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!

Packing the E-Scentials!

Every night when I get home from work, my daughter and I work on our vacation plans. It gives us something to look forward to after a long New England winter. Of course, Ella thinks only of whether there’s a playground at the hotel, what toys she can bring, and will this be the trip that we hit one of the water parks? My job is to handle all of the necessities. I need to make sure we take enough money, pack the right clothes, and remember to bring all of our e-scentials. That’s right e-scentials; scented products that are essential to making our vacation fabulous! I pack Car Jars® air fresheners whenever I rent a car. On-The-Go™ travel spray is perfect for overcoming the stale odor of a hotel room because I can even bring it on a plane. Yankee Candle fragranced anti-bac hand sanitizer is a must for fighting travel germs - my favorite is Sun and Sand™ because it smells like I'm on vacation! And, of course, Yankee Candle lip balm because traveling can be so drying and the fragrances are so yummy (Buttercream® - mmmm)! If I have enough room, I’ve even been known to stow away a candle or two just in case I run into an old friend or need a token gift for someone who provides exceptional service. It’s the little e-scentials that make life a little more fun!