Carrière Frères X The Museum
In collaboration with the Paris National Museum of Natural History, Carrière Frères presents an exceptional collection of candles inspired by some of the rarer specimens found in the plant kingdom.
The Museum of Natural History is famous for its huge collection of remarkable and unusual botanical and zoological illustrations, lithographs and vellums, dating from the early 17th Century to the mid 19th Century.
In this collaboration, Carrière Frères brings these fascinating and extraordinary plants to life, taking us on a historical, geographical olfactory journey.
ROBINIA – ACACIA
Native to the eastern U.S., the acacia, or black locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia), has lush, cool green foliage, flat pods that hold their seeds and clusters of sweet, cream-coloured flowers. Named by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in honor of Jean Robin (1550-1629), botanist to the French King Henry IV, who introduced the tree into France, it has been cultivated in Europe since the 17th Century. The tree can live for over 300 years, and today you can still see two unique specimens, planted by the King’s gardener, in Paris: one in the Jardin des Plantes, sown in 1636; another in the city centre, in Square René-Viviani, not far from Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, which dates from 1601 and is the oldest Parisian tree.
FRAGRANCE
At first, you can detect a verdant coolness, revealed by green notes from violet leaves. The scent then releases multiple golden floral tones, sunny and honey-filled, that echo its sweet-smelling blooms, whose aroma resembles that of an orange tree. The acacia absolute’s round, enveloping character awakens powdery notes, both green and flowery.
BURN TIME
The 185g candles will burn for 45-50 hours. Please follow the instructions enclosed with your candle to get the most out of it.
ABOUT THE BRAND
In 1884, the Carrière brothers took over the French Royal Wax Manufacturer (now known as Cire Trudon) with the intention to modernise it, while still preserving its historical savoir-faire.
With the industrial revolution well underway, access to electricity was becoming more widespread, and therefore candles weren’t as much of a necessity as they had been in the past. So, the Carrière brothers came up with a new way to keep candle use alive – candles as decorative objects! They create tapered and pillar candles for aesthetic use, for dinner settings or festivities, and they quickly became popular. At the 1889 Exposition Universelle (which the Eiffel Tower was built for) the brothers were awarded a gold medal for their vision and craft.
Inspired by the discoveries of 18th-century botanists and explorers, the Carrière Frères packaging and fragrances draw upon the natural biodiversity of the plant kingdom. In each and every scented candle or spray, perfume and botanical essences become one: composed like a periodic table, the Carrière Frères line honours scents extracted from herbs, roots, flowers, fruits or trees.
Each candle is made according to ancient expertise and handcrafted in the Trudon workshop in Normandy; the candles’ perfume coming from a blend of natural raw and synthetic materials. Since 2022, each of their candles and botanical palets are formulated with 100% vegetable wax, from European organic rapeseed.
