Meghan Markle's As Ever Candle, Reviewed

A candle that costs $64 has to earn its place on the mantelpiece, and As Ever Signature Candle No. 604 is the one the Duchess of Sussex’s fans keep asking about. Named for a date rather than a season, it is the most personal item in the As Ever home range, and this review sets out, plainly and without the marketing gloss, whether the scent and the burn live up to the story.

As Ever, the lifestyle brand Meghan launched in 2025, has built its reputation on restraint: cream labels, soft neutrals, a pantry of things meant to be used rather than displayed. Candle No. 604 sits squarely in that world, and Court & Capital bought and burned one independently, with no partnership or commission involved, to see whether the reality matches the reputation.

What is Signature Candle No. 604?

Signature Candle No. 604 is one of four numbered candles in As Ever’s core Signature Scent Collection, priced at $64 for an 8.5 oz vessel. Its scent notes are listed as amber, water lily and santal, and the brand describes the effect as “a breathtaking summer’s day” with a lingering finish of fresh garden air. It is poured in a coconut-apricot wax blend (a mix of coconut wax, soy wax, a touch of paraffin and apricot oil), which is the same formulation used across the range, chosen for a clean, even burn rather than the sootier finish of a pure paraffin candle.

The naming is the detail that turns a nice candle into a talking point. Each Signature candle in the collection carries a number tied to a date that matters to the founder: No. 519 nods to 19 May, her wedding date; No. 506 marks 6 May, Prince Archie’s birthday; and No. 604 honours 4 June, Princess Lilibet’s birthday. The water lily note is a gentle, unforced reference to Lilibet’s name. It is a small piece of scent-storytelling, and unlike a great deal of celebrity merchandise, it actually holds together on reflection rather than falling apart under scrutiny.

The scent, tested: what amber, water lily and santal actually smell like

Opened cold, the wax gives off very little: a faint sweetness, nothing overpowering, a good sign for anyone wary of a candle that announces itself from the hallway. Lit and left to burn for the recommended first hour, the profile builds in a clear order: a soft green-floral top note (the water lily, unmistakably), settling into a warmer, slightly resinous amber, with the santal (a creamy sandalwood) holding the base and stopping the whole thing tipping into syrupy.

It reads as floral-forward rather than “gourmand” or spiced, closer in character to a fine fragrance than to the fruit-and-sugar candles that dominate the mid-market, with no eucalyptus sharpness and no synthetic musk edge. At arm’s length in a normal-sized sitting room, the throw is moderate rather than room-filling: pleasant background scent rather than something that greets guests at the front door. Anyone hoping for a bold, fill-the-house fragrance may find it more restrained than the price suggests; anyone who prefers a quiet, close-range scent will likely be pleased.

Burn quality and how long it actually lasts

An 8.5 oz candle in this wax blend is a reasonable size, though not enormous by candle-collector standards. As Ever does not publish an exact burn-time figure, so the honest approach is to test it directly: over several two-to-three-hour sessions, trimming the wick to roughly 6mm before each relight, the candle burned evenly with no visible tunnelling and only a light, manageable soot mark on the jar’s inner rim. A clean, level burn pool formed by the second sitting, the best practical sign that a candle has been formulated with care, not simply poured and packaged.

The cotton wick, centred well, did not need trimming mid-burn to stay controlled, a small but telling detail, since an off-centre wick is one of the most common faults in candles at any price point. Coconut-apricot blends typically burn a touch faster than pure soy but cleaner than paraffin, and that held true here: nothing dramatic, but a burn that behaved exactly as a well-made candle should.

Packaging and the quiet-luxury design

The candle arrives in a white vessel with an engraved design, presented inside a beige-and-gold box that photographs beautifully and unwraps with almost no fuss: no excess plastic, no shouting logo. It is a design language anyone who follows the Duchess’s wardrobe will recognise instantly: soft neutrals, real materials, restraint over flash. The numbering on the jar itself, discreet rather than decorative, is the only overt branding.

The vessel is not designed for a dramatic second life as a jar or vase once the wax is spent. It is a candle first, an object second, so buyers hoping for reusable glassware in the way some luxury candle houses design should manage that expectation. What the packaging does deliver, convincingly, is a genuine gifting object: a candle that looks considered the moment it is unboxed, which matters at this price point as much as the scent does.

