Perfume yourself—with crystal, or coral?
Have you ever smelled crystal or coral or dried bark? Our world is swarming with scents, but some parts of it are ostensibly, surprisingly odorless. These odd bits of nature became prompts for renowned French perfumers to imagine and invoke completely new fragrances into reality.
Diptyque tapped Fabrice Pellegrin, Alexandra Carlin, Nathalie Cetto and Olivier Pescheux—all old friends of the luxury brand—giving them free rein to translate images of select unscented objects into a collection of five diversely entrancing eaux de parfums for Les Essences de Diptyque. The result is an unexpectedly exhilarating sensory experience.
“These fragrances beautifully preserve the legacy of creativity and admiration for nature that the brand is known for,” said brand manager Jennifer Agcaoili. “Les Essence de Diptyque is not just a collection, it is a sensory exhibition through five of nature’s greatest treasures. Each essence is a tribute to beauty, mystery and diversity of our world, offering a timeless and unique olfactory experience.”
Pellegrin went from land to sea, working with both desert rose crystal and mother of pearl to create Rose Roche and Lunamaris, respectively.
The desert rose is a crystal resembling a cluster of rose blooms formed in arid sandy conditions. Rose Roche recalls this likeness by creating an exhilarating floral scent through combining essences of vegetable and mineral, the deepness of patchouli dancing with bright lemony notes.
Lunamaris, on the other hand, was inspired by mother of pearl. The fragrance created is similarly captivating in its iridescence, sweet with a splash of spice: gentle rock rose with pink peppercorn accents.
Fantasy and reality
Cetto and Pescheux teamed up to likewise create two distinct olfactory delights. Lilyphea arouses contemplative moments on a shady spot gazing upon a lily pad-covered pond with its aquatic freshness that both charges and calms, thanks to a beautiful blend of cardamom, violet leaves and Madagascan vanilla.
The saccharine kiss of Bois Corse transports one deep into forest trails, inspired by the raw beauty of the hardy yet vulnerable tree bark. The woody scent combines the sweetness of sandalwood with the softness of tonka beans finished with a touch of bitter black coffee.
Finally, Carlin’s Corail Oscuro brings forth images of vermilion corals swaying under the sparkling surface of a Venetian lagoon. This vivid scene is recalled through the bold aroma of rose bourbon absolute infused with the clarity of mandarin.
The initiative also brings in the artistic vision of contemporary artist Nigel Peake, whose watercolor art on the box and line work on the bottle skim fantasy and reality. Each scent comes in an updated reinterpretation of the classic Diptyque perfume bottle, the black spherical stopper a brusque yet sophisticated punctuation to Peake’s illustrations at the back, made fluid and mercurial through the curved and bumpy transparency of the glass.
Diptyque is available at Rustan’s, Adora, Central Square BGC and Power Plant Mall.
