High-end candles can be a real treat. From the captivating fragrances to the luxurious containers and packaging, when choosing a company you may not know which way to go.
If you are considering Diptyque vs Jo Malone candles, you can’t really go wrong with either. Both are high quality with a wide range of fragrances to choose from and their prices are about the same, but I hope this article can help you make your final decision.
Let’s explore these two brands a little further.
Diptyque and Jo Malone: Humble Beginnings
Diptyque and Jo Malone are two upscale brands with European roots. If you aren’t familiar with these two companies, here’s a quick rundown of each.
Jo Malone London
The first Jo Malone store opened in London in 1994. Crafted in the English countryside, Jo Malone London has now been part of the Estée Lauder family since 1999. It is a luxury lifestyle brand known for daringly combining fragrances, disregarding all the rules.
In addition to candles, Jo Malone also offers diffusers and sprays for the home. Their colognes and bath and body products also serve a loyal following.
Diptyque Paris
Founded by three Parisian friends in 1961, Diptyque Paris was originally a bazaar boutique offering an eclectic array of products – their fragrances were originally imported. It was in 1963 when they first released their candles.
They proudly take an ethical and sustainable approach to sourcing raw materials used to make their fragrances. Similar to Jo Malone, Diptyque also takes risks when exploring fragrance blends. Diffusers, room sprays, and scented ovals round out their home fragrance offerings.
Remaining in the spirit of their original bazaar boutique, the company continues to sell giftwares, home decor items, skincare options, and fragrances for men and women. In 2005, Diptyque was purchased by London-based Manzanita Capital, who is still the current owner, but the candles are still made in France.
Diptyque vs Jo Malone Candle Products
Both companies offer a variety of scented candles in multiple fragrance families. Many of their scent families overlap: floral, woody, spicy, and fruity. Diptyque also offers an herbal range of scents and Jo Malone has a comparable range, which is called citrus. But there is also a sixth fragrance family that Jo Malone offers, and it’s light floral.
Each company has fan favorites and floral candles are usually most popular for any company, so I wanted to compare a best-selling floral candle from both.
Diptyque Gardenia Candle for Home
- A luxurious, delicately scented candle Fills your
- Fills your home with a soft, comforting scent
- A luxurious, delicately scented candle
- Colour: White
A fresh and airy gardenia fragrance with hints of jasmine. Powerfully feminine and sensual, your home will feel like stepping into an elegant garden.
Pros
- Burns clean
- Light romantic fragrance
- Hand-poured
- Long-lasting
Cons
- Contains paraffin wax
- On the expensive side
Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede
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Charming, delicate peony fragrance mingles with red apple, jasmine, gillyflower, rose and soft, powdery suede.
Pros
- Burns nicely
- Wonderfully delicate fragrance
- Perfect gift for a dinner host
- Fragrance lingers – excellent throw
Cons
- Less room coverage than expected for some people
- Expensive
Floral Scented Candle Comparison Table
| Diptyque Paris | Jo Malone London | |
| Candle name: | Gardenia Candle | Peony & Blush Suede Candle |
| Size: | 190 g / 6.5 oz | 200 g / 7.1 oz |
| Wax type: | premium vegetable and paraffin wax blend | non-specific premium wax blend |
| Wick type: | lead-free cotton | cotton |
| Fragrance: | essential oils | fragrance oils |
| Burn time: | 60 hours | 45 hours |
| Made in: | France | Britain |
Diptyque vs Jo Malone: Brand to Brand Comparison
In this section I want to walk you through what you are likely to see and experience if you purchase a candle made by either of these companies.
Packaging Expectations
This is the first thing that you will notice when you receive your order. Both companies place their candles inside beautifully branded boxes that look so nice that they can be given away as a gift.
Sometimes the simplest designs are the most elegant. Your Jo Malone candle will rest in a cushion of black tissue paper inside Jo Malone’s iconic cream and black box – which is recycled and recyclable – all tied up in a pretty black ribbon.
Candle Containers
One of the first things you would notice is that for both companies the candle wax is poured into a glass jar. Diptyque’s classic scented candle jars look similar to votive candles – a little taller than they are wide. Whereas Jo Malone candle jars look more like pillar candles – almost equally wide and tall.
The difference, though, is that Jo Malone includes a lid with a little black bow on top with every candle jar. This prevents debris and dust from accumulating in the jar. It may seem simple but this is a valuable benefit because candles burn best when the wax is clean.
Ingredients & Process
Diptyque candles are created with raw materials and a premium wax blend in small batches by hand. Even their lead-free cotton wicks are held in place by hand when pouring the wax. This is a slow, calculated process. Lots of precautions are taken to ensure that the candles will burn evenly and at a slow speed.
They take a sustainable and ethical approach to sourcing raw materials to create their products, which they refer to as works of art.
Using responsibly-sourced ingredients, Jo Malone candles are also handcrafted at the highest level of artisanship. Jo Malone’s products are manufactured in renewable energy facilities.
In every facet of production, they set high sustainability standards and constantly consider their impact on the environment. In keeping with their mission to produce locally, currently 97% of their products are made in Britain.
Jo Malone meticulously alters wax composition of each candle fragrance in order to ensure that it burns slowly and that the cotton wick evenly distributes the scent. Their distinct blend of waxes are also carefully hand-poured but they do not disclose what types of wax are included in each blend. Some jars indicate soy, others beeswax, so you may not know what kind of wax is used until you receive your candle.
Pricing & Candle Details
Jo Malone and Diptyque are mostly neck and neck when it comes to pricing. Both companies attribute their high price points to the craftsmanship that goes into creating each candle.
Diptyque offers two sizes in their classic scented candle range while Jo Malone offers four sizes. Jo Malone’s two largest sizes are not available everywhere nor do they appear to be offered in every scent.
The prices listed below might vary a little. Some scents are more expensive than others depending on the rarity of ingredients.
Pricing & Candle Details Comparison Chart
| Diptyque Paris | Jo Malone London | |
| Candle Size 1 | 2.5 oz // $38 // 30-hour burn time | 2.1 oz // $36 // 18-hour burn time |
| Candle Size 2 | 6.5 oz // $68 // 60-hour burn time | 7.1 oz // $70 // 45-hour burn time |
| Candle Size 3 | N/A | 21.2 oz // $200 // 90-hour burn time |
| Candle Size 4 | N/A | 88.2 oz // $495 // 220-hour burn time |
As you can see, Jo Malone burn times are significantly lower for candles of comparable size to Diptyque Paris candles. That is definitely something to consider when choosing between brands.
Conclusion
Buying from more expensive brands can sometimes be a little scary. You want to know that what you’re getting is justified by the price point. Only you know which brand would be the best fit for you, but I hope that this article has helped you understand both companies a little better so that you can make that choice with less stress.
In short, here are some points you can think about when considering Diptyque vs Jo Malone candles:
Use Diptyque candles if:
- You want a high end candle with a long burn time
- You want to know exactly what kinds of wax are used in your candles
- You are looking for a candle that is an olfactory work of art
Use Jo Malone candles if:
- You want to try a daring new fragrance
- You are looking for an exquisite gift-ready candle
- You want a candle with a well-timed fragrance dispersion
Your next step is to choose! Both companies are reputable and have been around for a long time, so you can be confident that whatever choice you make, it’ll be a good one.
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