Yankee Candle's Eucalyptus Turns 25!

The year was 1986. Ronald Reagan was President of the United States, Madonna hit the charts with Papa Don’t Preach, IBM introduced the PC Convertible which was the first laptop, the world was rocked by the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, I joined 7 million Americans who held Hands Across America, and the Yankee Candle Company introduced a new candle fragrance called Eucalyptus. Still in our infancy, Yankee Candle had two years prior moved from the mills of Holyoke MA to our newly constructed then state-of-the-art factory in the South Deerfield MA countryside. That spring we sent a note to the gift shops carrying our products that our newly introduced scent Eucalyptus was a “very stylish sea foam green” with very strong early sales! In the quarter century that has passed, the world has changed considerably - certainly my hair and clothes have changed a lot! - but our fans are still enamored with this true-to-life fragrance that awakens the senses. It’s always timeless, always in season, and always ready to give you a refreshing lift.

Happy 25^th birthday to our good friend Eucalyptus!

Eucalyptus is now available at all Yankee Candle Company retail stores, on our website, and at gift and home stores nationwide.

Top 10 Yankee Candle Fragrance Recipes for Valentine's Day

Want to set the right mood for Valentine's Day? Create your own custom fragrance with Yankee Candle Fragrance Mixology. Light 2 or 3 Samplers® votive candles in different scents or break apart a few different Tarts® wax potpourri and blend them. The unique fragrance will take on a personality of its own! Here are the Top 10 mixes for romance this Valentine's Day:

1. Sunny Afternoon = Sweet Honeysuckle™ + Soft Blanket™ + Early Sunrise™
2. Cupid's Arrow = Midnight Oasis™ + Drift Away™
3. Cheek to Cheek = Pink Lady Slipper + MidSummer's Night®
4. Sensual Spa = Pink Lady Slipper + Eucalyptus + Honeydew Melon
5. Seduction = Sun & Sand™ + MidSummer's Night®
6. Boyfriend's Shirt = Soft Blanket™ + Mountain Lake®
7. Weekend Getaway = Soft Blanket™ + Cottage Breeze®
8. Midnight Rendezvous = Midnight Oasis™ + MidSummer's Night®
9. Breakfast in Bed = Maple Pancakes + Strawberry Buttercream + Sweet Strawberry
10. Honeymoon = Pink Sands™ + Wedding Day™

Yankee Candle Scents & Nonsense

Not too long ago my family and I visited the home of Ben & Jerry's ice cream in Vermont. In their typical tongue-in-cheek fashion, the Ben & Jerry's marketers have decided to acknowledge the flavors that did not quite make the grade by displaying them on tombstones in a faux flavor graveyard. This got me to thinking about the Yankee Candle hits and misses over the years. What products and fragrances had real glow and which were no more than a pool of melted wax? In no one’s opinion but my own, here are the top 3 hits and misses in my Yankee Candle history:

Wax On

MacIntosh & Sage & Citrus – When introduced in 1998, MacIntosh and Sage & Citrus were enormously popular right from the first sniff. We’d had other scents that struck chords with our fans over the years, but these two were so uniquely wonderful that they led the way for other signature scents like Midsummer’s Night®, Clean Cotton®, and Mistletoe™.

Car Jars® - It’s been a decade since the launch of our candle-shaped auto fragrancers and boy has the Yankee Candle fan’s life changed since. This was our first non-candle product and since then fragrance fanatics the world over have been able to enjoy Yankee Candle scents in room sprays, potpourri, reeds, and even lip balm and anti-bac soap!

Fan Feedback – If there is one thing that changes the dynamic of everything we do, it’s hearing from and listening to all of the people who use our products. Whether we’re talking to customers face-to-face in our stores, reading what they write on facebook, or analyzing sales, our fans speak to us loud and clear!

Wax Off

Rhubarb Plum & Gooseberry Jam – These are two recent examples of when some scents can be a little too true-to-life!

Fragrant Shades of White – This out-of-the-box concept was developed on the notion that people may buy a candle if only its color didn’t clash with home décor. We poured all our best-selling fragrances in colorless wax so that if you wanted MacIntosh but detest the color red you could still enjoy the scent. Interest in these Fragrant Shades quickly faded away!

Discontinuing Storm Watch® & Fireside™ – And, I could add such other fan favorites as Eucalyptus and Patchouli. You all spoke loud and clear when these scents went away and we certainly learned an important lesson. We welcomed these favorites back into the line and you’ve welcomed them back into your homes!

Thanks for the Beach Vacation™ & Spa Fresh™ Memories!

We're saying "so long" to some old friends in order to make room for new favorites. If you love Beach Vacation™ or Spa Fresh™, now is the time to buy them because they won't be around much longer.

Beach Vacation™ - A tropical island getaway ... a fresh sea breeze mingles with lush greenery and sweet exotic flowers.

Spa Fresh™ - A naturally revitalizing blend of soothing lavender, invigorating eucalyptus and stimulating mint.