Paper Trail: why we love paper’s smell (& perfumes evoking it)

Paper is something we have increasingly infrequent contact with in this relentlessly digitised world, and perhaps nearly as importantly, smell far less frequently in our every day lives. Could this be why perfumers are seeking to evoke the scent in the fragrances we wear?

There’s a functional sterility to the burgeoning ‘metaverse’ that’s abhorrent to sensorialists – those of us who revel in our senses, welcoming the smell and comforting caress of books and paper (and you know, food, fabrics, the infinitesimal layering of textures that IRL [In Real Life] offers us), as we might a lover’s touch.

For book (and printed paper) lovers, particularly; while E-Reader devices and scrolling on phone screens certainly have huge benefits – instantaneous access to literature is not to be, pardon the pun, sniffed at – but they lack the tangibility of literally burying your nose in a book, or feeling a piece of paper as you write on it (in pen! How very old school). Indeed, research shows that, while levels of comprehension are similar no matter how you read a text; people struggle to accurately recall events or timelines of a long story on a screen, as opposed to reading on paper.

The report concludes that it’s the ‘kinaesthetic feedback’ of holding paper in your hand that connects us to the perception of what we’re reading; that is, using our sensory organs to better locate and store vital information. I’ve previously written about the concept of vellichor – what makes the smell of old books so special – so want to widen that thought, here, to the more literal smell of paper itself.

Explains scienceabc.com:

‘…over a period of time, the compounds within paper [break down to] produce the smell. Paper consists of cellulose and small amounts of lignin(a complex polymer of aromatic alcohols). Paper that is even more fine contains less lignin than cheaper materials, like the paper used in newspapers.’

 

 

I would argue the smell of paper – old and mysterious or newly seductive – is also a huge part of our emotional intelligence, our interconnectivity, scent and memory combined.

In those ancient library type fragrances (which I still absolutely adore) it’s often the combined smell of crumbling leather bindings, dust and polished wooden tables that conjure a feeling of being in a particular space. But the smell of paper itself needn’t always be musty.

We might be in a shiny new bookshop, or have just cracked the spine of a sensorially satisfying weighty magazine. The paper might be that of an artist, awaiting the stroke of a brush, or of a writer’s virgin sheet, greedily thirsting for the first drop of ink…

 

 

Paper does have a unique smell. In those dusty old tomes it’s the breaking down of paper compounds that releases lignin (similar to vanillin, the primary component of vanilla, which has been proven to be a remarkably calming smell). In new paper, explains perfumer Geza Schoen, who once created a limited edition Paper Passion fragrance, in collaboration with Wallpaper* magazine; recreating the scent ‘was hard’ he admits. ‘The smell of printed paper is dry and fatty; they are not notes you often work with.’

Difficult though it may be to replicate, the smell of paper is something we yearn for, a comfort we crave in our hyper-digitally-connected yet progressively solitary lives. Comically satirising a future in which we’ve become so disconnected with paper’s scent that it repels us, author Gary Shteyngart’s novel, Super Sad True Love Story, imagines a time ‘Books are regarded as a distasteful, papery-smelling anachronism by young people who know only how to text-scan for data…’ as The New York Times review puts it.

Well, I’m very glad to say, we bibliosmatics are not there yet. The yearning to smell paper is still real, and these perfumes prove it…

 

 

 

Diptique L’Eau Papier

Rice steam accord melded with white musk cleverly evokes the paper’s creamy grain; drifts of mimosa tracing the outline of torn edges while deeper notes appear fleetingly, like freckled ink drops in water, punctuating the clarity with sheer shadows before the paper comfortingly subsumes.

£90 for 50ml eau de toilette diptyqueparis.com

 

 

Rook Perfumes RSX/03 School

A limited edition project in which participants imagined the smell of school, this pleasingly avoids boiled cabbage, instead exploring the heady rush of opening new books, cold air, pencil shavings and the textural thrill of fingers tracing wooden desks scarred with names, love hearts, learning.

