“Make me a fragrance that smells like love“
– Christian Dior
Lost in thought, you wander the grounds of a sprawling countryside estate. Perfectly cared-for shrubbery and well-manicured lawns are kept magnificently trimmed and cultivated by a team of expert gardeners. Every plant and flower they touch is precisely arranged in a masterpiece of human artistic achievement. Designed perfectly to captivate its guests, and you, in its structured glory.
As you meander along the path in front of you, you suddenly realize that you are now completely and totally alone. The birds that trailed overhead and sang their sweet songs have flown away. The families that occasionally passed by, now look like ants far in the distance. The once brightly shining sun is now blotted out by the overhead coverage of overgrown trees.
Humanity has moved on and forgotten this edge of the property, and at that edge sits a moderately sized enclosed garden. Its cold stone walls stand strong behind layers of wet and dense moss and ivy, the once ornately decorated gates, now imprisoned by their rusted hinges. The stillness of this oasis feels eerie and lonely, but make no mistake, there is still life behind those walls. The only choices you have are to either turn around to the world of structure and rules behind you, or proceed ahead into this forgotten hollow.
You choose to tempt fate.
Do it with Passion
The launch of Dioressence is preceded by a long lineage of fine fragrance launches by the house of Dior, dating back to their first collection in 1947.
Christian Dior, master designer and founder of the house, began his journey into the world of fashion prior to World War 2. Before the war, Dior had been intimately involved in the art world, both as a creative and a businessman. Following the onset of the Great Depression, and tragedy within his family, he pivoted into the fashion world. Dior would go on to work for the French houses of Robert Piguet and Lucien LeLong, where he honed his skills.
Following the war, Christian Dior would launch his own design house, and thus a legend was born.
Dior’s first collection launch in 1947 took the fashion world by storm, and soon after their first fragrance launch would take the fragrance world by storm. In the same year, Dior would launch Miss Dior, which would become synonymous with Dior’s signature style, even to this very day.
Following the runaway success of Miss Dior, the house would launch a wide array of fragrances to join it. Diorama, Diorissimo, Diorling, and Eau Sauvage all played a key role in further entrenching the house as a major presence in the fragrance world. By the time of Dioressence’s initial release in 1969, however, the brand was prompted to release a composition that was drastically different.
Dior had made a name for itself in the fragrance world with their wide range of lovely, refined, and tasteful compositions. Perfectly fitting for the market immediately following the war. Although beautiful, the 1960s saw a dramatic shift in tastes and styles. The traditional New Look fit-and-flare style that was so revolutionary and modern in 1947, now felt dated and stuffy. In its place, space-age materials, miniskirts, and bold geometric patterns took over the runways. The rise of youth culture and the rapidly shifting societal norms rejected the status-quo of the 1950s, for something more lively and vibrant in the 1960s. Fragrance, of course, followed suit.
By the mid-1960s, fragrance compositions began to change dramatically. In prior decades, Byzantine compositions of dense florals and ornate spices reigned supreme, but they were too inhibiting for a generation that was going to the moon. In their place, fresher and more youthful compositions became popular. The shift towards brighter and fresher florals, green crisp notes, earthy nuances, and a more primal animalic edge gave way to a new era of fragrance. Thus, the need for a more primal, animalic, and simply exhilarating Dior fragrance was born, and Guy Robert would be tasked with creating it.
The lore behind the creation of Dioressence is a great read, and I would be doing a disservice by trying to type it out here. I highly recommend going to the Perfume Shrine blog and reading their post on Dioressence.
With all that history out of the way, what does a more primal Dior smell like?
Loved Gardens Flourish
Following Dioressence’s initial release in 1969, the composition has been changed numerous times.
The first major change occurred after its discontinuation at some point in the 1970s. After that, the fragrance was reworked and tweaked before being relaunched in 1979. Following that reworking, it was continually tweaked and adjusted throughout the subsequent decades. The last major reformulation of the scent occurred in 2009.
In my collection, I own two bottles of Dioressence, a 2024 Eau de Toilette (EdT), and a 1986 EdT. For this review, I will be using the bottle from 1986.
The opening of Dioressence to the skin tells you that tempting fate was the right choice.
The long-frozen gates shudder and creak their way open, and you step inside this hidden sanctuary. With each step you take, the top notes of Dioressence begin to crawl their way to you. Crisp green notes and hints of citrus ease up to your senses, supported and braced by the cooling touch of crystal-clear aldehydes. A soft blanket of cool air and mist dancing across your skin as they roll out the carpet and welcome you to their home. The overall effect is refreshing and exhilarating, but also slightly unnerving and eerie.
As the green-tinged mists begin to dissipate and settle down, the landscape around you becomes clear. A deep emerald green canopy of trees blocks out all but the smallest shafts of light, and never-ending raindrops languidly fall to the forest floor. Although secluded and lonesome, the overgrown plants and greenery don’t feel hostile. Instead, the green notes dance around the composition as if they were setting a table for you to join for dinner. At the center of this table is the composition’s beating heart, a large centerpiece bouquet that beckons you to sit. Brimming with energy and fervor, the bouquet sends out wave after wave of notes in the air. The first wave that rolls in is one of warm and spicy notes. Like a puff of red-tinged powder, carnation and cinnamon crest over you. Just as they settle, a cascade of lush rose and jasmine petals brush past your face. The heart is then smoothed over and wrapped around you by a fluffy blanket of a soft and powdery orris root and violet.
Soon, the waves begin to slow down, and the heart begins to settle in and get comfortable. At this moment, you are greeted by the host of this otherworldly dinner party. The apparition that appeared from the shadows does not introduce itself or proclaim some big speech, rather it just sits and allows its aura to radiate outward. A warm and soothing blend of patchouli, resinous benzoin, soft woods, and musk are the first notes to make themselves evident. They are complemented by a very wet and inky dose of oakmoss, and washed over by a bright and powdery vetiver. The base of Dioressence is equal parts grounded and familiar, as it is ethereal and mysterious.
The true brilliance behind Dioressence is in its dedication to wild natural beauty, rather than a tailored and perfected experience. Its composition practically forces you to give up the typical fragrance structure that has become so standard. Instead, choosing to interweave each level of its structure, as though it is indeed all one ecosystem supporting each other. That being said, its untamed nature has a certain restraint and refinement to it. Dioressence does not meekly hide behind its vivacious and uninhibited structure. It merely contains it within its own four walls. It allows you to bask in its intangible luster, before it closes its gates to slumber once again.
Nature is a Gift
Whether or not Dioressence achieved its goal of being a more exhilarating Dior fragrance is up for debate. For all of its deep and complex beauty, it lived in the shadow of what came before and after its release. Much like the garden itself, Dioressence remains as a forgotten relic in Dior’s catalogue, waiting for you to pick it up and discover all that it has to offer.
But when you do finally give it a chance, it really opens its gates to a whole new world.
Dioressence is still currently on sale, albeit in a reformulated and repackaged state. The most current formula for Dioressence lacks a sizable amount of the complexity and density of the original, which sadly is usually the case for the modern counterparts to vintage fragrances. That being said, the original vision of the composition remains intact, and the overall effect is similar, if not as impressive as the vintage. I wear and enjoy both interchangeably, so I would say it is at least worth a test spray.
As always, thank you for reading, and I encourage you to share your thoughts down below.
Until next time,
– Zak
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