Best Summer Candles

Alas, we can’t all be on a permanent summer holiday, but a well-chosen scent can conjure images of sunnier climes – sun cream, turquoise sea, Mediterranean cliff-top villages – in the familiar comfort of your home. Our summery picks are a delicious combination of zesty and refreshing, warm and breezy and sensuous and evocative.

They’re potent too, which means the scent disperses – or throws – well around the room; many (though not all) cheaper candles smell great in the jar but don’t reach far when you light them at home. So while our top picks may feel pricey, you’ll get more scent for your money, and they all burn for at least 40 hours, some as many as 60.

Burn your candle for at least two hours at a time (and maximum four to help it last), until the wax has melted in a pool across the surface, to help it burn down evenly rather than the wick burrowing down and leaving wax up the sides of the jar.

Skandinavisk lykke scented candle: £29, Selfridges

Burn time: 45 hours

When a brand from the world’s happiest nation (Denmark) names a candle lykke – that’s happiness to you and me – take notice. It’s sweet, fresh and gentle, with notes of apple, lemon and spring flowers. You can’t help but feel more relaxed and, yes, happier when you smell it.

Boy Smells Lanai scented candle: £35, Osmology

Burn time: 55 hours

Boy Smells’ pink and black packaging is made for Instagram, and its unusual scents are pretty attractive too. Named after an island in Hawaii, Lanai is a tropical and lightly spiced fragrance – a welcome change from the sweet, cloying nature of most coconut scents.

Atelier Cologne orange Positano scented candle: £55, John Lewis & Partners

Burn time: 60 hours

Named for a village on Italy’s Amalfi coast, Positano was off to a strong summery start before we’d even smelled it. It’s a salty, citrusy scent that conjures strong sun, a light sea breeze and bright blue water. The blue bottle has a narrow neck so you’ll need a gas lighter or long matches once it burns down.

Anya Smells sun lotion orange flower and musk candle : £50, Cult Beauty

Burn time: 30-40 hours

English fashion designer Anya Hindmarch’s candle range is full of her signature sense of fun and enthusiasm, and it doesn’t get much more enthusiastic than the "yes!" emblazoned jar of sun lotion. It’s a blend of bergamot, orange flower and cedarwood for a perfect hot holiday scent, evocative of the eponymous suntan lotion.

The Nomad Society daydreamer scented soy candle: £35, The Nomad Society

Burn time: 85 hours

This is a sweet, creamy, sun lotion-like scent with notes of vanilla and coconut. Subtle and not overpowering, it’s easy and relaxing; a scent reminiscent of long, lazy afternoons on the beach or reading by the pool.