Diptyque was one of the first “niche” fragrance houses to edge its way into my consciousness, and I still remember the day I purchased my first bottle of L’Ombre dans L’Eau at a boutique in Philadelphia. (That was eight years ago, and I still wear L’Ombre every summer.) More recently, I wished aloud that Diptyque would create a rose-centered fragrance, and my request has been noted by the fragrance gods and goddesses: Diptyque’s newest release is Eau Rose, “a totally new fragrance that pays tribute to the queen of flowers, the rose,” with notes of bergamot, blackcurrant, lychee, hedione, geranium, Turkish rose, cedar, musk, and honey.
I must say that Eau Rose’s label and box, with their pink-accented illustrations of trellis-climbing roses, are among the prettiest designs I’ve seen in a long time. They also raised my expectations before I had even smelled the fragrance itself. So, what did I think? According to the description on the Diptyque website, Eau Rose is composed to “to celebrate the multiple aromas of the flower in its natural state, as it blossoms over time.” That works for me. Eau Rose begins on a fresh-flower note, with the citrus and black currant giving it a certain brightness while never translating as an obviously “fruity-floral” blend…
