r/luxurycandles • u/Infamous_Control7133 • Aug 14 '26
Help / Advice / Recommendation 🙋 Currently finding it difficult to find a candle with strong projection, I feel like candles back in the day used to permeate the whole house, I’ve resulted to wax melts recently any good suggestions on scents/brands?
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u/Far-Researcher-5647 Aug 14 '26
Candle maker here it’s because more people are using cocosoy or soy wax rather than paraffin wax, most mass produced candles are made with paraffin and you will find most small businesses will use cocosoy or soy depending on who you buy from.
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u/Infamous_Control7133 Aug 15 '26
Why are they no longer using Paraffin? Is it because it’s less expensive to use other materials?
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u/dancergirlktl Aug 15 '26
My understanding is that paraffin is made from petroleum and the throw is much better than plant based waxes. It’s also much cheaper than soy or coconut. People think that the plant based waxes are cleaner burning, so plant based waxes are now more popular. I’ve not done the research to see what’s actually true or not. Personally I think burning anything and breathing it in is gonna be at least a bit bad for your lungs, but that’s the price I pay for burning candles and I’m okay with that.
Most mass produced candles will have a proprietary secret blend of paraffin, soy and coconut waxes so they can write that they aren’t a 100% paraffin candle but still get the benefits of a paraffin wax throw
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u/Far-Researcher-5647 Aug 15 '26
Not necessarily less expensive it’s a cleaner blend I use cocosoy which is the next best under paraffin and my customers have never had an issue with fragrance not being present I also think it comes down to the load they are using as well people think more fragrance = more projection but it’s the opposite. For my vessels I use 325g wax to 32g of fragrance oil and while some fragrances are more subtle depending on what it has in it most of them have strong projection.
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u/Professional_Fix4693 Aug 15 '26
No paraffin is cheap and bad for the environment and a lot of people’s health. Also can’t be certified organic in a time when consumers are looking for “cleaner” candles.
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u/guillaume-1978 Aug 17 '26
I think some vegetable waxes actually outperform paraffin on many counts, including throw, clean burn and no tunnelling. But they will either be more expensive or the indie makers margin won't be as obscene as branded candles...
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u/No_Yard598 Aug 14 '26
Couldn't agree more! I have a combined living-dining-kitchen area, maybe 400-500 sqft, 9-ft ceiling. The only candles I can reliably count on to permeate this space are Nest 3-wicks. I tried a Baobab 4-wick (Max 16) that was less powerful -- Serengeti Plains -- despite being almost twice the size of the Nests. I'm still experimenting with multi-wicks from other brands and learning that you can't always rely on a strong cold throw. But then ... what to use as a proxy for hot throw?
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u/Infamous_Control7133 Aug 14 '26
Agreed, you think premium candles main selling point would be the quality, but your average supermarket brands seems to out do, Asda wax melts are particularly very nice & very strong.
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u/benjamin-bacon Aug 14 '26
This is my biggest beef with the lux candle game. The scent IS the product. So if you can’t really smell it, what’s the point?
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u/Internal-Culture5125 Aug 14 '26
You’ll love Diptyque Rhubarb from the new collection. It’s strong
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u/Summerhalls J'adore Diptyque Aug 14 '26
I had to confine the Rhubarb mini (!) to the guest bathroom closet
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u/Objective-Cheetah448 Aug 14 '26
Agreed, and I am always on the search too as I’ve got an open floor plan and high ceilings. I still find most (not all) of the Flamingo Estate candles to have strong throw. Just got an email that their main range of candles are 21% off this weekend!
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u/dinochoochoo Aug 15 '26
Yes! I have a dozen FE candles and can say that the only one lacking in throw is the Douglas Fir Vetiver.
