Cire Trudon, the iconic French candle maker, launched its perfume line about two years ago. Since then, Trudon Bruma has been on my to-buy list, but 180 euros is quite an investment – and I own several iris perfumes already. The reason I am able to properly review it today is that J decided to get a bottle during our perfume shopping session on Saturday, confirming that I have made an excellent choice in the boyfriend department.

I was convinced I would like Bruma as soon as I saw the notes: it combines galbanum, violet, iris and vetiver, some of my absolute favourite smells. And indeed, I did love it from the first sniff. It progresses beautifully from a green floral to a woodier, slightly sweeter one – there is some tonka bean that adds sophisticated sweetness to the mix. As one would expect from the notes and the brand image, it is an elegant scent, there is nothing vulgar or loud about it. If you like Chanel exclusives like 31 Rue Cambon, La Pausa or Bel Respiro, I suspect you’d like this; they don’t smell the same, but have a similar refined sensibility. Out of all my iris scents, it’s the closest to Aedes de Venustas Iris Nazarena, although Bruma is greener.

Reading the description on the web site, the perfume seems to be targeted at women and in traditional terms, does probably lean somewhat feminine. However, I can testify that it smells spectacular on a man – as do, in fact, many iris scents. I should make it my mission to get more men wearing iris! I am somewhat confused about the references to the animalic and carnal nature of this perfume in the marketing materials, as to me it seems very well behaved.

The entire line – there are seven fragrances by now – exudes quality and has quite a bit of range, from light to dark and from easy to challenging. My second favourite is Deux, a lovely green, grassy cologne with more complexity than the genre usually displays. I’d be very happy to have it in my collection, come spring. I also really like Revolution, probably the boldest composition in the entire line-up. It’s very woody, smoky and dark: so much so that it can be too much for me. But for a special occasion, it would be a wonderful statement.

On the other end of the scale is Medie, a bright citrus scent with notes of grapefruit and green mandarine. It’s probably the lightest in the line, but not insubstantial; there are aromatics and woods to provide depth. Elae is the most floral of the bunch with ylang ylang, jasmine and tuberose and it’s very pretty. If you like white florals but don’t want them to be too heady and intense, this could be a great option.

Olim is my least favourite, as clove is one of the very few notes I tend to dislike in perfume and resins don’t necessarily always work for me either. But I can absolutely see how a balsamic fougere – as I’ve seen it called – can be an intriguing proposal. Finally, I have to admit I don’t remember Mortel clearly and seem to have mislaid my sample – it is another one from the darker side of the line-up, featuring incense and myrrh. I do recall it being quite intense and interesting, however.

Have you tried any of these? What did you think?