Best Volutes Eau de Parfum by Diptyque Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

New 2019 packaging: crimped spray (as opposed to the previous design of screw-on self assembly spray).

Perfumer: Bertrand Duchaufour.

Or du  Sérail exudes almost gooey intoxicating sweetness of a cigar soaked in rum with hints of candied fruit and honey at the edges.

You can relate to this perfume if you ever discovered that secret cupboard your grandma kept spice, vanilla, honey, cognac, candied oranges and chocolate among other fragrant treasures reserved for festive cake making. When you finally locate it, you just linger at the open door and marvel at the rich, sweet aromas, before checking if there’s anything worth secretly tasting. 

Tobacco, very much present in the formula probably stands for the antic cabinet itself. 

The Sniff on Au de Serail:

"There is a sugared, decadent and festive tone about the start of the scent without a doubt. The feeling that it evokes is of a Victorian Christmas celebration; opening a giant box of Christmas sweets and staring at the amassed rows of candied fruit lying in their little compartments, the jewelled colours glinting in the light of the log fire."

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Perfumer: Christophe Raynaud accepted the challenge of translating into a perfume the soft and sensual voice of Marvin Gaye singing Sexual Healing…

“Živeli” (ZHEE-vuh-lee) is a common Serbian toast used to wish good health and a long life. In this extrait, a juicy burst of plum brandy melts into a leathered tobacco, encapsulating a celebratory night out with friends. Giddy joy is further fluffed by cherry and raspberry notes, while the leather aspect is warmed by honey, saffron and labdanum.

This composition is 24% parfum concentration, with 70% natural ingredients. Capped in Mexican Riviera Gray marble in a delicately etched glass bottle.

Perfumer: Julien Rasquinet

Iris Cendre acts cold and green at the opening with the help of bergamot and frankincense, but as the perfume unfolds and smoke lifts, orris appears in its creamy gourmand seductiveness.

Prepare to enter the dark entanglement of Jungle Tobacco, a dense canopy of burnished blond tobacco. Every surface, every space is drizzled with honeyed heliotrope, lulling you into a narcotic swoon. A rough-around-the-edges oud lends gravitas to the sweetness, making this a poised and pretty perfect tobacco.

Tobacco Tuberose - a leather floral vintage experiment. Green bitterness, milky-white flowers in a half-light of a library, soft clouds of tobacco smoke, cozy leather chairs, silence and comfort.

It is tobacco which surely leads in this duet. Warm and rich, the fragrance opens with bitter, slightly metallic green notes of violet leaves, they unfurl into dim old library cabinet. The cabinet is full of curling aromatic flows of pipe tobacco smoke.  Then leather appears, warm and tactile, and then a sudden gust of wind brings a heady, almost narcotic smell from a tall elegant bouquet of tuberoses.  Try it on, find out who will lead for you – white flowers or tobacco-leather.

Anna advises to choose chilly dull weather to experience this fragrance – it warms and comforts in a most subtle and pleasant way.

Starring

(these fragrant materials reanacted the Tobacco tuberose story):

Artemisia absinthium e.o.
Frankincense e.o.
Tuberose abs
Lavender abs
Rose de may absolute
Rosa gallica e.o.
Agarwood e.o.
Sandalwood e.o.
Orris CO2 extract
Castoreum tinctura
Acacia farnesiana e.o.
Tabacco abs
Jasmine sambac abs
Cistus e.o.
Ambrette CO2 extract
Angelica root absolute

Important notice:

Anna Zworykina’s blends are olfactive smellscapes (but neither aromatherapy, nor ‘spray-and-go’ perfumes). Her blends are sensory experiences, closer to works of art created in the scented plane (rather than, say, visual or audio).

Certain essential oils and absolutes that are used in her 100% natural perfumes may potentially cause allergies in some people. Please spray Anna Zworykina’s blends on fabric (on sleeves, scarves, etc.). This said, Anna Zworykina has acquired a huge fan base over many years and people interacted with her blends for quite a while now. We are not aware of any reports of any skin reactions so far.

However, Anna advises that those who are prone to allergic reactions, pregnant and nursing women, as well as people with chronic illnesses to be extra careful. Before trying natural blends, study the list of ingredients and consult with a doctor if you are not sure or a had a history of allergies. If you do decide to put these blends on your skin (unable to resist the temptation) always test the blend on the inside part of your elbow first and wait.

Do not spray these blends liberally as a cloud in the way you would spray a conventional perfume. Anna’s smellscapes need to be… carefully applied and experienced. Be mindful that some oils can also make your skin hyper-sensitive to UV.

A bait-and-switch perfume that starts sharp and clean with juniper and crisp, metallic violet leaves. Then comes the gentle abyss: a faded haze of tobacco, patchouli and leather swirled with white tea and musk. The message might be lost in translation, but all meaning will be found in the fragrance.

Silphium was a plant widely renowned as a spice, medicinal herb and perfume ingredient throughout the empires of classical antiquity, outshining both saffron and cinnamon. It was praised by Greek philosophers and writers, as well as Roman emperors and cookbook authors. The demand for Silphium eventually became so overwhelming that it was harvested to extinction, and the taste and smell of the once greatest spice in the world were lost in time.

This extinct plant was reconstructed by researching assumed relatives of Silphium, using aromachemicals (the molecular building blocks of scents) to create an accord reflecting historical descriptions. This is set against a background of ancient incense, woods and leather.

El Caminante, Spanish for “the wanderer”, is a nomadic fragrance that pays tribute to the flâneur’s stroll, the urban pilgrimage in search of self-knowledge. This extrait is an invitation to travel, to seek experiences, thanks to the propulsive cadence of Ceylon black tea and a lightly smoked suede. The experiences along the way include cardamom and saffron, with fruity nuances of dried plum, date and honey. Luxurious iris absolute adds depth, accompanied by vetiver, sandalwood, tonka bean and labdanum.

Perfumer: Mathilde Bijaoui