Dioressence Parfum

(Extrait bottle c. 1979) I just can’t with some of these old Dior extraits, man. (Ok, yeah, I can.) This one, and the Roudnitskas, I love them to death but I can’t wear them out of the house. I rarely wear them because, if I’m going to, I must stay at home away from all of the smells, sounds, and distractions of the world outside so I can give them my undivided attention. The Dioressence extrait I am wearing now is no exception. While I ponder the words I’m going to put down - that you are seeing now, dear reader - I’m curled up on my couch with Dioressence and slowly but surely plying at it, like a surgeon with tweezers and a scalpel, to understand it. This is going to take all day. It is extremely intricate, complex, and - dare I say it - a bit high maintenance. My attention cannot be elsewhere, nor should it be; that would be an insult to such a gorgeous masterpiece, difficult though it may be. I cannot begrudge Dioressence for being difficult. It hasn’t had an easy life. Originally launched in 1969, composed by Guy Robert, it was intended to be a garish monster of a thing and so it was - maybe too much so, which is why Dior quickly orphaned it. Dropped like an unwanted child at a hospital doorstep. Dior relaunched it with a reformulation by Max Gavarry in 1979, where Dioressence was told its behavior was unacceptable and was given a big dose of benzos. Since then, it’s been through years of therapy (including shock therapy), pounds of medication, going from halfway house to halfway house, becoming more and more of a shell of the genius it was born as. Today that garish monster is nothing more than a bland, wan, and soapy rose. Dior’s former in-house-mortician, Francois Demachy, was quoted as saying that even he didn’t like the new Dioressence. Perhaps FK can return it to its prime. I can’t be sure of the bottle date for my extrait, but I’m going to have to presume it’s from the Max Gavarry reformulation. It’s a 15mL splash, clear glass vial-type bottle, clear horizontal oval glass stopper, blue pebble mosaic holder that is plastic on the inside - none of this is how the Guy Robert original was presented, as far as I can find out - and the only batch code number I can make out on the bottom of the bottle is either a 6 or 9. So it could either be ’76, ’79, ’86, or ’89. Based on the other clues from the bottle and box, plus knowledge of Dioressence’s unfortunate history, I’m going to take an educated guess on 1979; if not that, then 1986. If any of you are experts on identifying vintage Diors, your input would be appreciated. Anyway, back to the perfume itself and what it’s like to wear. Part of my confusion as to the “when” of my extrait goes to the fact that this doesn’t smell at all spicy or oriental the way the Gavarry formulation is frequently described. This is very much a grand, orchestral, and loud floral chypre. The opening notes of the top are quite funky, like fetid fruit that has had a resurrection attempted with an injection of aldehydes. It means to be bright and fruity, but it’s spent too long in the compost bin. That bright and fruity cheerfulness is now turned and earthy, like vermouth. This all falls away rather quickly, but that’s relative for a legitimate extrait in the classical style - so, quick in this sense is somewhere between one hour and two. The turned fruit clearing away is like stripping weathered paint off of rosewood; once it’s off, you see the beauty lying beneath. It is the biggest, most elegant, complex, intricate, and burly floral chypre I might have ever smelled. The thick and rich elegance of red rose, the powdery silkiness of carnation, the creamy and sweet and loud tuberose, vividly white and bright spring jasmine, exotic and citrusy ylang-ylang, all of them should-to-shoulder and fighting for space on my arms and wrists while massive amounts of animalic musks and green woody oakmoss weave their way in and out of the gaps of the flower petals. Each time I lift one of my arms to my nose and take a big whiff, Dioressence fills my lungs - I swear I can feel it. In those moments of deep inhales, when the perfume hits the back of my throat I can damn near taste a dry vanilla and cinnamon accord and what might be a green and fruity peppercorn or vetiver type note. Is Dioressence a garish monster? No, not really. A misunderstood lout? More likely. If this is indeed the Gavarry reformulation, the benzos Dioressence were made to swallow most likely toned down its character from the Robert original. Its monstrousness is in its size, its breadth and depth that both seem to stretch to eternity. In one breath it is rich and tastefully elegant, and in other breath loud and lascivious. Most perfumes are pretty straightforward characters, their personalities summed up by a couple of characteristics. Dioressence is a whole person, and like a whole personality it has loads of characteristics and behaviors that will only reveal themselves with time, exposure, and attention. Seriously, folks, this is hard work. Dioressence is not easy. Though do not mistake me as saying Dioressence is difficult to wear, it isn’t. Wearing Dioressence is easy. Pay it no attention and you - and the people around you - would think you’re wearing a very expensive floral chypre. But, if you are going to pay attention to it, really try to live with it and understand it, Dioressence is going to put up a fight. It’s had a hard life, and it doesn’t want to be picked apart by me, you, or anyone else; courtship is needed, you’ll have to give it your time, attention, and devotion before it will open up to you. The first time I wore it I was pretty sure I loved it, but I didn’t understand it at all. The second time I wore it I thought I found a couple keys to its locked doors, but there was still a lot left to find. The third and fourth was when the cypher finally started to click open. And now, it’s one of the most loved perfumes in my collection. I’m glad I stayed home today.

