alpha aromatics®Our perfumers explore the artistry behind creating marketable candle scents for candle manufacturers, and provide the 9 trending fragrances based upon recent and predicted market trends.
To light the darkness can be poetic, sacred, mystical and practical, which reveals why candle worshippers find them so appealing.
In their own way, they tap into the hidden crevices of human memory that swirl within their wavering glow.
Consumers seek that elusive recall of times long past and musings of home, hearth, comfort and family.
There is also the subliminal aspect of creating scents that trigger the compulsion for the repeated sale of a particular fragrance, which relies on the artistic understanding of composing fragrances that a true master perfumer embodies.
Consequently, it’s not surprise that candle manufacturers often partner with fragrance manufacturers, sharing the mission to ensure the production of scents that are both appealing to consumers and safe for use.
The Importance of Fragrance For Enhancing Customer Appeal
Selecting the right fragrances for candles is of the utmost importance because it is the very first thing that attracts shoppers.
Scented candles can enhance consumer appeal in a number of ways. They lead to satisfaction by evoking positive moods and emotions.
Some scents trigger the recall of past travel experiences and destinations such as: gardenias blooming in a serene Georgia garden; cherry blossoms in Japan or exotic far away, redolent islands.
The memories evoked by scents are not the same as those prompted by sight or hearing.
It is this specific human sense that helps build loyalty to a specific brand.
Candles are experienced by touch, feeling and inhalation, the combination of which often leads to impulse purchases.
Understanding Consumer Preferences in Candle Scents
According to statistics, the most common reasons consumers buy and use candles is because they are seeking a pleasant scent to both affect their moods and enhance home decor.
Consumers also use candles for a light source and to repel insects.
There is no way to guess a shopper’s specific preferences, and candle manufacturers understand that only careful preparation can pinpoint the best possibilities.
There are several factors to consider.
The most current research suggests that floral, botanical and scents that relate to the great outdoors are the most popular.
However, trends are fickle and dynamic because they evolve in direct response to consumer statistics.
Lately, scents like: green, waxy tomato, somewhat sweet and herbaceous tobacco, dry, balsamic cedar, and soft, pungent leather have become more favored.
The Importance of Fragrance In Purchasing Decisions
Due to the fact that our sense of smell is directly linked to perception, retailers and other businesses harness fragrance as tool to influence how consumers perceive their brand.
A pleasant scent has the power to enhance the perceived quality, luxury, or cleanliness of a product or environment.
According to the National Candle Association, fragrance is the most important factor that influences candle sales.
Scents have the unique power to affect human emotions and purchasing behavior. In addition, they also are utilized to alter mood and ambience for diverse occasions and seasons.
Certain studies have indicated to candle manufacturers and the companies they engage to create their fragrances that particular scents are known to increase “dwell time” in a store, which encourages impulse buying as well as the assessment of the value of products.
A vanilla-scented candle, for example, can evoke sentiments of comfort and joy, which seduces shoppers into becoming more likely to open their wallets.
The Science Behind Creating Captivating Candle Scents
The science behind candle scents represents a one-of-a-kind coalition between fragrances and the mysterious workings of the human brain, particularly the limbic system, which controls memory and emotion.
It is this intimate relationship that enable smells, once they are inhaled, to relay signals to the olfactory bulb, which processes them.
In their interpretation, they trigger the release of neurotransmitters that include: serotonin, which is known as the “feel good” transmitter, dopamine, which is associated with pleasure and reward and noradrenaline, which is believed to stimulate arousal and the body’s stress response.
Certain properties of candle fragrances, such as eucalyptus or pine, are known to promote awareness and mental clarity by increasing noradrenaline levels.
How Are Candle Scents Developed For Optimal Performance?
When developing candle scents, perfumers use a variety of methods to select ingredients and effectively blend them together.
These include: scent strips; blending by notes; mixing by contrast; or blending with a signature scent. More on each follow below.
Scent Strips
Scent strips are designed to render fragrances in a lasting way. Professionals place a drop of one ingredient on the end of a strip and its name on the other end. The next step involves holding a few strips together in a fan shape and waving them in front of the nose.
Blending By Note
The melding of fragrances with similar notes is known to result in a well balanced candle scent.
Blending By Contrast
By blending fragrances that are considered at variance with each other, a beautiful new candle scent is born.
Blending With A Signature Scent
This combination occurs when a base fragrance is combined with other scents that enhances its ultimate aroma profile.
Fragrance Oils And Essential Oils
There are two types of scents for candles; namely fragrance oils and essential oils.
Their use in candle manufacturing determines their purpose and ultimate quality.
Fragrance oils are formulated from many aromatic ingredients derived both from nature and created by scientific methods.
It is important to note here that not all fragrance oils are the same.
Candle manufacturers offer a wide variety fragrance oils that come from diverse suppliers, who often formulate these type of scents for bath, cosmetics and body use rather than candles specifically.
Scents utilized for personal care products are not that concentrated and are generally not strong enough for candle formulation.
This is why we are a frequent choice for formulating candle scents every time.
Our creations are always free of parabens, phthalates toxic chemicals and they are also gluten-free and IFRA compliant.
