Thank you for those who signed up to be a candle tester to help determine the next Christmas candle for Antique Candle Co. If you submitted your candle tester survey, keep reading because the scores from all the surveys are below. If you have never been a candle tester with us and want to learn more, read more about what being a candle tester is all about and how to sign up (we will be looking for candle testers in 2026!)
Dear candle testers: as a reminder, you tested 4 potential new fragrances.....1.) Butter Mints, 2.) Sugar Plum, 3.) Cinnamon Vanilla, and 4.) Frosted Cranberry. Which one was your favorite? Here were the results .....
1.) Butter Mints: This candle had the highest average/mean for general satisfaction out of the four candles you tested. However, not everyone loved this one and some of the dissenting comments included "I think the peppermint scent is too strong and I was hoping for something a little softer and more buttery", "I am just not a fan of mint", and "too sweet & strong smell". This was in the minority. I'd like to add that Butter Mints scored a 6.81/9 on scent supplied from everyone. This indicated a good balance of throw...not too strong, not too weak. Just right. In summary, there was the most agreement that Yes, Butter Mints is a great representation of the scent. Actually, more than half of testers gave the name a 9/9. Some of you actually thought that perhaps "Old Fashioned Mints" would be a more accurate way to describe the mint, vanilla, and butter of this candle.
2.) Sugar Plum: This candle scored the lowest out of all three for general satisfaction with an average of 6.8/9. Although it was the lowest out of the 4 candles, a score of high 6 on the 9 scale isn't actually the worst we've ever seen. During previous candle testing seasons, some fragrances get down to the 3's (yikes!). Many of the comments that rated it lower was due a weak throw and not being able to smell the candle when it was burning in their home. While Sugar Plum scored the lowest, there were several testers that gave praise for this scent "sweet, fun, fruity", "snowy day, fresh, cool, cozy, and sweet". In summary, this candle was the most debated due to lower hot throw by some testers. As one tester said "If the Nutcracker Ballet could have a scent, this would be it!"
3.) Frosted Cranberry: This was was very popular like Butter Mints. Only 16 candle testers said it didn't meet their expectations with some saying it just wasn't for them and another candle tester saying it smelled like soap. The overwhelming majority enjoyed this candle noting "Fresh, wintry, bright", "Creamsicle, milk, cheesecake-y, year-round scent not just a holiday scent" and "Masculine but fruity". In summary, this was a well loved candle and while not the favorite of all, a scent that most candle testers said they enjoyed to some degree.
4.) Cinnamon Vanilla: This candle was also loved by our testers. To be truthful, we don't typically have 3 - 4 candles in a testing kit that score this high. I am quite surprised because we typically have 1 - 2 that are more generally debated/disliked. For Cinnamon Vanilla, some testers said "Delicious", "Spicy, cinnamon-y, Christmas-y, homey, cozy", and "Potpourri, hot tamale, cinnamon stick, bakey". In summary, this candle was the naturally most spice-y, enjoyed in general, but didn't have the same shared love of Butter Mints.
So which one is the new Christmas candle for 2025 & 2026?......
BUTTER MINTS is the NEW Christmas candle :) Butter Mints smells like mint, butter, and vanilla. We went back and forth on the name...do we call it Old Fashioned Minds? But based on the feedback from you all, we kept with Butter Mints. The aroma is just like the actual Butter Mint candies from your family gatherings from the past. At the end of the day, more candle testers scored 9/9 and gave this candle the most shared praise. While testers enjoyed the others, this old fashioned mints aroma was more loved than the other three.
Thank you for testing all four candles! This was a close call, much closer than normal. And since we are a candle factory, we decided to make a very small candle batch of the other three. 😄
Sugar Plum, Cinnamon Vanilla, and Frosted Cranberry are available on the shop until the batch we made sells out. Important Disclaimer: This is the only time that they will be available for purchase and will not be back for the next Christmas season.
What did you think of the results? Let me know your questions and I can share more data if you are interested (there is so much, and this was just a summary).