Sniffed and Reviewed: The 10 Best Bath & Body Works Holiday Candles to Burn Right Now, According to Cosmo Editors
Coming in at number one? 'Tis the Season.
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Growing up, the dedicated marker that it was tiiiime (!) was the first lighting of a Bath and Body Works holiday candle. Not putting the star on a tree, not watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade, not the chimes of a Christmas carol—it was always the smell of peppermint, cinnamon, clove, pine, and cookies burning throughout the house. All those iconic scents played a key role in signaling that the holidays were here and now fill my own lil apartment with the same memories. We burned Winter Candy Apple the week between Christmas and New Year's, Winter whenever it snowed, and Twisted Peppermint as we baked on Christmas Eve.
But what scents still hold up today? And what new ones should make the cut for creating even more scent associations for the future? I got the pleasure of sniffing every single Bath and Body Works holiday candle recently and officially made my list of the top 10, from old favorites to new gems. I'm actually picky (which I learned by testing every Bath and Body Works fall candle, lol)—so only the best from me.
Our top picks for the best Bath and Body Works holiday candles for 2025:
Keep scrolling for the full list of the best Bath and Body Works candles, complete with ratings and tester notes from yours truly.
Rating: 5/5
Smells like: Crunchy peppermint, white sugar crystals and frosted mint leaves.
Tester's notes:
- Quintessential Christmas scent—I can't imagine anyone not liking this because it's so classic
- Cinnamon notes are very strong and really come out as the candle is burning
- Fills up a whole room, but in a soft way
Rating: 4/5
Smells like: Vanilla icing, cinnamon sugar, and fresh ground nutmeg
Tester's notes:
- Not too dessert-like, which I actually really appreciate
- Instead, it's a soft, spicy scent that feels like festive but could easily be burned through January
- Amber vessel makes this look way more expensive than it is
Rating: 5/5
Smells like: Crunchy peppermint, white sugar crystals and frosted mint leaves.
Tester's notes:
- I burn this every year to pretend I put up a real tree in my tiny apartment
- A classic Christmas tree scent—it's refreshing, calming, and woodsy
- No other pine scent holds up to this, even uber-expensive ones I've tried
Rating: 4.5/5
Smells like: White woods, pine needles, sparkling clementine, and spiced clove.
Tester's notes:
- Citrus and pine notes mix so well together to create a well-rounded fragrance that really travels throughout the space you put it in
- I love that it's not too holiday specific, so it can easily be burned through the rest of winter if you don't finish it
- A really dynamic, lovely scent that would work in every area of your house
Rating: 5/5
Smells like: Fresh sugar cookies and a warm glass of milk sitting by the fireplace on Christmas Eve
Tester's notes:
- I seriously love this new one—it's exactly how my house smells when my mom is baking Christmas cookies and is so nostalgic
- There really is a beautiful milky note to this—it's not just sugar cookie; there's a creamy quality that honestly smells quite upscale
Rating: 3/5
Smells like: Cinnamon stick, Christmas clove buds, and nutmeg
Tester's notes:
- Reminds me of how my family's home used to smell around the holidays—like the cinnamon-covered pinecones in a bag my mom used to decorate with
- Bonus points for the adorable plaid vessel—it's holiday decor on its own
- I wish it projected a little bit more, but the scent is fairly light
Rating: 3.5/5
Smells like: Ripe red berries, blood orange, and crisp apple
Tester's notes:
- A unique juicy and fruity take on a holiday candle
- If you hate all the gourmand scents and don't want your space to smell like a Christmas tree, this is likely the holiday candle for you
Rating: 4/5
Smells like: Gooey cinnamon roll, warm ground spice, and vanilla frosting
Tester's notes:
- Literally smells like you've been baking cinnamon rolls in your kitchen
- A bit on the nose (hehe), but I like it (totally want to burn this in the morning on Christmas)
- Really pretty vessel is a plus
Rating: 4/5
Smells like: Fresh cut pine, cinnamon sugar, and toasted marshmallow
Tester's notes:
- I love the mix of pine with these sugary gourmand notes—it creates a realistic scent that isn't too syrupy but not screechy and earthy either
- This bright-red vessel is the perfect color for Christmas and really adds something to my space
- The marshmallow note is fairly tame and evokes a creaminess rather than a super sticky, harsh sweet fragrance
Rating: 3/5
Smells like: Crunchy peppermint, white sugar crystals and frosted mint leaves.
Tester's notes:
- Sugared peppermint scent is elevated and yummy
- Because there's a mix of peppermint and mint in this, it has a unique scent that isn't straight candy-cane
- Luckily, this doesn't completely fill the entire house (because who wants the bathroom smelling like candy canes, ya know?)
Why trust ‘Cosmopolitan’?
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with seven years of experience researching, writing, and editing fragrance stories.
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
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