Freshly Baked Bread: Offering a comforting aroma, this scent brings warmth, coziness, and nostalgia to your home. This is perfect for creating a welcoming environment as it also provides a sense of home and security. Place this in your kitchen or living room for the best effects.

Cereal: No matter what generation you are, a cereal scented candle brings back nostalgic memories of milky sweet morning goodness. Lending itself to a unique and playful aroma compared to more traditional scents. Light this in the morning while you brew your coffee or on a relaxing day for the best effect.

Espresso: No, not the song – the scent. This robust scent brings energy and alertness and goes beyond just a freshly brewed cup of coffee. Place this in your home office or living room to enhance focus and productivity.

Tomato: Providing a fresh, earthy scent, tomato stands out compared to other fruity or floral aromas. This will evoke memories of warm sunny days and that unique smell of garden-fresh tomatoes.  This scent leaves users in a calm, relaxing mood as it provides a similar effect to being in a garden.

Maple Bacon: A savory scent that provides a smoky, sweet aroma. Combining these scents leaves users with a unique fragrance that is both comforting and indulgent. A great option for those who love bold scents, or simply bacon. This can be used seasonally or year-round and for those who have a rustic home environment – it will only accentuate it.

Pistachio: This warm and nutty aroma offers a cozy and inviting atmosphere with added sophistication. As a subtler scent, pistachio can be used year-round and blend well with other fragrances including vanilla or florals.

Chocolate Chip Cookie: Not only is this scent universally nostalgic, but it can make any space feel like home. Combining the richness of chocolate scent with a hint of butter and vanilla, this fragrance will evoke happiness and stress relief.

Popcorn: Bring the excitement of a movie theatre straight to your home, minus the buttery fingers, with this fragrance. This aroma is known to bring playfulness and fun to an atmosphere. Making it great for families or gathering with friends. Place this in your living room for the best effect, but be prepared with popcorn in case someone asks, “who made popcorn?”

Overall, food-inspired candles offer a unique way to enrich your home. Beyond typical fragrances, these have a heightened ability to evoke emotions, create nostalgia, and influence ambiance. Make your household an experience and opt for a food-inspired scent next time you pick up a candle.

For more tips, tricks, and candle trends follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

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So we ask you to join us in celebrating World Candle Month and the many ways that candles light up our world and fragrance our lives. All September, the National Candle Association wants you to celebrate the many ways a simple candle can improve our lives.

Improve Mood, Decrease Stress
The soft light and fragrance of a candle cannot only reduce stress, but can actually help us improve our mood. “Scents can have positive effects on mood, stress reduction, sleep enhancement, self-confidence, and physical and cognitive performance,” says Theresa Molnar, Executive Director of the Sense of Smell Institute. Fragrances inhaled go to the brain where the neurological effect can alter mood. So light a candle and celebrate all you have overcome in the last few months.

Help Us Transition from Day to Night
The first day of autumn is September 22, and with this comes shorter days and more hours of darkness. As many of us are spending more time at home, this is a great way to celebrate the change of season and light a candle. When the kids finish with homeschooling, you have logged off your last virtual meeting for the day; you begin to transition into evening. It is the perfect time to light a candle and set the mood for the evening.

Remind Us of People and Places
Many of us have not been able to see family and loved ones. We did not go on vacation this year. Couples have had to cancel their weddings and birthdays have turned into another excuse for a Zoom cocktail hour. Nothing seems the same, and sometimes we are all feeling a bit lonely. However, our sense of smell is one of our strongest connections to memories. So light the strawberry shortcake candle that reminds you of your grandmother’s kitchen and enjoy that candle you bought on Royal in New Orleans. Remember the smells and memories of those cherished times.

Help Us Celebrate
From birthday cake to religious celebrations, candles are a part of the important moments in our lives. However, we do not always need a milestone to celebrate. Lighting a candle at night can create a festive mood, provide additional light to your evening outdoors or take an ordinary dinner and turn it into a party. Make the most of the little moments, as these are the daily milestones of our lives.

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We are all spending more time at home during the pandemic. Most of us have found ourselves working from home or possibly out of work, home schooling children, learning new technology, cleaning our houses with antibacterial wipes and wondering what will happen next. All these new situations can lead to anxiety, stress and even depression. One way you can positively affect your mood is through the power of smells and scents.

“Scents can have positive effects on mood, stress reduction, sleep enhancement, self-confidence, and physical and cognitive performance,” says Theresa Molnar, executive director of the Sense of Smell Institute, the research and educational arm of the perfume industry’s Fragrance Foundation. Fragrances inhaled go to the brain where the neurological effect can alter mood. They trigger areas in the brain that relate to emotions.

