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My introduction to the viral tomato plant candle came from a friend in Dallas who casually asked at a pool party if I'd keep an eye out at my local Trader Joe's for the Tomato Leaf Scented Candle, priced at just $3.99.
Buy as many as they'll let you, she instructed. Get them all.
Eyes wide, I couldn't find the words. I'd missed a step. Since when did we become obsessed with the smell of the tomato plant, that grassy, musky aroma that sticks to your hands after you work in the garden?
And, come again: It's a candle?
Of course it is. The tomato plant candle was basically the smell of the summer last year, Bon Appetit said. The candles are popular in Dallas-Fort Worth right now, just in time to pluck our backyard crop of tomatoes.
Trader Joe's was not the first company to put the smell of tomato leaves in wax. But when the grocery store shared this sharp, herby scent with the masses and set the price remarkably low, fans fawned. (That's kind of Trader Joe's thing, anyhow: We still love TJ's viral dumplings. And its Cookie Butter. And - don't you dare buy all of it - TJ's new Parmesan Tapenade.)
Fragrance aficionados enjoy the tomato plant scent because it's neither cloyingly floral nor rich and overpowering. It's clean and earthy. Vegetal.
It's the ultimate kitchen candle, although it also smells nice in the bathrooms at new East Dallas restaurant Walkers'. Restaurant owner Rosemary Walker said the smell reminds her of her late mother's vegetable garden.
"It's like wine for me," Walker said. "When I smell something that takes me back to a place from my childhood, I am immediately hooked."
I am, too. After the pool party chat, I started noticing tomato candles often, sometimes in unexpected places. They're on Amazon and at Walmart. Anthropologie had some, as did Jonathan Adler, but they're sold out.
Want in on a trend that is decidedly not your garden-variety scent? If you're in Dallas-Fort Worth, head to Greenville Avenue, where you can find at least three businesses selling the tomato plant candle within a few blocks.
Where to buy tomato plant candles in Dallas-Fort Worth
Trader Joe's: The grocery store's Tomato Leaf Scented Candle is the lowest priced one we've seen, $3.99. They can be tough to find.
Trader Joe's has stores in Coppell, Dallas, Fort Worth, McKinney, Plano and Southlake.
Ernest John Honest Goods: Also on Greenville Avenue, this locally owned shop sells a lovely earthy tomato candle for $36. A perk: Plant the paper box the candle comes in, which is laced with tomato seeds, and it's supposed to sprout red fruit. The company, Kobo, also sells candles that smell like lavender, basil and crushed mint in its Plant The Box series.
Ernest John Honest Goods is at 3022 Greenville Ave., Dallas.
Walkers': Next door to Earnest John Honest Goods, new East Dallas wine bar Walkers' sells one of the most famous heirloom tomato candles, the emerald-colored pillar candle from Flamingo Estate. (An Instagram post from the Los Angeles company calls this scent "the backbone of Flamingo, carrying us into the homes of people all over the world.")
The Heirloom Tomato candle costs $64 online or at Nordstrom. Walkers' sells it, too.
Walkers' is at 3016 Greenville Ave., Dallas.
Neiman Marcus: If you're willing to shell out $265, Dallas-born luxury retail store Neiman Marcus has a 21.5-ounce Tomato Leaves candle made by fashion company Loewe, from Spain.
Neiman Marcus' flagship store is at 1618 Main St. in downtown Dallas and is slated to close in September 2026. Other stores are at 8687 N. Central Expressway (at NorthPark Center), Dallas; 2201 Dallas Parkway (at Shops at Willow Bend), Plano; and 5200 Monahans Ave. (at Shops at Clearfork), Fort Worth.
Walmart: The mega-chain has a fleet of candles in scents like Sweet Sugar Lemon, Pomegranate Appletini and Cranberry Mandarin. Its most refined option is Farmstand Tomato, priced at a low $4.97.
Walmart has dozens of stores in D-FW. Find one here.
Kirkland's by Bed Bath & Beyond: Retail store Kirkland's got in on the trend with its Heirloom Tomato scented candle served in a cute white crock. It's priced at $14.99, but I found one last week for 25% off, or $11.24.
Kirkland's has stores in Allen, Arlington, Dallas, Fairview, Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Frisco, Plano, Prosper, Southlake and Waxahachie.
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