I love sharing my new discoveries, and I was extra excited earlier this month when I stumbled upon the Max Benjamin candle line—a luxe Irish brand just in time for Saint Patrick’s Day! I couldn’t help but save it to share today, in celebration of this fun Irish holiday. This quickly growing brand has been around since the early 1990s, and is now distributed throughout Europe and Asia. While it hasn’t made its way to U.S. retailers yet, its 18 lovely home fragrances are available for purchase online.
Max Benjamin was originally founded by Orla Van den Bergh, who learned the trade from a veteran chandler during her time living in the United States. Upon Orla’s return to her native Ireland, she started her own candle company, the Oberg brand. She first shared her hand-poured soy wax candles infused with essential oils at “candle parties” with local Enniskerry residents before beginning to distribute them to top boutique outlets throughout Ireland.
Oberg soon became a family brand when Orla’s brothers Mark and David joined the business. Their current Max Benjamin brand emerged shortly thereafter, named after Orla’s sons Max and Ben. In addition to its signature line, the brand has four candle collections: Amalfi, Coffee, Tea, and Ilum. I have yet to experience all of their amazing fragrances, but I’m already impressed by their Coffee and Amalfi collections. Coffee & Cardamom’s manly scent is just the right mix of warm and smoky that’s perfect to burn on a cool evening at home. Plus, the Coffee line’s copper tin vessel with a black diamond pattern is so chic and modern.
The Ilum collection is by far my favorite, with its gorgeous porcelain vessels featuring original geometric designs. I love that this line was jointly designed by siblings Orla, Mark, and David in honor of their family’s Belgian heritage. As they explain, their father’s family came to Ireland from Belgium over 70 years ago; “the design influences come from tapestries, tiled flooring, carvings on dark oak cabinets and wallpapers in our grandfather’s old house near Antwerp.” My preferred fragrance of this collection so far (I have yet to try them all!) is the Cologne Retro Candle, which the trio created in memory of their father Hugo and the cologne that he wore daily throughout their childhood. The fresh citrus notes blended with just a hint of musk waft beautifully through the air as the triple wicks burn evenly, setting an idyllic uplifting mood—perfect for bringing a little of the outdoors inside on a fresh Spring day.
I can’t wait to try some of the brand’s other popular fragrances, especially White Pomegranate and Lemongrass & Ginger—each have an exquisite blend of notes that I’m eager to experience for myself! I also love that Max Benjamin offers innovative products that extend their fragrance line, especially their scented cards, which are perfect for slipping into your suitcase to keep clothes smelling fresh while travelling.
On this St. Patty’s Day, I’m enjoying lighting a Max Benjamin candle, sitting back, and breathing in a little luck of the Irish!
Photos: Maxbenjamin.eu, Wikipedia
