These Zara Candles Were Created by Jo Malone, and They're Only £16

Candles are one of my favourite small joys—there’s something so satisfying about unboxing a fresh candle, lighting a fresh wick, and watching the flame flicker while waiting for the scent to fill the room. A great candle is far more than just a practical way to scent a space; it can be a feature centrepiece, an instant way to create ambience, and (depending on the scent) can help to boost and enhance my mood. In the summer I love fresh, green and floral scented candles, and in the winter I reach for those with warmer woody notes that create feelings of cosiness. My favourite candle ever is Malin + Goetz’s Dark Rum (£46), and I love the scented candle offerings from some of my favourite luxury fragrance brands, like Diptyque, Le Labo, and Jo Loves. But the one thing I love more than just a great-smelling candle? An affordable great-smelling candle.

In recent years, high street retailers like & Other Stories, Marks & Spencer, and H&M have debuted their own affordable candle collections—and are all amongst my go-tos for luxury smelling candles that don’t break the bank. But in 2020, Zara really shook things up when they launched a line of candles in collaboration with legendary British perfumer Jo Malone CBE (the founder of both Jo Malone London and Jo Loves). The Emotions candle collection comprises eight scents (also available in perfume form) which, in classic Jo Malone style, combine some of nature’s most distinctive notes, including crowdpleasers like sandalwood, neroli, and peony. 

As you can imagine, these notes are combined in the same unique and striking ways that Malone created some of her most iconic fragrances, like Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin, and Jo Loves Green Orange & Coriander. They’re all unique, interesting and extremely luxurious—but the best part? Despite weighing a hefty 200g, the candles are priced at an affordable £16.

Since discovering them, I’ve been on a ‘gotta catch ‘em all’ mission to hunt down each scent. My personal favourite is Amalfi Sunday, which smells like all the best parts of summer combined into one. Warm, vibrant, and providing exactly the kind of escapism I like from a candle when I’m stuck inside on a dull, grey day. Likewise, Tubereuse Noir evokes the nostalgia of spending warm evenings in flower-filled gardens, and Bohemian Bluebells reminds me of one of my favourite childhood walks. As a whole the collection is very fresh and summery, but each in its own unique way. They’re all incredibly potent—the kinds of candles you can smell before you’ve even opened the box, and they’re also impressively long-lasting (something not always found in affordable candles).

I honestly rate every single one of these candles—there’s not a single dud—and they’re just as good as their more expensive counterparts when it comes to quality, burn time, and fragrance intensity. 

Next Up: These 17 Candles Will Make Your Home Feel (and Smell) So Expensive

This story was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.