Nothing brings me more joy than lighting up a candle (or ten) to unwind. My collection is extensive and extra, from £1.50 pillar candles to my coveted Dior and Boy Smells offerings. Those that know me will know I am super protective over my expensive candles and will seldom burn them, letting them live out their lives as tiny luxury jars dotted around my flat.
If you make the fatal mistake of lighting one of my out-of-bounds candles, god help you.
Because of this, I’ve embarked on a personal mission to find dupes of my favourite luxury candles that I can burn, filling my home with my favourite fragrances for less. Gone are the days of disappointing, waxy-smelling high street candles; to my pleasant surprise, I’ve found a growing number of affordable candle brands that pack a hell of a scent throw. But finding one that matches your favourite designer candle fragrance? A little tougher.
The best luxury candle dupes
Never one to miss out on a dupe, I’ve put in the hours and done the work for you. Below, find my favourite luxury candles and the impressive dupes that will let you get lit for less.
Dupe for Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin: Aldi No.1 Lime Basil & Mandarin, £3.49
To be completely honest, I didn’t have to look very far to find this dupe; the name didn’t exactly make it a mystery and everyone and their mother has been waxing lyrical about Aldi’s infamous home fragrance range for years.
A 200g Jo Malone candle is £55, while Aldi’s two-wick candle is just £3.49. Even the packaging, down to the metal lid, screams Jo Malone.
Now, I will say that Jo Malone’s candles are strong, so much so that if you leave the lid off without lighting it, you’ll get a serious scent boost for the room. Aldi’s aren’t as strong, but at under £5, you can afford to be liberal with how long you’re burning it.
Dupe for Diptyque 34 Boulevard Saint Germain scented candle, £62: Asda Modern Cottage Debossed Ceramic Scented Candle, £10
I’m outing myself as a Diptyque fangirl right now, because there’s no hiding the fact. When I worked in a luxury beauty store, I used to wait all year to splurge on a Diptyque candle with my 50% Christmas discount, so yes, I do think they are worth investing in if you can.
Not only do all the Diptyque fragrances have scent throws that will fill up your whole house within half an hour of burning, but the perfumes are completely unique and make your space smell so sophisticated.
However, I had to do a double take when I saw Asda’s Debossed Ceramic Scented Candle, £10, Asda, which aesthetically is a dead ringer for Diptyque’s much-loved 34 Boulevard Saint Germain white ceramic candle, £62, Net-A-Porter.
It’s important to note that the scents are different: Asda’s candle has notes of apple, cedarwood, jasmine, musk, orange flower, raspberry, whereas Diptyque’s 34 describes itself as fresh, green and spicy with notes of moss, blackcurrant leaves and fig, but the design of the candle holder itself is very similar.
Oh, and did I mention you get two for just £10?
Dupe for Loewe’s Tomato Leaves Scented Candle, £82: True Grace Vine Tomato Candle, £22
Tomato fragrances are one of my absolute favourites when it comes to home scenting; they’re the perfect summer candle IMO and transport me right back to my childhood spent in my grandparents’ gardens and greenhouse.
I love Loewe’s Tomato Leaves scent for this very reason, but it is very expensive and more often than not, out of stock, which led me to find an alternative.
True Grace’s Vine Tomato Candle, £22, True Grace, is a refreshing and herby fragrance that mimics that quintessentially English garden scent. For £22, the scent is as strong as you would expect from a much more expensive candle and it’s hand-poured in Wiltshire using natural wax with fully recyclable packaging, making it a great sustainable option too.
If it’s the Loewe-inspired design you’ve got your heart set on, this Large Scented Candle, £14, Habitat, comes pretty close with its ridge, bubble design. You’ll want to be quick though, as these are selling fast.
Dupe for The White Company Seychelles Candle, £20: Boots White Collection Indian Island Candle, £8.99
The White Company is the epitome of the coastal aesthetic, and its Seychelles candle embraces everything that’s to love about it. One sniff of this candle and you can almost feel the sand between your toes, with fresh notes of bergamot, orange and coconut, centred by jasmine and vanilla. It’s a grown-up, soothing fragrance that taps into that holiday feeling without being a cliched tropical, sun cream scent.
If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative, you can’t get much closer scent-wise than Boots’ The White Collection Indian Island Candle, £8.99, Boots. Its name takes a lot of the guesswork out of which candle this could be compared to, and it features the same blend of vanilla, orange, amber and coconut as Seychelles does. The scent throw isn’t as strong as The White Company, but for under £10 it does a good job.
Dupe for Baobab Collection Max 24 Pearls Black, £230: Anthropologie Maricella Candle, £46
Baobab’s candles are immediately recognisable due to their unique designs, which make them borderline art pieces instead of candles, but you’ll also have to fork out a small fortune to have one of these on your mantlepiece.
If you’re looking to elevate your space for a price that won’t make you wince every time you burn it, Anthropologie’s Maricella Candle is housed in a similar speckled design. You’ll get a whopping 84 hours burn time with this candle, so while it might be a bit more expensive than other dupes, this will last you quite a while.
This dupe is purely design-based though, as Anthropologie’s candle features a blend of birchwood and cashmere, while Baobab’s Pearl Candle features notes of black rose and ginger.
The best dupe for Byredo Bibliothèque, £60: Beauty Pie Leather, Violet Leaves & Labdanum, £20 for members
Byredo’s candles and fragrances will always be things I will save up to buy; its scents are so unique and long-lasting, that I do think the investment is worth it. Its candles are perfect for creating an atmosphere, especially when you have someone over that you want to impress, but Bibliothèque has to be one of my favourites. It’s flirty, inviting and has a depth to it that you won’t find with cheaper candles.
That said, Beauty Pie is absolutely killing it when it comes to the affordable candle game. I’ve lost count of the number of people in the beauty industry who are obsessed, and I mean obsessed, with its home fragrance range. BP’s candles rival high-end versions, with luxurious packaging and a scent throw that fills the whole house.
Leather, Violet Leaves & Labdanum is as close as I’ve found to a Bibliotheque dupe; they’re both complex, sensual scents and contain the same notes of leather, violet and vanilla.
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