Five of the seven candles on this list are poured in Portland, and the two we would light first in a Portland home come from the other side of the country. That ranking surprises people. The city has a deep bench of independent candle makers, with shops running from downtown out to Alberta Street.
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Most people already know the usual way to choose. You walk into a shop, lift a few lids, and buy the jar that smells most like Forest Park after rain. That sniff test tells you about the fragrance and very little about the wax that carries it through your air all wet season, which is why our pure beeswax candles, hand poured in New York City, earn a place on a Portland list.
What a cold jar on a shop shelf can tell you
Fragrance behaves one way cold and another way hot. The smell you catch from an unlit jar is called cold throw. It comes from fragrance oil resting on the surface of solid wax.
Once the candle is lit, heat pulls that oil into the air. Whatever the wax releases as it melts and burns goes with it. So the jar that smells best on the shelf tells you a lot about the scent and almost nothing about the burn.
The burn is the part you live with. In a Portland home, you live with it longer than most, because the wet months keep windows shut and the same air moves through the rooms for weeks. That leaves four things to check at any counter, starting with the one that decides the rest.
The wax, which sets the floor for everything else
Start with what most candles in the world are made from. Crude oil goes to a refinery, where it is heated and split into fuels like gasoline and diesel. Near the end of that process, a waxy residue is left over.
Refiners strip the leftover oil out of that residue, bleach it white, and sell it as paraffin. Once you see those steps, the plain description follows: paraffin is petroleum waste given a second job. When it burns hot, it can leave the black soot you sometimes find on a jar rim or a wall above a shelf.
Soy wax comes from soybean oil that has been hydrogenated, a process that hardens a liquid oil into a solid. It burns cleaner than paraffin, and many Portland makers use it. The word on the label does not always tell you the full story, since some candles sold as soy are blended with paraffin. The only way to know the ratio is to ask.
Beeswax starts inside a hive. Worker bees make it to build honeycomb, and beekeepers collect it as a byproduct of the honey harvest. It is filtered to remove bits of comb, and then it is ready to pour, with nothing refined out and nothing added.
Beeswax also has the highest melting point of any common candle wax. A harder wax melts more slowly under the same flame, which is why our 12 oz candle burns for 80+ hours. One ingredient you can name, burning slowly, is the floor we hold every candle on this list to.
The word doing the most work on the label
After the wax, read the fragrance line. A single word, "fragrance," can stand in for a long list of ingredients that never appear on the jar. Some of those blends are toxic fragrances that contain phthalates, a family of chemicals used to make scent cling and last longer.
The fix is one question. Ask the maker whether the fragrance is phthalate-free. A maker who has checked will answer right away, and that answer tells you how carefully the rest of the candle was built.
MBur uses only non-toxic, phthalate-free fragrance oils. Every candle page lists its full set of scent notes, so you know what you are bringing home before it ships.
The two you can see with your own eyes
The last two checks need no questions at all. Look at the wick first. Wooden wicks are flat strips of wood that burn wide and crackle softly as they go.
Our 12 oz size carries two wooden wicks. Two flames spread the melt across the whole jar, so the wax pools evenly from edge to edge and the scent has a wide surface to rise from.
Then look at the color. Pure beeswax is a soft golden yellow on its own. Bright reds and deep teals come from chemical dyes, which add another ingredient to the burn without adding anything to the scent. MBur candles use no chemical dyes, so the gold in the jar is the wax itself.
That makes four checks: wax, fragrance, wick, and color. The next question is why they matter more in this city than in most.
Why a Portland room raises the stakes
Portland's wet season runs long, and most homes stay closed up through it. A candle you light most evenings from fall into spring burns in the same air you sleep and work in. The four checks stop being trivia once a candle becomes part of the room for months.
Picture coming home from a wet Saturday in Forest Park, boots by the door and rain still beading on the window. You want the room to smell like the trail you just left, from a candle that burns slow and clean through the whole evening. That is the moment our Touch Grass beeswax candle was made for, with fig and cedarwood over a sharp green opening, poured in one wax that lasts the season.
