DIPTYQUE KYOTOU 100mL

The opening of Kyoto is a rush — it’s decadent, tart, apple-y Turkish rose, and a lot of it. Underneath the rose, the fragrance is quite green and spicy. It’s both floral green and vegetal, like a bowl full of crushed rose stems atop a salad of peppery arugula and watercress.

There is also something aggressively diffusive in the top notes that is sharp and metallic. It’s the kind of odor that I can feel across my eyeballs, and taste in my mouth. The first time I wore Kyoto, I was alarmed by this, as it’s usually a sign of something that I will hate. I immediately wondered, “am I wearing rosy Sauvage?” Fortunately this phase does not last long, and I found it less unpleasant in subsequent wearings (probably because I knew it was not the final destination of the fragrance).

In the heart of Kyoto, there is dry, lemony frankincense. It is feather-light and restrained, forming wisps around the rose, which sometimes I perceive as musky, other times more like pink peppercorn. The real magic is the sweet earthiness of the beetroot, including its tender leaves. There is also a slightly astringent vetiver, just a touch.

The vegetal greenness of Kyoto waxes and wanes throughout the wear, at times it is more sweet and earthy and other times it’s more grassy-peppery. Incense floats above it all. I can see the concept of ikebana realized through the use of balance in the notes chosen for shin, soe, and hikae.