DIPTYQUE's perfumes celebrate their 50th birthday.
"We have traveled the world, from continent to continent, and world history was written on our doorstep. We have met and fallen in love with many people, both unknown and famous, people of all skin colors and cultures. We have looked closely and perceived intensely, collected ideas and were always good for a surprise. And have remained (almost) as young as we were then..."
DIPTYQUE, despite its respectable age, has lost none of its vibrancy, its inventiveness, and its appetite for new things. Curious, refined, and enterprising as ever, the brand today celebrates both the 50th anniversary of its first Eau de Toilette and the birth of two new creations: the 36th and 37th offspring of an ever-growing collection.
Tempo
DIPTYQUE takes up the patchouli theme, (naturally) in a refined form, expressive yet very subtle, created by perfumer and long-time companion Olivier Pescheux. Three different extracts were processed, all from sustainable cultivation, which Givaudan operates on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. A long-lasting vibration, like the echoing sound of a musical explosion.
The primitive patchouli imported from India, Kathmandu, or Colombo, roughly distilled and integrated into simple fats, was not exactly one of the most subtle fragrance substances, let's be honest. But despite its moth-repelling note (the leaves of the shrub were indeed used as moth repellents for a long time), this scent clearly radiated a kind of manifesto. Henna, Kohl, Patchouli: a trademark?
From the Orient, young people also brought sounds, new harmonies, pacifist melodies. Sitar, tablas, wah-wah guitar sounds, an echo of the heartbeat of the (new) world. While for Jack Kerouac the most important influence of the Beat Generation came from jazz, the children of the post-war generation switch to flower-power mode with the quirky sounds of psychedelic rock.
One senses a hint of the damp earth in a primeval forest full of ferns and huge teak trees, in the semi-darkness of mysterious shadows where ancient endemic species still live. Here it is called Nilam.
A powerful start, woody, consistently racy (underlined by a mate absolute), almost combative, almost green (intensified by violet leaves), with a barely perceptible hint of wild cocoa. A powerful accent that gives brilliance to the other ingredients.
Pink pepper, bergamot, and fresh jasmine provide zest and color. An amber accord adds sex appeal. It is composed of clary sage (the plant version of gray ambergris) and Ambrofix (an extract from the same aromatic leaves), which is even used in its pure form by passionate lovers: warm, velvety, with a hint of cedarwood, subtly animalic, comparable to silky soft suede. Plus a splash of musk as the icing on the cake. The olfactory surprise? The tension between the sour and oily character of the violet leaves and the mossy (musty) facet of patchouli.
© Aus Liebe zum Duft (hb)
