When you buy home fragrance online, the product page usually shows a photo, a price and a list of scent “notes”. But how much does it tell you about what is actually inside?
In September 2026, we audited 117 candles and reed diffusers sold in the UK. We included best-sellers, well-known brands, high-street products and brands found through searches for “natural” home fragrance.
We scored every product page using one question: can you tell what the scent is made of before you buy it?
This page explains what we checked, how we checked it and what we found. We have included the full method so anyone can review or repeat the audit.
We have not named any brands, and we will not. This study looks at the home fragrance category as a whole. We also scored our own products using the same rules.
The short answer
We audited 117 candles and reed diffusers sold online in the UK in September 2026. Only three list every ingredient, and none of the 100 mainstream products does. Seven in ten listings give a shopper no way to tell what the scent is made of, two in three show scent notes instead, and half use the word “natural” while only two explain what they mean by it.
The headline findings
We checked 117 products: 60 candles and 57 reed diffusers. We read each listing as a shopper would read it before buying.
| What we measured | Result |
|---|---|
| Listings that give a full ingredient list | 3 (3%) – all from small independent makers |
| Listings where you cannot tell what the scent is made of at all | 72% |
| Listings that rely on a catch-all word (“fragrance”, “essential oils”, “high-quality oils”) for the whole scent | 37% |
| Listings that give only the allergen warning required for hazard labelling, and nothing more | 26% |
| Listings that show “scent notes” | 67% |
| Listings that show scent notes and name no material of any kind | 24% |
| Listings that use the word “natural” | 49% – of which 3 give a full ingredient list and 2 explain what they mean by it |
| Listings that promise a wellbeing outcome (stress, sleep, mood, “healing”) | 28% |
| Listings that say whether the scent is essential oils or synthetic fragrance | 25% (54% don’t say; 21% are unclear) |
| Listings that name the wax or diffuser base | 30% |
| Listings that show any hazard-label (CLP) information online | 32% |
Among the 100 mainstream products in the study – best-sellers, the most-searched brands and supermarket own-brands – none gives a full ingredient list.
What we mean by “can you tell what the scent is made of”
We gave every listing a score from T0 to T5. We used the highest level supported by the information a shopper could read before paying.
| Tier | What the page shows | Can you tell what’s in it? |
|---|---|---|
| T0 | Nothing about ingredients | No |
| T1 | Marketing description or scent notes only | No |
| T2 | The wax or diffuser base, but nothing about the fragrance | No |
| T3 | A catch-all word for the scent (“fragrance”, “parfum”, “essential oils”), or one or two oils mentioned in the copy without a complete list | No |
| T4 | A “Contains:” allergen list – the substances hazard labelling requires a maker to name | Partly: you know which allergens are present, not what the product is made of |
| T5 | A full ingredients list presented as the composition | Yes |
The headline figure of 72% includes every product scored T0, T1, T2 or T3.
Only three products reached T5. All three listed the botanical name of every oil.
Scent notes are not ingredients
This was the most important difference in the audit.
A phrase such as “top notes of bergamot and fig, heart of jasmine” tells you how a product is meant to smell. It does not tell you what the product contains.
For example, a “bergamot” note could come from bergamot essential oil. It could also come from a synthetic accord made to smell like bergamot.
Two in three listings showed scent notes. One in four showed scent notes but named no material at all.
We recorded scent notes in a separate column and never counted them as ingredient disclosure. A plant name only counted as a material when the listing clearly described it as one. For example, “lavender essential oil” counted. “Lavender” on its own did not.
Why an allergen list can’t tell you whether a product is natural
UK hazard-labelling rules, known as CLP, require makers to name certain sensitising substances when they are present above set levels. Examples include limonene, linalool and geraniol.
These names refer to individual molecules.
Limonene, for example, is a main part of citrus peel oil. It can also be manufactured. This means the same word on a label can describe a molecule that came from a natural oil or one that was made another way.
Across all the pages we checked, 363 individual substances were named. Of these:
- 141 were molecules that can occur naturally in essential oils, but their names alone do not prove that essential oils were used.
- 83 were aroma chemicals that are synthetic in normal commercial use.