£99 for 30ml eau de parfum rookperfumes.co.uk

 

 

Commodity Paper (Personal)

Achingly soft, especially in the ‘Personal’ (most hushed) version, this suggestively whispers of stationery, passing a letter to someone, your fingertips barely brushing, but a gesture that says so much. The molecular wonder of ISO E Super sighs to skin’s warmth, an amber trail beckons.

From £22 for 10ml eau de parfum commodityfragrances.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carner RIMA XI

Inspired by Spanish poet Gustavo Adolfo Becquer’s passionate poem, Rhyme 11, the paper of this perfume feels fresh with possibilities at first. Then, the cool kiss of mint is seduced by spices and Indian jasmine petals, a discovery of crumpled, tear-stained, love letters slipped under a mattress.

£100 for 50ml eau de parfum bloomperfume.co.uk

 

 

 

Gri Gri Tara Mantra

Playing with the power of words, monastic incense curls beguilingly, a trail of promise leading to the temple you seek. It could be a church, might be a library, but let us say instead we are in a bookshop, gleefully thumbing piles of temptations, a woody path of patchouli and potent escapism.

£95 for 100ml eau de parfum shymimosa.co.uk

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Diptyque Do Son limited edition – the film & fragrance

In these grey, seemingly endless days of January, what better than to sit back and immerse ourselves in the olfactory beauty of Diptyque’s brand new limited edition collection of Do Son? Even more so now they’ve released a gorgeous short film to accompany the launch…

‘Along the shores of the sea, plunge into the childhood memories of Yves Coueslant, one of the Maison’s founders. From this small seaside pagoda, the fragrance of tuberoses brought back by his mother from the flower market electrifies the senses and transports heart and mind.’

 

And what a fragrance Do Son is. Even previous tuberose naysayers (like me!) have fallen for it, this tender portrait of scent memories bottled in perfume form. Inviting us to ‘plunge into the childhood memories’ of Coueslant, the animated film takes us away from gloom and doom, straight to the sea shore in Vietnam, where balmy air and intoxicating scents lap at our senses. Really, the timing of this Do Son resurgence couldn’t be better.

 

 

So, what does Do Son smell like? Here’s my review, on smelling it again at their beautifully bijou Brook Street store:

Do Son feels lusciously fresh with a rising humidity, like walking into a hot house filled with just-watered exotic blooms, early in the morning before their headiness erupts. There’s a salted breeziness to it that’s all waft-y silk kaftan walks on the beach before breakfast, bare toes on warm sand, then ankle deep in the sea and staring at the horizon, blissfully.

If you have a bottle to hand, why not spritz some on as you watch the short film and prepare to escape for a while, within this tender and emotionally resonant portrayal…?

 

 

 

Encompassing a full range of fragranced treats in the limited edition Do So collection – including eau de parfum, eau de toilette, so-covetable (and refillable) Solid Perfume and Body Mist versions of the scent – you can further immerse yourself in the fragrance by incorporating the softly nourishing Cleansing Hand & Body Gel or Shower Oil; individual or beautifully boxed sets of scented soaps, a luxurious hand cream (so needed for the bitter winds and driving rain of the U.K. currently), Hair Mist, and even a Do Son Perfumed Bracelet.

If you’re yearning to get away and already dreaming of holidays, you’re certainly not alone. If you’ve yet to experience the scent of Do Son for yourself, now is a great time to seek it out for olfactory escapism. Or if, like us, you’ve already fallen for it – liberally layer the Do Son scent, and hit repeat on that short film until you can feel the sunshine flooding in…

Written by Suzy Nightingale

 

 

 

Diptyque’s new London home: scenting Sloane Street

Sloane Street is smelling extra wonderful this Christmas, thanks to Diptyque’s stylish new flagship London perfume pad, which has arrive just in time for the fragrant festive season. Inspired by exquisite Parisian architecture, but as always showcasing design elements of the original building in their stores; the new boutique is divided into three distinct sections for scent fans to explore…

Devoted to fragrant gifting and the Maison’s scent services, the first area features a beautiful burl wood cash desk with a huge fresco behind it, which was drawn on-site by French artist Claire Basler. A large wooden console with painted table displays invite customers to play and discover the Diptyque collection. The second space fuses the traditional Edwardian mouldings and ceiling roses with a contemporary sculptural table and displays surrounding a large and welcoming fireplace, all framed by ombre finish walls. Finally, an intimately inviting zone of light wood panelling and another stunning work by Basler – this time, a panoramic painting – swathes an exclusive seating area and the Decoration collection.

