The smell of candy canes was also very popular. We found 9k mentions of the sweet festive treat on social media, and another 8k mentions of gingerbread. Perhaps surprisingly, both of these were considered to be candle scents, as opposed to people talking about how the real items smell.
The strange case of scented candles
That brings us nicely onto how candles have fared in 2020. It turns out consumers have taken an extraordinary interest in them throughout the year.
Mentions of candles on social media have been 83% higher so far this year compared to the average volume over the same period in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Meanwhile, Google Trends data revealed that worldwide search interest in candles reached a five-year high in November after climbing throughout 2020.
When we looked at candle mentions, we found that the main topic of conversation was relaxation (444k mentions) and baths (355k mentions). As people spent more time in the home this year and began to focus more on self-care, it’s no surprise that associated accessories like candles became items of interest.
That said, not everyone is happy with their candle purchases. In this humorous Twitter thread, @Kate_ptrvs digs into the review data around people claiming scented candles don’t smell of anything. Since lack of smell is a known symptom associated with Covid-19, she has branded scented candles an unexpected victim of the pandemic.