Selecting candles, based on their scent or fragrance, can be a great way to improve your mood, reduce anxiety, and even combat fatigue or loneliness. NCA suggests using the chart below as a guide to selecting scented candles.

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Anyone who has ever smelled sunscreen and been transported to a summer vacation knows this to be true.

In addition to inducing nostalgia, scented candles and other aromatherapy products can effectively leverage the power of fragrance to make us feel calmer, happier, and even more productive.

Wary about scented products? If you’re particularly sensitive to fragrances, non-scented candles may be your best bet to avoid discomfort. Otherwise, you can rest assured that you’ll be sniffing safely. All fragranced products are required to meet safety specifications set by the International Fragrance Association (IFRA.) These approved fragrances are not harmful to human health.

With benefits backed by scientific research, here a few aromas to work into your self-care routine:

Boost your mood with citrus.

Bright, citrusy scents are associated with the summer months and sunshine for a good reason. Known for its refreshing properties, research shows that citrus may revitalize your mindset too. A Japanese study found that the smell of citrus helped to eliminate emotional stress and boost participants’ moods for up to 30 minutes.

Try lighting a citrus-scented candle to enjoy the mood-enhancing and energizing power of bergamot, grapefruit, orange or lemon. These fruity scents was also overwhelmingly rated as being “happy” and “stimulating” during a mood mapping test.

Ease anxiety with lemongrass.

Feeling anxious or on-edge? A lemongrass scented candle may help calm your nerves. In a study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, people exposed to a lemongrass scent experienced a higher reduction in anxiety and tension compared to those who didn’t inhale the scent. These participants also recovered more quickly from a stress-inducing situation.

Lemongrass has a light, refreshing fragrance that is reminiscent of fresh lemons and limes. This fragrance blends well with other vitalizing fragrances such as chamomile, lavender, rosemary, and eucalyptus.

Jumpstart your day with rosemary and eucalyptus.

If you’re fighting a case of the Monday blues or need to focus on a project, rosemary and eucalyptus may serve as the perfect productivity boost.

Research supports the use of rosemary as a cognitive stimulant, with data showing memory improvements, boosted alertness, and enhanced focus. Try lighting a rosemary eucalyptus candle for an invigorating start to your day.

To learn more about candle scents, check out our fragrances page. For more scientific findings on candles, explore our research studies.

The post Making Scents of it: 4 Aromas with Powerful Benefits appeared first on National Candle Association.

Whether you’re spending time with a partner or treating yourself, here are a few ways to incorporate candles into your celebration.

Gift it, and Mean it

According to a recent survey from the National Retail Federation, consumers are spending more money on Valentine’s Day gifts than ever before, with an increase of $60 between 2009 and 2019. This generosity is no longer primarily limited to romantic partners, with more people purchasing gifts for other loved ones such as friends, family, or co-workers.

Plus, those go-to giant teddy bears are starting to get swapped for gifts that tell a story or evoke specific emotions. A quarter of the survey’s respondents plan to give a “gift of experience” this year. This experience-centric mindset is especially popular among the millennial generation, offering the opportunity to create a special and unique memory.

Candles are a great way to give every day experiences or indulgences. Looking to make things extra meaningful on February 14^th? Treat your best friend or significant other to a customized candle, with a personalized photo and message or pick a scent that will evoke a favorite memory.

Ignite Emotions With the Sweetest Scents

Since scent is a powerful trigger of emotion, fragranced candles are a simple way to establish those Valentine’s Day vibes. Patchouli and rosewood fragrances are known for their aphrodisiac effect. Uplifting floral scents can also cause sparks to fly, such as Lavender Lemongrass, Fresh Cut Roses, or Golden Gardenia. Other romantic options include jasmine, honeysuckle, or cherry blossom.

For a masculine aroma, try lighting a stronger yet snuggly scent such as Firewood. No fresh bouquet this year? No problem. Try a scent like Rose Water & Ivy.

Set the Mood With Romantic Lighting

When it comes to creating a romantic ambiance, it’s all in the lighting. The soft flicker of candle light is perfect for a Valentine’s Day dinner date, as it eliminates surrounding distractions and allows you to fully focus on each other.

If you’re planning to enjoy a home-cooked meal, add some extra elegance to your table by mixing candles of different heights and shapes into centerpieces. Scatter red rose petals around the table for an extra dash of drama.

While red and pink candles can help represent love and attraction, white candles will also match well with any table setting. Creative candle vessels are another great way to get into the Valentine’s Day spirit. Try displaying a fun message or showcasing an eye-catching design.

Since there’s no bigger buzzkill than an accidental fire, always make sure you’re following all candle safety measures. Keep burning candles within sight, and make sure all candles are far away from anything flammable.

To keep up with the latest candle tips and trends for holidays and beyond, follow NCA on Instagram.

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