 

 

Earlier this year, Diptyque opened a Spitalfields store, and now with this very welcome addition to Sloane Street’s shops, Diptyque will doubtless be delighting local residents and visitors alike. ‘We have a thriving community in the Chelsea neighbourhood and are very excited to have found a perfect store in the area,’ says Amanda Morgan, Diptyque’s UK managing director. ‘More than just a luxury contemporary retail space, we want to welcome and take all our guests on a journey of discovery and surprises inside our Diptyque apartment…’

Diptyque, 161 Sloane Street, London, SW1X 9BT

Psst! Longing to return to in-store scent shopping? Look out for our Sniffari guide to some fabulous new fragrant retail spaces in the U.K. within the Christmas edition of The Scented Letter Magazine.

Sign up here to get your FREE copy of this multiple award-winning magazine emailed to you the day it publishes!

Diptyque City Candles – previously exclusive, they’re travelling until 27th September (grab them while you can!)

Diptyque has put their much sought-after City Candles on their website (previously only available in the respective locations they were inspired by), but they’re only travelling for a few days and stocks are strictly limited! Time to hope aboard and add them to your baggage, immediately…

If you’re one of the many who obsessively collect the olfactory delights of Diptyque candles, you’re going to want to get your (virtual) boarding pass ready, because the limited edition City Candles are now on the Diptyque website – but only until 27th September 2020!

 

 

Normally, you’d have to jump on a plane and physically travel to the Diptyque flagship stores in Tokyo, Berlin, London, New York, Hong Kong, Beverley Hills, Miami, Shanghai and Paris to collect them all. Notwithstanding the airmiles you’d rack up, the money and carbon footprint you’d have to burn through would make this a trip you’d be unlikely to take – and of course this year, it’s been made impossible, anyway.

So the next best thing to being there? Burning your way through this lovely lot! Here’s our fragrant travel wish-list, but we wonder: where would you like to travel to with the Diptyque City Candle Collection…?

This ultra chic lavender-tinged Chypre has us dreaming of sashaying down the early autumn sunlit streets of Saint Germain.

Diptyque Paris Candle: £54

 

The heady, honey-laden scent of linden blossom transports us to the German capital – we’re craving the bookshops and über-cool clubs.

Diptyque Berlin Candle: £54

 

Why not stroll the intriguing alleyways of Tokyo, the shade of cypress trees mixing with wafts of mystical temple incense?

Diptyque Tokyo Candle: £54

 

New York’s bustling streets and vibrant nightlife is calling, with a hot rush of rich patchouli and sudden breeze of dry cedar and vetiver.

Diptyque New York Candle: £54

By Suzy Nightingale

Greece is the word: Diptyque’s mythologically inspired Eau de Minthé

Diptyque were inspired by an ancient Greek myth on the concept of metamorphosis for Eau de Minthé – a perfect starting point for this fragrant collaboration of the house’s director of marketing and product creation Myriam Badault alongside perfumer Fabrice Pellegrin, and a completely new twist on mint and the Fougère family.

Diptyque say the scent ‘…reinvents an emblematic perfumery accord, fougère, by drawing on the scent of mint. At the very heart of the composition, its aromatic freshness enhances the lively floral notes of geranium while the patchouli confers profound depth.’

In fact, completely forget everything you think you know about mint – we get the name from a Greek myth’s nymph – who Badault was inspired by, because ‘I like to tell stories and share my discoveries, mythology and ancient times are among our strong inspirations, and we found this very nice story about the nymph Minthé and her love affair with Hadès.’

