Homemade sourdough has reached peak popularity—even Taylor Swift joined in on the hobby—but if you don't have the patience to maintain a sourdough starter, we may have a solution. Bath & Body Works just launched it's collection of spring-ready candles, including a controversial Homemade Sourdough candle that has shoppers divided.
According to Bath & Body Works' website, this candle has notes of freshly baked sourdough, whipped butter, and olive oil drizzle. Naturally, we had to sniff it for ourselves and find out.
As a fragrance lover who spends all day reviewing new perfume and candle launches, I wasn't a fan of this one. I've been impressed by a few bakery-inspired scents from Bath & Body Works (RIP, Paris Cafe and Pumpkin Donut Shop), but this one didn't capture the scent of oven-baked sourdough to me. In my opinion, it does smells bread-y and yeast-y—but it's too sweet to remind me of the real deal.
That said, the true test of any candle is how it burns—so I recruited Deputy Commerce Editor Heath Owens to light his candle at home.
"It has that what’s-in-the-oven effect when it’s burning, it really fills the room," he says. "It makes me think of the little air bubbles laced throughout a loaf of sourdough or found in a sourdough starter. It’s more sweet and floral than literally sour, and it has a creaminess from whipped butter and herbaceousness from the olive oil accord. It’s more complex than the cult-favorite French Baguette. Definitely a kitchen candle or a Saturday morning candle."
In case you'd prefer a safer candle scent (no judgement here!), you can shop some of the brand's crowd-pleasing spring launches below.
Psst: At the time of publication, Bath & Body Works is having a $13.95 3-wick candle sale.
Shop more Bath & Body Works spring candles
