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Bluedot Living’s BuyBetter Marketplace newsletter includes affiliate links, including to Amazon. If you purchase a product through one of our links, we may earn a commission. These commissions help us fund the great journalism that you see on Bluedot. Thank you for supporting us!
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Dear Readers,
I’ve never really been someone who went in for scented things, and I never used to be a candle person, either. Then, I moved to the East Coast, and seasonal affective disorder became more than an abstract concept. I read about hygge, the Danish idea of creating warmth and comfort during the darkest months of the year, and I decided to give the candle thing a try. Soon, I was hooked. There’s nothing like the flicker of candlelight on a chilly night. Add some hot cocoa, a challenging puzzle, and some cozy socks, and you’ve got autumn at its finest. But while candles can set the mood, they can also pollute it.Â
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Beeswax tapers from Bluecorn Candle added extra elegance to the fall tablescape my husband and I created for a recent dinner party.
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Many candles are made from paraffin wax, which is a byproduct of petroleum, aka gasoline. Yikes! When I had a car, I used to try to avoid the smell of fuel as I gassed up. Why on Earth would I want to bring the stuff into my home? The same goes for synthetic fragrances, which can release volatile organic compounds and other irritants into the air. (To learn more about the potential downsides to synthetic fragrance, read our advice columnist’s tips on perfume below.)
Over the years, I’ve created an evolving library of clean-burning candles that I can reach for depending on my mood. There’s the wonderful, non-scent scent of pure beeswax. The woods-after-rain exhalation of the Cascades, one of my favorite national parks. And the unmistakable, fresh green tomato candle that has become one of my go-to gifts. They all set the scene beautifully for fall and beyond. To learn about these candles and more, keep reading.Â
Happy shopping!
– Elizabeth Weinstein, Marketplace EditorÂ
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Pure Beeswax Candles
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For more than 30 years, Bluecorn has been hand-pouring candles in Colorado using pure beeswax, a naturally renewable byproduct of responsible beekeeping. The candles burn cleanly and emit a subtle, honeyed fragrance all their own — no added scent required. The golden light they cast feels warmer and more alive than anything synthetic. I always keep Bluecorn’s votives and tapers on hand to help set the scene for a party.
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Bringing Nature Inside
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I first encountered Juniper Ridge years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since. The Northern California company channels the wild landscapes of the American West into every candle with steam-distilled essential oils from plants like red cedar, sage, and Douglas fir. The resulting scents, earthy and evocative, offer a quick ticket to some of my favorite places, like Big Sur and the Cascade Mountains. The brand also offers incense, essential oils, and minimalist diffusers.
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Glow and Grow
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Modern Sprout makes gorgeous grow lights, garden tools, and creative seed kits, as well as uniquely giftable candles. Once the essential oil–scented, soy wax candles have burned down, the vessels double as small planters. Each candle comes with seeds, so after you’re done burning, you can start growing. The candle’s scents correspond to the plants you’ll soon cultivate. With prices starting at $16.99, the kits are a terrific bargain.
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Delightful Decorative Lights
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Hand-forged in Wisconsin, Northern Forge’s solar-powered luminary pillars aren’t candles at all, but they create such a magical glow that I felt compelled to include them. By day, they’re handsome pieces of weathered steel art. By night, they radiate light through intricate cutouts, casting dancing shadows across your patio or garden: the perfect complement to the warm candlelight indoors.
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Candles to Write Home
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Flamingo Estate’s luxe candles are scented with pure essential oils, many from the Hollywood Hills home and garden that gives the brand its name. Yes, the candles are expensive — the Heirloom Tomato and Jasmine Damask rose candles cost $64, with limited edition candles priced even higher — but they’re truly wonderful, like olfactory postcards from the garden. If you feel like spoiling yourself, or someone else, start here.
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Creative Beeswax Delights
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Four or five years ago, a search for unique Hanukkah gifts led me to Toronto-based Mile End Soap and Candle. The proprietor uses local beeswax to create the most marvelous, hand-dipped candles. Custom name, number, and date candles make birthday cakes even more special, as do charming candles in the shapes of bikes, butterflies, and instruments. But my favorite items remain the incredible menorah candles, which I buy as presents and light on the last night of Hanukkah each year.
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Be among the first to experience a Bluedot Living–curated travel experience, where you’ll connect with local environmental change-makers and enjoy carefully designed all-inclusive itineraries and farm-to-table dining, all in exquisite locales. With five trips scheduled for 2026, ranging from Hollywood, California, to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, there’s a destination to suit every traveler.
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Dear Dot: How Can I Smell Good Without Toxic Chemicals?
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Dear Dot,
I like to wear fragrance. Is there a company that will make me smell great but has healthy ingredients for both me and the planet?
– Bobbi
Dear Bobbi,
Spritzing on your signature scent before you leave the house is luxurious, confidence-boosting, and — carcinogenic? As you mention, the ingredients in your perfume bottle might really stink — there may well be some dark secrets lurking in your perfume bottle. If you’ve ever checked out the ingredients on a bottle of perfume or cologne — or for that matter any number of scented products — you might have noticed one ingredient simply labeled “fragrance.” Well, it turns out that there are over 3,000 chemical ingredients that could be included in the “fragrance”...
To find out what’s really in many perfumes, candles, shampoo, and cleaning products — and what to look out for — keep reading.
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Want to get in touch? I’d love to hear from you. Tell me about your favorite sustainable products and anything else that’s on your mind — email marketplace@bluedotliving.com. I’ll see you again Monday after next.
– Elizabeth Weinstein
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Elizabeth Weinstein, Bluedot’s Marketplace Editor, lives in Manhattan with her husband; papillon Finley; and cats SanDeE* and Modell. When she’s not asking the folks at Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom to try on their most sustainable sneakers in a size 9½, she can be found at the Union Square Greenmarket or gardening on her rooftop terrace.
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Our audience is informed, intentional, and tuned in to sustainable living. Reach our 300,000 readers by advertising here, or contact adsales@bluedotliving.com to reserve your space.
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