22 Really Weird Candles You Might Be Pleasantly Surprised With

"В моем словаре нет слова «невозможно»." Наполеон Бонапарт

Don’t knock ’em till you try ’em.

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1.

This cereal bowl candle because a box of Froot Loops cereal just smells so good it should be a crime — and this candle smells just like a bowl of it!


Amazon

I bought this as a gift for my friend who’s OBSESSED with cereal and would eat it for every meal if he could, and he LOVED this. It smells exactly like Froot Loops cereal, and you can actually use the bowl and spoon once the wax is all melted. He thought it was so cool-looking that he said he might not even light the candle! Either way, it’d still make great decor for a room.

Get it from Amazon for $34.99.

2.

This Teddy Roosevelt-scented candle you’ll be confused by at first but then be enamored by the delightful scent of the outdoors once you light it.


Amazon

The candle smells like pine and leather.

Get it from Amazon for $20 +$4.49 shipping.

3.

An apple pie candle because it’s the only thing that’ll come close to the ~delicious~ smell of fresh apple pie in the oven — dare I say, it might even be better.


CandlelitDesserts / Etsy

4.

A fresh cut wood-scented candle to bring the strangely beautiful smell of cedar trees to your living room.


ClementStCandles / Etsy

Promising review: “I don’t know how he did it, but this actually smells like fresh cut wood. It’s fantastic!” —nicki vida

Get it from ClementStCandles on Etsy for $10.99+ (available with two gift bag options if you’re surprising someone to brighten their day).

5.

A cheese cracker-scented candle that might actually make you crave Cheez-Its once you take a whiff of it — they smell and taste great, after all.


plunksoap / Etsy

Promising review: “This candle smells just like Cheez-Its, which is creepily awesome! I definitely recommend this candle to Cheez-It lovers!” —Kelly

Get it from plunksoap on Etsy for $24.

6.

This summer camp candle because you might be skeptical of that sunscreen smell, but once you inhale the scent combined with the soothing aroma of grass, lemon, and sandalwood, you’ll actually thank yourself for buying it.


Homesick

The candle has notes of grass, lemon, lime, sunscreen, smoke, Jasmine, amber, and sandalwood.

Promising review: “I sent this candle to a friend I met at camp years ago. We live in different states and I thought this would be a nice way to get a little nostalgic and also have something to remind us of each other from so far away! It smells incredible and brings back summer days on the lake and laying in the hammock beneath the trees of the Adirondacks!” —Korina K.

Get it from Homesick for $29.95 or from Amazon for $27.42.

7.

A bacon-scented candle that’ll make your house smell like a warm continental breakfast day and night (and will also make your mouth water).


LumiereCandleCompany / Etsy

The candle has notes of hickory smoked bacon and wood smoke. There’s also an option to add a personalized message on the back.

Promising review: “My friend posted on social media wishing she could have her house smell like bacon all the time. Reading that post and missing her during this time of quarantine, I jumped on Etsy and found this candle! She loves it! The personalization options were a great addition.” —kjlucchi

Get it from LumiereCandleCompany on Etsy for $11+ (available in three sizes).

8.

This crayon candle because you might not think this at first, but after opening the tin, it might leave you with a newfound appreciation for the smell of a brand spanking new box of crayons.


FamiliarFragrances / Etsy

9.

An ~earthy~ dirt-scented candle — admit it. There’s something beautiful about the smell of soil (especially after it rains. Ugh). It might have your whole family wondering if you’ve been working on an indoor garden.


GorillaCandles / Etsy

Promising review: “My pregnant coworker craves the smell of dirt and she loves this candle. It smells like clean dirt.'” —Michelle Lee

Get it from GorillaCandles on Etsy for $16.95.

10.

This campfire smoke-scented candle so you can feel all nice ‘n cozy from the oddly pleasant smell of fired up wood that’s been put out after a toasty night.


Amazon

Once you burn the candle completely, you can actually use the mug!

Promising review: “This is absolutely what I’ve been looking for for ages! It smells exactly like campfire smoke! I go camping just about every weekend, and long for the campfire smell while I work. It smells perfect! There aren’t any added ‘frilly’ scents, it’s just. Plain. Campfire. Amazing! I don’t know why every other candle company seems to want to add perfumes and scents to otherwise natural smells. I’ll definitely be stocking up on these, and will be sending some as gifts.” —Pickles

Get it from Amazon for $16.99.

11.

A human brain-inspired candle that’s equal parts cool and bizarre and one heck of a ~brilliant~ purchase once you light it up and your room smells like vanilla (or lavender, or whichever scent you wind up choosing).


