TK Maxx shoppers gag over 'viral' bagel candle as they say 'people can't buy that'

Shoppers have been left retching at the weird scent of a "bagel candle" from , with TikTok users revealing the whiff almost induced vomiting.

The public has been both horrified and intrigued by the bizarre aroma, which supposed to evoke the smell of a bagel, but seemingly misses the mark.

Curiosity has risen among those unable to find it in local stores, wondering about the actual fragrance of the controversial candle. In one video, user @freyacerryce1 documented the ordeal: "Getting my mum and sister to smell the viral bagel candle from TK Maxx."

Tasking her relatives with sniffing the product individually, they were aghast at its peculiar odour.

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"It's viral don't smell it together, smell it separately," the uploader insisted. Her sister grimaced after taking a whiff and passed the candle, commenting skeptically: "That can't be, people can't be buying that. They're not buying that."

Upon experiencing the notorious scent, her mother coughed in response and baffled, asked: "What is it? " confirming "that's not a bagel," through a coughing fit.

A woman's hilarious reaction to a bagel-scented candle has gone viral, leaving her sister and social media users in fits of laughter. She warned: "If your bagel smells like that it's gone off, I hate to tell you this people but..."

The post sparked a flurry of comments with one person asking: "I'm intrigued! What does it actually smell like? Our local tk maxx doesn't have them." Another revealed the scent: "Smells like onion."

TK Maxx employees also expressed their shock at the candle's aroma, with one saying: "It's horrible isn't it. I worked at TK Maxx and we all were shocked."

While some found the candle's smell unbearable, others didn't mind it, with one user admitting: "It's not even that bad, I smelled it the other day expecting to be absolutely repulsed."

Someone else commented on the lingering effect: "It doesn't smell too bad but it gets stuck in your nose and throat."

There are theories that the candle might be a deliberate olfactory challenge, as one speculated: "Imagine if the plot twist was they made half of these smell bad on purpose just to see who picks them up because some people don't think it smells that bad."

Another confirmed: "It's not even that bad just smelt it today."

TK Maxx has been contacted for comment.