To show that a scent is natural, a shopper needs a full botanical ingredient list that gives the plant and the part it came from.
That is why a “Contains:” allergen list scored T4, not T5.
How we chose the 117 products
We set the selection rules before opening any product page. This reduced the chance of choosing products because of what their pages said.
We used four groups.
| Group | Rule | Products |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon best-sellers | Candles: Amazon.co.uk Best Sellers › Candles, scented candles only, in rank order across the two displayed pages. Reed diffusers (Amazon has no best-seller list for them): the search “reed diffuser”, default sort, first 25 non-sponsored results, accessories excluded | 50 |
| Most-searched brands | The 15 brands per category with the highest UK monthly search demand for “[brand] candle” / “[brand] diffuser” (Ahrefs, September 2026), retailers excluded. First product at default sort on the brand’s own site | 30 |
| High-street own-brand | One candle and one reed diffuser, own-brand only, first at default sort, from ten UK retailers: three supermarkets, three department or fashion retailers, four value and homeware chains | 20 |
| “Natural”-search brands | The brands returned by Google searches combining “candle”, “reed diffuser” and “home fragrance” with “natural”, “organic”, “vegan”, “botanical” and similar – the brands a shopper looking for a natural product actually finds. First candle and first reed diffuser at default sort | 17 |
Two products were excluded because they were duplicates or because the brand did not sell a diffuser.
If a brand’s first diffuser page redirected to a refill, we scored the refill.
How we read each listing
We used the same rules for every product.
- What counted: anything a shopper could read on the product listing before paying. This included the description, bullet points, tabs, accordions, Amazon “Important information” fields, and any label image or PDF linked from the page. We did not use the brand’s FAQ or the physical packaging.
- Verbatim evidence: we copied the ingredient and hazard wording exactly and kept it with the record.
- Claims: we recorded whether the page used the words natural, non-toxic, clean, eco or sustainable, vegan, safe or hypoallergenic. We also recorded health or wellbeing claims and whether the page explained what those claims meant.
- Hazard information: we recorded whether the page showed a signal word, hazard statements, a “Contains:” list or a UFI code.
- Access: 103 pages were read with desk tools. Another 14 used JavaScript or showed the label in an image, so we checked those pages manually in a browser. We did not score any partial page.
- Quality check: every second record was independently re-scored by a second person; agreement on the disclosure tier was 87%.
- Dates: we captured the listings from 21–23 September 2026. Product pages change, so every figure in this study is a snapshot of those dates.
Findings by group
| Group | Products | Can’t tell what the scent is made of (T0–T3) | Full ingredient list (T5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon best-sellers | 50 | 94% | 0 |
| High-street own-brand | 20 | 70% | 0 |
| Most-searched brands | 30 | 47% | 0 |
| “Natural”-search brands | 17 | 53% | 3 (18%) |
| All | 117 | 72% | 3 (3%) |
Three things stand out.
Amazon listings gave shoppers the least information about the scent
On Amazon, 47 of 50 best-selling listings gave shoppers no way to tell what the scent was made of.
Most used broad terms such as “premium wax” and “fragrance”, or named the wax but gave no more information about the scent.
Most-searched brands often showed hazard information, not full ingredients
Nearly half of the most-searched brand listings showed a hazard block with named allergens. Many also showed a UFI code.
Several placed this information under an “Ingredients” heading.
This information is useful for hazard labelling, but it is not a full ingredient list. It names the molecules that must be shown under the relevant rules, while the rest of the formula remains undisclosed.
“Natural” brands made more natural claims, but full lists were still rare
Among the brands found through searches for natural, organic, vegan or botanical home fragrance, 88% used the word “natural”.
Every listing in this group made at least one green or wellbeing claim.
Even so, more than half gave no checkable information about what the fragrance was made of. Only three products listed every ingredient. All three came from small independent makers.
