Trudon
The oldest candle maker in the world, founded 1643
Founded in 1643 and once the wax supplier to Versailles, Trudon is the reference point every other luxury candle is measured against. Peerless fragrance composition in hand-blown green glass, at a price that reflects all 380 years of it.
The Trudon review
Cire Trudon, now simply Trudon, has been making wax since 1643. It supplied candles to the court of Louis XIV and to Napoleon, and it is generally accepted as the oldest candle manufacturer still operating anywhere in the world. That heritage is not marketing varnish: it shows up in the technical quality of the wax and the seriousness of the fragrance work.
The house glass is mouth-blown in Tuscany, tinted the deep bottle green the brand has used for decades and stamped with a gold medallion bearing the royal crest. It is a genuinely beautiful object that reads as an heirloom rather than a homeware purchase. The wax is a vegetal blend, and the burn is close to flawless: a clean, even pool and almost no soot from a properly trimmed wick.
Fragrance is where Trudon separates itself. Ernesto is the famous one, a leather and tobacco composition that smells like a private members club, while Abd El Kader builds a Moroccan mint tea accord that stays convincing for hours. Compositions are layered in a way that most candle fragrances simply are not, evolving from cold throw through to the last hour of burn. The catch is the price: this is the most expensive way to scent a room on our list, and the value score reflects that.
Signature scents
- Ernesto
- Abd El Kader
- Odalisque
- Cyrnos
- La Marquise
The verdict
What we like
- Unmatched fragrance complexity and composition
- Mouth-blown Tuscan glass is a genuine collectible
- Nearly flawless, soot-free burn
- Almost four centuries of wax-making expertise
- Vessels are widely reused as vases and glasses
Worth knowing
- The most expensive candles in this ranking
- Heavy glass makes shipping costly and less green
- Some compositions are too assertive for small rooms