These are the best Diptyque candles for winter — when it really counts, and nothing is a cheering as a lovely little scent and a little more light on very dark days.
These are more or less organized chronologically! Feu de Bois (quite possibly the iconic French brand’s very best candle) goes into rotation as soon as those gray, rainy days of autumn hit, Sapin is perfect for the run-up to Christmas, Pomander and Myrrhe are perfect for the holidays, and then we have Vanille and Canelle for January days baking cookies (lol but really!). And then we close with Mimosa, which is better known in France as a bright, midwinter flower than a cocktail. All of these are wonderful; my favorite is Feu de Bois, or Sapin de Nuit.
1. Feu de Bois
A.K.A: Wood fire
What Diptyque says: “It is winter. In the hearth, the fire roars. This scented candle portrays the dense, smoky notes of the logs as they are gradually consumed.”
Why we love it: Oh, it’s just the perfect candle: rich, deep, smoky, comforting. I burn it at the end of fall until the start of spring — it’s instant coziness, instant warmth. I love it so much I wrote an entire post detailing how great it is. Without question, this is, in my opinion, Diptyque’s best candle.
2. Sapin/Sapin de Nuit
A.K.A: Fir tree
What Diptyque says: “The enveloping scent of sap and fresh green pine needles distilled into candles, candlesticks, sprays and diffusers.”
Why we love it: A limited-edition that usually makes an appearance in Diptyque’s holiday collection, Sapin is wonderful. It’s very Feu de Bois, but if the wood being burned were, in fact, a Christmas tree, rather than a standard wood log. I want to point out that their 2020 holiday collection actually contained a variation of Sapin called Sapin de Nuit (Moonlit Fir), which I found to be slightly sweeter and lighter, and I love it even more than Sapin — it’s tricky to find but you’ll see it pop up on resellers like eBay and Poshmark. Here’s the promo video for the collection, which was notably illustrated by artist Ugo Gattoni, who’s now better known for creating one of the official posters for the Paris Olympics. One of the best thing about his collection for Diptyque was his cute little vessels, which were translucent, so when the flame sat lower in the cup, it would light the whole thing from within — absolutely magical.
All that said, I only burn it between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so of limited duration. On the plus side, I still haven’t finished my Sapin de Nuit from almost five years ago.
3. Pomander
What Diptyque says: “A perfume of winter. Spices in abundance, mouthwatering scents of candied peel echoing oranges pierced with fragrant cloves.”
Why we love it: So Pomander (per the description directly above) is meant to resemble an orange covered in cloves — a core holiday fragrance for lots of people, including me. I don’t think it actually smells like that!! I also don’t know about the wisdom of buying a candle to smell like a thing when the thing itself is super charming and can be made yourself — I’d rather DIY my own orange/clove situation. But Pomander is very orange-y, and very spicy, and a lovely candle to have in the run-up to Christmas, and so has a place on our list of the best Diptyque candles for winter.
4. Myrrhe
A.K.A: Myrrh
What Diptyque says: “The fragrant volutes of slow-burning myrrh resin – adored since ancient times for its balsamy scent with leathery, spicy nuances.”
Why we love it: If your holiday time is more spicy and woodsy than citrus-y and fresh, then Myrrhe is your candle — dusty, spicy, weird, regal. Not for everybody — smell it in the store before taking it home, is my advice. If you like it, though, you’ll love it.
5. Cannelle
A.K.A: Cinnamon
What Diptyque says: “Like the fragrance of cinnamon bark freshly stripped from the branches of the tree.”
Why we love it: Cannelle isn’t like sniffing a little pot o’ cinnamon — it’s earthier, barkier, somehow both woody (reminiscent of wood) and woodsy (reminiscent of being in the woods). It’s a distant relative of the spice we’re spooning into our holiday cookie mixes — a sort of fragrance big brother, more powerful and authoritative. It’s the cinnamon we know, just richer, and older. If none of that makes sense, I am absolutely convinced that it’ll all come clear as soon as you smell it.
6. Vanille
A.K.A: Vanilla
What Diptyque says: “Leathery, almost smoky accents. Vanilla pods, dense and black, so fragrant that one alone is sufficient to perfume all you might require it to.”
Why we love it: You probably already already know if you’re beyond tired of vanilla — but for those who love it (especially this dark, smoky, animalistic vanilla — this will sit happily beside, say, Le Labo’s Vanille 44.
7. Mimosa
What Diptyque says: “Mimosa seen at its finest. Captured in the wax of this scented candle is a tribute to these flowers and their sunny, golden yellow hue.”
Why we love it: I never understood mimosa as anything but a cocktail until I came to France, and saw that their bright yellow blooms are an exceptional harbinger of spring right in the middle of winter. It’s exactly how you’d expect a winter floral to smell: crisp, light, fresh — the opposite of a warm, overpowering (in the best way) scent like Jasmin from our best Diptyque candles for summer round-up. It’s lovely, but don’t expect a wall of fragrance.
If you’re still looking for the right fit, here’s our list of the best Diptyque candles for spring, for summer, and for fall, as well as our ranking of the brand’s top 46 candles.
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