Trader Joe's Fans Voted On The Candle Scent They Wanted, And It's Here

Trader Joe's is for the people! The Southern California-founded chain has exploded across the United States and become a beloved supermarket option from coast to coast. Thanks to its consistently low prices and friendly employees, Trader Joe's has one of the highest customer service satisfaction ratings across the nation's mainstream supermarkets. It's not just the affordable food, friendly attitudes, and eccentric selection of goods that solidify this grocery store as the people's champion — Trader Joe's is willing to listen to its customers. Since 2009, it has hosted the annual Trader Joe's Customer Choice Awards, where patrons vote for the best items across nine categories.

In 2023, Trader Joe's didn't stop these interactive efforts after the awards season. The grocery chain announced that summer 2023's candle scent would be decided by the people — and only the people. These seasonal tin-can candles are popular enough to have won the "Favorite Household Product" award several times before. Over three weeks, fans got to vote for their favorite candle. Drum roll, please — the winning 2023 summer candle scent was eucalyptus!

Trader Joe's customers chose between five distinct scents for the summer 2023 candle: rhubarb, warm vanilla, gardenia, eucalyptus, and white tea. When the grocery store originally posted the announcement on Instagram, fans flooded the comments with their opinions. While many people justified their votes, others requested the return of discontinued and out-of-season candle scents like lemon cookie and mango tangerine. 

The winning scent, eucalyptus, boasts a fresh, foresty smell with hints of mint, honey, and citrus. Often sold as an essential oil, eucalyptus is said to promote relaxation and ease symptoms of stress (via Healthline). This scent sounds perfect for a busy summer! Like its other candles, Trader Joe's summer candle is paraben-free and made with soy, beeswax, palm wax, and a lead-free wick. If you're a fan of eucalyptus, keep an eye out for this customer-approved candle at Trader Joe's next time you're shopping.