In the year 1643 in France, the legacy of Cire Trudon candles began when a wax merchant named Trudon began crafting candles on the eve of the reign of Louis XIV. Originally, he created candles for the many churches in Paris, but as word of the quality of candles spread, the merchant was soon asked into the homes of the nobility to create candles for some of the best households of France as well as the Royal Family. Louis XIV, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette all burned Cire Trudon candles, using the same recipe used today to light the palace of Versailles and ultimately the last sad hours of the lives of the French royal family. After the Revolution, Napoleon turned to Cire Trudon candles for lighting, gifts (he presented his son with a Trudon candle on the night of his birth emblazoned with a gold medallion bearing the silhouette of the Emperor)and for ceremonies, and now I have one burning too!Cire Trudon is the oldest candle maker and wax manufacturer in the business, and is entrusted with the business of such fashion houses and perfumers as Kenzo, Guerlain, Hermes, and Dior for creation of candles. The company’s beautiful flagship store is on Rue de Seine in Paris, but thankfully available also at Bergdorf Goodman in the City, as well as their newly opened boutique in Nolita.
Several things set Cire Trudon candles apart from the rest. Since Trudon was originally a wax merchant, it’s no surprise that the wax in these candles is of the highest quality. Based on a traditional recipe, it is made with no artificial substances, fillers, or paraffin, but instead uses100% vegetable wax for the purest candle and the cleanest burn. Each Cire Trudon candle also has a pure cotton wick that is woven right in for the longest burn time possible. The company was also green long before environmental consciousness was a trend – all Cire Trudon candles are free of pesticides, allergens,chemicals, are biodegradable, and free of substances listed on the Greenpeace OSPAR list.
The scents of Cire Trudon candles also set the brand apart, offering more traditional and time-tested scents that evoke times past rather than blending into the sea of similarities offered today. My candle is the ‘Ernesto’ fragrance, and inspired by the famous revolutionary of the same name. The dramatic scene evoked in the description of the candle on the company's website describes the bold, yet refined and masculine scent embodied within the wax. “…In a hotel of Havana, sizzling under the stubborn sun of the Revolution, fierce overtones of leather and tobacco meddle with resolution the waxy silence of wood. Breaking out of the cool dimness, sly grimaces emerge, framed by the smoke of cigars and the barrels of guns….”
The perfect companion to my office desk as I study, Ernesto delivers, yet does not overpower, lending to the air just enough fragrance to entice the senses while also calming the spirit.
Cire Trudon candles can be purchased online at www.bergdorfgoodman.com
-Stephen Fisher
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