Aldi Jo Malone Candle Review: Are they worth it?

Hello lovlies,

A while back just before Mothering Sunday, Aldi hit the jackpot. They released three candles which scent (and name wise) were very similar to scents by candle and perfume giant ‘Jo Malone’. The candles released were; ‘Blackberry Bay’, ‘Lime, Basil and Mandarin’ and ‘Pomegranate Noir’ all of which mimic the names and scents of Jo Malone. The Aldi candles were being sold at a mere £3.99 and were snapped up incredibly quick by shoppers who were eager to get their hands on one of them.

 

The three candles by Aldi

As the candles were part of their ‘Special Release’ range which changes weekly in stores, many were left without, whilst some people started selling them on Ebay X4 the original price! Absolute madness! As demand was high, Aldi decided to bring back the candles and make them a permanent feature amongst their stock. As I was unable to get hold of any of the candles previously, I wandered into an Aldi store last night and was amazed to find lots of them in stock. I picked up one of each scent in order to do this comparison for you all and to see if they really were / are worth the hysteria that surrounds them (especially as they are still being sold on Ebay way above their actual price!)

Design

As you can see, the Aldi dupes mirror the design of the Jo Malone candles. Both feature clean white glass with minimal packing which gives off an effortlessly cool design. I like the fact that the Aldi candles have a silver lid, which is the same as the Jo Malone equivalents. However, I think the Aldi candle has the slight advantage of a sealing lid which keeps the candle, and its lid secure. The Jo Malone candles do not have this feature, instead, the silver lid can easily be placed on and off, without any sealing.

In terms of the candle itself, I like that the Aldi dupes have two wicks, instead of one which the Jo Malone candles have. I find that candles which have multiple wicks allow candles to burn much more evenly, thus preventing the likelihood of ‘tunnelling’ and therefore actually allowing you to enjoy the whole candle, instead of worrying about it burning evenly. I have to say, Jo Malone candles don’t usually have this issue, however, I have experienced this a few times before with them. Perhaps, Jo Malone need to take a leaf out Aldi’s book and introduce multiple wicks? I know they do this with their larger pillar / luxury style candles, however it would be nice to see in their smaller candles too!

The only possible downside I can think of, is the fact that the Aldi candles are not made or manufactured within the UK, unlike the Jo Malone candles. I like to try and support British business and design as much as possible, so this was a slight negative to the Aldi candles!

 

Price and Scent

Without doubt, the Aldi candles win in terms of price as they cost a mere £3.99 for 300g, compared to the Jo Malone home candles which cost £44 for 200g. As the candles have very similar scents, I think the Aldi candles are very good value for money! I have both Jo Malone ‘Blackberry and Bay’ and Aldi candle ‘Blackberry Bay’ and upon sniffing them, I actually think the Aldi dupe is stronger! In terms of smell throw from the candle, I’m currently burning ‘No 1: Lime, basil and mandarin’, it smells beautiful. It is not too over powering, I can smell the scent across my whole living room, however I think Jo Malone candles upon burning give off a much stronger scent.  Even if by smell the Aldi candles are stronger, I think Jo Malone has to win in terms of scent pay off. If you like light candle smells / candle to not be too overpowering, the Aldi dupes may be better for you. I am an absolute candle addict, I love for scents to be strong even after a couple hours of burning, so this was a little disappointing, however as the smell is so similar to the Jo Malone scents, you can’t complain for the price.

 

A quick search on Ebay for the candles shows the crazy prices people are willing to pay for the £3.99 dupe candles!

 

Overall Verdict

I have to say, hats off to Aldi, I think they have really excelled themselves. Not only are the price of these new candles incredibly competitive, the scents are lovely and definitely  rival the more luxury counterparts! If you can pop into an Aldi, I would definitely recommend picking up a few, in terms of value for money, scent pay off and design, for £3.99 you can’t really go wrong! I will be leaving these candles downstairs by my front door to burn, I guess they are worth the hysteria, but do not buy them over priced on Ebay! Pop into a local store and purchase them there!

Have you tried one of the Aldi dupes? If so, comment below, I’d be interested to know what you think of them!

With love, Lottie.