Understanding the Fragrance Meter
How We Measure Scent Strength Across Different Products
If you’ve browsed our candles, wax melts, or room and linen sprays, you’ve probably noticed a little bar we call the Fragrance Meter. It’s our way of showing how intense a scent will feel within that specific product type.
A “Medium” candle does not equal a “Medium” room spray or a “Medium” wax melt. The meter is always relative to that product’s material and its safe fragrance load. Different products can hold different amounts of fragrance oil because they use different bases—wax, liquid, or solvent. So the same scent may feel subtle in one product and bold in another, even though nothing about the fragrance itself has changed.
Candles
Typical fragrance range: up to roughly 15% (varies by wax type and safety standards). Candles are limited by how much fragrance oil a burning wick and wax blend can safely support. Push past the limit, and the candle can tunnel, smoke, or burn incorrectly—so formulas stay within a controlled range.
Wax Melts
Typical fragrance range: up to roughly 25%. Because wax melts are warmed, not burned, they can hold more fragrance. That’s why wax melts are often the strongest scent-delivery format in home fragrance—they’re designed purely for aromatic payoff.
Room and Linen Sprays
Typical fragrance range: about 3%–10%. Sprays must comply with IFRA and cosmetic safety guidelines. Go too high, and you risk staining, irritation, or instability—so the allowable range is narrower and more tightly regulated.
So What Does the Meter Really Tell You?
It compares strength within the same category, not across all products. A “Bold” wax melt isn’t stronger than a “Bold” spray in absolute terms—it just means each is at the higher end of its own safe, effective range.
The scent formula is adjusted for performance, not altered in character. The fragrance stays the same; only the delivery system changes.
It helps you shop by experience, not guesswork.
Quick Guide: Choose Your Format
- If you like stronger scent throw: choose wax melts.
- If you want a balanced, atmospheric scent: choose candles — ours are formulated to fragrance an average-sized room in about two hours at a “medium” strength level.
- If you prefer full control over intensity: choose room & linen sprays — they’re comparatively light; spritz more for a bolder scent, and less for a lighter touch.
Why We Created the Meter
Because “strong” is meaningless without context. Home fragrance doesn’t have a universal scale. What seems bold for a spray and bold for a candle live in completely different rule sets—chemistry, combustion, IFRA limits, and more. Our Fragrance Meter makes that visible and transparent, so you’re never surprised by intensity. It’s not about revealing formulas; it’s about helping you choose the right experience.
Want to See It in Action?
You’ll find the meter on every product page, just below the fragrance notes. As we expand into other formats, the meter will evolve too.