Diptyque recently expanded its selection of personal fragrance and home fragrance with a new line of luxurious bath and body products. The five products in the "L'Art du Soin" range are designed around carefully chosen natural ingredients like organic olive oil and argan oil, among other naturally beneficial essences, while remaining free of parabens, silicones, sulfates, petrochemicals, and other synthetic additives. Unlike Diptyque's previously existing body washes and lotions, which were scented to match specific Eaux de Toilettes in the collection, these new items have their own unique fragrance blends.
With L'Art du Soin, Diptyque is also adopting a theme of travel and discovery: all five products incorporate ingredients associated with historic Mediterranean destinations. Creamy Body Wash (Gelée Lactée), a softly foaming shower cream, evokes the ancient bathing traditions of Aleppo with a scent of lemon and olive leaves. Rich Butter (Crème Riche), in a tribute to Byzantium, is fragranced with a true Damask rose note enhanced by myrrh and balsam. Luxurious Hand Balm (Baume Généreux pour les Mains) is a mouth-watering souvenir of Cordoba, in Spain, succulently scented with ripe apricot and buttery tonka bean.
My own two favorites from the L'Art du Soin line are Fresh Lotion (Lait Frais) and Precious Oils (Huiles Précieuses). Fresh Lotion is inspired by the ancient Egyptian port city of Alexandria, and its soothing formula of sweet almond oil and macadamia oil is scented with orange blossom and petitgrain. To my nose, the petitgrain's more rounded, herbaceous note gently overrules the delicate orange flower, giving the scent a smoother, expansive feeling. If its intention was to suggest a sunny day in a Mediterranean bay surrounded by bitter orange trees, then the scent of Lait Frais succeeds. It is radiant and uplifting, but soothing at the same time, and it works well layered beneath Diptyque's L'Eau de Neroli.
The iris flower appears in L'Art du Soin as the featured ingredient of the Precious Oils blend. Irises have been associated with Florence since the thirteenth century, and they hold a special place in that city's history of perfumery: during the Renaissance, iris essence was used to perfume leather for fine gloves. (Florence is still home to a famous iris garden.) Precious Oils, a combination of sweet almond oil, macadamia oil, and argan oil, is packaged in a glass bottle with a dropper dispenser. Its scent has a top note of citrus, an enduring heart of woody, slightly powdery iris (rather than a sharp green iris or a cool "silvery" iris), and a warm base of cedar. When I smooth this oil onto my legs and arms after a morning shower, its aroma reemerges from time to time throughout the workday. If I applied it generously, it could stand alone as my fragrance for day. Used more moderately, it complements Le Labo Iris 39, and it draws out the soft iris-cedar notes of Sonoma Scent Studio's Lieu de Rêves.
All the L'Art du Soin scents were created to harmonize, so that the products can be layered for added sensory pleasure. When I visited a Diptyque boutique, a sales associate suggested mixing a drop of the Precious Oils into a dose of Hand Balm, for extra moisture and fragrance. I also tried adding the Oils to the Fresh Lotion, just to gild the lily — or rather, the orange blossom — and the resulting fragrance blend was intoxicating. It reminded me a bit of Acqua di Parma's Iris Nobile Eau de Parfum because it combined orange blossom and iris, capturing both sparkle and depth, which is pretty impressive for a pairing of two body products.
And, in keeping with Diptyque's customary style, the packaging for the L'Art du Soin range is beautifully designed, with cipher-like monograms and picturesque botanical illustrations. So if you're in the mood for a chicly packaged sensory indulgence, particularly one with wholesome ingredients and natural-yet-sophisticated scents, you might wish to take your own voyage to a Diptyque retailer.
Diptyque L'Art du Soin Precious Oils sells for $78 for 125 ml; Fresh Lotion is $58 for 200 ml. For buying information, see the listing for Diptyque under Perfume Houses.
Jessica,
I had the chance to sample the Luxurious Hand Balm when I was in the SF boutique this spring. It is heavenly isn’t it? the apricot scent was truly mouthwatering as you say.
