Are those the maker's note tiers?

No. The maker publishes these notes as a flat list without a top, middle and base. The grouping shown here is ours, arranged to make the accord readable, and it should not be read as the maker's own structure.

Why is incense so hard to dupe cheaply?

Frankincense and myrrh are resins, and convincing substitutes are expensive. Cheaper incense candles usually reach for smoke or amber instead, which smells warm rather than resinous and gives the substitution away.

Candles that smell like Aesop Callippus

How they compare

Aesop Callippus compared with its closest matches
Candle	Price	Size	Burn	Per hour
Aesop Callippus	Not observed	10.5 oz	Not published	—
Wild Herb Tonic (P.F. Candle Co)	[ Not shown ]	7.2 oz	40 hrs	—
Palo Santo (Brooklyn Candle Studio)	[ Not shown ]	7.5 oz	50 hrs	—
Santal (Brooklyn Candle Studio)	[ Not shown ]	7.5 oz	50 hrs	—

[ Not shown ] is a figure we hold and are withholding. Not observed is one nobody here has recorded. Hover or focus either for the reason.

Burn hours are as stated by each maker, never measured by us. Where a shop publishes a different figure we record both and say so. “Not observed” means nobody here has ever recorded a price for that row. “Not shown” means we hold one and are withholding it, because its source page or its pricing basis was never recorded, and a sale price set against a list price produces a wrong answer from correct arithmetic. The reasons per row: Aesop Callippus — Price not observed; Wild Herb Tonic — Price not shown — basis not established; Palo Santo — Price not shown — basis not established; Santal — Price not shown — basis not established.

The original

What Callippus actually smells like

Top: Shiso
Middle: Frankincense
Base: Vetiver

The matches

How close each one gets

Wild Herb Tonic
P.F. Candle Co
Crushed thyme, clove leaf and eucalyptus over lemon balm, on guaiacwood and patchouli. The green top and dry-wood base, without incense.
Where to buy
Palo Santo
Brooklyn Candle Studio
Palo santo over sandalwood and amber. Resinous and ceremonial in the same register, and the closest verified thing to frankincense.
Where to buy
Santal
Brooklyn Candle Studio
Vetiver and sandalwood under hinoki cypress. Vetiver is the original's base note, and it is unusually prominent here.
Where to buy

Questions

What people ask about this scent

Are those the maker's note tiers?: No. The maker publishes these notes as a flat list without a top, middle and base. The grouping shown here is ours, arranged to make the accord readable, and it should not be read as the maker's own structure.
Why is incense so hard to dupe cheaply?: Frankincense and myrrh are resins, and convincing substitutes are expensive. Cheaper incense candles usually reach for smoke or amber instead, which smells warm rather than resinous and gives the substitution away.

Ember & Main is not affiliated with Aesop. We reference the name to describe how these scents compare, and our comparisons are independent editorial opinion. Links on this page currently earn us nothing. If that changes, we will say so here.