IKEA releases meatball-scented candles

IKEA’s got the meats.

The furniture chain released a candle scented like its iconic Swedish meatballs, bringing the classic smell from the store to your living room in honor of IKEA’s tenth anniversary.

“For many people, one of the first things that comes to mind when they think of IKEA is their delicious and affordable Swedish meatballs,” Sho Matsuzaki, creative director at Ogilvy, which spearheaded the creative project with IKEA, told The Post. “There’s no other furniture brand out there with a food offering that has such a strong following. So for the IKEA Family 10-year anniversary, we thought it would be fitting to create something unexpected that our IKEA Family members and meatball super-fans would love. And yes, it does very much smell like IKEA meatballs.”

The uniquely scented candle is part of the company’s limited-edition “IKEA Store in a Box” promotion, which gives customers the opportunity to take home the iconic store’s sensory experience.

The meatball-scented candles are part of promotional sweepstakes.

The mystery box includes the candle and other items and is part of a sweepstakes to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the store’s US Family program, a loyalty program that offers special rewards and exclusive offers.

In 2018, one Twitter user seemingly predicted the future, suggesting that IKEA produce the candle years prior to its current release. “IKEA should make a Swedish meatball scented candle,” they wrote.

The Huvudroll meatball candle is an addition to the store’s “IKEA Store in a Box” promotion.

IKEA hasn’t always had a good relationship with their meatballs, though. In 2013, the chain had beef with its production factories.

In the Czech Republic, food inspectors found horse DNA in a 2.2-pound batch of meatballs. IKEA recalled the meat immediately, telling the Wall Street Journal that its own inspections found no traces of horse DNA.

Now, IKEA is bringing the sensory shopping experience into customers’ homes.

It’s not the first time a major corporation released a peculiarly scented candle. In 2019, KFC released a gravy-scented candle with a “staggeringly nose stimulating” candle to “fill your home with the incredible aroma of KFC gravy.” And just last year, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop released a $75 candle that allegedly smells like its CEO’s “vagina.”