Quick answers
History
Cierge de Lune is co-founder Karl Bradl and perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin’s portrait of the night-blooming cereus, released by Aedes de Venustas in 2016. It is the house’s sixth fragrance, announced by Now Smell This on 8 March 2016 for an April launch. The French call the cereus cierge de lune, moon altar candle, a literal translation of the Latin Selenicereus grandiflorus. Because the flower opens only after dark and wilts as the sun rises, it is said that Marie-Antoinette summoned the botanical artist Pierre-Joseph Redouté at midnight to capture the cactus species’ fleeting beauty.
For his first collaboration with the house, Pellegrin drew on a Madagascan vanilla absolute he calls the truest to the natural ingredient, woodier and more ambery than its Tahitian counterpart, with a tinge of tawny leather. That vanilla forms the heart and reveals a darker side; an airy waft of hedione turns the pod into a cactus blossom, its petals fleshed out by ylang-ylang. Twinkling pink pepper shoots glints of moonlight into the blend, while black pepper weaves in mineral, incense-like effects, a nod to the incense theme of the line.
In a final metamorphosis, musky ambroxan, underscored by a downy suede accord, turns the nocturnal bloom into a dusky second skin. For the relaunch, Cierge de Lune was transferred into the shared fluted bottle with peacock-blue accents and a matte black insignia cap.
The relaunch came in November 2021, with seven existing fragrances of the line, Cierge de Lune among them. The peacock blue is a nod to the original Aedes perfumery on Christopher Street in New York, the birthplace of the brand.
Fragrance notes
Cierge de Lune reads as a palette: a crystalline peppered accord, a tawny Madagascar vanilla at the centre, ambroxan and suede closing it as a second skin.
The house publishes no three-tier pyramid, only a list of notes: crystalline accord, Madagascar vanilla absolute, ylang-ylang, pink and black peppers, ambrox, suede, incense and musk. Hedione appears only in its presentation text.
The palette brings together a crystalline accord, Madagascar vanilla absolute, ylang-ylang, pink and black peppers, ambroxan, suede, incense and musk.
Scent profile
Cierge de Lune is a spicy, dusky vanilla rather than a sweet gourmand. The Madagascan vanilla absolute is read through pepper, incense and suede, which strips out the dessert sweetness and leaves something cooler and more nocturnal, closer to a vanilla-amber skin scent than to a bakery.
The distinctive trait is the crystalline, peppered top that keeps the vanilla from turning heavy, so the composition spans a thrilling range from limpid high notes to a deep, spicy purr. It is vanilla for the wearer who wants the note darkened and glamorous. In the house’s words, black pepper runs from mineral, incense-like effects to resinous, smoky, dark chocolate notes.
Key characteristics
When and where to wear
The dusky vanilla of Cierge de Lune is an evening and cold-weather scent above all. It blooms in cool air and intimate settings, where the suede, ambroxan and incense read as a second skin rather than a sweet cloud, and it stays close enough to suit close company.
How to wear it
Seasonal fit
| Season | Fit | Critical notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | ★★★☆ | Peppery flashes lighten the vanilla. |
| Summer | ★★☆☆ | Amber vanilla can feel heavy in strong heat. |
| Autumn | ★★★★ | Ideal season for the suede vanilla and incense. |
| Winter | ★★★★ | The warm suede and ambroxan base carries perfectly. |
Context fit
| Context | Fit | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Office | ★★☆☆ | Muted sillage, dose with care. |
| Dressed evening | ★★★★ | Reference context. |
| Intimate dinner | ★★★★ | Preferred setting. |
| Gallery opening | ★★★☆ | Well suited. |
| Sport | ★☆☆☆ | Not suited. |
| Travel | ★★★☆ | Comfortable longevity. |
Similar perfumes
Cierge de Lune belongs to the dark, spicy vanilla register, with neighbours among house siblings and wider niche vanillas.
| Perfume | House · year | Why close |
|---|---|---|
| Grenadille d’Afrique | Aedes de Venustas · 2016 | House sibling from the same year that sets vanilla against dark wood. |
| Tobacco Vanille | Tom Ford · 2007 | A spiced, ambery vanilla reference for wearers cross-shopping the register. |
| Vanille des Afriques Intensivo | Ormonde Jayne · 2024 | A darker, woody vanilla neighbour for the same nocturnal mood. |
| Shalimar | Guerlain · 1925 | The great oriental vanilla reference, in a dark, ambery register. |
Frequently asked questions
See also
Sources
- Official Aedes de Venustas press kit (June 2026) · Document available on editorial request
- Now Smell This: Aedes de Venustas Cierge de Lune coverage (accessed June 27, 2026)
- Aedes de Venustas, Cierge de Lune Eau de Parfum product page: notes, “Created in 2016”, Fabrice Pellegrin, November 2021 relaunch, 100 ml at 245 dollars (accessed 4 November 2026)
- Robin, “Aedes de Venustas Cierge de Lune ~ new fragrance”, Now Smell This, 8 March 2016: sixth fragrance, April launch, 100 ml at 245 dollars