Diptyque is a French luxury candle house known for its complex, sophisticated scents and premium pricing. Here’s how the brand performs in the Candlegraph index (see methodology for details on SAV and PAE):
Introduction
A Diptyque candle was the first luxury candle I ever owned, and it was the brand that got me into scented candles in the first place. Or at least the one that led me down the rabbit hole into my current obsession. It also played an instrumental part in turning just lighting candles into my other obsession of data collection and analysis. I’ve burned more than a few Diptyque candles at this point, although I’ve only documented a handful using my current methodology. When I first began keeping track, the brand came strong out of the gate, even using my initial methods of only measuring burn time versus price. Now I’m curious to know how well it holds up against those earlier trials.
Scent Profile
While I’m a fan of every Diptyque candle I’ve come across, Narguile is my current favorite. The scent is an almost counter-intuitive combination of tobacco and honey that shouldn’t work but absolutely does. The tobacco base imparts a nice earthy aroma, while the honey top note gives it an almost spicy fragrance that keeps the candle from overpowering the space. Even if you typically prefer sweeter candles, I would still encourage you to give the Narguile a try. You might find that it hits a sweet spot for you.
Performance
Diptyque is known for their room-filling candles, and Narguile is no exception. In fact, I consider Narguile to be one of the most potent scents that the Paris-based company has to offer. Upon first opening the box, I’m always taken aback by just how strong the immediate bouquet is. Sure, it’s been trapped in a box, but I cannot say the same for all candles I’ve tested. Even after things settle down, its unlit scent - cold throw - is still enough that you can smell it a few feet away from where it sits. But once it has been lit, it really shines.
As with all candles, the Narguile can take a while to get going. On a first burn, you may be looking at 30 - 45 minutes before the scent really starts to emanate (and roughly an hour before you have a full pool of wax). Once it’s in its main sequence, however, there’s no denying just how powerful this jar is. I burned this candle over 13 sessions at my desk—a landing space at the top of the stairs that opens into a hallway and a couple of bedrooms. It easily filled the entire area, and the aroma traveled between rooms effortlessly.
Session Details: Average burn time was 3.8 hours (min: 1.6h / max: 5.5h), keeping within the 4-hour guideline with a few minor outliers. On a scale of 1 - 5, I measured the hot throw at a 4 (Strong) - Fills a large open-concept space or drifts into adjacent rooms.
Value Assessment
The catch? Diptyque, being a luxury brand, sells candles that can easily cost more than half a day’s pay for many people. This means that when I burn one of their candles (“literally setting money on fire” as a friend’s mom described the hobby), I need to be getting some value out of it. Fortunately, due to their strong performance, they are still a decent value proposition.
The Narguile candle was $78 USD and burned for almost 50 hours, delivering 37 minutes of quality burn time per dollar spent. Combined with its strong potency, I would consider it worth the price, even if it’s only a nice treat every now and then.
Final Verdict
While there are more expensive candles out there (believe it or not), Diptyque is a great choice whether this is your first or fiftieth luxury scented candle. Narguile remains my favorite fragrance of theirs, and they have been consistent throughout the years. If you’re new to luxury candles, the Diptyque brand, or even just the scent itself, I highly recommend giving it a try.