The scented candle in the scent of sanctity

At the head of the shelves in French supermarkets, we now find a significant number of scented candles. These products are sold at very low prices, starting at 3.95 euros for Red Love from Carrefour or 5.90 euros for Forêt enchantée at Leclerc. Marked with "made in France," these affordable products with shimmering names are indeed assembled in France, but "the glass is made at least in Asia, the waxes come from the United States, the wicks from Germany, and let's not even mention the fragrance. If you did the design and development in France, you can indicate a made in..." explains an artisan candlemaker.

Covid and months of lockdown have boosted a growing market and whetted appetites. Poor-quality candles are now affordable for everyone, with multiple drawbacks: they burn faster, spread a strong odor or, conversely, a very bland fragrance, a black flame, or even soot particles in the room where they are lit. With these products, more than any other, it is recommended to ventilate the room where they are located and not to burn them daily to avoid too high a concentration of fine particles in the atmosphere.

Houses of varying ages and niche perfume brands, on the other hand, focus on the quality of their products. Less than three hours from Paris, in the hilly Perche region, a popular region for city dwellers in search of greenery