~T
It is! Creamy and fruity, but in a sophisticated way, not a B&BW way. It’s not *super*-moisturizing, so I’d need something more heavy-duty in the winter, but for spring-summer, it’s a real treat! I’ve used up my tiny sample jar. 🙂
Yes, totally agree. Does not resemble anything at B&BW, LOL!
Oh, dear, I’m in trouble now. I am such a sucker for this stuff, and since I live near a boutique I will be able to get my mitts on it. It all sounds delish.
Sigh.
lol Tama, you sure you have room in your bathroom for more lotion?? BTW I have a box of goodies to send out to you on Monday….last week was like a circus (no elephants but plenty of clowns!!)
Thanks! your package is on hold for a minute until I get some financial stuff straightened out – no post office trips for me. So, no hurry.
And, yes, there is no room in my bathroom for any of these but doesn’t mean I can’t squeeze more in!
Ah, no worries! I have lots of samples that I have not gotten to yet. So take your time. Trips to the PO are no fun anyhow!
HI, Tama! Well, you should definitely go *look* at these products, and maybe try one or two of them. Beyond that, I can’t be held responsible. 😉
Hmm, these do sound wonderful, and I also live near a shop that sells them. Dangerous! Thanks for the review!
Hi Jill, I don’t think they’re being too widely distributed, so you are lucky! Enjoy trying them!
These sound gorgeous! “Rose with myrrh and balsam”..*dies*…I am happy to read that the body care line is paraben and silicone free- I didn’t know that..Any idea what preservative they use? (That question sounds soo prosaic, especially as a response to your lovely descriptions- but I had to ask..lol)
Hi Lavanya, I just realized that I don’t have complete lists of ingredients for these products, since I only have samples. I’ll check out the packaging for the full-size products next time I pass a store that carries them, and I’ll get back to you.
I wonder if they’d list all the ingredients on a website? I’m guessing if they’re trying to be ‘natural’ –vitamin E and Rosemary oil extract will work as rancidity prohibitors and optiphen is a popular antibacterial agent that contains no parabens and is not a formeldahyde donor. ….must look at their website because now I’m curious too!
I haven’t found anything online, but if you find out, let us know! The products do *feel* very high-quality, that’s for certain.
Totally agree about them feeling luxurious. I tried a sample of the hand balm today– this truly is a ~balm~. My skin has a whole new texture. Diptyque is truly the ultimate in luxury.
Agree! I’ve loved Diptyque for years, so I was bit nervous about trying the new products. Fortunately, they lived up to my expectations. Whew!
That’s exactly what I was wondering- if they were using a preservative that was safe and not a formaldehyde releaser..I couldn’t find anything on their website
It’s a mystery! But I’ll try to make a return visit to the Diptyque boutique, or to Aedes, and check out the fine print on the boxes!
What a terrific-sounding line. I especially like the sound of the lemon/olive body wash. But… ooof! … pricey! Just as well anyway. And that iris-scented oil sounds great too. Nice review, thanks.
Hi, Joe. Yes, it’s definitely a luxury line… but at least it actually feels and smells luxurious, definitely not run-of-the-mill products! The oil really is a stand-out.
Have you tryed their soaps? I mean any Diptique soaps? Are they also that good and luxurius and worth the price? I want to try them but they are like 20$ a bar in my country. I can defenitely find triple-milled soaps for less even here.
Veronika, I haven’t tried the soaps yet. I’ve tried, and enjoyed, the shower gel and lotion in L’Ombre dans L’Eau (one of my favorite perfumes). If there’s a soap in a scent that you already adore, it could be worth it. Worth is all relative, right? 😉
If anyone else has tried the soap, feel free to share your reaction!
There’s new Diptyque store on Bleecker Street in New York City. I stopped in when they opened a few months ago; the store is beautiful and the staff is lovely..and very generous with samples. Also in the same block is a Bond No. 9 store and on the opposite side of the street, there’s a Fresh location. A nice little trifecta, if you ask me!
Sayitisntso, Yes indeed! I’m currently writing up a “shopping report” on that boutique, which you should see soon!