P.F. Candle Co. Incense Review: My Search for a New Signature Home Scent

I’ve always wanted my home to have a signature scent, and for a while, Vanilla Birch was it.

It was the first vanilla-based scent I truly loved. My older sister introduced me to it about a year after I moved into my home. She gifted me a few candles and room sprays because she knew I was trying to find a fragrance that felt like me and felt like home.

For years, Vanilla Birch was the scent I reached for when I came home from work and changed out of my work clothes. Sometimes I would go straight into cooking dinner. Other days, I would rest for a bit with a book or a little TV. And sometimes, I would get on the floor and play games with my baby girl.

That scent became part of my transition from work mode to home mode.

So when I realized Bath & Body Works no longer carried it year-round, I was honestly annoyed. I tried stocking up whenever I could, but after a while, I got tired of checking the website every month just to see if it was back.

More than anything, I missed having a scent that helped my brain understand that the day was done. That transition matters to me. It is the moment I get to take off the day, stop masking, and settle back into the version of myself that feels most at peace.

So I started searching again. Not necessarily for an exact replacement, but for a new home fragrance that could give me that same feeling of calm, comfort, and return.

That search is what led me to P.F. Candle Co.

How I Went From Candles and Room Sprays to P.F. Candle Co. Incense

Before trying P.F. Candle Co., I mostly thought of home fragrance in two ways: candles and room sprays.

Candles were for when I wanted my home to feel cozy and settled. Room sprays were for quick resets, especially after cooking, cleaning, or coming home from a long day. It was at a hair salon that I was first introduced to incense.

With every visit, I started associating those incense sticks with pampering, relaxation, and having a little time to myself. The scent would be there in the background while I got my hair done, and without realizing it, I began connecting incense with being cared for.

Eventually, I started wondering if I could bring a little bit of that feeling into my own home.

I began buying incense from a local tea shop in West Palm Beach. The sticks were mass-produced, but they gave me a chance to see how incense felt in my own space. I liked the ritual of it and how they did not require a big production. I could light a stick, let the scent move through the room, and feel the energy of my home shift.

Around that same time, I was watching a video from one of my favorite YouTubers, Ari (@yaasss_ari), when she mentioned P.F. Candle Co. and their line of incense. The timing felt kind of perfect because I was ready to branch out and try something from an indie incense brand.

A Little About P.F. Candle Co.

P.F. Candle Co. is a Los Angeles-based home fragrance brand that is independently owned and operated by wife-and-husband team Kristen Pumphrey and Thomas Neuberger. The company started in 2008 as a one-woman Etsy shop and has grown into a home fragrance brand that still makes its products in-house at its California factory.

Their products are vegan, cruelty-free, and handmade in Los Angeles. I also appreciated that the brand focuses on everyday home fragrances with minimal packaging, domestically grown soy wax, and phthalate-free fragrance oils.

Another thing that stood out to me was their commitment to conscious operations. The company shares that it monitors its carbon footprint, sets yearly reduction goals, gives back to community organizations, and supports its employees with benefits like fully subsidized healthcare, free metro transit passes, employer-matched 401K contributions, and competitive wages.

For me, I was not just buying incense. I was trying to be more intentional about the products I bring into my home and the companies I support.

The Four P.F. Candle Co. Incense Scents I Tried

For my first P.F. Candle Co. order, I picked up four full-size incense scents: Spiced Pumpkin, Spruce, Teakwood & Tobacco, and Sandalwood Rose.

They were all complete blind buys. Because I already knew this first order probably would not be my last, I did not stress too much about choosing the “perfect” scents.

Spiced Pumpkin was my fall pick because I love having seasonal scents that match the mood of the house. Spruce felt like an easy choice because I wanted something for Christmas and winter. Teakwood & Tobacco and Sandalwood Rose are both bestsellers, so I was curious to see if either one could possibly become my new signature home scent.

Honestly, I was excited to try all of them. Each one felt like it could bring a different mood into my home, and that made the whole order feel fun.

First Impressions of My P.F. Candle Co. Order

It was love at first sight when I saw the packaging. It has this hippie, artisanal feel that immediately made the incense feel different from the mass-produced sticks I had been buying before. It also feels special enough to leave out or include as part of your home decor.

The scents were strong right away. I could smell them through the packaging before I even lit one, which made me even more excited to try them. For $11 a pack, I do feel like the incense is worth the price, especially if you are looking for something that feels a little more thoughtful than a generic pack of incense.

Reviewing the P.F. Candle Co. Incense Scents I Tried

Spiced Pumpkin

Spiced Pumpkin is a full-bodied pumpkin pie scent with a masculine pull. It is warm and seasonal, but not in the typical overly sweet pumpkin candle way.

The first time I lit it, my daughter asked what I was baking and if she could have a piece when it was done, which made me laugh because she is not even a sweets person. That alone tells you everything you need to know about this scent.

Spruce

Spruce surprised me in the best way.

I expected it to lean more fresh tree, pine, or balsam, but it has more of a sweet mint quality. It reminds me of butter mints, not a hard peppermint or sharp winter scent. I really liked that because it still feels seasonal without being too intense. My daughter liked this one too, which surprised me because she is not usually a fan of pine, balsam, or those fresh tree-like scents.

Teakwood & Tobacco

Teakwood & Tobacco is warm, stylish, and a little masculine. It gives me the feeling of walking into a mid-century modern home. Very put together. Very grown.

Sandalwood Rose

Sandalwood Rose is much softer than Teakwood & Tobacco. It is subtle, delicate, and pretty in a very easygoing way.

My Favorite Scent and Would I Repurchase?

I really, really like Teakwood & Tobacco. But with the mid-century modern vibes it gives, I’m not sure if it matches the feelings of my eclectic home. Regardless, I liked it enough to place a second order repurchasing the scent in the both the incense and the large concentrated candle. I also grabbed three new incense scents to try.

Spruce will definitely be purchased again during the Winter holidays when I want my home to feel festive without the scent being too intense.

Spiced Pumpkin is a scent I would recommend, but I do not think I would repurchase it for myself. It is a very beautiful and unique pumpkin scent. But there is a note in it, or maybe a combination of notes, that clashes a little for me.

Sandalwood Rose is soft, delicate, and easy to enjoy. I do not think I would repurchase it for myself right now, but I would absolutely gift it to someone who wanted to test out incense or the P.F. Candle Co. brand as a whole.

The Amazon Incense Holder I Loved

One thing that made the whole incense experience better was finding the right holder.

I have been mindful to limiting Amazon and Target purchases to only absolute essentials, so I did not want to buy something just to buy it. Traditional incense holders look cute never catch the ash. I was constantly having to clean up around them, which took away from the relaxing feeling I was trying to create.

So I ordered this set of incense holders from Amazon, and honestly, they are everything.

I love that the incense stick hangs over a glass cup, so the ash falls directly inside instead of landing all over the table or counter. It makes cleanup so much easier because I can just dump the ashes when I am done. I also like the look of the dark wood option. It feels simple and modern without being too plain, and there is also a light wood option if that fits your home better.

For the price, I think this was such a good find. It made burning incense feel more elevated and cleaner, which is exactly what I wanted.

Final Thoughts on P.F. Candle Co. Incense

Overall, I would recommend P.F. Candle Co. incense, especially if you are looking for something that feels a little different from the incense you might pick up at a beauty supply store.

I still have not officially crowned my new signature home scent, but P.F. Candle Co. has definitely earned a place in the search. Their scents feels thoughtful and a little more elevated than what I was used to buying before.

For now, I am enjoying the process of exploring new scents and paying attention to how each one makes my home feel. And honestly, that might be the best part of the whole search.