DIPTYQUE
Les Essences – Lilyphea
2024
PERFUMER
Natalie Gracia-Cetto
Olivier Pescheux
green notes
cardamom
violet
ginger
vanilla
‘Lilyphéa celebrates a noted beauty of the plant world: the water lily. Fresh notes of cardamom and violet leaves blend into sweet vanilla. The name of this potent fragrance is a blend in its own right, combining “water lily” and “Nymphéas”, the French title for Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series. On the bottle, enticing us to tranquil contemplation,the gentle shapes of water lilies are subtly delineated. On the sleeve, its blue and green hues are depicted in watercolour.’ – Diptyque
These are arguably the most difficult reviews to write, as on one hand, I think Lilyphea is a pretty great fragrance, but on the other hand, it’s just completely not my taste.
Green in a grassy and flower stems type of way. This gives me muguet/lily-of-the-valley vibes initially, You do get spiciness, but it’s airy and watery at the same time. I find Lilyphea almost minty; it’s scent could easily work as a shower or bath product.
The vanilla starts coming through and I do find it intriguing, although I’m not sure if I can say that I find it working well together. I mostly get the vanilla when I smell my skin up close (it’s a rather subtle and close to the skin scent in general). You get this fresh, balmy scent with vanilla mixed in. And frankly, that’s already stretching it. The vanilla, especially at first, is a minor component.
I personally don’t love this type of grassy green and I also don’t love this type of scent, as a perfume. I would appreciate it more as a shower or beauty product I’m sure. It even gives me some medicinal connections in the way the mintiness and sweetness combines. But it is very well done and wears smoothly. Subtle in performance as mentioned, which does help in making it non-obtrusive and even somewhat pleasant to wear, despite not being to my taste. It’s not for me.