Cold throw

Cold throw is how strong a candle's fragrance smells while it is unlit, both up close and from a short distance in the room where it sits. It is what a shopper usually notices first when picking up a candle in a store or reading a listing description in an online shop.

Cold throw matters commercially because many buyers judge a candle before ever lighting it, and a candle with little to no cold throw can be passed over even if its hot throw once lit is strong. However, cold throw and hot throw do not always move together. A fragrance oil that smells intense straight from the bottle will not necessarily fill a room the same way once the candle is burning, which is why both are usually tested separately.

Cold throw is best judged after a candle has fully cured, since fragrance continues to settle into the wax for days or weeks after pouring. A common mistake is relying on cold throw alone to predict how a candle will perform once lit, then being surprised when the hot throw does not match expectations set by the unlit scent.