What follows is a story from the late 80s. We were stuck beyond the Iron Curtain, without access to such capitalist luxuries as French perfumes. But my parents had a good friend who had defected to Western Europe a decade or so earlier, and he would send us gifts every time he got the chance. Once, in one pack of such goodies, my mom's share was a small vial of this mesmeric substance, cradled in a plastic oblong tube with a grey lace pattern. I was transfixed. It was the most exquisite thing I had ever seen in my life. It smelled rich and precious and it was so small and so intense, I can't even begin to tell you. My mom would use it sparingly, of course, only for special occasions and just a few dabs, as it was really strong - both projection and persistence. I would sneak and smell it on a nearly daily basis, loving everything about the experience. It was kept in a drawer, well placed for my 2 or 3 year old brother not to reach it, but well within the reach of my 10 year old self. All was well and good, I was a responsible child, as most older sisters are, and the Dioressence vile had nothing to fear from my visits. Until the fateful day a friend of my mom's came to visit, bringing along her 6 years old daughter and one of the most unruly creatures known to humanity. She and my brother went gallivanting around the house for a few moments, the moms were otherwise engaged, I was not there for some reason or another. Let's just say that, a few minutes later, the entire house started reeking of Dioressence, for some reason nobody understood yet. Turns out the kid had found the perfume (it had only the smallest dent in it, it was virtually full) and had poured all of it onto my dear brother's head. Needless to say, the visit ended rather abruptly and my mom had to face the fact that her precious Dior perfume was now gone and that her precious baby boy was going to smell like a French courtisanne for who knew how many days. There was a saving grace in all of this. He was small, it was winter, the house was cold and he was wearing a cotton cap, the soft kind that tied under the chin. She took that cap, cut it in a million pieces and stuffed them all over our dressers and armoires and all the places where we kept our clothes, so we all smelled of Dioressence for months, if not years. The biggest loser in all of this was my brother, who was left with a huge sensibility to perfume. He can wear perfume and he can endure it on other people, but only in the lightest of quantities and varieties. However, the reason I've been reminded of this beautiful perfume is the fact that I've recently bought a bottle of Jaques Polge's Diva - Emanuel Ungaro, which is a very nice, elegant, retro, floral chypre. I enjoy it to no end, but I knew I'd smelled it before and couldn't understand where and when. It hit me today: it is the closest thing that I can think to Dioressence Parfum. If I remember correctly from 36 plus years ago, the Parfum could have had some cinnamon or something else that made it really warm, that Diva has not (although it is warm as well). But if you are curious about this gem and want to try something extremely close to it, Diva is the obvious option. PS: Next month, my mom turns 70. She will be getting the Diva bottle from me so she can finally enjoy the perfume on herself and not just her drawers, even though it's not Dior but Ungaro and we can now buy all the French perfume our finances would allow.

VINTAGE PARFUM EXTRAIT - OMFG this is gorgeous. Rich Deep Sultry Sensuous Spicy Lush Opulent Floral. Fruit is sweet and dense but not cloying or suffocating. Touch of green on opening brightens things to clarity, but is never piercing. The cinnamon/carnation spiciness unfold like a richly woven silk brocade amidst the complex depth of florals here. The patchouli is especially magnificent in tandem with the spices, never dirty, moldy or musty....just perfectly dark green and herbal, chewy and enveloping. The benzoin resin and vanilla meld seamlessly providing a buttery sweet depth just off of gourmand territory. The musk adds a touch of warm skin like sensuality without oppressiveness. I get no negatives from anything on my skin. Gets more beautiful the more it dries down. Becomes so cozy even though it is so exciting in its liveliness and spiciness. I just love how the cinnamon and carnation go on and on forever as the florals rise and abate and the resins slowly burn down. This is a masterpiece. Why bother with niche when this gloriousness exists? I am enchanted totally.

So delighted to add a vintage Dioressence parfum to go with the vintage edt I have.. One of my all time favourtie perfumes. To me it’s a very invigorating scent and I wear it when I have a demanding day ahead of me and I want to feel like that bitch that isn’t messed with. It smells green but still has some sweetness to it with some woody spice and oakmoss. I love the complexity in this perfume and I don’t care if it’s not to other people’s tastes. I don’t want to smell like a dessert or like I have been in a vape cloud of basic sweet smelling crap.

This one always got me compliments from men, years ago. I haven't worn it for years now but I'm curious to see if my body chemistry suits it now. It's very deep and aromatic and is best worn in the colder months.

this thing is an absolutely gorgeous BEAST but i almost never wear it because i dont feel worthy

Stunning. Reminds me why I love fragrance.

I applied some of this mid-day yesterday and it has survived the night and several hand washings. That's vintage perfume quality for you. (I also applied a small bit of vintage Fracas pure perfume to the other hand and same thing - still there 24 hours later). Not so for many moderns. I managed to find a vintage bottle of pure parfum on eBay from a seller in Armenia. Lovely. As gorgeous and complex as I remember from the 80's. Unique, and smells like the inside of a very expensive purse; it "sparkles". For cool, sunny autumn days. A real stunner. Go for the vintage if you can find it.

Bon maintenant lorsque l'on sent ce parfum mythique de 1979 et sa version des années 2000... Ce sont deux parfums différents avec un même nom. L'un est une des plus belles création de la parfumerie française, un magnifique parfum oriental/ambré l'autre est... une tarte à la cannelle ! Je suis heureuse que le staff de Fragrantica ait rajouté l'extrait de parfum dans la base de données. Il n'y était pas il n'y a pas si longtemps... Merci.

Dioressence has kinship with Knowing by Estee Lauder, Tentations by Paloma Picasso and John Galliano Eau de Perfume 😊I like it😍