Claims versus what is disclosed
| Claim on the listing | Share of listings | …of which give a full ingredient list |
|---|---|---|
| “natural” | 49% | 3 of 57 |
| “clean” | 25% | 1 of 29 |
| “eco” / “sustainable” | 18% | 3 of 21 |
| “vegan” | 17% | 3 of 20 |
| “non-toxic” | 2% | 0 of 2 |
| “safe” / “hypoallergenic” | 4% | 1 of 5 |
| A health or wellbeing outcome | 28% | 2 of 33 |
| Any of the above | 68% | 3 of 79 |
We also found two patterns that are worth noting. We are not naming the brands because the aim is to show the wider pattern, not focus on individual sellers.
- On six listings from four sellers, a natural-type claim such as “natural essential oils”, “100% natural” or “we use natural oils” appeared next to the seller’s own allergen or ingredient list. That list contained synthetic aroma chemicals or a synthetic solvent.
- Several listings used terms such as “aromatherapy”, “pregnancy-safe” or “pet-friendly”, or claimed an effect on stress, sleep or mood. Under the UK advertising code, health-related claims need evidence. Claims that a product is “safe” for a particular group also need particular care.
The rules behind these listings
Two sets of rules are especially relevant.
Hazard labelling: UK CLP
A scented candle or reed diffuser can be classed as a hazardous mixture because of sensitising allergens in the fragrance. When UK CLP applies, the product must carry the required hazard information. This can include:
- a signal word;
- pictograms;
- hazard statements;
- precautionary statements;
- named allergens; and
- a UFI code.
CLP does not require the full fragrance formula to be listed.
There is also a separate rule for online sales. If the public can buy a hazardous product without seeing the physical label first, the advertisement must state the hazard types shown on that label.
In our sample:
- 68% of listings showed no hazard information online;
- 24% showed a signal word or hazard statement.
We audited online product pages, not physical packaging. These results do not tell us whether the physical labels were compliant.
Green claims: CMA
Since April 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority can directly fine businesses for misleading consumer claims under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act.
Misleading environmental and “natural” claims are a stated priority.
The CMA’s Green Claims Code says claims should be truthful, clear and supported by evidence. They should also not leave out important information.
If a listing says “natural” but gives shoppers no way to check the claim, the shopper does not have the information needed to judge it.
What we found on our own pages
We used the same audit on our own products on 21 September 2026. We did not pass.
Our best-selling candle scored T4.
The page had an allergen block, but it listed the oils as scent notes rather than as a full ingredient list. It also used the phrases “100% natural” and “no harmful toxins” without defining them. The page also promised outcomes that we should not promise.
The same rule that flagged other brands also flagged us.
Since then, every Snug Scent product page has been updated to show:
- an ingredients list with the botanical (INCI) name of every oil;
- the wax or diffuser base;
- a separate allergen list;
- the full hazard block; and
- scent notes kept clearly separate from ingredients.
We have removed outcome language that is not backed by independant research of ingredients that we use and defined what we mean by “natural”.
A re-audit on 24 September 2026ZZZZ scored both our candle and reed diffuser at T5.
Everything we say about the category, we have first applied to ourselves.
What to look for on any candle or diffuser listing
- Look for “Ingredients:”, not only “Contains:”. A “Contains:” warning names allergens the maker is required to name. An ingredients list tells you what the product is made of.
- Remember that scent notes are not ingredients. “Notes of bergamot” tells you how the product smells. It does not tell you what is in it.
- Check whether the wax or diffuser liquid is named. Phrases such as “premium wax” and “high-quality oils” do not identify a material.
- If the page says “natural”, check whether it explains the claim and lists the plants. A botanical name such as Lavandula angustifolia oil can be checked. “Natural fragrance” cannot.
Limitations
- We audited online listings, not physical labels. The packaging may say more, or less.
- Every listing is a snapshot of 21–23 September 2026. Sellers change product pages, so the figures may not be exactly the same on another date
- Amazon shows 30 products per best-seller page and numbers its second page from #51. This means ranks 31–50 are not shown to shoppers and are not included in the sample.
- “Most-searched brands” means UK Google search demand for the brand name plus “candle” or “diffuser”. It does not mean sales.
- We classified named ingredients as botanical oils, naturally occurring constituents or synthetic aroma chemicals using standard fragrance chemistry. Our formulator reviewed this classification. It describes what each named substance is. It is not a judgement about whether a product is safe.
- This audit does not say whether any product is safe. It only measures what information a buyer is given.
