The french house’s take on amber is warm, rich and rewarding.

Overview

Ambre, for the uninitiated (as I was before this candle), might not be what first springs to mind when thinking of Diptyque’s offering. Baies, Feu de Bois or Figuieur tend to be front and center when thinking through the french house’s scents.

However, I’ve found Diptyque’s take on amber has become one of my personal favorites and more importantly, has been a gateway into other amber fragrances.

This particular take on amber scent is a great introduction into amber heavy fragrances as the secondary notes of vetiver and tonka seem to take a back seat and really let the amber shine.  This is different from Byredo’s take on amber, Ambre Japonais, which features other oriental notes.

Scent

Before going any further, what is amber anyway?  Amber refers to a scent family which can actually be derived from multiple sources.  

First, there’s ambergris which is the byproduct of the secretion of a sperm whale’s bile duct. Fear not — as gnarly as that sounds the smell is pleasant. Ambergris as a material is rare and sought after.  So much so that there have been bans put in place to stop the hunting sperm whales for this valuable commodity and the trading of ambergris in the US is now a criminal offence.

Ambergris can also be derived from a resin from the cistus labdanifer plant which can be found in the mediterranean, specifically in Portugal.  

Finally, the scent can be mimicked synthetically.

What does amber smell like? Some describe amber as a “warm, rich and honey-like” which I think are accurate descriptors.

This particular take on amber is all about elevated comfort — if one were walking around in cashmere pajamas in a log cabin in Gstaad or St Moritz (super casually of course), this is what I would expect to be burning in the corner. The candle has other notes:

Notes:

• Woods 

• Vetiver 

• Patchouli 

• Aniseed

• Spices

• Incense

• Cistus 

• Tonka bean

Size

Ambre comes in the following sizes:

• Mini: 70g (30 hour burn time)

• Standard: 190g (60 hour burn time)

• Colored: 300g (90 hour burn time)

No outdoor 1500g size for this scent unfortunately. For outdoor sized candles check out Baies and Feu de Bois.

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 300g candle size in an average sized bedroom, I found Ambre to have medium to strong cold throw.  You definitely get whiffs of the fragrance without the candle being lit, more so I found, than Baies or Figuieur.

Hot Throw:

• I found Ambre to have strong hot throw.  The rich scent definitely fills the room and even meandered into the hallway with the door closed.

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.

Price:

• Mini: 70g (36$)

• Standard: 190g (68$)

• Colored: 300g (98$)

Summary:

Diptyque’s Ambre would be a great fit for someone who might be looking to dip their toes in a different scent family. With a strong throw (both hot and cold), this candle will add a layer of warm luxury onto any living space.

If after this candle you too have hopped on the amber train, there are others worth checking out including Byredo’s Ambre Japonais.