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Top Review
From a Piece of Soap and the Stomach Contents of a Whale...
The following story is told about the creation of 'Dioressence':
In the mid-sixties, Dior asked the young and highly successful perfumer Guy Robert (the nephew of Chanel's Henri Robert) if he could imagine composing a fragrance for them that would be called 'Dioressence', which they envisioned as an animalic scent for women.
Monsieur Robert immediately got to work, but nothing seemed to satisfy him - at least nothing that met his high standards.
One day, as an expert in the field, he was asked by someone from the industry to fly to London to examine the quality of a huge lump of gray amber that was for sale there. Guy Robert flew there and inspected the substantial remnants - allegedly around thirty kilos - of the former whale stomach contents.
These animals regurgitate - similar to cats - the indigestible parts of their food at certain intervals. Coated with an oily substance, they float on the surface of the sea and come into contact with air and light. After years of the whale vomit floating around in the ocean, the oily components begin to turn rancid, and only then, after photochemical transformation, does the wonderful, very complex scent of gray amber emerge.
Monsieur Robert touched the lump, which looked like black butter, with his hands, rubbed his palms together, and brought them to his face. The scent development convinced him; the quality was exceptionally good, and he made the purchase.
He cleaned his greasy hands at a sink using a piece of soap. On the flight back to Paris, he suddenly noticed a scent on his hands that instantly took him back to Dior - the scent that emanated from his hands was the scent he was searching for. Even at the Paris airport, he called the London seller to inquire about the piece of soap he used to wash his hands. To his surprise, the dealer informed him that it was not a special soap, but one that mimicked the scent of 'Miss Dior'. Guy Robert requested to have the soap sent to him and thus developed, with the fruity-aldehydic chypre scent of the supposed 'Miss Dior' soap and a thick lump of whale vomit, the famous 'Dioressence'.
So much for the backstory.
In 1969, the fragrance was initially launched as a perfume, and ten years later, in 1979, the EdT variant hit the market.
Since then, it has been reformulated multiple times, and all (really all!) who knew the original scent say that the one that has borne this name for years has almost nothing in common with the old 'Dioressence' from the seventies.
Unfortunately, I do not know the original scent, only the version that has been on the market for a few years (probably early nineties), as well as the new one that was released in 2010 as part of the 'Les Creations de Monsieur Dior' series.
However, even these two show significant differences.
When I first sniffed Dioressence again after a long time a few years ago, it nearly knocked me over - it was one of those rare moments when you stand there in disbelief and simply think: Wow, what is this? This is amazing!
A scent that perfectly catered to my olfactory preferences: a deep, dark chypre with fruity and green accents, an oriental heart, and a masculine aura. I was more than enthusiastic; I was obsessed.
For years, 'Dioressence' ascended to the Olympus of my favorite fragrances.
When I later discovered, after some research, that this Guy Robert was responsible for this fragrance, who also created the wonderfully opulent Amouage Gold, as well as the phenomenal 'Equipage', I finally believed I had recognized a signature style of this great perfumer.
However, when the fragrance began to gradually disappear from the shelves around 2008, I was struck by panic, and despite having a well-filled bottle at home, I bought a new, reserve bottle.
To my great relief, the fragrance famously returned, but when I tested it, I was somewhat disappointed. It was no longer the 'Dioressence' I knew and loved, but it wasn't bad either. After some back and forth, especially when I read that the new version was closer to the old one, i.e., the original, than the previous version I was so familiar with, I eventually bought the new one as well.
However, I must now say that I feel the new fragrance has even less in common with the very old one than with the previous one. Guy Robert's signature, those wonderfully polished surfaces, that incredibly seamless blending of the individual, perfectly calibrated notes and accords, that blending of all registers (to use a musical term) without the slightest hint of a break - all that which characterized a fragrance by Guy Robert (and indeed the previous Dioressence) is no longer present in the new 'Dioressence', at least not in a way that is apparent.
Instead, the new fragrance has a distinctly rougher structure, with woodier accents (probably cedar), a more pronounced cinnamon-geranium accord, and a noticeably more oriental base, with strong amber and ambregris accents. Bitter-spicy chypre notes are hardly discernible anymore, and the whole fragrance feels more open, pleasing, and slender. Nevertheless, the new one is also a very powerful and long-lasting fragrance; it just no longer features the fullness and density of a Robert creation.
Additionally, it has become a little more feminine, which for me - as a man - is not tragic, as it still has enough masculine potential to remain wearable. Many women, however, may find the current version appealing, as they have often reported that the old Dioressence developed better on their men's skin than on their own.
Having extensively tested and worn both versions of 'Dioressence' - often one on one arm and the other on the second - I can no longer say which of the two I prefer.
I clearly miss the chypre facets in the new one (strangely, they are more recognizable in the new 'Diorella' than in the old one, which suggests that they were intentionally reduced rather than necessarily), but at the same time, it is somehow more sensual, open, and cheerful, not as buttoned-up and strict as the old one - which, however, had more grandeur.
What has remained, however, is the dark green color of the elixir, which always reminds me of the hue of olive oil, and which fits so beautifully with the scent experience. Because similar to sniffing good and fresh olive oil, there is a slight, yet unsweet fruitiness to 'Dioressence' that makes your mouth water and leaves you wanting more.
So, anyone looking for an oriental fragrance today (with a now slight chypre twist), which does not have the oily heaviness and penetrating sweetness of Serge Lutens' creations, but on the other hand carries a wonderful cinnamon-rose accord in the heart and a addictive animalic component in the base, should definitely try 'Dioressence' - regardless of whether they are a man or a woman.
Still - and despite its tumultuous history - a great fragrance.
