L’Art Du Soin by Diptyque
The cult-followed French candlemaker debuts an equally intoxicating and aromatic unisex skincare line
When the cult-followed Parisian candlemaker and parfumeur Diptyque announced its expansion into skincare—dubbed “L’Art Du Soin“—we were hesitant at first. With hundreds of other brands crowding the luxury skincare market, we wondered what Diptyque could offer that didn’t exist already. “It’s different because we imagine the range as being part of the Diptyque experience: it is easy to get and very sensorial,” Creative and Marketing Director of Diptyque Paris, Myriam Badault, tells CH. “The benefit of the range is not over-promising. It’s simply based around radiance and well-being, with the collection made of products that you can easily integrate in your daily beauty routine. It’s not made for a specific skin type or gender—you just pick and choose the texture, or textures, that you love.”
Thus, it’s not about how one product can magically improve your skin, but about developing and maintaing a daily ritual of treating yourself well. Similar to the way their scented candles quietly infuse a room with a distinguished presence, Diptyque’s skincare products bring a lush ambience, soft glow and subtle scent that lingers, even as you move on to the next room.
While Diptyque has dabbled in body lotions and oils before, this is their first foray into skincare specifically for the face. At launch there are just five products: protective moisturizing lotion (with SPF 15), infused facial water, radiance boosting powder, nourishing cleansing balm and multi-use exfoliating clay.
“For the new skincare range, the story began with a book (Formulaire de Parfumerie et de Cosmetique, by Rene-Maurice Gattefossé) written in the early 1900s, in which we found some cosmetic recipes using a huge amount of fragrant ingredient,” says Badault. (Gattefossé was a French chemist who treated a dangerous burn on his arm with lavender oil, and is credited with inventing the word “aromatherapy.”) “It inspired us to develop the range around the idea of infused cosmetics and use the expertise we have developed around natural ingredients in a different way. However, the key is not the fragrant signature of the ingredients, but its proven and known cosmetic property. We have selected, one by one, the natural ingredients we use in each formula, using both floral water and waxes.” This concept of infused cosmetics, Badault describes, is something very new to the market.
We were most charmed by the Infused Facial Water and the Protective Moisturizing Lotion, both which cite Damask rose floral hydrosol (a milder form of an essential oil, extracted by steam distilling a plant) as a key ingredient. Without even opening the packaging, the fragrance emanates from the boxes. While rose water has been used as a natural skincare treatment for centuries, this “eau infusée” boasts not only 84% Damask Rose hydrosol but also nasturtium and nine other plants and flowers to refresh and energize. Diptyque recommends using it in place of water to rinse, or as a 10-minute mask when you need a quick pick-me-up. The lotion gets an extra boost from orange blossom extract, which is not only a powerful moisturizer but has a bitter, complex—not fruity—aroma. The velvety texture is light and doesn’t leave you feeling greasy. The three other products offer different ways to cleanse, whether you prefer to exfoliate and scrub with marble powder, boost radiance with white clay powder that transforms into a delicate foam, or remove makeup without stripping the skin through a nourishing balm.
The L’Art Du Soin skincare line is now available for purchase from Diptyque online as well as brick-and-mortar stores throughout the world, with prices starting at $55.
Photos by Nara Shin
