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Poured by hand in Normandy, Trudon candles are scented with aromas inspired by places, artworks or history. Dada, for example, is an olfactory tribute to the 20th century movement of the same name, which counted Marcel Duchamp and Max Ernst among its artists, with clashing notes of camomile, sharp eucalyptus and tea. Sap, foliage and cut grass feature in Balmoral. 

Closer to home, Solis Rex smells of cedarwood, incense, orange and fir bark, inspired by the grand parquet floors of the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. 

The former residence of the French royal court, Versailles makes for a fitting theme. Claude Trudon established the business in 1643, as a specialist vendor of candles (and also spices) in the centre of Paris in, and was made a Royal Manufacture in 1719. 

Stretching across roughly 800 acres, the gardens at Versailles were originally landscaped by André Le Nôtre. It was here that from 1664 onwards, Louis XIV staged a number of extravagant celebrations, starting off with the Party of the Delights of the Enchanted Island, which lasted for six days. 

It was events such as these that perfumer Emilie Bouge researched when partnering with Trudon’s creative director Julien Pruvost on the brand’s latest creations. “There are a lot of things that come to mind when you speak about this place,” says Bouge. “It was difficult to target one thing. The idea was then to be in the palace and look out onto this beautiful French park, with green elements and the view of the sky.” 

Next, the team looked into the garden’s flora. “Julien and his team then did a lot of research and showed us pictures of what was growing there,” Bouge remembers. In the end, a blend of Thyme flower, peonies, tuberose, blue iris and up-cycled oak wood felt right. “I mixed green, fresh notes with floral notes.”

A version of this article appears in the April 2024 issue of The Blend, distributed with The Week.