In the mid-sixties, Dior asked the young and highly successful perfumer Guy Robert (the nephew of Chanel's Henri Robert) if he could imagine composing a fragrance for them that would be called 'Dioressence', which they envisioned as an animalic scent for women.
Monsieur Robert immediately got to work, but nothing seemed to satisfy him - at least nothing that met his high standards.
One day, as an expert in the field, he was asked by someone from the industry to fly to London to examine the quality of a huge lump of gray amber that was for sale there. Guy Robert flew there and inspected the substantial remnants - allegedly around thirty kilos - of the former whale stomach contents.
These animals regurgitate - similar to cats - the indigestible parts of their food at certain intervals. Coated with an oily substance, they float on the surface of the sea and come into contact with air and light. After years of the whale vomit floating around in the ocean, the oily components begin to turn rancid, and only then, after photochemical transformation, does the wonderful, very complex scent of gray amber emerge.
Monsieur Robert touched the lump, which looked like black butter, with his hands, rubbed his palms together, and brought them to his face. The scent development convinced him; the quality was exceptionally good, and he made the purchase.
He cleaned his greasy hands at a sink using a piece of soap. On the flight back to Paris, he suddenly noticed a scent on his hands that instantly took him back to Dior - the scent that emanated from his hands was the scent he was searching for. Even at the Paris airport, he called the London seller to inquire about the piece of soap he used to wash his hands. To his surprise, the dealer informed him that it was not a special soap, but one that mimicked the scent of 'Miss Dior'. Guy Robert requested to have the soap sent to him and thus developed, with the fruity-aldehydic chypre scent of the supposed 'Miss Dior' soap and a thick lump of whale vomit, the famous 'Dioressence'.
So much for the backstory.
In 1969, the fragrance was initially launched as a perfume, and ten years later, in 1979, the EdT variant hit the market.
Since then, it has been reformulated multiple times, and all (really all!) who knew the original scent say that the one that has borne this name for years has almost nothing in common with the old 'Dioressence' from the seventies.
Unfortunately, I do not know the original scent, only the version that has been on the market for a few years (probably early nineties), as well as the new one that was released in 2010 as part of the 'Les Creations de Monsieur Dior' series.
However, even these two show significant differences.
When I first sniffed Dioressence again after a long time a few years ago, it nearly knocked me over - it was one of those rare moments when you stand there in disbelief and simply think: Wow, what is this? This is amazing!
A scent that perfectly catered to my olfactory preferences: a deep, dark chypre with fruity and green accents, an oriental heart, and a masculine aura. I was more than enthusiastic; I was obsessed.
For years, 'Dioressence' ascended to the Olympus of my favorite fragrances.
When I later discovered, after some research, that this Guy Robert was responsible for this fragrance, who also created the wonderfully opulent Amouage Gold, as well as the phenomenal 'Equipage', I finally believed I had recognized a signature style of this great perfumer.
However, when the fragrance began to gradually disappear from the shelves around 2008, I was struck by panic, and despite having a well-filled bottle at home, I bought a new, reserve bottle.
To my great relief, the fragrance famously returned, but when I tested it, I was somewhat disappointed. It was no longer the 'Dioressence' I knew and loved, but it wasn't bad either. After some back and forth, especially when I read that the new version was closer to the old one, i.e., the original, than the previous version I was so familiar with, I eventually bought the new one as well.
However, I must now say that I feel the new fragrance has even less in common with the very old one than with the previous one. Guy Robert's signature, those wonderfully polished surfaces, that incredibly seamless blending of the individual, perfectly calibrated notes and accords, that blending of all registers (to use a musical term) without the slightest hint of a break - all that which characterized a fragrance by Guy Robert (and indeed the previous Dioressence) is no longer present in the new 'Dioressence', at least not in a way that is apparent.
Instead, the new fragrance has a distinctly rougher structure, with woodier accents (probably cedar), a more pronounced cinnamon-geranium accord, and a noticeably more oriental base, with strong amber and ambregris accents. Bitter-spicy chypre notes are hardly discernible anymore, and the whole fragrance feels more open, pleasing, and slender. Nevertheless, the new one is also a very powerful and long-lasting fragrance; it just no longer features the fullness and density of a Robert creation.
Additionally, it has become a little more feminine, which for me - as a man - is not tragic, as it still has enough masculine potential to remain wearable. Many women, however, may find the current version appealing, as they have often reported that the old Dioressence developed better on their men's skin than on their own.
Having extensively tested and worn both versions of 'Dioressence' - often one on one arm and the other on the second - I can no longer say which of the two I prefer.
I clearly miss the chypre facets in the new one (strangely, they are more recognizable in the new 'Diorella' than in the old one, which suggests that they were intentionally reduced rather than necessarily), but at the same time, it is somehow more sensual, open, and cheerful, not as buttoned-up and strict as the old one - which, however, had more grandeur.
What has remained, however, is the dark green color of the elixir, which always reminds me of the hue of olive oil, and which fits so beautifully with the scent experience. Because similar to sniffing good and fresh olive oil, there is a slight, yet unsweet fruitiness to 'Dioressence' that makes your mouth water and leaves you wanting more.
So, anyone looking for an oriental fragrance today (with a now slight chypre twist), which does not have the oily heaviness and penetrating sweetness of Serge Lutens' creations, but on the other hand carries a wonderful cinnamon-rose accord in the heart and a addictive animalic component in the base, should definitely try 'Dioressence' - regardless of whether they are a man or a woman.
Still - and despite its tumultuous history - a great fragrance.
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7 Comments
And I wasn't disappointed.
I've tried and owned several versions by now, some with more and some with less animalic notes. Each has its own charm.
Your more than worthwhile and very insightful description is just as great as the fragrance itself. I can never run out of it.