Have you ever bought an expensive candle and been disappointed? Maybe it lost its scent after a few burns or left wax unused around the sides, or kept going out? Really annoying isn’t it.
Cire Trudon is the oldest candle company in the world and from my experience, they make the best candles having spent nearly 400 years perfecting them.
I started buying their candles around fifteen years ago when a particular fragrance - Spiritus Sancti evoked powerful childhood memories of the incense burner my Greek Orthodox mother used to carry aloft around the house. I burnt the largest, 3kg Grand Bougie, version of this fragrance at Christmas time and even when it came to its end five years later, the fragrance was still as strong. That can’t be said for most other candles that skimp on perfume, the most expensive ingredient. Up to 14% of the volume in a Cire Trudon candle is premium quality fragrance which partly explains the premium price.
These fragrances are developed in partnership with renowned perfumers with utmost care and patience. Another reason behind the price tag, are the beautiful handmade Italian glass containers, each one unique. Yet another, the high quality vegetable wax. No paraffin here. And the fact that the cotton wicks are very carefully adapted to match the unique burn characteristics of each fragranced wax and container size. The candle doesn’t tunnel as it burns as so many others do, leaving heaps of unburnt wax around the sides of the glass. No, with a Cire Trudon candle I can trust I’ll get my money’s worth all the way down to the bottom, then reuse the glass container for tea lights or flowers.
Claude Trudon started selling candles in Rue Saint Honore - Paris in 1643, the year Louis XIV (The Sun King) was crowned King of France at the age of 4. He is still Europe’s longest reigning Monarch, at 72 years, with Queen Elizabeth II in fourth place just now at 69+ years.
At the time, wax was very carefully collected from beehives, then cleansed and whitened through a series of water baths. It was later cut into strips and dried in open air baths. The sunlight also helped to whiten the wax. Because of their extreme purity the Trudon candles provided a magnificent glow. One single candle would cost the equivalent of a day’s wage for the average man so only the wealthy would be able to afford these. Cheaper candles would be made from tallow (animal fat) but would smell less pleasant than an indoor barbecue.
In 1737 they became La Manufacture Royale de Cire (the Royal Wax Manufacturer) supplying the Royal Court of Louis XV, and the most prominent churches in the Paris region. The vast Palace of Versaille would have been kept aglow with Trudon candles.
Their constant innovations kept them at the forefront of candle making and their artisan workshop in Normandy supplies a small selection of prestigious retailers around the world, including us, I’m very pleased to say. We have over 20 beautiful fragrances and they make the perfect gift.
It only took 400 years but Cire Trudon have now launched their own luxurious version of six unique room diffusers. They're shaped out of the same emblematic Trudon-green glass and adorned with a gold emblem. The diffuser allows a 3 to 4-month long, passive diffusion.
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