Diptyque: The Paris Shop Behind the Candles and Perfumes

Diptyque began as a shop, not a perfume house. In 1961 three friends, Christiane Gautrot, Desmond Knox-Leet and Yves Coueslant, opened a boutique at 34 Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris, selling fabrics alongside objects found on their travels. In 1963 came the first three candles, Thé, Aubépine and Cannelle, or tea, hawthorn and cinnamon, and the first eau de toilette, L'Eau, only followed in 1968. Knox-Leet drew the labels by hand, and that oval with its letters tumbling inside is still on every jar.

 

That order is why I think of Diptyque as a candle house first, and the classic candle is the easiest way in. Baies is the one I would give anyone, blackcurrant leaves and rose, bright rather than sweet. Figuier, which Diptyque marks as a best-seller, is the whole fig tree, green leaves and bark as well as fruit, and smells like summer even in November. Roses is a just-cut bouquet, Tubéreuse is the heady white flower for people who already love it, and Feu de Bois is a wood fire in a glass, the one I light on the first cold night. Ambre and Santal are the warm pair, resins and spice on one side, creamy sandalwood on the other. The medium 34 boulevard Saint Germain candle is the scent of the original shop, woods, spices and flowers together.

 

My test for a new candle: the first time you light it, let it burn until the melted wax reaches the edge of the glass. Blow it out early and it tends to tunnel for the rest of its life.

 

What I would skip: Tubéreuse as a blind gift. It is gorgeous and very strong, so smell it first or choose Baies.

Once you know which scent you love, decide where it should live. A classic candle fills a living room for an evening, and the medium size earns its place in a big open room, where one wick can get lost. The Hourglass diffuser refill in Baies is for the room you never remember to light a candle in, a hallway or a bathroom, because it keeps working quietly around the clock.

 

For skin, start with Minthé, the eau de parfum built on mint, geranium and patchouli. It opens cool and green and grows warmer as the patchouli comes through, so give it a full hour on your wrist before you decide. The Velvet Hand Lotion is the smallest way into the house, and the big pump bottle by the kitchen sink makes washing up feel slightly less like a chore.

 

A pairing tip: match the candle to the perfume family you already wear. If you reach for fresh green fragrances, Figuier will feel like home; if you wear woods, start with Santal; if you love florals, go straight to Roses.

 

The four candles in the last row are the history lesson. Aubépine and Cannelle, hawthorn and cinnamon, are two of the first three candles Diptyque made in 1963, so burning them is the closest you can get to the original shop. Feuille de Lavande is the herbal one for the fresh green camp, and Oyédo is another house classic worth lighting once.

 

What I would skip: a full matching set of one scent on day one. One candle or one refill tells you whether a scent belongs in your home, and the rest can wait until you are sure.