Making sure that your home smells nice should be number one on your priority list, because there’s no point in decorating your living room, styling your bedroom or revamping your hallway without having a matching fragrance to complement. And with plenty of choices out there, we’re here to tell you exactly which home fragrances are worth your money. From the likes of The White Company, Neom, Skandinavisk and more…
Whether it’s a diffuser, a room spray or a scented candle that you’re lusting after, our home fragrance expert has tried all of the products featured below, and she’s rated them four stars or more. How? We test home fragrances in real life settings, so we like to use them inside our Real Homes, for a number of weeks (or even months) to make sure they do their job successfully. Whilst ranking these home fragrances, we consider three things: What does it smell like? Is it powerful (or equally enough, too powerful)? And lastly: what’s the packaging like? Is this eco-friendly and can you buy refills?
With this in mind, we’ve featured plenty of choices for all tastes, from subtly festive fragrances to candles that will bring the Christmas cheer in sleigh loads. Equally, you’ll find some non-festive fragrances in there for year-round home scenting, with something for everywhere including your bathroom and your kitchen, too. Because your home can never smell too nice, right?
The best home fragrances to shop this season
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1. The White Company Fir Tree Diffuser
The best festive home fragrance
Size: 150ml
Scent: Woody/Fresh
+ Festive
+ Fills a room
+ For all rooms
– No refill
Whether for your own home or for someone else’s, this festive reed diffuser smells like anything but your classic cinnamon and orange blend. Instead, it’s both woody and fresh and smells a little like your Christmas tree – but better. We suggest using it in a living room, dining room or hallway, as it might be too strong for a bedroom, but rest assured it will subtly bring the festivities indoors. It’s also made using high-quality oils!
2. M&S Mandarin, Cinnamon & Clove Room Spray
The best festive room spray
Size: 100ml
Scent: Warm
+ Strong
+ Lovely bottle design
+ Great for targeting
– Not for small spaces
– Not for bedrooms
This seriously Christmassy room spray from M&S beats all the rest. It’s strong but will definitely make a lasting impression, and you can use it pretty much anywhere. Specifically, we love it for use in a living room, and you can even spray it on your tree to make it smell lovely and festive. It’s the perfect balance of warm and zesty. Just avoid it in bedrooms and smaller spaces as it’s quite strong.
3. Skandinavisk Nordlys Candle
The best subtle winter home fragrance
Scent: Fresh
Size: 90g/200g
+ Festive
+ Eco-friendly vessel
+ Wooden lid
+ Fresh fragrance
This wow-worthy Christmas fragrance is nice and subtle, yet definitely festive enough to get you in the mood. Scented with It’s suitable for pretty much any space, small or large, living room or bedroom, and it’s nice and fresh so as not to clog the air you’re breathing. It also never overpowers a space. Not to mention it’s eco-friendly in its design and packaging.
4. The White Company Fireside Diffuser
The best woody home fragrance
Size: 150ml
Scent: Woody
+ Great for autumn
+ Fills a room
+ For living rooms
– Not for smaller spaces
– No refill
We’re obsessed with this autumnal fragrance from The White Company. So much so that it makes a reappearance in our living room every year. Its scent imitates a roaring fireplace, and it can fill a room, no matter how large. This will forever be our favourite reed diffuser for autumn. You can also recycle its glass vessel after use.
5. Neom Cosy Nights Candle
The best Christmas home fragrance
Size: 75g/185g/420g
Scent: Spicy/Woody
+ 100% natural
+ Gorgeous vessel
+ Great present idea
+ Strong for large spaces
– Avoid in smaller spaces
We love a Neom candle, and this one screams Christmas (in both scent and smell). Poured inside a gorgeous orange vessel it smells exactly like Christmas thanks to the concoction of sandalwood, frankincense and nutmeg. It’s nice and strong to fill larger spaces, and so that you feel festive in an instant. A warming and welcoming scent you won’t forget.
6. Miller Harris Tabac Reed Diffuser
The best warm home fragrance
Size: 150ml
Scent: Warm
+ Bottle stopper
+ For home office
+ Eco packaging
+ Recyclable vessel
– No refill
This exciting and luxurious fragrance brings a serious scent to your home, and it’s ideal for fall and winter use. It has a bottle stopper for when you want to switch to something different and it sits in a subtle green glass vessel that’s recyclable. In fact, the brand’s ethos is sustainability. It’s warm and is perfect for serious spaces such as an office.
7. Noble Isle Whisky & Water Candle
The best strong home fragrance
Size: 200g
Scent: Spicy
+ Powerful throw
+ Vegan
+ Ready to gift
– Not for small rooms
– Not for spring & summer
You can smell this powerfully spicy candle even before lighting it, and its whisky tonka bean and amber aroma is a unique concoction, which is balanced with floral notes, that screams winter and autumn. It’s serious in looks and in scent, as it sits inside a matte black glass vessel and it has a 45-hour burn time.
