Diptyque Spice Candle Review & Photos
Diptyque Spice Candle
Diptyque Spice Candle ($68.00 for 6.5 oz.) is described as “cinnamon with the reassuring roundness of plum.” Sometimes, I’m not sure why I buy things I know I probably won’t like, because Diptyque’s candles always disappoints me. Their holiday candles are always so beautifully packaged, and since I tend to gravitate towards spicy, cozy scents in the fall and winter, I thought this one might hit the spot (and being cinnamon-driven, I didn’t think it would be a shy scent).
I was wrong – there is so little throw that I’m not even sure there’s any scent being released as the wax melts. When I burn it, I can’t detect any scent. I get more scent in the room when it is unlit and just sitting there (though it is very subtle, and only if I’m within a foot of it). Unlit, it smells of warm, spicy cinnamon with a hint of clove and sweet plum. It’s not an overly complicated scent but very holiday-esque (to me) and aptly named. The only positive things I have to say about it is that it does burn evenly, and it burns cleanly. Currently, I don’t need to read by candlelight, so the lack of throw is devastating at this price point (and this is what I’ve experienced with every Diptyque candle I’ve tried). Someone remind me of this next holiday season when those prettily housed candles try to tempt me again.
It’s also available in a smaller size for $34 (2.4 oz.) or as part of the holiday trio ($98 for 3 x 2.4 oz. candles) The large size featured in this post is supposed to have a 60-hour burn time, while the smaller size has a 30-hour burn time.
See more photos!
Diptyque Spice Candle
Diptyque Spice Candle
Diptyque Spice Candle
Diptyque Spice Candle
Diptyque Spice Candle
Diptyque Spice Candle
Diptyque Spice Candle
It sure looks beautiful! I wonder what it smells like. I mean, I kind of have an idea, but still, smell is such a personal thing.
Cinnamon is definitely dominant, some seem to get more or less sweetness/plum from it!
Oh no! I had such high hopes for this candle! I’ve never tried a Diptyque candle before, but everybody seems to love them somehow. It’s good to hear a different opinion though, now I will probably go for the smaller sized version to try it out!
Yeah, I wish I had got the trio instead (I was too impatient, sigh) or the smaller size!
Thanks for the review. I have been wanting to try this brand out and I will stay clear. I hate it when high priced candles have absolutely no throw just like YankeeCandle.
I have a bunch of B&BW candles, and those I can smell fine. In general, I’ve found the best throw to come from just melting wax in a warmer (no flames).
Hi Christine, I would love it if you could start reviewing B&BW candles.
I’ll definitely take it under consideration! I haven’t bought any in awhile! I mostly get their hand soaps and the ones you plug into the wall.
I’ve found Diptyque candles and fragrances to be really overwhelming and pungent, so this is a surprise. This year I’m going to get the Nest holiday candle. I sniffed it last year and kept waiting for a sale, but it never happened. I’m going to get it as soon as I can this year because it smells great and I don’t want to miss it.
Awesome, Aline! 🙂 It seemed fairly strong right out of the box while I was photographing it, but since lighting it, it’s sooo subtle.
Makes me feel better that I’m not missing out on a $65 candle! It looks and sounds heavenly in the description, sorry it was such a poor performance.
I’ll stick to my Henri Bendel candles at $30 or 2/$50. I haven’t tried the holiday scents yet but I don’t even need to light it if I’m sitting near it; throws a ton just taking the lid off.
Which scents do you like? I don’t even know if the Henri Bendel ones have multiple scents, lol!
The ones I’ve really liked so far are Jasmine, Rosenberry (I don’t see that in the store right now), and Tuberose. The Jasmine candle basically smells like nice jasmine absolute; one of my favorite perfumes is Serge Lutens a la nuit and it’s a sweeter version of that. The Tuberose candle really makes me want a tuberose perfume….
It looks like they have a ton of holiday options and if you have a Henri Bendel store near you they usually have a wall of candles if you want to check them out.
Thank you, Sasha! I don’t live near any retailer, haha, all online ordering for me, unfortunately!
Also, for you I’d try Holiday or Buttered Rum and Amber for their 2/$50. I know you love your amber perfumes!
Thanks, Sasha! You know what’s funny, but I like my candles more food-y overall while I don’t like most food-y perfumes. I don’t know why!
I bought one a few years ago b/c of all the hype and kicked myself for the money wasted. I love all things French and it was nice enough but nothing special in my opinion. I could think of many more affordable alternatives that’s semi high-end’ish (Voluspa, Nest etc)
I’ll stick with melting tarts, I think. I don’t LOVE candles, because I fear forgetting to put them out, lol, so I’ve been trying not to buy as many (I have plenty from B&BW from over the years!).
I love the ambience that candles give and like B&BW for everyday use, and Voluspa etc for gifts. Voluspa has one that’s pretty similar to Dyptique’s Baies–Black Figure something.
