Sunday Kramer, nearly 2, has a nose that knows good candles.
The Dallas-based toddler has lit up TikTok with her honest and sincere critique videos, which have amassed nearly 9 million likes on the platform.
In the videos, Sunday tilts her nose to candles, assessing and sniffing each one with the acumen of a seasoned critic, before leaning back to ponder her assessment.
She has sniffed everything from household brands, like Bath & Bodyworks, to luxury scents by Tom Ford, Trudon and Jo Malone. Each time, she takes a thoughtful moment to contemplate before delivering a decisive answer. Sometimes it’s a simple “yes” or “no.” More recently, she’s expanded her rating system to include an “Ooooh. Nice.”
Whether approved or not, her reactions are always adorable.
Speaking to TODAY.com, Sunday’s mother, Bri Kramer, says her daughter has consistently preferred certain smells for some time.
“When she was around 6 months old, I would have her smell spices in the pantry. I just was kind of experimenting to see if she would remember scents and if she would have a preference, and she really did,” she explains, adding that some of Sunday’s favorite scents are cinnamon and matcha — which she asks to smell every day.
“Too fruity,” or floral scents don't hold a candle to Sunday’s penchant for the woodsy smells that have “a little bit of spice” and “a hint of fruit.”
For those who are dubious, Kramer admits that she initially wondered if her daughter was just saying “yes” or “no” to scents rather than expressing a real preference.
But Kramer says Sunday is “actually very consistent” with the smells she likes and dislikes and takes her time before expressing an opinion.
“When I was pregnant with her, I just felt that she was going to be, like, contemplative, that she would sit back and listen and then speak, and she is so like that,” Kramer says. “She’s mostly a very chill baby, but she’s very smart and loves to talk, but she’ll hold back her opinions until she feels (ready).”
On TikTok, Sunday grips the attention of viewers waiting to hear her judgment of scents they are considering for purchase.
“From now on, I’m only buying candles approved by her,” one TikToker commented on a decisive review by Sunday in which she gave a resounding "yes" to a candle by Jackson Vaughn.
“This is one of the most confident yeses yet??!” one user said of her approval of a Champagne Toast candle she sniffed in a video posted on New Year's Eve.
Her videos are also teaching potential buyers the proper etiquette when it comes to testing candle scents.
“Wait is that how you’re supposed to smell the candles??” one user asked in response to a video in which Sunday smells from a cloche, aka the glass surrounding the candle. “I’ve just been lifting them and shoving my face down to the candle level.”
Many on the platform have suggested that Sunday might come from that rare ilk of people called “super smellers” or that she has the potential to one day become a perfumer.
As for what got Sunday so interested in smells at a young age, Kramer posits that it might stem from her husband, who was born with an eye disease.
“His dad always told him growing up that he has an extra strong nose,” she explains.
Before Sunday was born, Kramer shares that she and her husband had a standing date each month where they would explore the Bishop Arts District in Dallas, which is known for its independent boutiques and diverse eats. Their trips to the neighborhood led them to pop in and explore what is now their (and Sunday’s) favorite candle shop, Society.
“We just started including her in that and lifting up the cloche (for her to smell),” Kramer explains, adding that “the very first candle that she ever like really liked” came from the shop and is called Folklore by Jackson Vaughn. The candle boasts notes of fresh pomegranate, peppercorn and charred sage.
As a soon-to-be 2-year-old, Sunday has many years to fine tune her smelling skills and expand into other interests.
“She really loves learning how to catch a ball,” Kramer says of her daughter, who also enjoys drawing and playing in the kitchen. “She just got a play kitchen, so she loves cooking me little meals in her little play kitchen.”
