Papier. Orpheon. Baie. Names that have become legendary in their own right, but only to a discerning circle. After all, the world of Diptyque has been anything but archetypal. Founded by three friends Christiane Gautrot, Desmond Knox-Leet and Yves Coueslant who were inquisitive collectors, what started out as a humble concept store is now a distinguished perfume house.
63 years on, 123 stores later, the spirit of its intrepid founders lives on in Diptyque’s olfactory playground; with a name that incites wonder, whimsy and endless intrigue. One only needs to look at its arsenal of scents to recognise the French perfumery’s idiosyncrasies, traversing the formulaic and reaching for permutations that are unique to the maison’s history and storytelling. A relentless, inquisitive spirit that’s always seeking and endeavouring, which has led the French perfumery to a new chapter in its book—with the debut of a new fragrance line and its very first maison in Paris. The latter will mark the start of more to come, with a second address opened in London earlier this June.
In Paris, I’m eager to catch a whiff of Diptyque’s new olfactory realm; one that sits on its own, yet still binded by curiosity, obscurity and the brand’s fervent love for nature. The eau de parfums in Les Essence de Diptyque, are driven by a peculiar brief: to create scents from things that in reality, have no corresponding smell. All of them being natural treasures, namely coral, mother of pearl, bark, water lily and the desert rose crystal. And to execute, four illustrious perfumers were called to create the five scents, each to harness a fresh perspective that is imperceptible to any preconceived notion. I, for one, had no inkling to what the beautiful corals living on the sea bed would smell like. But like many other journalists in the room, I was immensely intrigued.
Diptyque Les Essence Corail Oscuro, by Alexandra Carlin
Perfumer Alexandra Carlin approached corals in the perfume Corail Oscuro, by its aquatic home—specifically in the Venetian lagoon. The saltiness of the sea played a huge role in the concoction whilst she thought about the coral’s life and natural state. “I thought of it as more of a flower, that balances between the surface of the sea, the light of the sky and the darkness of the deep waters,” muses Carlin. For her scent, she blends rose bourbon absolute with the crystalline sparkle of mandarin, before it’s lifted by a warm and salty mineral accord.
Diptyque Les Essence Bois Corsé and Diptyque Les Essence Lilyphéa, by Nathalie Cetto and Olivier Pescheux
Creators of two perfumes Bois Corsé and Lilyphéa in the lineup, Nathalie Cetto and Olivier Pescheux sought to unearth the woody and rich from tree bark in the former and the heady qualities from a lily leaf’s sap in the latter. In Bois Corsé, imaginations ruminate in the forest to draw in bitter notes of coffee that round off the milky essence from sandalwood and the sweetest from tonka bean. Cetto elaborates: “To translate the roughness I wanted for the bark, I used coffee absolute from Brazil. It gives an addiction to the fragrance. Not sweet but something really addictive.” On the other hand, Lilyphéa sits as a fresher, daytime scent—evoking a graceful balanced composition of cardamom, Madagascan vanilla and galbanum essence to mimic the smell of sap from a violet leaf.
Diptyque Les Essence Rose Roche and Diptyque Les Essence Lunamaris, by Fabrice Pellegrin
To no one’s surprise, I expected Rose Roche to emit the sweet familiar scent of roses, but well, perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin had other plans. After all, his source was unlike any bouquet: the desert rose, where crystal petals grow under strength and fragility. Hence, his concoction was an essence that would subtly marry vegetable and mineral. Through citrus fruits and deep textured notes of patchouli, the perfume is bright, floral and earthy, to elicit desert winds and minerals of the sand.
The biggest enigma of the lineup had to surround the mother of pearl, dubbed Lunamaris. Would it carry the brininess of the sea, I wondered. Pellgrin thought otherwise. He leaned into the iridescence of the shells for his second scent for Diptyque. Recalling the delicate shimmering and colours that swirl gently together, he fused rockrose and pink peppercorn together. “In this fragrance, each ingredient has its proper place, creating a radiant signature with silky subtleties. Pink peppercorn with its vibrant effects and spicy colours, the pure, resinous note of incense and the amber warmth of rockrose,” notes Pellgrin.
In honour of its new fragrance line, a new Diptyque bottle has naturally been created. Through the deft hands of artist and longstanding collaborator of the brand Nigel Peak, sleek illustrations that ascribe to each fragrance are engraved opaque black in an angular glass bottle, not forgetting the signature Diptyque oval. It’s completed with a spherical aluminium stopper, with each bottle made to be refillable and easily toted around in a coloured pouch.
Les Essence de Diptyque signifies the cusp of something revolutionary for the French house, where each perfume’s origin remains to be abstract and its creative process yielding a vivid imagination. Yet, as I pore over perfume after perfume, I marvel at the creations that stand before me. All five scents believable, logical and intoxicating in its own way. Of course, this remains to be just the beginning; there’s more unadulterated fun to be had when it comes to Diptyque.
Discover Les Essence de Diptyque here.