Beeswax also burns with a warm light, the closest of any candle wax to natural sunlight. On a gray January afternoon when the streetlights come on early, that warm light is the first thing you notice, before the scent even reaches you.
How we ranked the 7 best candles in Portland
We ranked this list in two groups. The two candles we could confirm against all four checks come first. The five Portland stops follow, ordered from the downtown shop most visitors find first to the neighborhood studios locals send their friends to.
Bring the four checks to every counter here. They work the same way in a shop on Alberta Street as they do on a product page.
1. Touch Grass by MBur Candle Co.
Standout feature: a green, woody scent built for a city that lives near the forest, poured in 100% beeswax.
Scent notes: Fig, Black currant, Galbanum, Coconut, Davana, Cedarwood, Amber, Orris, Tonka bean.
Galbanum is a plant resin with a bitter, fresh-cut green smell, and it opens the candle the way crushed stems open a walk through wet ferns. Davana is an herb oil with a soft fruity edge. Orris comes from iris root and gives the base a dry, powdery warmth that settles in alongside cedarwood and amber.
Wax: 100% beeswax | Wick: wooden, two on the 12 oz | Fragrance: phthalate-free | Burn time: 40 hours (5 oz), 80+ hours (12 oz) | Dyes: none
Best for: the living room you light most nights through the rainy months. Get the 12 oz size, $65, for that room, because its two wooden wicks melt a wide, even pool and its 80+ hours carry it through evening after evening with the windows shut.
2. People Watching by MBur Candle Co.
Standout feature: the warm, spiced smell of a coffee shop window seat on a rainy afternoon, in a candle you can light at home.
Portland runs on its cafes. You know the seat: a corner by the glass, a warm cup in both hands, the street blurred by rain while people hurry past under hoods. People Watching was built around that seat.
Scent notes: Lemon, Orange, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Allspice, Ginger.
The citrus opens bright, like zest grated over a pastry. The baking spices settle in under it, and vanilla holds the whole thing together like a warm glaze. It is the scent we would pick for a reading nook or a desk by the window.
"I love this candle. I burn it everyday and my whole place smells AMAZING."
Verified buyer
Wax: 100% beeswax | Wick: wooden, two on the 12 oz | Fragrance: phthalate-free | Burn time: 40 hours (5 oz), 80+ hours (12 oz) | Dyes: none
Best for: a small room or a corner you use on slow afternoons. The People Watching beeswax candle in the 5 oz size, $32, fits that spot, because one wooden wick suits a smaller room and 40 hours covers the rainy afternoons you light it there.
3. Allburn Wax, downtown
Standout feature: a downtown candle shop across from Powell's Books that hand-pours its own candles and stocks work from a long list of other local vendors.
Good stop for: a first-time visitor who wants to see many Portland makers in one room, or anyone already spending an afternoon among the shelves at Powell's. Ask about the wax and the fragrance on each jar you pick up, since the shop carries many makers under one roof.
4. Penrose Candles, Alberta Street
Standout feature: scented soy candles in ceramic vessels, with a refill program at the Alberta Street flagship.
Good stop for: a shopper already walking the Alberta Arts District, or someone buying a gift for a friend who likes to keep and reuse a vessel. The refill counter makes this one of the more hands-on candle stops in the city.
5. Wildwood Candle Co.
Standout feature: soy-coconut candles with scents named for Forest Park trails.
Good stop for: someone shopping for a friend who hikes those trails and would like seeing a familiar trail name on the label. It makes a thoughtful Portland souvenir for a visitor heading home.
6. Fire + Folk
Standout feature: a queer woman-owned studio pouring nature-inspired Pacific Northwest scents, with a focus on sustainable packaging.
Good stop for: shoppers who make a point of supporting queer-owned and woman-owned businesses. The house style leans toward the forest and coast, which suits gifts for anyone who loves the region.
7. Yo Soy Candle
Standout feature: woman-owned candles printed with affirmation statements, plus an interactive Candle Creation Bar.
Good stop for: a group outing, a birthday, or a rainy weekend afternoon spent pouring a candle of your own. If you would rather make one than buy one, the workshop is the reason to go.
Many of these makers also sell at regional handmade markets like Crafty Wonderland. A market day is an easy way to meet several of them at once.
