Did you know that about 3.2 billion dollars are spent on candles on average a year? Or that roughly seven out of ten houses in the United States use candles?
With statistics like those, it's clear that candles are something many people enjoy. However, more "feminine" associated scents such as roses or honeysuckle aren't appealing to everybody.
Luckily enough, those aren't your only options. Recently the candle industry has been focusing more on masculine candle scents to appeal to a broader crowd.
Masculine candle scents aren't just for men; they're for anyone who doesn't enjoy floral scents. And we've compiled a guide to help you choose which fragrance would be right for you.
What makes a masculine candle scent?
While scents aren't inherently gendered, we have come to see different types of fragrances as inherently feminine or inherently masculine. This is due to the history of fragrances as well as our neuroscience.
When you think back to your childhood, you probably remember your mother wearing a perfume that smelled like flowers or something sweet.
While this is what you remember of your mother, you might remember your father's cologne, or the smell of sawdust when he was working on a project.
Thanks to generations of childhood memories like this, floral and sweet scents have become associated with women and femininity. Wood or earth-based scents likewise become associated with men and masculinity.
Other scents, like those that involve citrus, aren't as closely linked to a specific gender and can be considered unisex.
Why Choosing Candle Scents is Important
The sense of smell is an incredibly powerful thing, that links to plenty of other things.
Our sense of smell can affect our mood and our memory. Being in a place that smells bad can eventually make you nose-blind; it will still easily make you more irritable or even sick.
Likewise, when an area smells good, it puts us in a better mood and reduces stress and irritability.
In addition to this, scents can help create some of our strongest memories. When we buy a new car, smell a textbook, or burn a candle, the smell can instantly take us back to another time with a similar scent.
Finding a candle that you enjoy can help improve your stress levels and mood and help you make better memories.
What are some masculine scents?
As stated before, the fragrances commonly considered to be masculine scents are those that are earthy or wood-based.
Bay rum is an old fragrance made initially of bay leaves, cloves, and rum. These days they can add a citrusy scent such as lime or a spicy scent like cinnamon.
Cedarwood is another popular masculine fragrance, although it is rarely seen on its own in candles as it isn't a strong scent. However, when placed in candles, it mixes well with spicy or citrus scents. People also add other woodsy scents such as evergreen or fir.
Strong aromas are also popular in masculine scents. These tend to be ones such as eucalyptus or peppermint. Interestingly enough, they are also considered very useful in aromatherapy.
Eucalyptus is great to help with breathing and colds, whereas peppermint is well known for its ability to assist in getting rid of nausea.
Black pepper has been slowly becoming popular in men's fragrances. It mixes great with other scents, particularly citrusy ones such as bergamot.
How Do I Choose the Right Scent?
Choosing the right masculine candle scent is not a firmly definitive thing. It is almost entirely dependent on your tastes and what you typically choose for candle scents.
Only you know what your taste in fragrances is like, or the taste of the person you want to buy for.
A good rule of thumb is to keep in mind what you typically choose for body wash, or cologne is something that you will possibly enjoy.
If you don't like strong scents in cologne, you probably won't enjoy them in the air either. Likewise, some people might have breathing issues that prevent them from enjoying strong fragrances due to the worry that they might cause. Also possible are headaches.
Keeping this in mind, you are the only one who knows what you can and cannot handle, and there are plenty of options out there for you to choose from if something is too strong.
Something To Consider
There are many different types of candles, but the best kind to buy if your goal is enjoyment and relaxation is something with a soy base.
Beeswax is expensive, paraffin wax (the most common kind) leaves a sooty residue behind that can be counteractive to your goal of relaxation, and gel candles are typically used for novelty candles.
On the other hand, Soy candles leave little residue and are far easier to buy than beeswax candles. They are also readily available, making them the best for your relaxation.
Soy candles are also environmentally friendly and, with the right actions, can last for a long time, making them even more cost-effective.
Go Candle Shopping Today!
You now have some guidelines regarding what to consider when shopping for masculine candle scents.
We've shared which types of candles would work best with what goals you have in mind.
You've also been given some examples of what would be considered a masculine scented candle.
So now, it's your turn!
Start looking through our shop to find the best masculine scented candles for you or your loved one. We have all kinds of candles you can choose from- from scents, to how many wicks, to even what size it is. There are even special matches that you can buy from us to light your candle.
Whichever candle you end up choosing, we hope that you enjoy it!