Kyoto is a limited edition EdT released by Diptyque in 2021 as part of its “Grand Tour” 6oth Birthday celebration collection. The perfumer is Alexandra Carlin.
I love a good rose perfume, but I have a lot of them. Too many, in fact. Last year I bought Eau Capitale anyway, and while it’s charming, I rarely wear it because I just have too many great perfumes to choose from. In the past year, I’ve become quite satisfied with what I have (aside from the excess of it all), and rather disinterested in things that are new. The volume and pace of new perfume releases has me jaded and skeptical. I’ll admit that I was only interested in Kyoto because the notes list mentions beetroot.
I thought. “I’ll just smell it at a store.” If you knew me, you would understand how ludicrous this statement is, especially now. I wasn’t a frequent shopper before the pandemic; I can count on my fingers the number of times I’ve stepped inside “a store” since March 2020. The chances of me being in a store to try a perfume are incredibly low.
I forgot all about Kyoto for a while. But recently I got a new car (my old one had literally disintegrated), and I decided that while I was buying a vehicle in the worst possible economic timeline, I might as well go all-in and get one of those super-fancy Diptique car diffusers.
The diffuser is a glorious thing — a beautiful object that functions flawlessly and imparts your car with a heavenly odor (I chose Fleur d’Oranger, but I am looking forward to buying a refill in the Gingembre scent and the Mimosa scent, which are only available separately).
While I was looking at diffusers on the Diptyque website, I saw Kyoto again. I thought maybe I could order a sample (no), or select one with my purchase (also no). So, I did the only sensible thing and went to the Selfridges’ website and blind-bought a bottle (along with my car diffuser).
I should point out that when you buy a full bottle from Diptyque, they now send you a matching sample so that you can try the fragrance before you open it (in case you want to send the bottle back). This is a nice service that will allow you to buy things you haven’t tried with little risk. THAT would be the actual “sensible thing.”
However, Selfridges is cheaper for Diptyque, and currently has free shipping to the U.S. if you spend over $300. (I pay for Selfridges Plus annually which covers my shipping for all orders to the U.S. for 12 months, it’s worth it for me, YMMV).
Kyoto Concept and Packaging
The inspiration for Kyoto was ikebana, the ancient Japanese art of flower arrangement. Ikebana is heavily influenced by the Buddhist ideals of minimalism and the Japanese aesthetics of subtle profundity and discipline. The four principles of ikebana are a fresh approach, movement, balance, and harmony.
The branches and stems used in an ikebana arrangement are just as important as the flowers themselves (and maybe moreso), as they create the form and lines which gives the piece movement and symbolism. The flowers are used to focus the viewer’s eye at certain points.
A type of symbolism used in some schools of ikebana is the use of three principal branches called shin, soe and tai or hikae. Shin, the tallest branch, represents heaven, soe, a mid-length branch, represents humanity, and hikae, the lowest branch, represents Earth. The tips of these branches form an asymmetrical triangle.
In Kyoto, the concept of ikebana is expressed through the use of incense for shin (heaven), rose for soe (humanity), and the duo of beetroot and vetiver for hikae (Earth).
Kyoto comes in a lovely deep pink glass bottle which is presented in the style of furoshiki (wrapped in a square of cloth). The fabric for the furoshiki is printed with a pattern called “Sarayi” which was created by Diptyque’s founders. For those not familiar with the history, painter Desmond Knox-Leet, interior designer Christiane Montadre-Gautrot, and theater craftsman Yves Coueslant formed an art studio and boutique in Paris at 34 St. Germain in 1961. The first product that they produced was patterned fabrics. In 1963 they began to sell scented candles; their first perfume, L’Eau, debuted in 1968.
I’m not a person who gets super-excited over fancy packaging. I appreciate when packaging is thoughtful and functional. The furoshiki wrap is a nice nod to both Japanese culture and Diptyque’s history of creating textile art. But as someone who doesn’t typically keep packaging, I don’t really know what to do with it and could have lived without it. I do like the reddish-purple bottle color though.
Kyoto Fragrance Review
I’ve worn Kyoto several times over the past few weeks. While it’s not complicated, it took me some time and experience to fully develop my thoughts. Wearings differ a bit based on the temperature and humidity, and there are many shifts in the scent throughout the day, both of these are things that I appreciate in a perfume.
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.
One spray of Kyoto is easily detectable at arm’s length, and the scent lasted for about 12 hours on my skin.
If I had only had a sample of Kyoto, I’m not sure if I would have purchased a full bottle. However, having worn it several times, I find it very pleasant and unique, and enjoy it more each time I wear it. Since I already have the bottle, I’m inclined to keep it. In my large collection (that I’m currently downsizing), that is high praise this year.
Kyoto Details and Final Thoughts
Kyoto is presented as a limited edition EdT in 100mL size. Notes listed are incense, Turkish rose, vetiver, and beetroot accord. Kyoto is currently available on the Diptyque website, as well as at many retailers that carry Diptyque products.
If you’re interested in Diptyque fragrances, check out my reviews of Tempo and Fleur de Peau.
I purchased the bottle shown in this review at full retail price from an authorized retailer. I do not have any relationships or affiliations with Diptyque or Selfridges, do not receive any compensation or other considerations for writing reviews, and do not use any affiliate links on my site.