I don’t think I have tried Voluspa!
If you are looking for the best scented candles ever in life you need Suzzette’s Cabin Candles. Not the cutest looking things in the world, but they are phenomenal.
Thank you, Cindy!
yikes, seems like you would’ve been better off getting a $10 candle from target!! 😉 it looks pretty though!
I definitely prefer B&BW candles 🙁 Those and Candles by Victoria are the two I have the most experience with!
I’ve never had much luck with Diptyque candles, but I’ve only tried three. The wax melted very quickly, the wicks were very sooty (I could maybe burn them for thirty minutes before the wick started getting sooty- and this was after I trimmed the wick before lighting it) and I didn’t get much throw from my three. Bath and Body Works candles may not be sophisticated, but there are several scents each season that output plenty of fragrance.
I remember hearing that a candle that’s fragrant while cold doesn’t get much stronger when lit. I’m not sure I’ve personally found that to be true, though. Are you going to use up your candle and then turn it onto a holder for brushes or something? 😛
Do you remember which scents you tried, Dia? I need to move on from Diptyque, but always good to know which ones to avoid. I’ve had nice experiences with B&BW candles – far better than the one with this candle! I’m probably just going to use it as decor somewhere in the house. It’s too short for most of my brushes (plus, I like all my holders to match!).
It seems trendy to use the candle jar (for lack of a better word) as a holder, but I finally just threw mine away. I believe I had minis in Oranger and Feu de Bois. (To be fair, even some of B&BW’s minis aren’t very fragrant.) I had a slightly larger candle in Baies. It was a meh scent to me and not very fragrant, either. You had to be close to it to smell it, whereas you had to be above the minis to smell their fragrance. I wish I had thought to put them on a candle warmer. Maybe there would have been more scent output without the pesky soot!
Though B&BW minis are like $5, so it is easier to get over 😉
Yes, I have experienced all those things with Diptyque – I thought for sure the larger size would have better throw.
I just can’t see spending that much for a candle. Sorry the scent wasn’t good.
I’m not one to plunk down so much on a candle either (in general), BUT THAT VASE.
It is gorgeous!
I’m glad you reviewed this before I bought it, but I’m sorry that you spent so much on it for it to be so ineffective 🙁 You would think that for $68 it would have the best scent throw!
Rightttt? Of all things, throw!
I have been very curious about thier solid fragrances. There are not many on the market for men but they have some and I have always liked that concept plus I want to find a new fragrance and since I have many male friends its easy to end up smelling the same if I buy overly advertised popular fragrances. The more I smell the less I like anyways and as I get older, i am rarely satisfied with the mens fragrances I smell. I really want to see what thier men’s fragrances smell like.
I haven’t tried any myself, but do you live near a Diptyque boutique by chance? I hear they have great customer service!
I own around ten (or more?) Diptyque candles and I’m surprised you can’t smell them! To me they smell lovely. I haven’t tried this year’s Christmas candles yet but I’m planning to buy at least the one that smells like pine needles (the green one). If you have tried the Baies (Berries) candle from Diptyque can you smell that one?
If you want to explore other high end candles I recommend Jo Malone, Annick Goutal, L’Artisan Parfumeur and Kilian. I’m probably a bit too obsessed with expensive candles but at least it’s a product I *always* finish (unlike expensive lippies or eyeshadow!).
I have tried Baies, but it had very weak throw (not as weak as Spice, though). I’ve tried one Jo Malone a few years ago, but I wasn’t impressed at the time. Any particular scents you recommend from those four? I have good things about Cire Trudon (which is probably what I would try if I ventured into high-end candles in the near future!).
TBH, I find it hard to recommend fragrances or scented products because people generally seem to disagree a lot on how they perceive scents. (My partner, for example, can hardly tell my fragrances apart and doesn’t care a fig for any of my candles.) That said, I find Jo Malone’s White Jasmine and Mint universally likeable, something I could see myself giving a friend who is new to scented candles. Green Tomato Leaf is also phenomenal (but a bit more risky?).
My favourite L’Artisan Parfumeur candles are probably Parfum des Feuilles and Trèfles à quatre fleurs (the latter smells like true to life clover and honey, it’s amazing!), but I’m afraid they might be discontinued.
Lastly, Goutal’s Noël candle is lovely for Christmas. If you like the smell of pine needles and oranges, that is (I do!).
It is always fun to see which ones people like, though 🙂 Even if they are not for my personal tastes, it is good to know which ones are well-loved!
Thank you so much 🙂
The Basil Lime scent is super popular with Jo Malone fans but my favourite is Pomegrante Noir. Drool! It’s pretty strong though.
Thank you!!
I finally caved in and bought a diptyque candle (amber) when space nk was having their sale last month and I was a little let down as well. The scent was nice but nothing exquisite, and the throw was quite dismal. My BBW leaves had better throw.