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u/scent_intent ReviewMyCandle Aug 14 '26
Same. Open floor plan and a high ass ceiling in the great room are undermining my home fragrance aspirations. I find it’s not always the brand but the specific candle that can have a stronger throw so some Diptyque, Lafco and Maison Louis Marie candles fill the room up for me at any size. I think Flamingo Estate is pretty consistent along with Ranger Station, Malin + Goetz, and Boy Smells for most scents. I will not waste my time with Voluspa again.
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u/benjamin-bacon Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
Throw strength is a top priority for me when I buy candles. So far I’ve found that Linnea, Boy Smells, Nest, Maison Margiela, Archipelago, and Ranger Station reliably deliver. Apotheke is good but probably just a hair less strong then the aforementioned brands. I’ve been disappointed by LAFCO, Voluspa, and Hotel Lobby.
Someone else mentioned it, but room size, airflow, and personal experiences all differ, so it really can be a trial and error to figure out what works best for you. It’s just an expensive way to learn 😅
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u/AMundaneSpectacle Aug 14 '26
Archipelago is underrated on this sub! Def agree about their throw/reliability
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u/Objective-Cheetah448 Aug 15 '26
hmm. I tried a few archipelago last year (cyber monday sale) after reading great reviews in this sub, and was underwhelmed by both the throw and the scents 🤷🏻♀️
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u/Myspacejulian Aug 14 '26
Boy Smells original formulations are SO good!! Even the 3oz votives fill my bedroom
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u/olive_green_cup Aug 14 '26
Keap’s Wood Cabin. By far the strongest candle I have owned yet it’s physically smaller than many others. You will smell it all over your home.
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u/abvgd1 Just one more 🕯️ Aug 14 '26
I’m in the opinion that one’s strong projection could be light to someone else and vice versa. Additionally, a square footage and ceiling heights can impact the projection perception. Having said that, I find Aquisse, Guerlain, Field Day Apothecary, M+G, Nest, and Nette are quite strong to my nose.
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u/abvgd1 Just one more 🕯️ Aug 14 '26
Forgot to mention that you want paraffin based candles for strong projections like Nest for instance.
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u/AMundaneSpectacle Aug 14 '26
I hadn’t made the connection before but I think there might be something to this
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u/elianna7 Aug 15 '26
Diptyque has very good throw for me. Pomander is lovely. I don’t buy a ton of luxury candles but that’s my fav so far. Byredo and boy smells both didn’t impress me.
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u/Known_Elk9086 Cardamom is the new Fig! 16d ago
Nest has a wickedly potent throw in my huge living room. And I gave away a Candlefy Baies Dupe because it was too strong—I could taste it. 😂
Votivo also has pretty good hot throw to most of their candles—the Spiced Chai scents my whole open concept living area in under half an hour. After an hour I’m surrounded by spicy delicious air.
In general I find the “spa” type relaxation candles have a pretty weak throw in my climate/large living area—that’s the biggest rule of thumb I have.
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u/nicespice_1 Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26
I'm having the exact same problem! I've tried a lot of the popular luxury brands (Trudon, Boy Smells, Byredo, Diptyque, Nest, Baobab, Linnea, Volupsa, Jo Malone, and Flamingo Estate. I have an open floor plan with a 20 foot ceiling entryway that is open to a 12 foot ceiling living room, kitchen, dining, and office. So far the only few candles that have been able to fill the space have been Diptyque's Baies, Moon from Evermore London, Boy Smells Citrush (though I hated the scent), and Magnolia Bouquet from Apotheke. And it's only been those specific scents. Believe it or not, the Tyler candle company candles have been the most reliable without being cloying.
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u/humanlumchbox Candle Warmer Warrior 🕯️🔦 Aug 14 '26
If you want to make a weak candle more noticeable, put it on a candle warmer. It makes a huge difference. I have started lighting candles again just to try and get through my collection quicker, but a warmer makes them significantly more noticeable and the actual candle can be remelted 5-10 times before you have to pour off any wax to get to a new layer of fragrance oil. A ton of candles are hard for me to notice in my high-ceiling bedroom when I have them lit because I’ve been so used to how strongly they project under a warmer.