Beardwood&Co is refreshing the identity of the US fragrance brand the Yankee Candle Company.
The first range to sport the new look is its large, eponymous scented candle collection.
The candle company’s roots go back half a century, when 16-year-old Mike Kittredge made a candle out of household materials for his mother for Christmas, but ended up selling it to a neighbour instead.
Beardwood&Co’s new look for the Yankee Candle Company
A household name in the US, Yankee Candle is a market leader with its own stores, and more than 35,000 stockists around the world.
Home fragrance is a crowded category, with a lot of new entrants.
But in more recent times, some of these in the US have come under pressure from tariffs, as they are made overseas, explains Jamie Rose, senior director of brand management at Yankee Candle.
In contrast, Yankee Candle’s products sold in the US are made in the US, and those sold in EMEA are made in Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic).
The client’s aim was to attract new buyers while retaining its existing consumers.
Yankee Candle initially brought in ad agency Terri & Sandy to help with the rebrand. However, the agency admitted that packaging design wasn’t their strong point, and recommended Beardwood&Co took on that part of the job.
Having launched in 1969, this is the brand’s fourth redesign since 2016.
But this time, it’s in tandem with significant product investment, including longer-lasting fragrances and a new premium plant-based wax blend.
“Because of that investment, this was the opportunity for a more comprehensive refresh than in the past,” says Julia Beardwood, founder of Beardwood&Co.
Beardwood&Co’s new look for the Yankee Candle Company
The New York based agency collaborated with Yankee Candle’s cross-functional brand, design and consumer insights teams to tap into customer insights and data.
As part of modernising the brand and recruiting new consumers, Yankee Candle works with influencers to bring the product to life on social media. For example, it has 409k Instagram followers.
It spotted that its buyers, 80% of whom are female, “are after more elevated, design-forward experiences”, says Rose.
“We are experts in fragrance,” she adds. “There was an opportunity to bring forward a more true-to-life expression of our fragrances through labelling.”
While the label was up for grabs, the logo – introduced in the 2016 redesign – and the apothecary jar were not to be touched, as they are widely recognisable.
Beardwood&Co’s new look for the Yankee Candle Company
The new label is big and rectangular, evoking the labels on the original Victorian apothecary jars.
A narrow white line frames an image. “We used AI to generate the images, so that they would be cohesive across the portfolio,” design director Hannah Bardwell says.
“This technology allowed teams to prototype mood boards and capture real-time consumer sentiment quickly. Designers and photographers then translated this information into custom visuals, bringing each brand element to life.”
In the case of best-seller Pink Sands, that’s an aerial view of a pink sandy beach. Meanwhile, Sage & Citrus shows a detail of a sliced lemon and some sage leaves, and Warm Linen Cashmere shows a close-up of a pile of woollens in different blues.
The black, uppercase text sits in a white square, reminiscent of lifestyle brands such as The White Company. “Est. 1969” has been added to the label, to emphasise the brand’s heritage.
In addition, metallic embellishments were added to give the label texture.
“There’s a lot of strategy going on in the final execution,” says Beardwood. “It’s really telegraphing that scent experience.”
Beardwood&Co’s new look for the Yankee Candle Company
The Yankee Candle Company is owned by global consumer goods company Newell Brands, whose other businesses include Sharpie felt-tip pens, and Rubbermaid, which sells bins and food containers.
As well as scented candles, the Yankee Candle Company sells diffusers, plug-in room fragrances, car fresheners and other items.
“To help create a consistent brand expression, we will transition our full portfolio into this new visual brand language, with the rest moving into the marketplace in January 2026,” Rose says.
Meanwhile, the rebranded candle collection’s success will be measured by its financial performance, consumer sentiment, ratings and reviews.
Beardwood&Co’s new look for the Yankee Candle Company
Beardwood&Co’s new look for the Yankee Candle Company
Beardwood&Co’s new look for the Yankee Candle Company