Star rating: 5 stars–outstanding/potential classic, 4 stars–very good, 3 stars–adequate, 2 stars–disappointing, 1 star–poor.
Diptyque was founded in 1961 by three friends, Desmond Knox-Leet, Christiane Gautrot and Yves Coueslant, who received training from Ecole des Beaux Arts. Yves Coueslant’s connection with Vietnam produced Diptyque’s sandalwood based fragrance, Tam Dao. Do Son, named after a resort on the coast of Vietnam, southeast of Hai Phong City, is another Vietnam inspired creation, to be released in October of 2005.
Do Son is an airy tuberose that is reminiscent in character of L’Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse Aux Papillons. Delicate green note is weaved through hot tuberose, thus lightening the effect and creating a fragrance that is more a delicate tuberose mist than a heady veil.
Sweet orange blossom with its crisp and gentle touch rounds out the edgy elements of tuberose. Iris unfolds in the heart of the composition amplifying the association of the fragrance with spring flowers and green sticky stems poking through the earth.
Misty and delicate, Do Son is a fragrance to be sprayed, rather than dabbed. Like some other Diptyque florals, notably Ofresia, it is verging on evanescent, however just when I think that I cannot smell anything, a wave of warm sweetness rises up again. The effect is feather light, with the composition clinging to the body like a transparent chiffon scarf. Although I have to admit that Do Son is a rather linear composition, it has an immediate uplifting effect on me. For those who tend to avoid tuberose, this will be a pleasant surprise, because Do Son’s tuberose is rendered as delicate and light, two words are hardly applicable to most tuberose focused fragrances.
As for the relationship between tuberose and Vietnam, it is a flower that is used frequently during religious ceremonies. Moreover, it grows well in the cooler months, when most other plants are scarce. If there is a specific connection with Do Son resort, I would love to know.
Notes include tuberose, rose, daffodil, orange blossom, iris, and white musk. It will be available at Aedes and Beautyhabit starting October 1st.
Diptyque Do Son advertisement (thanks to Cedric).
38 Comments
parislondres: Great review and I need to test this soon. 😉 As you know, I have been invited on the 29th.
Happy Birthday dear V!
Hope you have a wonderful day – filled with happiness
and lots of flowers and perfumes….
Hugs!! September 26, 2005 at 2:51am
Robin: V, have given this only a very brief try, but would guess it will end up in my collection. Diptyque just suits me in general, and this one is so nicely done. September 26, 2005 at 10:09am
Ina: Sounds like it’s worth a try! Your descriptions are always beautiful, dear!
S dniom rozhdenia!!!
Mwah! September 26, 2005 at 10:39am
Sisonne: Dear V, Though I didn´t know it before: Happy birthday to you 🙂 ! I hope you have a wonderful day!
Do Son sounds lovely, is it very similar to L´Artisan La Chasse?
*Whispering*: I´d like to know how you managed to get a sample of it 😉 I envy you a tiny bit ;D September 26, 2005 at 11:38am
Marina: S Dnem Rozhdenia!!!!
Evanescent tuberose…this may finally be a tuberose I can wear, I am so excited. There wasn’t a single Diptyque scent I didn’t like, I admired even those I could never wear, like L’Eau. Can’t wait to try this! September 26, 2005 at 8:59am
Tara: Sounds wonderful, I can’t wait to try it! Thanks so much for the review.
And Bon Anniversaire!
