Diptyque Fleur de Peau was released in 2018 and the scent was inspired by the mythological Greek love story between Psyche and Eros. One can guess that this scent will be a bit on the sensual side.
- Top Notes: Aldehydes, Pink Pepper, Angelica, Bergamot
- Middle Notes: Iris, Turkish Rose
- Base Notes: Ambrette, Carrot, Ambergis, Leather, Sandalwood, Amberwood
I would describe Fleur de Peau as a powder bomb, in the best way! This fragrance is soft, musky and a touch animalic (meaning skin-like, warm). This is not your grandmother’s powder perfume - this is a modern powdery scent that is more eclectic. As soon as I spray Fleur de Peau, I get “cosmetics from the 1980s” (yes, I know I just said this fragrance is modern, but bare with me…). This nostalgic opening quickly dissipates and turns into a more elegant powder - soft and clean as if you’ve just washed with a luxury soap that has a powdery scent hat lingers on the skin even after it’s been rinsed off - it sticks to the skin. The aldehydes then quickly come into play. Aldehydes are artificially formulated fragrance notes that can lean sweet and even a bit pungent. One of the most well known aldehydic fragrances is Chanel No. 5. Aldehydes can also provide a bit of “effervescence” to a fragrance. In Fleur de Peau, the aldehydes, combined with the bergamot and pink pepper, lends a “sparkling” quality to this fragrance that’s prevalent throughout - think of the fine carbonation in champagne and how it plays on the tongue. The middle florals are soft and delicate without smelling “old.” I am not a fan of fragrances that are heavily floral - I think they can be cloying and headache inducing. Here, they are balanced and the iris especially lends a slight soapy-quality to the fragrance. The base notes are trickier for me to isolate in this perfume, as they melt together to form a woody, musky, animalic, sensual base. It’s a touch heady and warm without being overpowering. I find that sandalwood can easily go wrong in a fragrance because it’s a strong, sweet woody scent, but here it is nicely balanced. The leather isn’t too much and doesn’t make this lean so masculine that most women would shy away from it.
Fleur de Peau can be worn all year, depending on how much is applied. This is a warm, musky scent, so in the warmer weather use a lighter hand. In cooler weather, this will really shine because this is a scent that other people will smell on you, even from a slight distance. I can see this pairing perfectly with an ivory colored cashmere turtleneck sweater.
And this allows me to nicely transition into discussing this fragrance’s sillage. Fleur de Peau definitely radiates from the body and leaves a trail behind you, so I would say sillage is medium-high, depending on application. One to two sprays is all you need because it lasts for hours - even after taking a shower, it lingers. I also think this scent is versatile, even though it is on the sensual side. Lightly spray it on clothing and the scent remains softer, lighter, cleaner more powdery and subdued making it perfect for the office. On my clothing, I get really the impression of really expensive, luxury fabric softener. Spray this directly on the skin, especially on the neck and this transforms into a scent that will turn heads. The warmth of your skin and your unique body chemistry really play up the musks, leather, and wood notes, perfect for an evening out, casual or formal.
As are most of Diptyque’s fragrances, Fleur de Peau is unisex. The base notes would appeal to a lot of men and the mild florals and soft powder would appear to a lot of women. This is a fragrance for people who aren’t afraid to draw attention to themselves with perfume. If you are attracted to scents that are alluring, sensual, a bit exotic, and “odd” then Fleur de Peau may pique your interest. Fleur de Peau, in my opinion does what niche fragrance houses do best - they take common fragrance notes and turn them into something unique. This perfume is mature without being old. I could not picture this on a young 20-something who is just starting out after they’ve just graduated from college, but rather more mature individual who exudes confidence, maturity and experience. This person is simply but exquisitely dressed, classic not trendy, and knows their own mind. They don’t have to speak much because their presence speaks for them. If you have the body chemistry that can rock Chanel No., I think you can definitely wear this. They are not similar, but it’s the presence of the strong aldehydes in both - not everyone gets on with aldehydes, but those who do know how they play on the skin - Intoxicating. This is not a safe blind buy (I did blind buy this because I like to live dangerously…). I would recommend getting a sample if you are interested in how this may work with your body chemistry and play around with it. If you can pull Fleur de Peau off, then you’ve got an attention grabbing fragrance that will have people asking you “what are you wearing?” They may also try to get close to you…
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