Essential oils are found in plants where they attract pollinators. Pure essential oils are never obtained by chemical processes.
They are extracted mostly via water or steam distillation or cold pressing. Weather, geographic location and distillation can influence the ultimate quality of essential oils.
They are potent due to their chemical properties that permit their molecules to be released rapidly into the air.
This also allows the candle to create diverse atmospheres.
These are the reasons they are preferred ingredients for candle manufacturers and the fragrance masters that create candle scents.
Why Quality Ingredients Are Pivotal For Creating Lasting Scents
The use of superior quality fragrance oils helps to enhance the overall experience of burning candles and increases customer satisfaction.
Many candle manufacturers are now including natural ingredients such as: soy wax and essential oils into their candles.
Soy wax is soft and bonds well with fragrance and the clean burning of candles, which adds to a more lasting “scent throw” and consumer satisfaction.
Using natural ingredients is a direct response from manufacturers who seek to please shoppers who value sustainability and eco-friendly solutions to protect our sacred Mother Earth.
9 Trending Candle Scents For Candle Manufacturers
The following represent a sampling of candle scents based upon recent and predicted fragrance trends.
Acorn & Charred Oak
Woody, herbal dried acorn and slightly chocolate, powdery coconut husk open this splendid candle fragrance. These aspects soon drift into a compelling heart of smoky, spicy and earthy patchouli leaf and fresh, sugary orange blossom. A dry down of soft, creamy aged white oak, velvety, smoky sandalwood and sensual, erotic musk complete this fragrance.
Santal
A magical journey through the forest primeval and the crackling seduction of a warm open fire lighting the darkness is captured in this woody and intriguing fragrance. Smoky, woody papyrus and intensely sensual musk evoke associations of ancient cultures long lost to time. Smooth, creamy sandalwood, rich, intense jasmine, sugary, floral orris root, powdery blonde woods, musky, dark patchouli and spicy, exotic and intimate cashmere compound and complete this intricate aromatic tapestry.
Capri Blue Volcano (Inspired By)
Conjuring thoughts of tropical paradise and shimmering sands, this enchanting blue fragrance opens with head notes streaming with bursts of subtle, fruity orange rind, uplifting grapefruit and sugary, lush pineapple. These facets seamlessly drift into a sweetly-scented fruity bouquet marked by elements of complex, rosy raspberry and peachy/plum-nuanced, gingery mango. This delightful fragrance completes with a dry down featuring smooth, creamy sandalwood and passionate musk.
Blue Lotus Bamboo
Fruity facets of velvety peach and bitter, fresh and bright pink grapefruit stream through the top notes of this new fragrance. A floral, woody heart soon takes hold featuring rich, haunting blue lotus and luxurious, fresh and clean green bamboo. The scent completes with a dry down marked by facets of smooth, creamy sandalwood, dry, balsamic cedar and sensual earthy musk.
Brandied Pear Tobacco
Delicate, juicy and enchanting pear nectar and fresh, aromatic mulled fruits stream through the head notes of this glorious formulation. A floral heart bouquet soon follows featuring spicy star anise, intoxicating, rich and creamy gardenia and fiery, clove-nuanced and vivid carnation. The fragrance completes with a potent dry down of rich, warm and whiskey-nuanced tobacco leaf, smoky, fruity and musky oud and erotic, earthy musk.
Cashmere Vanilla
Elements of sugary, fruity pear leaf and mild, sweet casaba melon stream through the top notes of this captivating candle fragrance. A middle note of vanilla-nuanced and almond-like tonka bean soon takes hold followed by an aromatic dry down marked by aspects of sensual, passionate musk, potent, intense and dry patchouli and creamy, smooth sandalwood.
Citrus Agave
Sweet, fragrant and pleasant agave and energizing, bitter and herbaceous grapefruit form the top notes of this joyful fragrance. A floral heart bouquet soon takes hold featuring creamy gardenia, potent, dazzling peony and intense and intoxicating jasmine. A sensual dry down of aromatic white musk and sweet, somewhat cloying mint leaf completes this enchanting candle fragrance.
Passionfruit Zest
Juicy, exotic and ripe passion fruit and sharp pomelo peel flow through the head notes of this alluring candle scent. These elements soon drift into a heart of light, sparkling and floral lemon blossom and deeply aromatic tea leaf. The fragrance completes with a dry down of earthy white musk and herbal, tropical and sensual citrus nectar.
Seaside Driftwood
Facets of clean and refreshing sea spray and bubbly, peach and orange-nuanced citrus sparkle open this glorious sea-inspired fragrance. These aspects soon merge into a heart bouquet of light, bitter neroli and crisp, invigorating lemon grass. A dry down of ozonic, sun-dried driftwood and marine, sweet and earthy ambergris complete this engaging fragrance.
In Conclusion
If you’re a candle manufacturer seeking a new fragrances for your product line and a superior reliable supplier with history that dates back to the late 1940s, contact our teams at Alpha Aromatics today!
Our vast array of premium perfumes for all kinds of scented products, as well as options to create new ones, are developed using the most cutting edge tools in industrial science that money can buy.
