Wax Melts Not Smelling Strong? Here’s Why (And How to Fix It)

At Glass & Wick, we've hand poured almost two million wax melts and developed products across every scent profile, from gourmand to floral, fruity to amberesque. So, you're in very safe hands to learn exactly what makes a beautiful, well-performing wax melt.

If you've come across this article whilst searching online, you probably fall into one of these two categories:

A) You hear so many people raving about wax melts, but you've sadly not experienced a brand that's impressed you.

B) You've been impressed before, but your current wax melt just isn't smelling very strong.

Whilst we can only promise that Glass & Wick wax melts will perform exactly as they’re meant to, with the right set up in place, we can absolutely help you determine whether the issue is something within your control or whether it’s time to reconsider the brand you've been using.

We’re going to play out a few common scenarios so you can decide which feels most applicable and what you can realistically do to get your wax melts performing as you’d hoped.

Understanding the science behind how wax melts work makes troubleshooting far easier. Afterwards, we’ll leave you with a simple set up you can rely on every time.

It’s also helpful to understand the factors handled during professional formulation. This is the difference between professionally developed products and a few ingredients simply being mixed together.

Professional Factors (Outside of Your Control)

Fragrance temperature at blending.
Add fragrance too hot and risk burning off some of the more volatile top notes before the melt even reaches your home.

Fragrance composition.
Not all scents translate well into wax. Some smell beautiful in concentrated form but perform poorly when heated. Professional testing ensures the fragrance actually works in wax, not just on a smelling strip.

Wax type and quality.
Different waxes hold and release fragrance differently. Some require longer cure times. If melts are used too soon after pouring, performance can suffer.

Even that short list hopefully creates a little appreciation for the expertise required to produce a wax melt that performs beautifully.

Now, let’s look at the most common under performance scenarios.

Scenario 1: “It smelled great to begin with, but it’s not lasting very long.”

This is extremely common when a wax melt is being heated too aggressively.

This usually happens for one of two reasons:

1. Your burner is too short, often designed for oils rather than wax melts, meaning the flame sits too close to the bowl.

2. You’re using a burner of around 12cm height but pairing it with a larger 8 hour tealight, which generates more sustained heat than needed.

You experienced strong scent throw at the beginning because the wax and fragrance were heated very quickly, almost in overdrive.

Imagine accelerating your car as fast as possible. You will burn through fuel far more quickly. The same principle applies here. The fragrance disperses rapidly, which feels strong at first but fades sooner.

In some cases, overheating can even create a slightly unpleasant smell. That is often the wax getting too hot.

Scenario 2: “I’m not finding the scent very strong, but it seems to last a long time.”

This is often the opposite of Scenario 1.

Your melt simply isn’t being heated enough to fully release the fragrance.

This is more common with electric burners, as you are entirely reliant on wattage. Most perform best between 25 to 35W. If your burner is older or heavily used, it may no longer be reaching its intended temperature.

When the wax melts gently but never quite reaches optimal heat, you will notice:

• Subtle scent

• Long melt time

• Underwhelming performance

The fragrance is present. It is just not being fully activated. 

Top tip: Sometimes, if you're using a new brand or new batch of tealights, it might just be a case of trying a new one, as anomalies can occur.

Scenario 3: “The same scent used to smell wonderful, but not so much now.”

Before we go deeper, it is fair to acknowledge that sometimes brands do adjust formulations, change suppliers or encounter the occasional anomaly. Rest assured if shopping with Glass & Wick, we still use our original winning formulas and ingredients. 

However, in many cases, something else is happening.

Your olfactory cortex, the part of your brain responsible for detecting new smells, is wired for survival, not interior styling. When you first discover a fragrance, your brain flags it as new and noticeable.

If you use the same scent repeatedly, your brain adapts. It begins to tune it out.

Think of putting on a freshly washed jumper. At first, you notice the crisp fragrance. Half an hour later, unless you deliberately press your nose into your sleeve, you barely register it.

That does not mean the fragrance has disappeared. It simply means your senses have adjusted.

The solution is to rotate your fragrances. Give your nose a short break and when you return to that scent, you will likely appreciate it all over again.

Absence does make the nose grow stronger.

Your Ideal Wax Melt Set Up

For consistent, reliable performance:

• A burner around 12cm in height

• A small, shallow 4 hour tealight

• A quality wax melt

• Appropriate room size for the fragrance strength

• Rotating scents to avoid olfactory fatigue

Simple adjustments often make a dramatic difference. You can discover our full soy wax melt range here!