromas.
- The cap, bottleneck, and aperture reducer combo allow easy and precise use.
11. P&J Trading Tranquil Set of Premium Grade Fragrance Oils
The product is aptly named as its fragrance oils definitely create a sense of calmness and tranquility.
The set offers six choices of fragrances, ranging from fruity scents like Cucumber melon to earthy fragrances like Lavender and Bamboo. It also makes the combo interesting by adding creative scents like Ocean breeze and Amber.
Each bottle is made from high-quality, dark brown glass material with a holding power of 10-milliliters.
The caps are made from PP plastic, have heightened ridges on the external layer, and are protected by a tamper protective seal. Each bottle uses a euro-style dropper with an easy drip feature.
If you want to experiment with a wide range of fragrances to produce candle waxes, then this set won’t disappoint you. You can use the oils to scent anything from soy and gel to regular candle wax.
The oils have an ignition/flashpoint of less than 200-degree Celsius. Thus, they are highly unlikely to cause a fire hazard.
The manufacturer ships the set in a pre-decorated, black box that can be directly used as a present for any house party, wedding, baby shower, etc.
Highlighted Feature:
- Provides a combo of fruity, earthy, and experimental fragrances.
- Offers an ignition point of less than 200-degree Celsius to prevent fire hazards.
- Comes in a pre-decorated, black box that can be directly used as a present.
- Employs IFRA certified experts with years of experience to formulate the oils.
- Offers a euro-style dropper with an easy drip feature with each cap.
12. Bulk Apothecary Amazing Grace Fragrance Oil
If you have a special affinity for Bergamot fragrance, then you should choose to acquire this bottle instead of going for a set.
The bottle is made from industry-grade, amber-colored glass. Its layers are darkened to prevent sunlight from harming the oil’s liveliness and fragrance strength.
It also has a seal-equipped cap, which prevents spillage and allows you to use exactly the amount you desire to pour out.
The bottle contains 60-milliliters of liquid. So, make sure you really love the scent before purchasing it. However, we’ve found the fragrance of the oil to be quite extraordinary.
Its exuberance of scent is engineered in a step by step, extended-release way. It first touches you with a lively and distinct scent of Bergamot and then gradually becomes softer, more nuanced, and initiates a room widespread.
The oil is formulated in Bulk Apothecary’s FDA-registered facility houses. The company is also one of the largest stock suppliers for fragrance producers.
So, be rest assured that you’re getting an oil that is extracted and formulated by maintaining the highest standards.
You can also use this oil to create bath bombs and personalize products like non-fragmented soap, lotion, slime, perfume, cologne, etc.
Highlighted Features:
- Certified by both the IFRA and FDA.
- Doesn’t use Phthalate in production to increase health safety.
- Can be used with various candle waxes like soy wax, beeswax, paraffin wax.
- Produced in FDA registered facility houses and under strict quality control.
- Offers a darkened container to prevent quality degradation.
What to Look Before Buying Fragrance Oils For Candle Making
Concentration Level
We recommend purchasing fragrance oils with a balanced concentration level. If the concentration level is too high, you’d need to use a large number of diluents.
Also, high-density oils will be hard to work within certain tasks, such as mixing with candle waxes, using in an air diffuser, etc. However, they will last longer than low-density oils.
Thus, you should purchase oils that have a mid-high concentration level. This way, you can achieve the combined benefit of both low as well as high-density oils.
Oils with a mid-high density level will be easy to dilute while providing a longer use time.
Packing Method
Most fragrance oils for candles are contained in glass bottles. Thus, if the product is being shipped to you, ensure that the manufacturer is using a proper packaging method.
Otherwise, the containers can break and turn into a dangerous mess before the product reaches you.
You should notify the manufacturer or the middle company to cushion the products with layers of foam and bubble wraps. This way it’s unlikely that any huge damage will be caused to your purchased product.
Structure Of The Container
We recommend purchasing oil container/bottles that offer at least 3 features: durability, a tamper-evident ring, and an ergonomically ridged cap.
You should look for containers that use industry-grade glass for the body and durable materials (like PP plastic) for the cap.
A cap equipped with a tamper-evident ring will ensure that your product has not been corrupted in any way. And, ergonomic ridges on the external layer of the cap will provide ease of use.
Some containers also offer extra features like darkened layers to protect the oil from quality degradation and loss of fragrance.
Convenience Level Of The Dropper
We recommend ensuring that the dropper of your oil container is expedient and safe. Many fragrance oils come with convenient euro droppers.
These are attached directly to the container’s cap and help you to make a measured pour without much effort. This type of dropper also ensures that no amount of your precious oil is wasted.
Reputation Of The Manufacturer
We recommend purchasing from veteran manufacturers who produce the best fragrance oils for candles and have managed to maintain an overall good reputation for years.
This way, along with being certain about the quality of your product, you also get to use oils that are produced through formulas that have been developed and finessed over many years.
Flash Point
The flashpoint of an oil is the lowest temperature at which it becomes volatile enough to cause an ignition.
Thus, it’s important to buy fragrance oils with a low flash point, specifically if you are using them to make homemade candles.