Tara September 26, 2005 at 1:22pm
linda: Ok, I’m not a big tuberose fan, but your review makes me want to try it. Thank you for the review! 🙂 September 26, 2005 at 2:29pm
BoisdeJasmin: Thank you so much for the wishes, dear N! 🙂 I wore Do Son last night, and I actually woke up in the morning thinking that somebody delivered flowers. It is light, but tenacious, which is very surprising. I cannot wait to hear about the premiere! September 26, 2005 at 10:47am
BoisdeJasmin: Dorogaia Marinochka, spasibo! I have to try more Diptyque fragrances, because I neglected some of them. Which are your favourites? September 26, 2005 at 10:51am
BoisdeJasmin: Dear R, yes, you are right. It is very pretty and wearable, and I foresee it in my collection as well. It is more tenacious than I imagined at first. September 26, 2005 at 10:53am
BoisdeJasmin: Spasibo, dorogaia Inochka. This is definitely something to consider, especially if you like tuberose and florals. September 26, 2005 at 10:55am
BoisdeJasmin: L, I do not know if you like La Chasse Aux Papillons, but if you do, you might consider giving Do Son a try. It is just as airy. September 26, 2005 at 2:57pm
BoisdeJasmin: T, perhaps you should have! 🙂 Is there more significance for tuberose in Vietnam than what I mentioned? I wonder, because it is not the flower I would have associated with Vietnam, yet apparently, it is grown there widely for export. September 26, 2005 at 3:25pm
BoisdeJasmin: Dear C, no, it is not very similar to La Chasse, but it has the same character–light, gauzy floral.
Many locations that sell Diptyque already have testers, even though the official launch is not until October 1st. September 26, 2005 at 11:52am
BoisdeJasmin: T, that’s interesting nevertheless. Often the role of flowers in the religious practices is fascinating (their symbolism, etc.), which is why I am probing. Besides the desire to understand the relationship between Do Son and tuberose. Thank you for sharing.
I also find it curious that Diptyque chose to release it in the fall, because it does not strike me as a fragrance that would suit the season that well. September 26, 2005 at 4:14pm
Marina: V., my favorite Diptyques are L’Ombre dans l’Eau and Tam Dao, what about you? September 26, 2005 at 12:27pm
BoisdeJasmin: Thank you, Anya! Maybe, cooler months is a relative term. From what I understand, tuberose is from the same family as daffodils, etc. Of course, I knew that you might have some insight into this. Now, I would like to go to Do Son to see where this tuberose connection exists! September 26, 2005 at 5:08pm
BoisdeJasmin: M, I like Eau Lente, Philosykos, and Tam Dao. I need to try L’Ombre dans l’Eau again, because the first time around it was too resinous and too green for my tastes. I actually might like that now. September 26, 2005 at 1:34pm
BoisdeJasmin: Tara, merci! I have been living in this fragrance for the past few days. It is lovely. September 26, 2005 at 1:36pm
Miriam: Joyeuse Anniversaire! Your review of this scent is perhaps more evocative than the scent itself will be. I can’t wait to try it, but it now has a great deal to live up to! September 26, 2005 at 5:58pm
BoisdeJasmin: Thank you, Miriam! It is lovely, especially if one likes tuberose and if one does not mind a linear floral bouquet everynow and then. It is an effortless composition to wear. September 26, 2005 at 6:46pm
Tania: I’ve only been to one beach resort in Vietnam, and it was utterly bereft of flowers. Maybe I should’ve gone to Do Son. 🙂 September 26, 2005 at 3:20pm
Tania: V, I wish I could tell you, but I didn’t encounter tuberose in Saigon, where I stayed. I didn’t notice people keeping flowers in houses or anything. The only religious ceremony I witnessed was my mother burning joss sticks for her ancestors in a Buddhist temple. No flowers involved, unless you count the lotus shape of the ceramic urn in which my great-aunt’s ashes were stashed. But my mother’s family is Chinese-from-Vietnam, not strictly Vietnamese, so I’m not that well acquainted with Vietnamese custom. September 26, 2005 at 3:40pm
Lost: Oh I agree with one is quite uplifting and lovely. As soon as Karl or Miguel tell me it is in stock it is MINE – all mine. Lovely review V. September 26, 2005 at 7:47pm
Lost: OK – I apologize for the grammatical errors. “I agree with you, this one is quite uplifting and lovely.” September 26, 2005 at 7:49pm
Anya: First of all, Happy Birthday, V — spray yourself silly with every tuberose perfume you have. Nothing beats excess like exceeding excess!
