Skip to main content
← 5 DropsFragrance · file
Dior

Diorissimo

1956FloralEDTFrance

Where to find it

Search links · no tracking

Outbound links open a search on each site for Dior Diorissimo. Product pages aren't deep-linked because retailer URLs change and stock varies.

Editorial notes

  1. 01

    A lily-of-the-valley soliflore Christian Dior commissioned as a tribute to his lucky flower, the muguet sprig he tucked into the hems of his couture dresses for luck.

  2. 02

    Lily-of-the-valley yields no natural essential oil. Roudnitska built the muguet from hydroxycitronellal and a constellation of supporting synthetics, a landmark reconstruction.

  3. 03

    Presented in a Baccarat crystal amphora crowned with a gilded bronze bouquet of rose, jasmine and carnation, one of the most ornate flacons of mid-century perfumery.

  4. 04

    Composed by Edmond Roudnitska in 1956. IFRA's 2007 restrictions on hydroxycitronellal forced a reformulation that critics agree softened the original luminosity.

Dossier

Edition · 000

Status · Active. Reformulated 2007.

A lily-of-the-valley soliflore.◐ Reformulated since launch

Composed by
Edmond Roudnitska
Founder
Christian Dior
Country
France

The pyramid

Top
green leavesbergamot
Heart
lily-of-the-valleyjasmineylang-ylangamaryllisboronia
Base
sandalwoodcivet

The brief

Roudnitska aimed to recreate the scent of lily-of-the-valley (muguet), Christian Dior's lucky flower, even though the real flower yields no essential oil.

NameA coinage from 'Dior' suggesting the superlative, 'the most Dior of Diors'.

Why it mattered

  • Landmark synthetic-driven soliflore reconstruction of lily-of-the-valley, since no natural essence of muguet exists

The flacon

Baccarat crystal amphora crowned with a gilded bronze bouquet of rose, jasmine and carnation.

Reformulated · 2007

The synthetic muguet accord Roudnitska built around hydroxycitronellal had to be reconstructed after IFRA's restrictions took effect; the current commercial formula is generally agreed to be less luminous than the pre-2007 stock.

Cause · IFRA restrictions on hydroxycitronellal, the key muguet aldehyde

Footnotes

  • Christian Dior personally inserted sprigs of lily-of-the-valley into the hems of his couture dresses for luck. Diorissimo was his olfactory tribute to the flower.

The Curator's Note

Roudnitska built a flower that doesn't exist, and made it the Dior signature.

Explore the catalogue

Play today's puzzle