Eau de Minthé by Diptyque

Smells super fresh, minty and clean, very similar to my Egoïste Platinum.

With few new releases in perfumery, I keep searching through my hidden vintage perfumes or pending niche launches… this Eau de Minthé by Diptyque was one of them. My fondness for fougères comes from my grandfather, a tall, stocky man, a giant to me in childhood who repaired truck engines and carried kilos of tools as if they weighed nothing. My grandparents’ garden was full of mint, growing abundantly like a weed, its aroma on spring mornings with the cold dew was intense… waking up early for school with those scents was comforting. The smell of my grandfather freshly shaved, ready to work, with classic geranium lotion, metallic, foamy, not soapy but a clean, icy, bitter foam like a straight razor in the morning. Geranium to me is a pale rose between cold metal and withered lavender… the Eau de Minthé has much of this. The greenness of the mint and the shine of the geranium blend into a versatile, impeccable fragrance, culminating in earthy/dark patchouli, creating a photorealistic image of ‘mint plucked from wet soil’ on a spring morning. I thank my grandfather for those vivid memories, his roughness and attention to post-shave scents, my grandmother for her affection, the abundant mint in our garden, the perfect ironing of my school trousers, and the friend who made so many olfactory connections with me, the culprit for this perfume being in my hands today… Moderate projection, good longevity on my skin. If you like Platinum Egoïste, this goes that way.

This was one of the perfumes I tried this summer because the notes made me imagine it would be very fresh. Eau Minthé opens with a strong, refreshing mint and geranium scent, slightly spicy too from the nutmeg. After a few hours, the mint disappears to make way for patchouli, making it more suitable for spring than summer. At this point, my partner asked if I’d applied aftershave, so I’d say its development leans more towards a daily masculine scent. Both projection and longevity are average: I think it lasted about 5 hours in the middle of August. Pleasant: 7/10 Interesting: 6/10 Versatile: 6/10 Original: 6/10

I was browsing the samples and the scent sounded familiar, but I didn’t know what it was, plus it had a bit of lavender… finally, reading the description, I see I’m not the only one who reminds me of Drakkar Noir. Although the description doesn’t mention lavender, my nose detects it (and it blends brilliantly with the mint). It’s not obvious because the mint dominates, but I notice it, curious. If I smell it as a mint perfume, I’m indifferent; it’s not an extraordinary mint to my taste. But if I see it as a niche version of Drakkar, I like it more. I’m not saying they’re identical, as the Eau de Minthe is almost linear and only after hours does the mint soften (with lavender?) and a little geranium appears (not much, truth be told). Longevity is regular, typical of Diptyque: 5-6 hours at 10cm from the skin after an hour. It’s true it’s priced low for niche, close to designer, and they use good natural ingredients. Soon I’ll try Geranium pour Monsieur by Frédéric Malle, as the olfactory pyramid suggests it could be similar. In summary, I like it but I don’t love it. Au revoir!