At Wick: A Candle Bar, every candle begins with a story—and every story begins with a scent. When guests walk through our doors, they’re greeted with rows of beautifully crafted fragrance oils, each hand-selected to inspire creativity and elevate the candle-making experience. But curating a signature fragrance collection doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a careful, thoughtful process that blends art, science, and a deep understanding of what people love in their homes.

Here’s an inside look at how we build and refine Wick’s fragrance collection—and what makes our scents truly special.

1. Inspiration Comes First

Before the testing, blending, and evaluating begins, we start with inspiration. Our team stays connected to trends in home fragrance, interior design, and wellness, while also drawing ideas from seasonal moods, nostalgic experiences, and guest requests.

Some scents begin with a feeling—like wanting to capture the coziness of a rainy afternoon, the warmth of a crackling fire, or the comfort of fresh-baked cookies. Others are inspired by nature: blooming gardens, crisp air, salty coastlines, or the earthy stillness of the woods.

By grounding each scent in a theme or emotion, we make sure our fragrance collection reflects the wide range of moods guests want to express through their candles.

2. We Test Every Scent With a Critical Nose

With countless fragrance oils available in the market, only a fraction meet our standards. Each potential addition to our collection undergoes extensive testing before it ever hits the shelves.

We evaluate:

Authenticity: Does the scent smell natural and true to its name?
Complexity: Does it have dimension and balance, or does one note overpower the others?
Cold throw: How strong and appealing is the fragrance before burning?
Hot throw: Does the scent fill a room without overwhelming it once the candle is lit?
Blendability: Can it mix well with other fragrances to create unique custom combinations?
Stability: Does the scent remain consistent in different wax types and temperatures?

This testing process ensures that every fragrance performs beautifully not just in the bottle, but in the candle you take home.

3. Building a Balanced Collection for Every Scent Lover

A great candle bar needs a fragrance selection that appeals to all preferences. That’s why we intentionally curate a diverse, well-rounded collection, including:

Fresh & Clean

Light, airy scents like linen, fresh cotton, ocean breeze, and clean laundry.

Floral & Botanical

Classics like lavender, jasmine, and rose—plus modern greens, herbs, and garden blends.

Woodsy & Warm

Rich notes of cedar, mahogany, sandalwood, and amber for cozy, grounding candles.

Sweet & Gourmand

Dessert-style scents such as vanilla bean, sugar cookie, caramel, and warm spices.

Fruity & Citrus

Bright fragrances like grapefruit, tropical fruits, oranges, and berries.

Seasonal Releases

Special scents inspired by holidays, seasonal weather, and limited-edition themes.

By offering harmony across these categories, guests can build anything—from simple single-note candles to complex, custom blends with personality.

4. Guest Feedback Drives Our Decisions

One of the unique advantages of being a candle bar is receiving immediate, real-time feedback. We pay close attention to what guests love, what they blend together, and what they ask us to bring in next.

Customer insights help us:

Identify top-selling favorites
Retire fragrances that no longer spark excitement
Add new scents based on trends and requests
Tailor seasonal collections to what people genuinely want

Your creativity helps shape our shelves—every blend you make tells us something.

5. Clean, High-Quality Ingredients Are a Must

We’re just as selective about how a fragrance is made as we are about how it smells. That’s why we choose oils from suppliers committed to safe, high-quality, and responsibly sourced ingredients.

Our fragrance oils are:

Cruelty-free
Free from harmful chemicals
Designed for clean burning
Made for strong, reliable performance in candles

Your candle-making experience should be safe, enjoyable, and worry-free—and our fragrance choices reflect that promise.

6. Every Fragrance Is Tested in Real Candles

Before a scent becomes part of our permanent lineup, we pour multiple test candles using different wick sizes, wax blends, and fragrance load percentages. We burn them at various intervals to see how the scent performs from first light to final burn.

This final stage is what ensures:

Even burning
Strong, balanced hot throw
Consistent aroma throughout the candle’s life
A premium experience for every guest

Only after passing these tests does a fragrance earn a place in Wick’s signature collection.

Experience the Scents Behind the Story

Curating Wick’s fragrance collection is a labor of love—one centered around quality, creativity, and the joy of candle making. Whether you're drawn to soft florals, bold woods, or sweet, comforting aromas, our fragrances are designed to inspire and help you create something that feels uniquely you.

Visit Wick: A Candle Bar to explore our signature fragrance collection and start designing your perfect candle.

Behind the Scents: How We Curate Wick’s Signature Fragrance Collection