50 years ago, the spring of 1968 saw the birth of diptyque's L'Eau, a fusion of spices inspired by a medieval pomander. The first niche perfume, the first genderless perfume, it was also the first auteur perfume.
Tempo and Fleur de Peau are an homage to L'Eau and its year of birth, that inventive and libertarian era rife with patchouli and musk-scented explorers and travelers.
Fleur de Peau
The scent of skin: musk fragrances. How do you create a musk fragrance today that is modern and unobtrusive?
On the subject of musk... the 1960s were also characterised by a huge wave of empathy, a fascination with spirituality and Hindu practices. Transcendental meditation, yoga, vegetarianism. People formed circles, recited mantras, practised long ‘Oooommms’ and free love. Summer of love.
Musk: sometimes natural (imported from Tibet, where it is still affordable), but mostly synthetic, most pleasantly emitted by the bodies of loved ones: navel, hollows of the knees, palms of the hands. Olfactorily speaking, musk goes well with the soft suede fringed jackets that the boys wear to great effect on bare skin.
How do you design a musk fragrance today that is modern and unobtrusive? By mixing it with a pinch of iris, matt and slightly cool, long-lasting, with a strong aura. This is how the glove perfumers used to do it, soaking their leather creations in it. Add a dash of bergamot and Italian mandarin, a handful of pink peppercorns. And aldehydes. Everything intertwines, bringing each other to life. An unusual contrast (surprise!) to what follows, but rounded and smooth.
The musk substances carefully selected by Olivier Pescheux dominate, alternating between leathery, powdery and fruity. Sometimes a little wild, then delicate as a baby's neck. Underneath, ambrettolide gives a foretaste of the ambrette seeds, which in turn form the link between angelica and carrot seeds, very similar to iris, also torn from the ground. A successful combination. This transitions to earthy tubers, stoic, ferrous, almost exuding the scent of a wine cellar, yet extremely aristocratic and refined. Delicate Turkish roses come into play, just in time to enliven this introverted heart. The finish is an amber nuance that not only brings in its ink and iodine accents, but also underscores the lively expression of a ‘peace and love’ perfume.
