Cire Trudon Candle

Home sense 

If luxury had a smell, it would be a Cire Trudon candle. The French strive to achieve a state of luxury in everything that they do: why have a simple candle when you can have a gorgeous one?

Claude Trudon started making candles in 1643, during the early days of Louis XIV's reign. He supplied them both to churches and to homes. Trudon had developed a technique of filtering and washing the bees' wax, then allowing it to be bleached by the sun to produce a naturally pure, white candle. The candles burnt well, without spluttering. 

The importance of the bees and their wax is reflected in the company motto Deo regique laborant, which means, 'They [the bees] work for God and the King'.

The candles continued to be used by the court of Louis X, then, after the revolution, Napoleon gave his son The Imperial Pillar Candle on the day of his birth. Forever the publicist, Napoleon had the tall candle decorated with three gold coins bearing his portrait.

The company continued quietly making church candles in the traditional way until 2007, when, with the collaboration of the creative talent of Ramadan Touhami, the business re-branded itself Cire Trudon (a homage to the founder Claude Trudon), and started to produce luxury scented candles.

Every detail of the Cire Trudon is opulent, from the packaging, to the wonderfully gothic shops, in which the candles are displayed beneath glass domes. Ramadan devised this way of exhibiting the candles in order to prevent dust dulling the pure wax, consequently discovering that it was also an ingenious way of catching the scent.

The Obsessive is particularly fond of the Abd El Kader candle and its story, "A gust of freedom blowing from the Mascara coast carries with it the green scents of fresh mint, the hot and peppery aroma of ginger and the perfume of tea and tobacco from the Ouled Nail tribe.."

With a burn time of around 65 hours, these all natural, luxury candles make financial sense too.

Details

Category: Home

Country of Origin : France

Brand/Make/Model: Cire Trudon

Type: Scented candle

Year: 1643 to date

Why: Natural, traditionally made wax candles, that have the smell of luxury. 

Website: www.trudon.com

Photo: Ray Massey

Location: Camden Park Studios