Review: Tropical Spice from Bath and Body Works

Tropical Spice is available in Bath and Body Works full home fragrance line. That is, 1.4 oz, 4 oz, 14.5 oz candles, wallflowers, room spray and fragrance oil. This is a spring release, new to 2011. I am confident it will be phased out in the summer, and my personal opinion is that they won't renew this next year, I just don't feel it has been that successful.

The scent is described on the website as “An exotic blend of cinnamon bark, spiced rum and Tahitian vanilla.” The picture on the front is of an exotic colored flower, but this is really not a floral at all.

 

Honestly, this seems like some of the notes used in the christmas candles were left over and combined together into something that could be marketed for the spring. It is a bit unusual but don’t think that I don’t like this scent, I do. Cinnamon is definitely present, as well as a rich blend of the usual nutmegy-cloves that you find in the winter line. They have combined it with a tropical fruity scent (nothing in particular, just the usual mangoey-apple-peachy blend that is called tropical) in order to make this more appropriate for the summer months. The scent is still quite heavy, but the throw on the candle is only average, so they even out to be quite pleasant. There is a certain smokiness to this that I like, and sometimes I even get reminded of apple-pie, although it is by no means an apple pie scent, just a wiff now and then of fruity crust.

The oil is more of the same, average throw, maybe a little fruitier. I haven't tried the wallflower, I am phasing out my use of their wallflowers as they don't last more than a few days.

This is a strange spring choice for Bath and Body Works but it is something different to their tangy and sweet fruit offerings that are basically just alcoholic drinks in a candle (or bottle).