I’m not a scented candle person. I used to be extremely chemically sensitive and heavy smells still make me uncomfortable. I’ve been known to ask friends to put them out and open windows (back in the time when we went to people’s houses). Plus I don’t think a candle should cost $30!
Yankee Candles are some of the most perfumey and are difficult for me to tolerate. So when I saw the tweet below that there were negative reviews of the candles because women aren’t able to smell them, I believed the covid explanation.
There are angry ladies all over Yankee Candle’s site reporting that none of the candles they just got had any smell at all. I wonder if they’re feeling a little hot and nothing has much taste for the last couple days too.
— Terri Nelson (@TerriDrawsStuff) November 24, 2020
I went to fact check this and yes there are recent negative reviews on some of the most popular seasonal candles saying they don’t smell. On a candle called Bonfire Nights reviewers are writing that they have little to no “scent throw” which is a term I just learned. At least one woman denied she has covid and another reviewer told the one star reviewers to get tested. I’ve included some screenshots in the gallery.
There are also much older reviews of candles saying they have no smell. In fact I checked a bunch of candles and this is the most common reason for a one star review. There are reviews that are a year or more old (check the one star reviews on Pineapple Paradise) that say that the candles don’t throw any smell. It’s possible there are bad batches or that some varieties are less scented. So are some Yankee Candle less scented than others or are large segments of the population, particularly in the area where these candles are popular, getting a virus that makes them unable to smell and taste? I think the answer is a little of column A, a little of column B.
I appreciated this tweet. It sums up the appeal of this idea.
This is one of those details that would win someone an Oscar if it showed up at the start of a zombie film.
— Glenn (he/him) (@coffee_and_pi) November 25, 2020
Review from this week:
Review from seven years ago:
photos credit: Yankee Candle on Instagram and screenshots from Yankee Candle.com
Me thinks some people should get tested. I’ve yet to come across a yankee candle without smell. Even those with the faintest scents are way overpowering for me.
Full Disclosure: I’m a huge candle fan, and just dropped a decent amount on Yankee’s website since it’s Black Friday. That said, who knows? I’d guess some of this is Covid related, but sometimes a subtle scent is easy to miss. I never really know if a candle is going to smell “strong” or “soft” until I light it; it’s 50/50 in my opinion.
I’m a big candle fan too! some yankee really dont have a ‘throw’ which I always assumed meant how well the scent travels or fills the room?
They had a halloween scent last year that had a very faint scent
Me, too. I only like a few of their fragrances, tho, so it’s been hard to buy their candles online because so many of them smell terrible to me. I think these ladies should get tested.
I love scented candles. I have to stop myself buying anymore and I have enough to last me a year already in boxes!
Bath and Bodyworks have much more throw and stronger scent than Yankee Candle. Bath and bodyworks is still strong even after 2 years in my cupboard. They are my top candles and I always pack up when I go to the USA. Unfortunately you cant get them in the UK unlike yankee.
Yankee is very varied. some of their candles have strong scents, but some really have hardly any throw, esp their cheaper Home range. I tried many as they have an outlet near me, I still have a boxful at home to go through from their massive sale last year.
I bought some jo malone ones when I could get them at trade price and the orange blossom is brilliant. But Aldi does their most popular scents for 1/10 of the price and it’s hard to tell the difference.
Thanks for posting! I don’t buy Yankee candles because they are too expensive but I’ll check out the ones at Aldi!
some of the Aldi ones are direct copies of Jo Malone, they might even buy the perfume form the same perfume house. But they only cost £3.49. They do Pomegranate, Lime basil and mandarin, Blackberry and bay and the sweet macaroon one?
You could also try Asda, they used to do a woodwick type one for £8 with the layered scent and crackling wick
I stocked up on yankee when the outlet was selling the large ones below £10 and the votives were like 30p
Yankee Candles do not have a scent. I used to buy them years ago and would get mad when I would burn one at home only to realize it was scentless. One day, about 7 years ago, I was walking past a Yankee Candle store and it smelled so good. I went inside and smelled the candles thinking I would give it another chance, but realized I couldnt really smell the candles in the store either. I asked the clerk, why does the store smell so good but the candles are scentless? She pointed up towards a fan in the ceiling that was blowing air and some type of heavy scented freshener out into the store. I havent purchased a yankee candle since.
it depends on which one. The blueberry muffin, crackling woodfire and a lot of their xmas ones do have a scent.
