DIPTYQUE
Les Essences – Lunamaris

2024

PERFUMER
Fabrice Pellegrin

rockrose
pink pepper
incense

‘Lunamaris shines a light on mother of pearl, a delicate beauty of nature. Vibrant notes of pink pepper mingle with subtle accords of incense and ambery rockrose. The name of this potent fragrance evokes the iridescence of mother of pearl, recalling the gentle, gleaming reflections of the moon on the waters of the sea. The black brushstrokes decorating the bottle are inspired by the mother of pearl reliefs found inside some mollusc shells, and the motif continues in watercolour on the sleeve.’ – Diptyque

Lunamaris is not going to be my favorite from Les Essences, as I would prefer Bois Corse, but I do like it a lot and from the 4 I’ve tried (I don’t have Rose Roche at the time of writing), it’s clearly my second favorite.

This is a modern, green spicy incense to me. I was instantly transported to Majda Bekkali Mon Nom Est Rouge. Pink pepper seems to overtake the opening, with the sweetness from incense in the background.

It’s sharp, vibrant, alive. A tiny bit mineralic, maybe even metallic? It has a hint of the green, oily herbal side found in Mon Nom Est Rouge & Amouage Epic Woman‘s DNA, but even more peppery and warmer here. Not the most easy-going fragrance as it can be a bit harsh.

Rose isn’t listed as a note, but I’m pretty sure it’s in here, or if not, that’s just the connection to the aforementioned fragrances.

I like it. It’s an interesting mix of green herbal, sweet spicy-ambery, mineralic-metallic. A lot to work with and not my favorite rendition of this scent profile (I would personally get Epic 56 & Mon Nom Est Rouge over Lunamaris without a doubt), but it is a style that I tend to love, so Lunamaris was a win for me.