8. The White Company Blanc Candle
The best luxury home fragrance
Size: 280g
Scent: Fresh
+ Nice and subtle
+ Luxury look
+ Burns clean
– Soot when burning
This to-die-for fragrance from The White Company is the ultimate fresh home fragrance thanks to its crispy yet floral notes of geranium, juniper and patchouli. It fills an entire room and sits in a classically elegant vessel, whilst it burns clean and has an impressively long burn time. It makes the ultimate gift, too.
9. Pott Candle Scented Candle
The best eco-friendly candle
Size: 80g/290g/600g
Scent: Mint
+ Eco-friendly
+ Handmade vessel
+ Huge scent range
+ Switch up fragrances
+ Burns clean
– High price
This eco-friendly and handmade candle encourages you to reuse the same candle vessel (known as a Pott). Our favourite scent has to be the 100 percent natural Mint fragrance as it’s herbal yet creamy and inviting, plus it burns clean thanks to its rapeseed and coconut wax.
10. Maison Berger Exquisite Sparkle Fragrance
The best fragrance for your whole house
Size: 250ml refill
Scent: Oriental
+ Scents a whole home
+ Pretty design
+ Range of scents
– Strong
If you are looking for just one way to scent your entire home, instead of using several reed diffusers, room sprays and candles, then this is it. Simply purchase your Berger Lamp (opens in new tab) and choose your fragrance, then pour it into the lamp using the funnel. Leave it to absorb for 20 minutes and then light the burner and after two minutes, blow it out. It will gradually start to flood its fragrance through your home, and when you’re finished, pop the stopper on. The Exquisite Sparkle fragrance has to be our favourite thanks to its unique jasmine, oud wood and myrrh blend.
11. Soak Sunday Cleo’s Paradise Candle
The best fragrance for bedrooms
Size: 230g
Scent: Sweet
+ Year-round
+ Subtle
+ Burns clean
– Unsure of wax used
This exquisite blend will be sure to impress all year round — in both looks and design — as it’s a fitting yet subtle blend of honey and oats with an impressive throw performance. We’ve had guests comment on the scent of this candle, whilst we love the simple yet stunning white glass vessel that this candle is poured inside.
12. Rituals The Ritual of Sakura Fragrance Sticks
Our favourite home fragrance for all year
Size: 70ml/250ml
Scent: Oriental
+ Luxury pick
+ Great for hallways
+ Unique fragrance
+ Refill available
– Vessel is not recyclable
We’re obsessed with this Rituals reed diffuser and its strong oriental notes of rice milk and cherry blossom. There’s no need to flip the reeds regularly as it will stretch its aroma from one side of your room to the other, whilst the smallest size lasted us way longer than the recommended five weeks. The fragrance sits inside a luxurious white ribbed vessel.
13. Nest New York Himalayan Salt & Rosewater candle
Our favourite floral fragrance
Size: 243ml/630ml
Scent: Floral
+ Luxury vessel
+ Pink wax
+ Clean burn
+ Great for hallways
+ Long burn time
Without a doubt our favourite home fragrance for spring and summer, this incredible candle from Nest New York is perfect for every room in your home, and is scented with rosewater, geranium and salted amber. We recommend the three-wick candle, though all of them come in a luxury pink-tinted glass vessel that’s frosted with stripes.
14. Damselfly Grace Universe Candle
The best warm home fragrance for summer
Size: 300g
Scent: Vanilla
+ Great for filling a room
+ Burns clean
+ Soy wax
+ Lead-free wicks
– Not for winter/autumn
This incredibly gentle yet sweet fragrance has the ability to fill a room from corner to corner, and we think it’s the ideal scented candle for use almost anywhere in your home. It’s scented with vanilla, clove bud, citrus and florals and made using soy-based wax with a burn time of 60 hours and two lead-free cotton wicks.
15. Noble Isle Rhubarb Rhubarb! Diffuser
The best home fragrance for hallways
Size: 100ml
Scent: Sweet
+ Cruelty-free and vegan
+ Great for a hallway
+ Ideal for spring and summer
– Refills not available
– Vessel not recyclable
If you love a sweet fragrance then this long-lasting diffuser boasts a gorgeous floral yet slightly sweet aroma, fuelled by rhubarb, sour juniper berry, and fresh muddled rosemary. It’s housed in an elegant black glass vessel with black silk reeds which require infrequent flipping.
16. Skandinavisk Rosenhave Candle
The best home fragrance for spring
Size: 200g
Scent: Floral
+ Great for warmer months
+ Comes with lid
+ Eco-friendly
+ Burns clean
+ Natural & organic
+ Vegan & cruelty-free
This floral fragrance is eco-friendly and perfect for summer and spring, thanks to its delightful aroma from Alba rose, elderflower, blackcurrant buds and lily of the valley. Perfectly subtle yet still fragrance, it sits inside a pink recycled glass vessel that’s decorative, with a wooden lid to prevent dusting.
17. Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud Candle
The best Jo Malone home fragrance
Size: 200g
Scent: Floral
+ Elegant packaging
+ Lid included
+ Can scent a room without being lit
– Strong
This soy wax candle from Jo Malone is uniquely blended with rose and smoky oud wood, making it classy and unique yet powerful. Adorned with a lid, it’s poured inside a luxury vessel, and we think it’s the best Jo Malone home fragrance if you’re after something different.
18. Diptyque La Droguerie Candle
The best odour-repelling home fragrance
Size: 190g
Scent: Herbal
+ Amber glass jar
+ Year-round
+ Burns clean
+ Odour repellent
– Made using paraffin wax
Made in France and designed to banish odours in your kitchen whilst cooking, this candle is scented with basil, mint and tomato leaves. Light it 30 minutes before you cook and blow it out 30 minutes after to be wowed. It offers an impressively clean burn from start to finish, and its amber glass vessel looks super luxurious.
19. NEOM Organics Real Luxury Reed Diffuser
The best Neom home fragrance
Size: 100ml
Scent: Floral
Refill available: Yes
+ 100% natural
+ Year-round fragrance
– Subtle in large spaces
– Vessel not recyclable
Subtle so as not to overpower a room, this diffuser is scented with lavender and balanced with jasmine and rosewood, to ensure that it works anywhere in your home. Flip its reeds frequently in a larger room, and place it somewhere your guests can see its classic yet luxury look vessel.
20. The White Company Geranium Leaf Candle
The best herbal home fragrance
Size: 210g
Scent: Herbal
+ For kitchens & bathrooms
+ Ceramic vessel & lid
+ Year-round
– Powerful in small spaces
– Soot when burning
This herbal home fragrance is uplifting and anything but subtle as it’s a unique citrus blend with added herbs and fruits – you’ll smell immediate notes of geranium as well as peppermint and Sicilian orange, plus subtle notes of lavender. Filled in the UK using high-quality mineral wax, it sits inside an elegant white ceramic vessel, complete with a lid.
21. Neal’s Yard Aromatherapy Diffuser
The best home fragrance for bathrooms
Size: 200ml
Scent: Fresh
Refill available? Yes
+ Organic + vegan
+ Great gift
+ For bathroom & kitchen
+ 100% natural
+ Recyclable packaging
– Not the prettiest design
Fragranced with 100 per cent natural essential oils, this diffuser is nice and fresh thanks to grapefruit and petitgrain. It’s never overpowering in both scent and looks, with a plain vessel that you wouldn’t necessarily be fussed about having on display or not.
Real Homes review process
(Image credit: Future/Annie Collyer)
Yes, that’s right: I’ve had hands-on experience with every single candle and reed diffuser in this guide. To ensure it smells nice, and so that we can recommend products to you, with peace of mind. I’m Real Homes‘ Head Ecommerce Editor, Annie, and I am a home fragrance expert with years worth of experience testing candles and reed diffusers. I don’t want to toot my own trumpet but because of this, my house smells lovely 24/7, and more often than not I have a wet dog running around so that’s pretty impressive. I usually use these home fragrances until they are around half-empty before coming to a decision. And it goes without saying that not everything I test actually makes it to this guide. Only products I deem more than four stars will be featured.
Choosing a home fragrance for different rooms
Of course, fragrance is very subjective, and if you like what you like and it’s working for you, the rules really don’t matter. But if you’re not sure which home fragrance will suit which rooms, there are a few general rules that can help you make the right choice.
Living rooms: The living room is usually the largest room in the house and can take a strong fragrance. Bold florals, rich amber-based or woody-smoky fragrances, and sweet scents, for those with a sweet tooth, can all travel beautifully across a living room. We’d avoid anything herbal or overly subtle, as you probably won’t be able to smell it much.
Bedrooms: Choosing a scent for a bedroom is all about making sure you won’t disrupt your sleep with an overly strong or stimulating fragrance. Avoid citruses or cloyingly sweet scents; we recommend subtly blended white florals, minimalist scents with tea notes, or herbal fragrances with lavender or chamomile.
Kitchens: The best fragrance for a kitchen will need to blend perfectly with the smells of food being prepared, so it’s always a good idea to pick something that harmonises with those smells. Notes of tomato, passion fruit, basil, citrus, or mint all work really well in kitchens. While a reed diffuser works well in any other room, we avoid putting them in kitchens where they might take on cooking smells, or heat could impact their oils.
Bathrooms: This is your wild card of a room that can accommodate almost any fragrance, strong or subtle – it’s all about preference. We prefer to stick to herbal or fresh fragrances in a bathroom and wouldn’t opt for anything too heavy, especially if your bathroom is windowless.
Hallways: The hallway announces what your home is like to guests, so why not go for a bit of bombast? Opulent white florals, rose scents, or complex woody fragrances will make a strong first impression.
Home office: A home office fragrance needs to help you be productive, without being too distracting. Bright citruses will help you stay awake and concentrate, while a grounded fragrance with notes of amber or tobacco will conjure up a calm and controlled atmosphere. An essential oil diffuser can work well in a home office, too, for a calming scent that’s not too soothing.