Of course, now I must try this perfume. Ah, tuberose, the perfect Libra flower.
That said: hmm – about ti growing in Vietnam in the cooler months. I dare say Vietname is like Miami, and tuberose grows here in the summer. The little nip of cold causes the leaves to die back. The tuber needs a little chill to initiate the blossom months later (like apples and peaches need a chill period in the winter, or they won’t bloom and bear.) Here, mine are over and done with by late June.
Horticulture aside, it seems that the scent of the tuberose would appeal very much to the sensory-loving Vietnamese, and the flower must have been introduced by the French. Viva la tuberose! (Hey, the plant is originally from Mexico 😉 September 26, 2005 at 4:25pm
Cindy Nolan: V-
Best wishes on your birthday–enjoy the whole Libra month,
Cindy September 26, 2005 at 9:02pm
BoisdeJasmin: F, thank you! Ok, you can have all of it! An excuse for me not to get any perfume for the time being. 🙂 September 27, 2005 at 12:48am
BoisdeJasmin: Thank you very much for your birthday wishes, Cindy! September 27, 2005 at 12:49am
Marlen: First of all, Happy Belated Birthday!
I will admit to being a HUGE fan of L’Artisan’s La Chasse and have a bottle that I indulge in from time to time…I love it when the first few warm days of spring appear. On me, it is reminiscent of a classic eau de cologne and so I feel comfortable wearing it as a guy. Fresh, green, light, not overly floral…What do you think V? Could Do Son work for me? September 29, 2005 at 7:22pm
Michael: I wear it and I’m a guy. It It is so unlike anything else. To me it conjured childhood memories. It’s clean and not even a bit cloying. You’ll love it. May 24, 2021 at 1:38pm
BoisdeJasmin: Thank you, Marlen!
Do Son could work for a man, because it is fairly airy, however sometimes tuberose takes on a very sweet edge, which may not be something you like. It is sweeter than La Chasse. I would imagine that it would be a superb fragrance to layer with something green or orange blossom focused. September 29, 2005 at 8:10pm
Joytika: Wow, I have not visited your site for a few months now, but again, an amazing description of a beautiful fragrance.
Normally, tuberose is not a scent I enjoy. Yet, I do like Do Son. I think you captured it: it is much lighter and more delicate than your average tuberose-based scent. Yet, it is lingering, this is not a scent that evaporates and disappears quickly.
Both this scent and Olene actually remind me of India – of the jasmine and tuberose and other small pale flowers that the girls weave into their braids… September 23, 2006 at 7:28pm
Anne of Green Gables: I got to try it thanks to an amazing friend (she’s not interested in perfumes herself) who got Diptyque samples for me. What a pleasant surprise! I always thought Tuberose perfumes are heavy and creamy but this is so delicate, dewy and fresh. It immediately transported me back to the tropics (I lived in Indonesia for 5 years) and it felt as if I was inhaling the clean and fresh air after a heavy afternoon shower. I could picture white petals drenched in rain. It is very linear as you pointed out but nonetheless uplifting and enjoyable. October 15, 2013 at 7:16am
Victoria: Did you get the EDT or EDP?
Your description sounds so enticing that I wish I had my sample of Do Son around. October 15, 2013 at 7:51am
Anne of Green Gables: It was EDP. It’s hard to believe that I used to hate tuberose note in the past. I’d blame Poison for traumatising me. 😉 I’m loving it more and more and I feel really sexy and feminine when I wear it (FM Carnal Flower was a real highlight). From the previous comments, it looks like it was your birthday a few weeks ago. Happy belated birthday, Victoria! October 15, 2013 at 8:25am
Victoria: Thank you, Anne! 🙂
Tuberose can be such a chameleon, and Poison definitely can ruin one’s experience with this flower. It’s just so over the top! But you smell something like Do Son, and it’s a completely different story. October 15, 2013 at 10:58am
Phyllis: I have a bottle, love it, loads of compliments. How can I get another bottle? January 8, 2019 at 5:20pm