The seven picks side by side
| Pick | Made in | House style | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Touch Grass, MBur | Hand poured in New York City | 100% beeswax, wooden wicks, phthalate-free fragrance, no dyes, green and woody | A living room lit most nights |
| 2. People Watching, MBur | Hand poured in New York City | 100% beeswax, wooden wicks, phthalate-free fragrance, no dyes, citrus and baking spice | A reading nook or window desk |
| 3. Allburn Wax | Downtown Portland | House candles plus many local vendors | Browsing many makers at once |
| 4. Penrose Candles | Alberta Street, Portland | Soy in ceramic vessels, in-store refills | Gifts for vessel keepers |
| 5. Wildwood Candle Co. | Portland | Soy-coconut, Forest Park trail scents | Gifts for hikers |
| 6. Fire + Folk | Portland | Pacific Northwest nature scents, sustainable packaging | Supporting queer-owned business |
| 7. Yo Soy Candle | Portland | Affirmation candles, Candle Creation Bar | Group outings and workshops |
What Portland shoppers ask us next
"But I want to buy local."
That is a good instinct, and the shops above make a great Saturday. The four checks travel with you to every counter. The candle you burn every night in a closed-up home is the one that has to pass them, and the two we could confirm against all four are the two at the top of this list.
"But my apartment is small."
Then the question is size, and the answer depends on the room. A studio or a bedroom under the eaves suits the 5 oz size with its single wooden wick. Save the 12 oz size for the main room where people gather.
"But I want a scent that fills the whole room."
Beeswax melts slowly and evenly, which gives the fragrance a steady surface to rise from for hours. One verified buyer described it this way.
"Theres nothing I hate more than a candle that can't fill the room and baby this is NOT that. This candle permeates every corner of the room."
Verified buyer
FAQ
Where can I buy locally made candles in Portland?
Downtown, Allburn Wax carries its own candles and many local vendors. Penrose Candles has a flagship on Alberta Street, and makers like Wildwood Candle Co. and Fire + Folk sell online and at markets like Crafty Wonderland. For a single-ingredient beeswax candle, you can order from our beeswax candle collection online.
What kind of wax do Portland candle makers usually use?
Most of the city's independent makers pour soy or soy-coconut blends, and a few work in beeswax. If a single, unblended wax matters to you, ask about the ratio at the counter. Every MBur candle, including Touch Grass, is 100% beeswax with nothing blended in.
Which candle should I burn in a home office on rainy mornings?
Pick something cool and clean for the start of the day. Our Sunday Reset beeswax candle carries Peppermint, Clove, Cedar, Patchouli, Vanilla, Eucalyptus. The mint and eucalyptus open cold and bright, then the cedar and vanilla settle the room as the morning goes on.
How do I get a wooden wick to burn evenly?
On the first burn, keep the candle lit until the melted wax reaches the edge of the jar, since wax remembers its first melt line. Trim the wooden wick short before each lighting, and never leave a lit candle alone. The National Fire Protection Association has more candle fire safety guidance, and our People Watching candle page lists the burn time for each size.
Our pick for the best candle in Portland
Portland has plenty of good candle shops, and they make for a fine afternoon out. The candle you light most nights, in a home sealed up against the rain, has to pass four checks: one wax, phthalate-free fragrance, wooden wicks, and no chemical dyes. Touch Grass passes all four and smells like the forest at the edge of town.
Our pick is the 12 oz Touch Grass. It makes the living room smell like Forest Park after rain with the door shut and the kettle on. Its two wooden wicks melt the beeswax evenly across the jar for 80+ hours, carrying notes of Fig, Black currant, Galbanum, Coconut, Davana, Cedarwood, Amber, Orris, Tonka bean.
"Absolutely obsessed with M Bur Candle Co, my roommate and I own 6/8 of the scents! They smell up a WHOLE room during the burn & even a while after blowing them out. I won't buy other candles anymore, they're just that good"
Verified buyer
If the rain has already settled in, these are the months you will light it most.
Bring home the 12 oz Touch Grass beeswax candle for the room you light every night this wet season
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