I Tried a New Basil-Scented Home Care Line, and It Made My Kitchen Smell Like a Summer Garden for Hours

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Published on July 14, 2025

For most of my life, I would've told you that I don't like anything with a fragrance—I didn't wear perfume, never lit scented candles, and bought unscented laundry detergent. I would rather smell a natural scent than an overpowering tropical extravaganza.

That is until one day when I tried a sampler of some more "adventurous" perfumes, and it changed everything I thought I knew about fragrance. It turns out I actually really love scents (which is why I also hate a lot of scents), aka I'm a not-so-secret scent snob. So when I caught wind of a new basil-scented home fragrance collection, I knew I had to give it a whiff with my critical nose.

About the Sweet Basil Collection

The collection itself isn't new—the products in this lineup have been offered in other scents for years. But the summer scent, Sweet Basil, is its latest addition. The collection is by Hudson Grace, a home decor and entertaining brand that also has their own line of signature-scented candles, soaps, and cleaning products.

The fragrance is officially described as "The scent of freshly-picked basil—bright, herbaceous, and just a little bit addictive. It's as comforting as it is refreshing." It launched online on July 10.

My Review of the Hudson Grace Sweet Basil Collection

For this test, I tried the dish soap, candle, hand soap, and hand lotion—all in Sweet Basil, of course. And let me just say: Wow, I was blown away! I was a bit skeptical because of the word "sweet" in the name, but luckily, this wasn't an overly-sugary scent mixed with herb notes.

Instead, it smells exactly like fresh basil that leaves (pun intended) sweet hints of earthy aromas afterward. It reminds me of a Sour Patch Kid, but instead of sour, sweet, gone—first it's herbaceous, then it's slightly sweet, and then it (luckily!) sticks around for a while. It made my kitchen smell like I just whipped up a fresh batch of pesto the entire evening. A few hours after using the dish soap, I caught a whiff of my hands and thought "Wait, what smells so good?" Then I remembered what I used earlier.

Overall, the description of the scent is spot-on. It really does smell like someone bottled up the aroma of basil as it's being picked—and as the brand boasts, I agree it's irresistible. Sweet Basil officially earns my snobby schnoz's stamp of approval.