I was still debating trying the feu de bois as I was hoping the firewood smell would be quite nice but after your post I am going to skip. It has convinced me that I’m not actually crazy and that these are in fact a bit overhyped and overpriced
It is reassuring not to be the only one, Aditi! I like a clean burn and even melting, but throw is probably what I would look for most… since I don’t really see much of a point to lighting a candle otherwise (personally, of course!).
Damn, I heard good things about this from others but I trust your judgement more!
Me too 🙁
Diptyque candles are the biggest waste of money. I first bought a smaller one (Baies) and there was barely any throw. Like you said, you can smell it more unlit! It also didn’t burn evenly. Then I thought ok maybe the bigger ones have good throw since everyone and their uncle seems to rave about these candles. So I bought a larger size Feu de Bois. Again, barely any throw and uneven burning. I will never buy another Diptyque candle again.
Uneven burning AND poor throw? Double whammy 🙁
It is nice to know that I am not alone in my experience, at least :/
My favorite Diptyque scent is Thé (Tea). You can’t find it in any of the non-Diptyque boutique stores, but it is amazing and very fragrant. I haven’t found another one that I love so much, but there are others that I like. I generally tend towards the “spicy” scents.
I don’t have any issues with throw, but I’m also very sensitive to smell, and most candles/fragrances are too strong for me.
Sorry to hear this one didn’t work out. I’m not a huge fan of their standard Cannelle (Cinnamon), but maybe I’ll try this one.
Thanks for the rec, Tabi!
Oh wow, I’m so sorry to hear this is such a disappointment for you! I’ve tried several Diptyque candles, and they all have pretty good throw. I’m not too sure what happened to this one (or the ones you have tried in general) here. I still have two of the small ones from last year’s holiday collection, so I might skip this year. That is unless I take a whiff and fall in love with one of them, but just from reading through the lists of notes, I kinda doubt it.
Which scents have you tried?
Let’s see: Roses, Feuille de Lavande, Geranium Rosa, Mousses, and Benjoin. They all fill the room with the scent rather quickly!
Thank you!
Diptyque candles are usually amazing. Lilac and Opoponox are my favourites. I once bought two mini candles in a set two different roses Beauty and the Beast. The sillage from them would have knocked an elephant over. AMAZING.
I’ve tried Baies, Figuier, and Opopanax all with the same type of results 🙁
That’s so disappointing at this price point! I’m not against more subtle scents but if you can’t smell it at all, there’s a problem! I’m glad I read this review because I was very tempted by Dyptique candles and you saved me from a major disappointment!
I completely forget it’s burning at all, and then I’m like, “Wait…”
The only scent I seem to tolerate well is Nag Champa incense. Whatever else gives me a terrible headache.
Oh no! Your poor head!
I just bought a candle from Anthropologie in the scent mulled wine and it’s amazing. It gives off fragrance even when it’s not burning. I’ve had good experiences with Diptyque candles, last year I bought a trio of minis including Feu de Bois en Pomander and I absolutely loved the warm, smokey scents. I do find that their perfumes don’t have much of a staying power though.
Sounds very nice, Charlotte!
aww..sorry about your candles 🙁 If it makes you feel better, I get suckered in when it comes to beautiful holiday packaging too! Hell, all their packaging does me in, its just looks so beautiful. We can lean on each other for support for the rest of the holiday & next yr’s when these kinda things start calling our names, lol.
LOL! I will need your support! We can resist!
That’s so strange that you couldn’t smell it! I was working in Space.NK the other day and they had this one burning. I could smell it out from the street and all the way in the back in the break room! The scent was so delicious I almost bought one for myself. With that said, when I smelled a non-burning version of the Spice candle, I didn’t get much out of it. Maybe the one in the store was special? Interesting review, very glad to have read it xo
Interesting! That’s the exact opposite of me! In the box when it arrived and as I photographed it, I was definitely getting the scent, but once I lit it… nothing!
Thank you Christine I’ve been reading all these great reviews and u bought 2 to try 5 years ago and they never smelled and I was in a small condo now tried them again in my new house and still can’t smell them but everyone keeps saying their the greatest and I’m a sucker but I’m glad you reaffirm I’m not nuts. Thank you again by the way henri bendel a are cheaper and smell up my whole house
I am glad I’m not the only one, Melissa! I will have to try Henri Bendel someday!
You should try Voluspa candles! They’re so pretty and you can actually smell them while they’re burning.
Thanks for the rec, Rhi Rhi!
Well, the scent definitely sounds wonderful. Those are my favourite kind of scents for tea and candles all year round, actually!
It’s a shame it didn’t really perform well. Perhaps more of a bedside-table candle than a living room one…
LOL! I can’t even smell it a foot away from me at my desk.