Is $64 good value for a candle?

Sixty-four dollars sits at the upper end of the mainstream candle market, well above a High Street brand, but below the very top tier of French and British perfumer-made candles, some of which run to £80 to £100 for a similar size. Judged purely on cost-per-ounce, it is not inexpensive. Judged against the quality of the burn and the genuine care in the scent development, it is defensible rather than extravagant: this is not a candle phoning it in on a famous name alone.

The value case is strongest in the story and gifting context: a candle tied to a real birthdate, bought for a new parent or a June baby, does more work than a generic scented candle at the same price. It is weakest on pure scent-throw-per-dollar, where several independent British candle houses offer a stronger room fill for less. As with most of the As Ever range, you are paying for craft and story in roughly equal measure, not scent intensity alone.

Where it sits in the wider As Ever collection

Candle No. 604 is one of four Signature candles (alongside No. 084, No. 519 and No. 506) that can also be bought together in a $256 Signature Scent Collection, or paired into smaller sets such as The Garden Duo. It sits in the same family as the brand’s better-known fruit spreads and honeys, though the candle range has quietly become one of the strongest parts of the collection on scent quality alone.

For the fuller picture of how the brand built its following (from a jar of homemade jam to a full pantry-and-home range), Court & Capital’s profile of As Ever, the Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle brand traces that story from the beginning. This review deliberately stays narrow: one candle, tested properly.

The verdict

As Ever Signature Candle No. 604 is a well-made, thoughtfully scented candle that earns most of its price through genuine craft rather than name alone: a fair, if not spectacular, showing on scent throw, and a clean, well-behaved burn throughout testing. It will suit a reader who wants a considered, personal gift or a quietly elegant addition to a sitting room more than one hunting for the biggest, boldest scent on the market.

Not every celebrity-founded product survives close, independent testing. This one, on balance, does, and the small act of naming it for a child’s birthday gives it a warmth that is difficult to manufacture after the fact. Browse more of Court & Capital’s British Living stories for further honest looks at the homes, tables and rituals of royal-adjacent life.

Frequently asked questions

What does As Ever Candle No. 604 smell like?

It opens with a soft, green water lily note, warms into amber, and settles on a creamy santal (sandalwood) base. The overall effect is floral-forward and fresh rather than sweet or spiced, with a moderate rather than room-filling throw.

Why is it called No. 604?

The number refers to 4 June (6/04), the birthdate of Princess Lilibet, the Duchess of Sussex’s daughter. Each Signature candle in the As Ever range carries a number tied to a meaningful date rather than a conventional scent name.

How much does As Ever Candle No. 604 cost?

It is priced at $64 for an 8.5 oz candle, sold directly through asever.com. It can also be bought as part of the $256 Signature Scent Collection alongside the brand’s three other numbered candles.

What is As Ever Candle No. 604 made from?

A coconut-apricot wax blend (coconut wax, soy wax, a small amount of paraffin, apricot oil and fragrance oil), the same formulation used across As Ever’s Signature candle range, chosen for a clean, even burn.

Does As Ever have an affiliate or discount programme?

No. As Ever does not currently run an affiliate, creator or rewards programme, so this review was written independently, based on a candle bought at full retail price with no partnership or commission involved.

Is the As Ever candle worth the price?

It is a fair price for the craft and scent quality on offer, though not the strongest room-filling candle on the market at $64. The story and gifting appeal, a candle named for a real birthdate, add value beyond scent alone.

How long does As Ever Candle No. 604 burn for?

As Ever does not publish an official burn-time figure. In testing, the candle burned evenly across several sessions with a clean wax pool and no tunnelling, in line with what a well-formulated candle should deliver.

What other candles does As Ever sell?

The Signature range also includes No. 084 (water lotus, sandalwood and California poppy), No. 519 (Moroccan mint, cardamom and tea leaves, marking the wedding date) and No. 506 (ginger, neroli and cashmere, marking Prince Archie’s birthday).

This review is based on a candle purchased independently by Court & Capital at full retail price; no partnership, gifting arrangement or commission was involved. Prices and scent descriptions are correct as of September 2026 and may change. For the current range, see asever.com directly.