Yield Co has a variety of scents and types of candles in the Black Dahlia family, and we looked closely at the Willow scent. It comes infused with 150mg of CBD, and boasts scents of “spring water, cardamom, and lichen”. I’m not sure what spring water smells like, and I have trouble recognizing poison ivy (ask me about the time I weaponized it with a lawnmower!) so I don’t get close enough to trees to identify eu de lichen, but I will say the candle smells pleasant. The wick doesn’t smoke much, even after being lit, put out, and lit again, and the wax seems to evaporate cleanly. Yield Co says it provides 45 hours of burn time, and from my limited burning time I’d say that seems accurate; I’ve used it for around 4ish hours so far and it barely looks like anything is gone.
So, as a candle it’s delightful. I’m slightly more skeptical of the CBD aspect, because 150mg of CBD is not a large amount, and diffused over 45 hours of candle burning it’s even less. If you’re looking for something that will really give you a full spectrum CBD experience, it’s going to be a lot cheaper to buy CBD supplements and a simple candle, versus spending $38 on a Yield Co candle. But despite my skepticism about the efficacy of the dose, I will say the candle is soothing, and even though I’m not much of a candle person I find myself lighting it nightly. It smells nice, and it relaxes me, and whether that’s a placebo effect or because of the CBD, it makes it enjoyable to use on a regular basis.
Aesthetically it looks pretty too, which is a nice bonus. Yield Co says the glass can be reused after the candle is burned out, so I’m looking forward to coming up with ideas for what to do with it when I finally burn down the candle (which, at the rate this candle is going, might be when my 1st grader starts high school).
There’s one more aspect to these candles besides just the CBD and the pleasant smell. This is called the Black Dahlia collection because of the infamous murder of the Black Dahlia at the Sowden House in LA. Yield Co is running this collection in partnership with Sowden house, and the marketing material on the candle says the intention of the collaboration is to “reclaim the home’s character by giving back to diverse charities and promoting a lifestyle of wellness and intention.” Sounds very nice, though I will says hunting around the Yield Co and Sowden websites didn’t turn up what charities or wellness they’re specifically promoting. The Sowden House website is pretty cool and worth a browsing, though!
So in the end, the Yield Co Black Dahlia Willow CBD candle smells really, really good, and may or may not have relaxing properties. I can’t speak to the science behind it, but my apartment smells great!
Source: Manufacturer provided review sample
What I Liked: Smells delightful; burns without any smoking; looks nice on my coffee table
What Needs Improvement: Unclear how much effectiveness the CBD provides; expensive
