Le Jardin Retrouvé Diffusers
We’re not a fan of most diffusers. Who ever thought that a bunch of sticks, literally ‘stick’-ing out of a bottle, was an alluring home accessory…? (Even the black sticks don’t really push our buttons.)
But this? GORGEOUS! From Le Jardin Retrouvé, an independent, artisanal French family-owned fragrance house that first wafted onto our radar a few years ago, first launched in the 70s and resurrected by Clara Feder and the founder’s son Michel Gutsatz, this looks both attractive and intriguing, created from fine Limoges pottery, adorned with a raised design of ginkgo leaves, topped with a beech disc through which a twig is ‘growing’ – which is also made of porcelain.
Being porous, the stick absorbs the scent and diffuses it into the surroundings; in tests, the fragrance (which is refilled from an aluminium screw-top bottle and is created in an innovative way, with zero alcohol), diffused as well as or better than ‘normal’ diffusers. That’s certainly our experience.
Refills are very reasonable, at £30 for 125ml, once you’ve bought the diffuser – and it’s endlessly refillable, a reflection of this perfume house’s efforts to be ever more eco-friendly. (The set, including the fragrance to pour into the diffuser, is £75.)
There are five fragrances, which we’re told are 92% natural…
Osmanthe Liu Yuan – based around a peachy-fruited flower, it has a delicious jamminess, garlanded here with jasmine and with a leathery undertone.
Rose Trocadero – if you’re one of the countless rose-lovers among our followers, you’ll love this, in which rose is blended with white musk and black currant buds. So pretty.
Cuir de Russie – think: leather, violet, resins; this is dark and mysterious, a nod to the Slavic origins of Yuki Gutsatz, original founder of Le Jardin Retrouvé.
Tubéreuse Trianon – a bouquet of exotic white flowers, including jasmine, tuberose and yang ylang, with a summery flourish of raspberry and coconut.
Mousse Arashiyama – for Chypre-lovers like us, this is heaven, swirling with oak moss, cedar wood, sandalwood and incense, with a whisper of jasmine for freshness.
One last thing: our advice, as with ALL diffusers, is not to place it somewhere like a mantelpiece, but on a piece of furniture in a place that air can swirl around it, like a table in the middle of a room – or perhaps the hallway, to greet visitors fragrantly.
And, just as important, ATTRACTIVELY!
£75 for diffuser set and £30 for 125ml refill – buy here
