Faux cobwebs and jack-o’-lanterns help set the Halloween vibe, but nothing creates an enchanting, multi-sensory experience quite like a mantle full of candles. Classic white pillars can create a moody tone, but it’s worth taking things a step further. How about smoky, sultry scents that fill a room with a sense of mystery? And fun shapes and vessels that capture the spirit of All Hallows Eve?

Though I make most of my own Halloween candles, there are a few designs I love from other makers (and big brands) that I had to share. Just don’t let a virgin light them.

1. Apotheke Woodsmoke Candle

OK, it’s technically part of their holiday collection, but you should start burning Apotheke’s Firewood candle as soon as the first bursts of crisp fall air hit. It has such strong smoky, campfire notes that it feels like you should be telling spooky stories around a fire pit. Or, at the very least, making s’mores.

2. Siblings Seasonal Box

I’m a sucker for Siblings’s sustainable, microwave-and-pour candle kits—and their range of Forever vessels, which you can reuse again and again. This Seasonal Box is the key to snagging my favorite scent of theirs—Ghost Stories, the candle formerly known as No. 13, which features a mix of palo santo, marshmallow cream and burnt sugar—but it also includes kits to make two other candles (Last-Picked Pumpkin and Stuga, a violet-plum-cedarwood blend).

Plus, if you sign up for a membership, you’ll get a kit every quarter, and your first box comes with a three-question journal and a Forever Vessel.

3. Halloween Ghost Taper Candles

Sculpted candles double as art, and these curvy candles certainly make a statement on your Halloween table. I love the whimsical touch they add to the room (just watch out for drips!).

4. Snif Half-Baked Pumpkin Smash Candle

I’m not big on pumpkin-y scents, but Snif made me a convert. Rather than smelling like straight pie—or cinnamon, as many pumpkin candles do—this tempers the expected fall scents and elevates them with notes of maple, chocolate and whiskey. It makes for a more complex, beguiling scent that quickly fills the room. (Seriously, the hot throw on this candle is impeccable.)

5. Anthropologie Woody Wild Fig & Cedar Mini Glass Candle

Anthropologie makes an incredible fig candle. It’s woody and vegetal, with a light sweetness that reminds me of walking through a dewy forest on an early fall morning, the crunch of leaves underfoot.

6. Glasshouse Fragrances Harvest Muse Candle

Glasshouse has some of the best scent throw around—and an expertly crafted blend of fragrances. Harvest Muse has a soul-warming feeling to it, with notes of white pumpkin, cashmere, dark plum, whipped vanilla and musk that make it smell like being wrapped in a cozy sweater while sipping chai and enjoying fresh-from-the-oven pumpkin bread.

Editor’s Note: This story originally ran in 2024 but has since been updated with 2026’s latest candles and favorite finds.