Oyédo (2000)
by Diptyque

I love the sandalwood scented Tam Dao, and when my bottle of it ran out, I thought I would purchase another Diptyque, Philosykos.
But I ended up purchasing Oyedo.

I live in a hot climate, in Southern California, and this time of year, it is still over 100F. Oyedo has a refreshing grapefruit and citrus scent with a perceptible bite of something herbal. It is a Mediterranean blend that brings forth images of citrus groves, cloudless blue skies, bright sunlight and hot, dry weather.

I haven't gotten a reaction from other people yet, but I suspect that this is not a sexy smell. It is a clean, bracing, fruity and androgynous creation that still has the unique oddity characteristic of Diptypque. Nothing from this fragrance house is ever expected or predictable.

Oyedo is in that eccentric tradition.

Nothing I have tried by Diptyque can be considered a conventional fragrance Every scent pushes the envelope (and in a different direction) and Oyédo is no exception. To me the opening smells like grape soda. Grape soda has an artificial grape smell to it, but somehow it draws me in. I think others have likened it to Japanese muscat candies (which I have never smelled). The next thing that hits me is lime with undertones of thyme. Lime dominates the rest of the development after the grape fades away. It is intense and biting, but somehow it feels comfortable and captivating. Somehow I feel I should be hating this scent, but instead I am liking it a lot. Finally I get some faint smoky undertones.

Will I buy Oyédo? No; I can't see wearing it,except on a rare day when I feel a tad crazy. I don't know for whom it is best suited. Perhaps a sharp, mature teenage girl: I can picture that. Regardless, I think Oyédo is interesting and well-done, even if a bit odd and for that I commend it!

This starts off with the zestiest lime note imaginable, joined mere seconds later by something that smells a lot like menthol. Yes, as in Vick's VapoRub. I love it! I wish the top notes would last forever.

In due course, as one might expect, the menthol calms down and the accord begins to smell like muscat candy. This phase is also quite nice as long as the citrus is able to maintain its hold. It's only when the candy note begins to take over in the final stages of the dry down that I begin to lose interest. Smelling like candy might be nice when you're eight years old, but that train, I'm afraid, left the station a long time ago.

I still love this fragrance, though, for its creativity, uniqueness, and infectious sense of fun. I think everybody should try it at least once.

Detergent people are always thinking of something new to consume, however pointless it may be. Say, cotton candy scented fabric softener. "Yeah, great idea, let’s make a sticky-sweet-synthetic-citrus-fresh fabric softener. But guess what, we'll test-market it as a niche fragrance." This was designed by one sick puppy of a nose. On the drydown it gets to smell like very hops-heavy beer spilled over a barroom floor the preceding night. Actually, that is nearly an improvement. One of the all-time lows of niche perfumery.

I am a huge citrus fan and I like everything from Light Blue, to Eau d’Hadrien, to Bigarade Concentree (plus I have many Diptyque candles) so I was all prepared to love Oyédo . Unfortunately, Oyédo was flat and disappointing with a distinctive overlay of sweetish powdery notes which obscured any meaningful citrus smell. To my nose, Oyédo is a close fragrance kin to my local grocery store’s house brand of lemon scented fabric softener, which is not a compliment.

There is no zing or fun at all with Oyédo . As I smelled it, I just kept thinking “generic boring sweet lemon”. Yawn. For comparison purposes, I spritzed Etro’s Lemon Sorbet on my other wrist which was decidedly lemony, spicy and stylish, in contrast.

Marlen’s right…Lifesaver time. Like a tangerine and a lime lifesaver in the mouth at the same time. But it lasts a lot longer than the Lifesavers last. At least with Lifesavers, if you don’t like them, you just spit them out… of course, the fragrance is not as bad as all that and I don’t feel the need to wash it off, but it certainly is not what I want to smell like—a couple of sharp, syrupy sweet Lifesavers. The thyme does a good job of BEGINNING TO tone down the citrus exuberance, but, to my taste, there needs to be a lot more toning down. And the wood in the base does not project very much, but it is a very nice wood accord. Oyédo is a fun scent — very good quality ingredients, excellent construction, and great longevity. I could see this fragrance being deservedly appreciated by many people …just not by me.