Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, just launched its holiday collection, and her new candles are getting a lot of attention — but not for the best reasons. In addition to the new scented candles, the 2025 holiday collection includes a fruit spread gift set, honey, tea, and mulling spice kits. Of all the items in this product drop, the candles are the most expensive, costing customers $64 per candle.
The candles are inspired by Meghan’s memories.
Both candles in the holiday collection are named after significant events in Meghan’s life: her birthday and her royal wedding date. Signature Candle No. 084, which gets its name from Meghan’s August 4 birthday, is an “elegant and earthy” candle with notes of water lotus, sandalwood, and California poppy. In the product description, the candle is described as “our scent of home.”
“No. 084 fills the air with fragrant sweet wood, delicate florals, and California wildflowers, for an elevated coziness that feels like a hug,” the description reads. “Each candle in the series reflects a memory or mood connected to Meghan’s own rituals and joyful memories.”
The other candle, Signature Candle No. 519, is named after Meghan and Prince Harry’s May 19 wedding date. “No. 519 is the feeling of warm sunshine and blue skies, surrounded by love and laughter; this signature candle is inspired by the ease and joy of a day that holds Meghan’s most cherished memories — her wedding day, May 19th,” the description states.
According to the candles’ ingredients lists, the 8.5 oz candles were made using coconut apricot wax, which contains coconut wax, soy wax, paraffin wax, apricot oil, and fragrance oil.
People couldn’t believe Meghan chose to sell the candles for $64.
Reacting to the product launch on Reddit, many critics pointed out that $64 seems like a lot of money for a scented candle — especially one that you’ve never even smelled. One person noted that even Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand Goop sells cheaper candles. And as many Americans worry about how they’ll be able to afford gifts (and necessities) this holiday season, some questioned who the target audience for this launch was. “Really clueless given the current inflation going on,” one critic wrote about the As Ever candles. “I need coffee and bread, not mulling spice and candles.”
Another person said, “The optics of a release like this when people are about to be more broke than usual is… a choice. She’s going to end up pricing out a lot of people.”
A third critic added, “Nobody needed this. People are literally going hungry with the govt shutdown right now.”
Though many were disgusted by the price of the candles, they weren’t necessarily surprised. One person speculated that Meghan “can’t see any broke people from her multi-million dollar mansion.” Still, someone else wrote, “Rich people are so out of touch. Who is spending $64 on a candle?”
Prices aside, people also had questions about the product descriptions.
Some critics wondered why Meghan chose to name a candle after her own birthday. “People want candles that evoke a certain feeling for THEM in THEIR home,” one person pointed out. Another critic added, “Omg why are all the descriptions about her?! No other celebrity brand bases all their products on their personal preferences/stories.”
And some also accused her of trying to make money off of the royal family with her wedding day candle that “evokes the freshness of a day in the English countryside, a long walk in the garden, and a spirit of happiness that is hard to resist.”
