When people first started making candles out of leftover animal fat thousands of years ago, there is no way they could ever have anticipated that modern humans would one day pony up £45 for a fancy (no longer animal-based) scented version of the O.G. light source. Granted, paper money didn’t even exist back then, but by 21st century standards, £45 is still a hell of a lot to pay for a candle.
Now, over 50 years after Diptyque first convinced the world that, yes, you can justify spending that much on a candle you’ll admire from afar but probably never actually burn, they’ve accepted a new challenge: making the humble car freshener covetable and chic.
Car fresheners are unsexy on principle. They serve one sole utilitarian purpose, which is to “freshen” a motor vehicle by masking undesirable scents with other stronger, ostensibly less disagreeable ones, such as “Black Ice” and “Pure Steel.” But if any brand can bring some glamour to an otherwise unglamorous object, Diptyque would be the one to do it — and so the company is gearing up to debut what’s being called the first luxury car diffuser on the market.
Given its £40 price tag, the Un Air de Diptyque probably won’t put Little Trees out of business when it launches in September, but it’s a surefire hit for fancy car owners who want their Baies or 34 any way they can get it. Once affixed to a car’s air vent, the diffuser’s highly concentrated perfume beads release scent for three months, which comes out to less than a dollar a day overall. It’s a little easier to justify when you put it that way — but then again, thriftiness probably isn’t your first priority if you’re considering purchasing a Diptyque car diffuser in the first place.