The 10 Best Wax Melts

For a classic winter scent from a name sold almost everywhere, Yankee Candle Balsam & Cedar is the safe bet. Fir needles, cedarwood and juniper berry give it a crisp forest smell rather than a sweet one. Each order brings three packs of six melts, so it lasts a while, and Yankee says they fit all of its own warmers. The company doesn't say what wax it uses, and some packs fade faster than others.

Bridgewater Sweet Grace is the scent this South Carolina candle maker built its name on, a soft mix of fruit, sparkling tea and patchouli. Each bar snaps into squares, and Bridgewater says one or two will scent a room for days. It's poured from a soy blend, so the smell is gentle rather than loud, which suits a bedroom or bath. It costs more per ounce than most, and it can seem faint in a big room.

If you want to try several cozy scents before settling on one, Farm Raised Candles Fall Spice puts five in one box: apple, pecan waffles, cinnamon caramel and warm spice. A small veteran-owned family business hand-pours the cubes from soy with no added dye, and they break out cleanly without coating your fingers. Thirty cubes is a lot of wax for the money. How long a cube lasts varies widely, and every scent in the box leans toward autumn.

Few makers admit their melts are paraffin, but Shortie's Fruit & Berry says so up front, and that's the point: paraffin lets fragrance out fast and fills a room. This set holds grapefruit, coconut lime verbena and lemon blueberry, a bright break from bakery smells. The Reno, Nevada company says each cube scents a room for 10 hours or more, and you can re-melt it until the smell is gone. Strength still varies from scent to scent.

For a pumpkin melt with no paraffin, Milkhouse Brown Butter Pumpkin blends butter, pastry, pumpkin, brown sugar, rum and vanilla into a bakery smell. The Iowa company pours it from straight soy without phthalates, and the clamshell breaks into sections you add one at a time. Soy gives off a gentler scent than paraffin, so it's a good match for a kitchen or a smaller room. Now and then the wax won't melt evenly.

Happy Wax Fall Mix comes as little bear-shaped soy melts in resealable pouches, so you can drop in a few and set the strength yourself. The three pouches cover green apple with patchouli, bourbon and woodsmoke, and pumpkin spice. The North Carolina maker skips paraffin and phthalates. The bears look a lot like gummy candy, so keep them away from small children and pets. Burn time is uneven, and the price per ounce runs high.

Pet owners fighting litter box or wet-dog smells are who One Fur All Pet House is made for. This Fresh Cut Roses scent pairs rose with a touch of geranium, poured as paw-shaped cubes of plant-based wax with no dyes, paraffin or phthalates. The smell stays subtle, which suits some homes and disappoints others. The pet-friendly label is the maker's claim, so check with a vet before warming any fragrance near birds or cats.

Most melts come six to a pack, but ScentSationals Honeysuckle Pineapple fills one tray with two dozen cubes, a solid value for anyone who already knows the scent they want. The smell is tropical and floral: pineapple, melon and berry over honeysuckle and white orchid. The company pours it in the U.S. but doesn't say which wax it uses. How long a cube lasts is hit or miss, so a larger room may need extra.

Diva is the fragrance Tyler Candle Company is best known for, and Tyler Mixer Melts Diva puts it into small snap-apart bars. It's a warm, sweet blend built on amber with a hint of chocolate. Each set holds four packs, and the wax is soft enough to cut into smaller pieces when one square is too much. Tyler publishes few other details, and a square can fade sooner than you'd hope.

Nag champa is the sandalwood-and-flower smell of classic Indian incense, and The Candle Daddy Nag Champa brings it to a warmer without smoke or ash. It's hand-poured in Indiana in a single pack of six cubes, which makes it a cheap test of whether incense suits your home. A small piece goes a long way and lingers after the warmer is off. The maker doesn't list the wax, and this is one scent only.