Review: Byredo - Ambre Japonais
Byredo’s modern take on amber delights and delivers.
Overview:
Byredo is the brainchild of Ben Gorham, a former Swedish basketball player turned olfactory entrepreneur. The luxury brand, which was launched in 2006, has risen to prominence since then and has garnered critical acclaim and a cult following along the way. Byredo meshes unique takes on fragrances with a minimal scandinavian aesthetic.
Ambre Japonais fits this formula to a tee.
Beyond the refreshing take on amber, it doesn’t hurt that the candle oozes cool with all-black wax and glass.
Scent
As the name suggests, Ambre Japonais is an oriental take on amber. The rich, earthy amber notes are very much center stage, but are also accompanied by pleasant hints of asian spice — coriander and pepper. There is also a slight sweetness to the scent that rounds it out nicely.
Similar to Dyptique’s Ambre, the scent is still comforting and rich. As we see in the notes below, the spice and sweetness round out this fragrance’s earthier sandalwood notes.
Notes:
Coriander Seed
Black Pepper
Sandalwood
Sesame
Bourbon Vanilla
Size
Byredo’s Ambre Japonais run in two sizes:
Regular: 240g or 8.4oz (60 hour burn time)
Small: 70g (30 hour burn time)
I found that the regular sized lasted me for at least 6 months with regular 3-4 burning sessions. I was pleasantly surprised and was impressed with this candle’s longevity.
Throw:
For an overview of “throw” and other candle terminology, take a glance at Wax and Glass’s terminology overview.
Cold Throw:
In my experience with the 240g candle size in an average sized bedroom, Ambre Japonais had a medium cold throw. There were light whiffs of the fragrance, but only close to the candle itself.
Hot Throw:
I found Ambre Japonais to have strong hot throw. It definitely filled the room and was a strong performer.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the strong performance of this scent. It’s less subtle than a Baies or a Figuier, but folks who are looking for a more scent forward candle will definitely enjoy Ambre.
Summary:
I’d recommend Ambre Japonais for someone who is looking for a comforting, rich and warm scent, but one that isn’t traditional per se.
After enjoying Ambre Japonais, I’m excited to try more of Byredo’s line. Beyond the spotless design, the scents have a layered sense of whimsy and surprise to them which is both refreshing and enjoyable. They also look sleek and sharp wherever you place them. Let me know if any Byredo recommendations in the comments below!
The french house’s take on amber is warm, rich and rewarding.