Do Scented Candles Need To Be Sexed Up To Sell?

At the beginning of this year, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop brand launched perhaps the most controversially named candle of all time. In fact, it only took a matter of hours for the ‘This Smells Like My Vagina’ candle to sell out, despite its $75 (around £60) price tag. Following on from this success, Paltrow alongside fragrance company, Heretic, is now launching a follow-on candle; ‘This Smells Like My Orgasm’. So, does the name of a scented candle really make a difference to its sales?

Standing Out In A Sea Of Scented Candles

Unsurprisingly, scented candles continue to grow in popularity. Only recently are people stopping to practice self-care, prioritising their wellness and creating a space of comfort or ‘hygge’. Beautiful fragrances, coupled with the hypnotic glow of a flame, can help to enhance a feeling of cosiness.

What’s more, there is scientific evidence to suggest that scented candles help to reduce stress, relax the body and promote quality sleep. There have even been studies that show candles with fragrance can improve moods, increase self-confidence and also enhance cognitive performance.

With this in mind, it is no surprise that the global scented candle business is now worth £2.6 billion a year. People in the UK are some of the biggest buyers of candles, spending over £90 million on candles annually. But, is it the name of the candle that is pushing people to part with their cash, or the fragrances it emits?

Candles And E-Commerce

With the rise of E-commerce, more and more people are choosing to buy their candles online. This means that people are choosing their scents without being able to smell them first-hand. For example, online brand Net-A-Porter saw a 180% spike in candle purchase in one month alone. This shows that people may be buying with their eyes instead of their nose.

So, does this mean that people are choosing fragrances based on the name, the description, or the look of the candle?

As The Wax House sells online as well as in shops, we believe it is a mixture of all of these aspects. However, don’t expect us to be naming our candles anything crazy or pervy anytime soon! We carefully select the name of our candles to inspire candle-lovers and invoke memories and images of where our scents will take you.

Where Does A Scent Take You?

As it sold online, most people bought the ‘This Smells Like My Vagina’ candle without knowing at all what the scent would be. They only know the description; ‘A funny, gorgeous, sexy, and beautifully unexpected scent’. So, could we presume that most people wanted to know what Gwyneth’s intimate regions smell like?  Perhaps more likely is that it provides a talking point on their coffee table?

In most scented candle purchases, nostalgia plays a huge part in the decision making. At The Wax House, we certainly look to past memories to draw inspiration for our next scent. It could be the sweet vanilla scent of youth, the sea-salt smell of your first trip to the seaside or the heady smell of jasmine from your favourite holiday evenings. We look to create a moment in time with our candles, rather than a one-dimensional fragrance.

So, while we won’t be sexing up our candles, rest assured we do take care in the naming of our scented candles. This is to make sure it really does match up with the scent and experience that our candles will bring. So, with The Wax House, you can choose on name alone with our home fragrances and know that you won’t be disappointed.

Find the perfect scent to transport you back to your favourite memory here.