Vinaigre de Toilette

If you've got the patience to enjoy the tart, loud, unmistakable vinegar opening, you're in for a subtle, smoked, almost savory treat that stays close to the skin for hours. I first picked this up as a way to bring some comfort to my routine when I was travelling for work all the time. Even the most plain and boring hotel room can feel a bit more like home if I sprinkle a few drops of this vinaigre onto the bedsheets before tucking in for the night. Over the years, though, it's become a comfort that I keep in my home, too. With the transition to working from hom full-time, I'm in the habit of splashing a bit of this under my arms in place of wearing a harsher deodorant or antiperspirant. I wave my still-wet hands through my hair and--the best part--add another splash to my palms before rubbing it into my beard. I genuinely love the savory-sourness of the first half hour, but take note that sillage is at its maximum right after application and your friends amight not be so fond of it. Enjoy it, and once it's settled it stays so close to the skin that it makes a nice foundation for any woody, spicy, leathery fragrance you'd like to add during the rest of your day. It won't clash.

Regarded as a panacea for all that ails, vinegar was a valued accompaniment for the mid-18th through mid-19th century toilet. Hence, recipes were developed containing healing herbs, spices and resins that were steeped in vinegar. These were applied to baths to ameliorate body aches and pains, rubbed into the hair and scalp to give sheen and add scent, or as an astringent toner for freshly-shaven skin. The vinaigre de toilette would also be added to boiling water to purify the air of one's dwelling. Diptyque's Vinaigre de Toilette, sold since 1975, is based on one a 19th century recipe with all the above suggestions in its accompanying insert, and surprise, surprise, I enjoy wearing it as a fragrance. It really does smell of vinegar for the first thirty seconds or so, then an ephemeral neroli follows, but it then eases into an old world melange of smoky, savory herbs: oregano, thyme, bay. There's black pepper, clove, and olibanum resin as well. The dry down smells closest to dried "pine straw" as anything I've ever smelled. It feels much like that of the vieux jeu potions from Santa Maria Novella (Potpourri, Marescialla, etc.). I am crazy for it.

"This vinaigre de toilette is inspired by an ancient preparation of spices and wood essences to which flowers were added. Its many uses include softening bath water, and refreshing and toning the body after a shower or shave. Or infused in boiling water to cleanse and perfume the house." It smells like vinegar for the first 30 minutes or so. It's sour and acidic, which is not at all unpleasant but rather strange to find in a perfume (although a vinegar based "perfume" may not be a perfume after all?). But this sourness does begin to vanish and what remains is the boiled down essence. If you've ever cooked with vinegar, you know that at some point that sourness is defeated and you can come away with sweetness and savory delight. That is what happens here. It's absolutely unique and brilliant, in my opinion. Apparently can be used liberally on anything, including the skin and hair, as it's essentially a toner. I really admire the creativity. 8/10

There's absolutely nothing like it on the market. I actually discovered it through a magazine in which a French theater actor said it was his signature scent. Reading the descriptions from Dyptique themselves it's actually not marketed properly as a "perfume". You can use it to rinse your hair, as a room perfume... I received some samples and I was absolutely under the spell. I loved this mixture of spices and knew also that it would not be something that a lot of people would wear. I must admit that I like the idea that my perfume is also not a crowd-pleaser. I thought it was too good to just use as a tonic and began using it as a proper perfume. No one ever commented on it. At the moment I use it after the gym to feel fresh and clean. I'm sure it must be noticed in the locker room but in a good way? At least that will change them from the alpha-male scents that linger on.

A comforting skin scent. It surprises at first for the pungency of the vinegar, but this fades away immediately. It envelops you with a gentle neroli sweetness and aromatic thyme, that gives it its light-heartedness and imaginative zing, grounded by the solemness of an airy incense smoke and a hint of spices. All of these notes rest on a bed of woods, like the barks of a forest behind one's childhood home, maybe of pines, cypresses and citrus trees. It has a vintage softness to it; makes you think of an imaginary familiar place you would like to visit again.