Eau de Minthé Eau de Parfum
Diptyque (2019)

Alchymia. Perfumare. Magnum Opus.

A minimalistic fougère

After some deliberation, I am joining most of the other reviewers on “Eau de Minthé“. I find this to be a respectable take on the fougère genre, without being redundant. The reason why I think “Eau de Minthé“ is not redundant and has a place is because of its less obtrusive character. Yes, it still has the opening stinging soapiness, but it is much shorter and much more subdued. Especially if you calibrate well how much and how often to spray it, I believe this perfume can work well even for people like me who have hard time befriending fougères. I can’t say I love “Eau de Minthé“ but I feel it is a genuine and accomplished fragrance that can benefit a broader range of perfume lovers, not just the fougère fans. I also love minimalism and the beauty of simplicity in perfumery, so that mint-geranium-patchouli axis is just awesome and speaks of mastery.

On the downside, the simplicity and unobtrusiveness of “Eau de Minthé“ sacrifices depth, complexity and projection. Ultimately, you will have to decide what to compromise with. As for projection – I actually like how relatively low-key “Eau de Minthé“ is and how effortlessly it blends with and integrates into the energy of the body after the initial soapy phase, instead of forcing its rigid and powerful structure onto you.

As a final remark – “Eau de Minthé“ still feels like a classic fougère. I am not even sure what a “modern” take on fougère would mean and how it can remain being a fougère. In other words – if your issue with fougères is that they feel too old-fashioned, don’t expect “Eau de Minthé“ to solve this. However, if your issue is that classical fougères are overwhelming, but at the same time feel attracted to their unique qualities that come with the development of the compositions (mellow blend of subtle sweetness and smokiness to name one); and if you are willing to sacrifice some complexity and depth, definitely give “Eau de Minthé“ a try, maybe you have something wonderful and rewarding in store for you.

Diptyque, Eau de Minthé:
Composition: 7.5/10
Complexity: 5/10
Development: 6.5/10
Naturality: 5.5/10

A mint impression with fruits, mainly apples , with hints of a bathroom-cleaner-like tangy note, greet me at the beginning. quite fresh, although the mint is not very prominent on me, more supplying a freshness from behind in the background.

The drydown emphasises the floral side, with geranium and whiffs of carnation noticeable, but it retains most of the freshness that was present at the beginning.

Fairly soon, and at times overlapping with the geranium, I get a patchouli when the base phase begins. It is a bright patchouli that is quite gentle, and lacks any of the harshness that this note expresses in other olfactory creations on the market. Now I get a touch of the mint again, which takes of a camphor-like character towards the end.

I get moderate sillage, good projection, and eight hours of longevity on my skin.

A good summery scent, more simple than complex, but crafted well. 3/5

To me this smells like egoiste platinum by chanel when I was wearing it in the nineties. Quite pleasant but not original

First sampling from the house of Diptyque.

I enjoyed the mint and geranium opening - not as minty-fresh as I feared - almost an orange note, maybe lemony, underlying - both of these being facets of geranium, along with rose.

And the patchouli base, not heavy, but refreshing and camphoraceous. A hint of 'clean' (musk?) in the drydown.

A modernised (mint instead of lavender in the opening; patchouli in the base instead of oakmoss), and very pleasant take on the classic fougere.

Not as brightly clean and monolithic as Beau de Jour; more in the drier style of Houbigant's Fougere Royale, and with some development.

I love the minty opening. It's a nice change of pace to get a dominating mint, paired with an uber masculine scent. I pick up on the patchouli as well as cypress, which reminds me of Floris 1962. Although 1962 is much more bold than this, they're in the same genre. There's no lavender in the notes here, but I get a bit of it behind the mint, which makes this remind me of Drakkar Noir.

Overall I think it's a fantastic fragrance. It's niche, and good quality, not super high end though, and the price is fair. I guess no designer labels wanted to take a risk by making this in this era of perfumery. Designer labels, if you're reading this (doubtful), this is actually what people want. It's different, and it's done superbly. I might get a bottle when prices come down into liquidation, but since I already own 1962, the better of the 2, it's gonna be hard to justify.

After wearing this a little more, I'd call this a modern day Drakkar Noir on steroids. Really good stuff here, but don't overspray!

A soapy clean, fresh, green fougère with a touch of mint. Reminds me of deodorant, freshly applied out of the shower. I'm surprised how classically clean this smells and with almost no mint. There is a cooling, almost menthol effect in the very first minutes of the opening but that doesn't last long. Definitely mature, clean, well-groomed and masculine.

Projection is a above average and longevity is maybe 8-9 hours.