In short: a smoke note smells like a campfire, a woodstove or a cup of smoky tea: dry, warm and woody, with a little sweetness from burning sap. Done well, it is cozy rather than acrid.
What smoke smells like in a candle
Smoke notes range from light and incense-like to dark and tarry. A campfire smoke is woody and sweet, like burning pine and maple. A tea smoke is dry and leathery. A church smoke is resinous, from burning frankincense. In a candle, smoke gives a scent a sense of place: a cabin, a tavern, a night outdoors.
How perfumers make it
You can't bottle real smoke, so smoke notes are built from materials that already smell smoky:
- Birch tar and cade oil (from juniper wood), which are dark and tarry
- Guaiac wood, which smells soft and smoky-sweet
- Vetiver, especially smoky Javanese vetiver
- Aroma molecules like guaiacol, which is part of the smell of wood smoke and smoked foods
Lapsang souchong, a Chinese black tea dried over pine fires, is a famous real-world example of the smell. Our candles use fragrance oils with smoke and ember accords, and a candle with a smoke note doesn't make any more actual smoke than any other candle.
How it is used
Smoke is a base note. A little adds depth and atmosphere; a lot makes a scent dramatic.
What it pairs with
- Maple, clove and embers, for a campfire
- Leather and whiskey, for a tavern
- Frankincense and oud, for incense
- Pine and cedarwood, for a woodstove
Our candles with smoke
- Campfire Stories: smoke and embers with maple, clove, vetiver and patchouli. Also as wax melts.
- Dragonfire Tavern: smoke from the hearth with leather, oak, whiskey and amber.
- Guardhouse Armory: torch smoke with leather, saffron and tobacco leaf.
- Oathbreaker Paladin: incense smoke with frankincense, myrrh and oud.
Common questions
Will a smoky candle make my house smell like a fire? No. Smoke notes are blended with woods and sweetness, so they read as cozy, not burnt.
Does a smoke-scented candle produce more soot? No. Soot comes from the wick and how the candle is burned, not the scent. Keep the wick trimmed to about a quarter inch.
Explore more notes in our Fragrance Notes A to Z, or browse our Woody & Earthy candles.