Diptyque are known for their fabulously evocative visual style, often collaborating with artists to bring their fragrances alive, and for Eau de Minthé, Badult knew exactly who to choose. ‘I have a whole collection of comics based on myths,’ she explained, ‘the young author is Clotilde Bruneau. We asked her to write the storyboard of the film. It was a very enriching experience.’

Having watched the beautifully illustrated movie (above), we urge you to seek out this surprisingly complex take on mint, that we feel can be enjoyed whatever the weather. Herbaceously creamy swirls are stirred into the dappled shade of a traditional fougère structure and infused with a genderless, contemporary edge of thorny rose oxide. Cool as a long cold drink on a hot day, crisp as the first touch of frost on green leaves, the verdant notes swoon to skin-warmed whispers of soft muskiness that delight the whole day through.

Diptyque Eau de Minthé £120 for 75ml eau de parfum diptyqueparis.com

By Suzy Nightingale

 

 

Have yourself a Diptyque little Christmas (a tea-break special)

Diptyque and Christmas go together like – well, Santa and his sleigh.
At the opening of their new Covent Garden boutique recently (it’s popping for at least a year!), we discovered that in the past they’ve partnered with that glorious British institution, Pollock’s Toy Theatres.
Which is clearly the inspiration for this seasonal little movie (below) of A Night at Diptyque, in which a toy theatre comes to life – and Diptyque’s three seasonal candles flicker into life. (They’re Le Roi Sapin, or the ‘festive fir tree’, Épices et Délices – delicious spices – and ‘sparkling incense’, Un Encens Étoilé.
It’s utterly charming, makes us feel Christmassy – and goes down very well with a cup of tea and a mince pie, we’re finding. (It also makes us want to light a scented candle. Which is probably the point.)
Enjoy!

diptyqueparis.co.uk

An absolutely darling Diptyque 34 Boutique pops up at Liberty

This morning (22nd September), the Perfume Society gang was lucky enough to see the preview of Diptyque’s lovely pop-up store in Liberty.
Reminiscent of how they first started out –as a ‘bazaar’, with links to fabrics and design –creativity was abounding in the room.
As they tell us: ‘Diptyque has always fostered a passion for objects with a soul. As soon as the first store opened at 34 Boulevard Saint Germain in Paris, the founders – Christiane Gautrot, Desmond Knox-Leet and Yves Coueslant – displayed their surprising finds side by side with their original upholstery fabrics. Italian glass bead necklaces, hand-sewn change purses, potpourris blended according to the owners’ changing inspirations…’ (And with Liberty having started in the same way, it’s a natural ‘home’ for this lifestyle pop-up.)
They had a host of new innovative products just bursting with gorgeousness, so we’re going to give you a quick run down…

La Madeleine

The new candle – with a scent composed by Fabrice Pellegrin –  is inspired by the little lemon-y cakes from Cazelle Bakery, a Parisian bakery founded in 1905. Apparently their famed madeleines are mouthwateringly delicious, ‘A simple sponge cake that’s so irresistible even the raw, melted butter dough gets your taste buds dancing’, is how Diptyque put it. And the candle smells just so, all citrus-y, creamy vanillas – practically edible.
La Madeleine candle £55 for 220g
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Carrousel

Now this has got to be one of the cutest, most delicate examples of prettiness we’ve seen this year. It’s an object that adds life to a candle’s flame: the stand – with its intricate metal bird cut-outs – sits atop any 70g candle, and once the wick is lit the heat generates a current of air that makes the stand turn slowly. The birds dance around the candle and their playful shadows are projected: a small wonder to amaze both adult and child.
Carrousel (limited edition) £30
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Essences Insensées 2016