I own a fragrance company and it is possible that their noses have become immune to the scent. If you burn a candle for a while or a wear a scent for a while, you don’t smell it anymore. It is the main reason people wear a gallon of fragrance. Or it could be the candle was poured at the wrong temperature or not enough oil was used. It doesn’t necessarily mean Covid.
It’s so true! A colleague asked me to lay off my fragrance. I was so embarrassed. Lol.
I don’t go anywhere near Yankee candle stores because the overpowering smells make me feel ill. If they have toned it down that’s a good thing.
Yankee candles used to be quite strong smelling. I’ve stopped buying them as the large jars are £22 now and they never smell of anything, this has been for the last 3 years.
I used to be really into scented candles, especially those by Yankee Candle and Bath & Body Works, but ever since I developed anemia I’ve become extremely sensitive to scents. I find them very cloying after just a few minutes.
Interesting. I’m not a candle person myself (fire danger, cats etc) but I think these folks should get themselves tested just in case it is covid. The last time I smelled a yankee candle it was pretty pungent, it was some kind of Christmas candle that my friend had.
I love scented candles. Milkhouse Creamery is my favorite brand but I’ve gotten some Yankee Candles too. They seriously have lost their scent throw. It’s been an issue for a couple of years now. Warm Luxe Cashmere is my favorite YC scent and it’s just gotten weaker, almost non-existent. They’re certainly overpriced jars of wax.
oh I never heard of MIlkhouse creamery but they do have a UK site so I might just have to buy some.
@Vera, they are wonderful! Truly the best at scent throwing. Eucalyptus Lavender is my favorite but I love other fragrances too.
I ordered 3 on sale (I really shouldnt as I have enough candles to last a year!), but I do like pear, apple and plum and they were on a sale…
I love Yankee Candles. But if one particular scent is getting the negative reviews, it may be a bad batch or a bad scent. Who knows. But it is kind of funny.
I grew up with Yankee, my Mother and hers addicted. In the later years after their divorce, even Grandad has accumulated a few. I, however, came here just to say that I have spent all year buying Witchy Wicks off Etsy. There is a large selection so if you like the smell on the fainter side, there’s some of those too. Their menu is literally cut in half right now because they can’t keep up with sales and have to cap it off during this pandemic. Couple of sisters in Texas make them and seriously, I have two burning right now. The bundles are what I recommend, but if you just want one or two use the quarantineandchill code to get 20% off. Coraline, Saturday Morning Cartoons, and Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, I wanna bathe in all of it. It’s getting out of hand for me 🤣
Does anyone have a recommendation for a holiday candle with that orangey-cinammony smell that you can get with scented pine-cones? I love that smell and as I’ve never bought it in a candle, I’m lost as to what brand/name to choose. I used to pick up a few bags of those pine cones in the market/Bed, Bath & Beyond, but since Im not going out now… was wondering if I could order it in candles.
Any recs would be appreciate!
Boil cloves and orange peel on the stove. Just get oranges and cloves from the grocery store!
Thank you, Betsy 😊. I’d heard of that, and of using a crock pot, too. My fear is falling asleep in front of the fireplace watching a movie, and it boiling out and starting a fire lol Ugh…
I wager most of those reviews are actually trolls having fun. One would think if a person doesn’t live alone, there’d be someone else to set them straight since it’s unlikely everyone in a household had initial onset on the same day.
It’s possible to lose either sense of taste or smell, but not both. My nephew got COVID his first week at college, and he lost his sense of smell but as he so aptly put it, “can still taste the sh***y cafeteria food.”
It’s also definitely possible that Yankee Candles are just crap.
I lost both for over two months :p
If anyone here likes Yankee Candle but thinks they’re too expensive, sign up for their email list. Several times a year, they send a buy-2-get-2 discount, or other various discounts that make their large candles about half off. And their exchange policy is extremely generous. Just keep your receipt, and if you don’t like the scent of something, you can go back to the store and exchange it for any other scent they have, and you can keep doing that until you find something you like.
I have fragrance allergies, so I have to be careful, but YC has lots of scents that don’t bother me and I think they have quite a good throw most of the time.