Collection 34 : Benjoin Bohème
Diptyque (2015)

Benjoin Bohème is a bright, round, cheerful rendition of a benzoin-centric perfume. In its shift from a lemony, bright opening to a more resinous destination, it reminds me a bit of the journey taken by Santa Maria Novella's magnificent Opoponax.

The lemony tones extend into the mid, where benzoin's waxy, resinous facets take center stage (with just a hint of delicate, incense-y smokiness). This, for me, is when Bohème really shines, finding a way to showcase benzoin's complexity without skewing into heaviness. The drydown brings things down to a pleasant, amber-y afterglow.

It might not be exciting enough for some (this is a gentle wear presented in the well-mannered Diptyque aesthetic), but I think its delicate and careful presentation of its primary subject deserves applause.

I've enjoyed getting to know Benjoin Bohème. The first thing I smell is mastic, that kind of incense that smells like bright, lemony frankincense. The incense richness combines with upfront ambox while a nice, fuzzy benzoin amber rounds out the base. Meanwhile, the top has a subtle fizzing cola smell mixing with some sort of pollen-laden floral, perhaps honeysuckle or mimosa.

The end result is really interesting - the fizzing soda/flowers/lemon up top are a perfect foil to a complicated but comfortable base. The concentration is such that the base smells rich and upfront from first sniff.

I really like Benjoin Bohème. It exists in the genre of warm, creamy niche woody incense perfumes like 10 Corso Como, Bois d'Armenie, and LADDM, but expresses itself with a modernity (and yes, an artificiality) that sets it apart from its predecessors.

The opening with its mix of Angelica and benzoin in quite nice, with the benzoin being very soft and restrained, and blending in well. The drydown - I am unable to separate out a distinct base note phase on my skin - adds a very synthetic woodsy note that is, frankly, boring, and the soft, albeit somewhat generic, patchouli that emerges towards the end is not much more exciting either.

The sillage is soft, the projection just adequate and the longevity just above five hours on me.

A not unpleasant daytime spring scent that, alas, does not significantly rise above mediocrity. Probably worth a try for benzoin lovers who want a discrete variety of this genre. 2.75/5

I was disappointed by this as I'm a fan of benzoin (although I'm wary of Diptyque). Plus, the scent has apparently sold out everywhere, which says something I guess. However, this is simply a textbook woody amber, albeit one that attenuates the synth aspects (to a degree) and cranks up the resinous warmth. There are three main components: your standard-fare synth sandalwood (javanol, sandalrome etc.), ethyl vanillin, and benzoin. Here, the benzoin is spun somewhat cinnamic, and the scent is pleasantly balanced throughout, but it's nothing more than a basic, synth-driven warm amber – which is fine, but at this price point, it's questionable. It really smells no different to the myriad other amber scents out there, but aside from its smoothness, it lacks any of the character that make some of the better ambers stand out. While it's probably a good scent for Diptyque to have in their line-up, it offers nothing new to anyone familiar with the genre.