Every year since the launch of their successful Collection 34, Diptyque have created a scent based on a particular floral harvest. In 2016, the fields of May roses in Grasse were exceptionally abundant, inspiring Fabrice Pellegrin to create a scent bursting with petals from the Centifolia rose,  sweetened by accents of honey and red fruits. Whoever declared rose ‘boring’ clearly had yet to sniff this delight.
Essences Insensées 2016 £105 for 120ml eau de parfum
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Reflet

A beautiful object that creates a glow around your candle like no other. A round plate of oxidised mirror sits behind the candle, giving the flame a hypnotic, mesmerising, malachite halo. It was inspired by the back wall at the 34 Boulevard Saint Germain store (also made of oxidised mirror) and adds an enchanting element to the ritual of lighting a candle.
Reflet candle holder (limited edition) £110
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Fabrics

Long before Diptyque was ever known for their fragrance, they were renowned for the upholstery fabrics designed by the founders themselves. Taking inspiration from the fabric archives, illustrator Charlotte Gastaut created contemporary interpretations of the brand’s original designs – and let us tell you, they’ve never looked more at home than in Liberty. Available in pillow covers, fabric totes and pouches.
Pillow cover (limited edition) £50
Pouches (limited edition) £28
Fabric tote (limited edition) £35
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The Diptyque Liberty pop-up will be open until Christmas 2016
 

Limited edition Diptyque ‘romance’ – and an emoji ‘keyboard’ you’ll be loving long after Valentine’s

We’re big fans of artist Olympia Le-Tan – and oh, what a clever fit she is with Diptyque‘s graphic style…

Combining her two obsessions – embroidery and literature – Olympia is responsible for all sorts of excitement at the perfume house right now, having created a whole ‘The key to my heart is in my bag’ campaign and with Diptyque projects on the cards for London, New York and Tokyo.

What we’re perhaps most excited about is the Diptyque emoji ‘keyboard’ which you can download for free from iTunes here.

It’s has to be said: it’s not e-x-a-c-t-l-y a keyboard – actually, more of a bank of images which you copy and paste into a text or e-mail (and NB they appear quite large) – but there are hearts, flowers, lips, handbags and all sorts of delightful icons which are way more visually pleasing and stylish than the standard issue palm tree/plate of pasta/smiling or tearful face.

The launch of the ‘keyboard’ coincides with the unveiling of a limited edition rose-scented collection called Rosaviola: a real ‘Mummy’s handbag’ of a smell (hence the name of the campaign), with puffs of rose and hints of lipstick, warmed by touches of suede-like leather. There are two sizes of candle on-line – and (in stores) you’ll also find scented ‘ovals’: just the prettiest way to fragrance your wardrobe.

We’re definitely drawn to the whole collection.

www.olympialetan.com

Diptyque Rosaviola from £28 for 70g candle
Buy it at www.diptyqueparis.co.uk

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A fan of Diptyque? Liberty would like to invite you to a special event…

We’ve got a pretty hectic programme of events for The Perfume Society coming up for the Autumn (watch the EVENTS page – it includes a nationwide book tour to celebrate the very exciting launch of The Perfume Bible, and much, much more!)

But we’re always happy to steer perfume-lovers in the direction of other exciting scent events, and this one’s been organised by London’s Liberty department store. On 9th September, in the Heritage Suite (from 6-8 p.m.)

It’s the perfect setting since Diptyque (who you can read all about here) began as a sort of ‘bazaar’ on Paris’s Left Bank, before growing into the fragrance and candle brand so many of us know, love (and scent our houses and bodies with) today.

So Liberty is inviting you to experience ‘the unique identity of Diptyque through the new exclusive range – La Collection Treinte-Quatre‘… You will discover the “bazaar spirit”, which was so dear to the founders of the brand, as told by Brand Expert Adrian Miller-Yache.’ (We’ve seen the collection, and it’s utterly beautiful.)

There’s a booking fee of £35, but all guests will receive a luxurious gift on the night of the event – and the fee’s redeemable against any Diptyque product purchased on the night of the event.

You book via the Diptyque counter in Liberty +44(0)20 7734 1234 x 2483, or e-mail [email protected].

Written by Jo Fairley