If you've ever lit a candle only to end up with a headache 20 minutes later, you're definitely not alone.
Over the years of making candles for Simpl Candle, one thing I've heard surprisingly often from customers is:
"I love candles, but most of them give me headaches."
It's actually one of the reasons I started focusing on simpler, cleaner scents made with essential oils.
So why do some candles cause headaches — and how can you choose candles that don't?
Why Some Candles Cause Headaches
Not all candles are created equal. A few factors can make a candle more likely to trigger headaches for some people.
1. Overly Strong Synthetic Fragrances
Many candles use fragrance oils designed to be very powerful. While this can make a room smell strong quickly, it can also overwhelm the senses.
Heavy, sweet, or artificial scents are the most common culprits people mention when they say candles give them headaches.
When the fragrance concentration is high, the scent can feel dense or cloying, especially in smaller rooms.
2. Poor Airflow
Even a well-made candle can feel overpowering if it's burned in a small room without ventilation.
Fragrance builds up in the air, which can lead to a heavy atmosphere.
Opening windows occasionally or burning candles in larger spaces often makes a big difference.
3. Certain Types of Fragrance Ingredients
Some people are simply more sensitive to certain fragrance ingredients.
This doesn't mean those candles are necessarily bad — just that everyone's scent tolerance is different.
In my experience, customers who are sensitive to candles often prefer lighter, cleaner scents rather than heavy perfume-style fragrances.
What Candles Are Less Likely to Cause Headaches?
From what I've seen running a candle business, people who struggle with headaches from candles usually do better with a few simple characteristics.
1. Lighter, Fresher Scents
Scents from our collection such as:
tend to feel cleaner and less overwhelming than heavy dessert or perfume fragrances.
Fresh scents tend to disperse more gently in the air.
2. Simpler Fragrance Blends
Candles with extremely complex fragrance blends can sometimes feel dense.
Simpler scent profiles often feel easier on the senses.
For example, a candle built around one or two complementary scents can create a fresher atmosphere.
3. Essential Oil Based Fragrance
While everyone reacts differently, many people find candles made with essential oils feel more natural and less overpowering.
This is one of the reasons I exclusively work with essential oils when developing scents for Simpl Candle.
They tend to create a more subtle, natural fragrance rather than a strong perfume-like smell.
How I Approach Candle Scents
When I design a candle scent, my goal isn't to create the strongest fragrance possible.
Instead, I aim for scents that:
- feel clean and balanced
- fill a room gently rather than aggressively
- remain pleasant even after burning for an hour or two
For example, our peppermint candle is designed to create a fresh, uplifting scent without becoming overwhelming.
Similarly, scents like tea tree or bergamot provide a bright, clean fragrance that many people find comfortable to burn regularly.
A Better Candle Experience
If you've had headaches from candles before, it doesn't necessarily mean candles just aren't for you.
Often it simply means you haven't found the right type of scent yet.
Choosing lighter fragrances, simpler blends, and burning candles in well-ventilated spaces can make a big difference in how comfortable a candle feels to burn.
The goal of a good candle shouldn't be to overpower a room — it should simply make the space feel a little warmer, calmer, and more inviting.