A low flash point will help you to eradicate the possibilities of future fire hazards.
Certification
Different types of certifications can ensure different specialties of fragrance oils.
Make sure that the oils you’re purchasing are certified by the IFRA (International Fragrance Association) and FDA.
If you require them to be vegan, check for a VEGECERT certification.
Crosschecking Reviews Of Previous Purchasers
Since it’s quite hard to guess how a fragrance oil smells like from written descriptions, crosscheck reviews of previous purchasers to get a somewhat accurate assumption.
Candle Wax Compatibility
Check if the oils you’re purchasing are compatible with the candle waxes you intend to use them on.
Some oils don’t function well with gel candles, some oils are better than other at perfuming soy candles. So, it’s important that you verify this factor before making a purchase.
Essential Oil And Aroma Chemical Ratio
Essential oils are pure materials that have been extracted from real flowers, plants, leaves, and trees. They don’t contain any chemical additives. Thus, they tend to be very expensive.
This is why most manufacturers create natural fragrance oils from a combination of essential oil and aroma chemicals.
We recommend buying fragrance oils that provide a balanced ratio of these two components to get the finest possible result.
Benefits Of Fragrance Oils In Candles
1. Low Risk
Using fragrance oils instead of regular oils to prepare candle wax significantly reduces the probability of accidents like fire hazards and explosions.
Since fragrance oils have a lower flash point (lowest level of temperature that can cause ignition) than regular oils, it is a much safer option to produce candles.
2. Offers A Superior Fragrance Quality At High Temperature
Compared to pure essential oils and synthetic oils, fragrance oils provide a much pronounced and complex fragrance at high temperatures.
Thus, it can be considered as an ideal choice for perfuming candles and making candle waxes.
3. Strength And Durability Of Scent
Fragrance oils can provide a stronger scent that stays longer compared to other oils. Thus, you can get more output using a lesser amount.
This feature makes it a profitable purchase for making homemade candles compared to other options.
4. Provides Imaginative and Creative Fragrances
Unlike essential oils, Fragrance oils have the ability to come up with scents that arise purely from imagination and creativity.
While essential oils can only provide the fragrances that actually exist in nature, Fragrance oils can stir your imagination with fragrances like Ocean Breeze, Mermaid, etc.
5. Cheaper Than Pure Essential Oils
Fragrance oils are significantly cheaper than pure essential oils. Thus, when needed at a large amount (e.g. perfuming candle waxes) they tend to be a more practical and effective option than other oils.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How Much Fragrance Oil Is Needed For Candles?
Answer: Well, there is no fixed amount. It depends on the fragrance load you want to achieve.
The general and most common rule is to mix 1 oz. oil with 16 oz. wax. This way, the fragrance load will be 0.0625 (1 divided by 16) or 6.25%.
Although the wax can hold 10% fragrance load, the recommended opinion is not to go over 7%. If you want to maintain 7% load, you’ll need 1.12 oz. of fragrance oil for 16 oz. wax.
If the calculation is too much, you can always take help from online fragrance calculators.
2. What Is The Difference Between Fragrance Oils And Pure Essential Oils?
Answer: Pure essential oils are extracted from nature (e.g. trees, flowers, plants, etc.) and don’t contain any chemical additives.
On the other hand, Fragrance Oils are often a combination of pure essential oils and aroma chemicals.
For more differences, you can check our expert guide.
3. Can All Fragrance Oils Be Used To Perfume Any Type Of Candle Waxes?
Answer: No. Some fragrance oils may not function well with soy or gel-type candle waxes. However, most oils do work with regular candle wax.
Thus, it’s important to go through the product description to ensure you’re purchasing an oil that is compatible with your candle wax type.
4. What Is The Flash Point of a Fragrance Oil?
Answer: The flash point of a fragrance oil describes the lowest temperature at which it may cause ignition.
Thus, we recommend buying fragrance oils with a low flash point to eliminate the possibility of fire hazards and injuries.
5. Do I Need To Use Diluents With Fragrance Oils?
Answer: It depends.
If you are using a highly concentrated fragrance oil then the use of a diluent may be needed. However, with fragrance oils of low to mild density, diluents are not usually required.
6. How To Purchase Fragrance Oils That Are Safe For My Health?
You can look for a variety of certifications to ensure you’re buying a healthy fragrance oil. For example, IFRA and FDA certification are well-respected standards to determine the safety level of fragrance oil. As for vegan oils, a VEGECERT certification can ensure you of its authenticity.
Final Words
It’s been proven both scientifically and experientially that fragrances have a strong effect on our moods and emotions.
The right fragrance can turn a bad day into a beautiful one in a moment. One of the most popular ways to use fragrances is by infusing them with candles.
A fragrant candle can give you the feel of a fresh bakery in your living room, or bring back memories of the ocean breeze while you’re taking a relaxing bath.
However, failing to choose the best fragrance oils for candles can rob you of all these wonderful experiences.
Hopefully, this guide will help you pick out the highest quality fragrance oils as effortlessly as drinking a glass of water.
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