Rank 09 of 10
Otherland
Decor that happens to smell good
- Origin
- New York, United States
- Founded
- 2018
- Wax
- Coconut and soy blend
- Price range
- $36 to $98
The verdict
Otherland is the best looking package in the mid tier and the quietest candle on this list. Canopy took 58 minutes to fill the test room and held at 15 feet, which is fine for a bedroom and not close to enough for an open plan apartment. The illustrated wraps and the matchbox in every box are genuinely charming and clearly the point. Judge it as decor that smells good and it is a strong buy. Judge it on throw and it finishes ninth.
Kate Gorski, Founder and lead reviewer
Background
About Otherland
Otherland launched in 2018 with a direct-to-consumer model and a very clear thesis: candles are bought with the eyes. Every collection gets commissioned artwork, the wraps change seasonally, and every candle ships with a matchbox designed to sit next to it. Nobody in this test understands the shelf better.
The scents follow the same logic. Canopy is fig leaf and cypress, Rattan is a dry woody green, Manor House Weekend is smoke and leather. They are pretty, well constructed and deliberately understated, and understated is the operative word once you light one.
The mechanical story is a single wick that is underpowered for an 8 oz vessel. Fifty-eight minutes to a full melt pool is the slowest reading in the test, and 15 feet is the shortest throw. In a bedroom or a small office that is genuinely enough. In a living room it disappears.
Raw data
The burn log
3 units, 162 logged hours, one 18 by 14 foot room with the door closed and the HVAC off.
- Time to full melt pool
- 58 min
- Throw distance
- 15 ft
- Units burned
- 3
- Wick
- Single cotton wick
- Vessel
- Clear glass with an illustrated wrap, matchbox included
- Tested unit
- 8 oz, 55 h
- Tunneling
- Mild on one of three units
- Soot
- Very light through hour 50
- Wick behaviour
- Stable but underpowered for the vessel diameter
- End of life
- 9 mm residue, illustrated wrap peels off for reuse
The range
Signature scents
- 01
Canopy
Fig leaf, cypress and moss. Green and cool, the pick of the range.
- 02
Chandelier
Champagne and grapefruit with a powdery base. The party scent.
- 03
Rattan
Dry woods and grass. The most neutral option here.
- 04
Manor House Weekend
Smoke, leather and clove. The heaviest thing Otherland makes.
- 05
Daybed
Linen, iris and musk. Soft to the point of vanishing.
The trade
What you gain, what you give up
In its favour
- The best art direction in the entire test
- Matchbox in every box is a small thing done well
- Coconut and soy blend burns very clean
- Illustrated wrap peels off cleanly for a reusable glass
- 55 hours at $44 is fair at $0.80 per hour
Against it
- 15 feet is the shortest measured throw on this list
- 58 minutes to a full melt pool, the slowest here
- The wick is underpowered for the vessel diameter
- 9 mm end residue is on the high side
Buy it if
Bedrooms, small offices and anybody who buys candles as objects first. Also the best-looking gift under $50 here.
Skip it if
Open plan apartments and great rooms. It will not reach.
The arithmetic
Price and value
We burned the Canopy, 8 oz at $44, rated at 55 hours. That works out to $0.80 per burn hour against a board average near $0.89. On our value column Otherland scores 7.8 out of 10, which accounts for measured performance and what the vessel is worth once the wax is gone, not just the rate.
Questions
Otherland FAQ
Do Otherland candles have a strong scent?
No, and that is the main criticism. Our Canopy unit held a readable scent at 15 feet against a board average of 20. It is well suited to bedrooms and too quiet for an open plan.
How long does an Otherland candle burn?
The 8 oz core size is rated at 55 hours. Our three units averaged 53 hours with about 9 mm of residue left.
Are Otherland candles clean burning?
Yes. The coconut and soy blend produced almost no visible carbon through hour 50, which is one of the better results in the test.
Can you reuse the Otherland glass?
Yes. The illustrated wrap is a sleeve rather than a print, so it peels off and leaves plain glass underneath.