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Home & Garden

Splurge on this popular London luxury candle and you won't regret it

It’s scent-errific

On left, Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom Home Candle burning. On right, Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom Home Candle in original packaging. Credit: Reviewed / Cheryl Fenton

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Our world is full of iconic boxes, from Tiffany’s little blue treasure to Amazon’s brown and black packaging. Jo Malone London is the fragrance world’s elegant offering, with its signature black and cream box tied in chic, black satin, which opens to crisp black tissue paper.

Around the world, luxury scent enthusiasts go wild.

In its four-story Georgian townhouse in Marylebone, Jo Malone London’s fragrance atelier-meets-showroom is a destination to savor all things scented. It boasts candles, body creams, cologne, and hand wash—all with spectacularly blended signature fragrance combos, such as wood sage and sea salt, English pear and freesia, and lime-basil-mandarin.

But I’m not here to talk about perfumes or soap, this time. I’m looking at you: Jo Malone candles.

Here in the States, every online retailer website where these candles are sold boast 5-star ratings for all of the Jo Malone products. I decided to make some scents—pun intended—of all of this high praise and see what the clamoring is all about. So, I ordered a Jo Malone candle and put it to the test.

What I ordered

Product shot of cream colored Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom Home Candle.
Credit: Jo Malone

We're not saying toss out all your old candles–but you get the picture.

While the Mimosa & Cardamom Home Candle isn’t one of Jo Malone’s signature best sellers, that didn’t stop me from gravitating to this unique fragrance blend. The brand promises notes of mimosa (the small golden flower, not the sparkling brunch beverage), spicy freshly crushed cardamom, aromatic tonka bean (the seed of a giant Amazon rainforest tree that is reminiscent of vanilla and almond), earthy sandalwood, flowering heliotrope, and Damask rose.

It’s clear from the get-go—i.e. diving beneath the layers of crisp black tissue paper—this is not your basic drugstore candle. The classic gift box, securely wrapped with its signature bow, along with its contents (a heavy glass vessel with an etched metal lid boasting the Jo Malone name) all make this abundantly clear.

What I like

On left, cream colored Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom Home Candle next to black packaging box. On right, Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom Home Candle.
Credit: Jo Malone

The unique floral notes packed into this candle are definitely worth raving over.

After giving myself time to enjoy the unboxing moment, it was time to get this candle lit. (Insert a brunch mimosa joke here.)

As it turns out, lighting this candle isn’t necessary for you to enjoy its scent. It’s strong enough to just remove the lid and keep the candle next to you on the table. The moment I took off the top, I began enjoying its powdery floral aroma.

Once I lit the candle, the strength of its scent was good but not overpowering, and it filled the entire room. While all of the candle’s notes are recognizable if you were to smell them each in their own candle, when they come together in this candle, the air gains a layered sweetness reminiscent of violet candy.

With approximately 45 hours of burn potential, you’ll have plenty of time to decide if you think it smells like Pez candy, as I do. This is, in my opinion, not a bad thing.

The flame was strong and steady, not flickering at all even when my daughter came quickly into the room to ask if I had Pez. During our testing sesh, it burned evenly for the recommended at-least-four-hour timeframe. The scent lingered a bit after I extinguished the flame.

Another bonus: You can add engraving of up to 30 characters in either block or script font to the candle vessel for an extra $10. This is a lovely way to personalize this candle as a gift.

What I don’t like

On left, Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom Home Candle surrounded by yellow flowers. On right, Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom Home Candle sitting on countertop surrounded by other candles, decorative pumpkins and a plant.
Credit: Jo Malone

The Mimosa and Cardamom Home Candle's design embodies simplicity at its finest.

If you want a showstopper candle in terms of design, this isn’t the candle for you. Visually, the Jo Malone candle is nothing special in its glass jar with a metal lid. For such a steep price, I would have anticipated something more design-oriented.

I also had a question about the candle’s ingredients (which, upon reading the ingredient list on the label, aren’t as clean as I would like). So, I went onto the Jo Malone website to ask the chat function—which I pictured in my head as a white gloved British chap. But, what I got instead was a curt automated virtual assistant that didn’t answer my question and instead pushed me off to a phone call or email option.

Should you buy the Jo Malone London Mimosa & Cardamom Home candle?

On right, Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom Home Candle in bathroom setting, on black and white tile floor. On right, Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom Home Candle in living room setting on hardwood floor.
Credit: Jo Malone

This luxurious candle sends the right message when gifting that special person in your life.

I’m not about to burn through this type of money for a simple candle for myself. However, Jo Malone London has a passion for gift-giving, and with its pretty packaging and potential engraving, this candle clearly sets itself apart as a wonderful gift for a loved one. Let’s hope my daughter gets the memo.

Note: I love Jo Malone’s mission. To date, the company has donated the equivalent of over $2 million to mental health charities globally, helping to raise awareness and stamp out stigmas. Most of its charitable programming in North America is focused on supporting adolescents.

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

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