HomesterArtDecor / Etsy

Get it from HomesterArtDecor on Etsy for $24.99+ (available in 11 colors and seven scents, including vanilla, caramel, lavender, berries, orange, banana, and an unscented option).

12.

This cinnamon roll-scented candle because sure, you can just sniff cinnamon buns all day but this candle totally nails your favorite pastry right down to the icing.


Amazon

The candle has notes of cinnamon, icing, and buttery pastry dough.

Promising review: “New favorite candle. The scent is so subtle.” –Abbie

Get it from Amazon for $19.99.

13.

Or a popcorn-scented candle because it might fool your siblings into thinking you’re microwaving a bag to share. They’ll be disappointed to know it’s just a candle at first, but then they might be adding a few to their own cart because it smells so dang delicious.


ETscent / Etsy

14.

This champagne-inspired candle that might make you melt with delight at the crisp, rosy, bubbly scent.


Amazon

It has notes of pink grapefruit, sparkling champagne, raspberry, French cassis, violet leaves, rose petals, crushed sage, crisp mint, and grape leaves.

Get it from Amazon for $32.16.

15.

A Starbucks-inspired candle because it might quickly put all your other candles to shame with that yummy coffee smell.


WickedWickOfTheEast / Etsy

They’re hand-poured into recycled Starbucks iced coffee bottles!

Get it from WickedWickOfTheEast on Etsy for $12 (available in three scents, including mocha, caramel, and fresh coffee).

16.

This grass stain candle that might take you back to those days of playing soccer and coming home with grass stains on your shirt — aka, the smell of destroyed dandelions and scored goals.


ValkyrieCandle / Etsy

This candle smells like dandelions and fresh cut grass.

Get it from ValkyrieCandle on Etsy for $5.40+ (available in two sizes).

17.

A morning chores-inspired candle because doing laundry and cleaning the windows is the last thing you wanna do at the crack of dawn, but this candle exudes more of a “relaxing outside because you completed all your chores” vibe.


GreatOakSoap / Etsy

The candle might remind you of the sweet smell of grass and morning dew.

Get it from GreatOakSoap on Etsy for $11.

18.

This tomato leaf-scented candle you might be super impressed with thanks to the refreshing smells of lemongrass, basil, thyme, and, yes, tomato leaf.


Beanwick / Etsy

This candle has notes of tomato leaf, lemon peel, lemongrass, basil, thyme, leaves, and moss.

Get it from Beanwick on Etsy for $19.99.

19.

A hay-scented candle because if you’ve been a city person for as long as you could remember, you might wonder what the heck hay even smells like at first. But, it’ll transport you to the relaxing, countryside stroll you’ve been missing your whole life.


LumiereCandleCompany / Etsy

Promising review: “Gorgeous scent! I love grass scents and had never tried a candle that smelled of hay before. It really smells fantastic and makes you feel like you’re out in the country. It evokes fond memories of my childhood and uplifts my mood during these dreary, winter days.” —Liz Hart

Get it from LumiereCandleCompany on Etsy for $12+ (available in three sizes).

20.

This essence of Crabbe candle you might be a little unsure of because what would Malfoy’s sidekick even smell like??? But you can relax knowing that it smells similar to cake batter and vanilla.


FloatingStarlights / Etsy

This candle has notes of buttercream, vanilla, milk, cake batter, honey, and a few of Crabbe’s hairs.

Get it from FloatingStarlights on Etsy for $7.25+ (available in three sizes and the options to have it poured into a glass, tin, or clamshell).

21.

A 3-D cat candle that looks equal parts cool and spooky — especially as the metal skeleton is revealed as the candle slowly melts.


Amazon

Promising review: “Really fun to watch it melt. I kept it on a paper plate so the wax wouldn’t stick on any surfaces, and was left with a big, satisfying pile of wax. The back is the last thing to melt and the metal skeleton becomes stained black with soot, which makes the effect even cooler.” —Emily Baker

Get it from Amazon for $34 (available in four colors).

22.

And this leather books-scented candle since not many people swoon over the smell of books to begin with, but just one quick sniff is enough to make you feel like grabbing your favorite novel and keep this candle burning on your coffee table.


Amazon

This candle has notes of oakmoss, amber, and leather.

Promising review: “I gave this as a gift and have received a message from the recipient already. She loves the scent! She and her whole family are book nerds.” —Larry Harboldt

Get it from Amazon for $35.

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Looking for the perfect gift for any occasion? Check out all of BuzzFeed’s gift guides!


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Looking for more great Amazon finds? Check out some of our favorite cheap things to buy on Amazon, some of the weirdest things on Amazon you might actually want, or read through all the rest of our incredible Amazon product recommendations.

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