How to create a perfume inspired by peacock feathers, by Diptyque’s Quentin Bisch
Perfumer Quentin Bisch on crafting Diptyque’s newest fragrance, Lazulio, inspired by the feeling of wonder when looking at a peacock, and the art of crafting a perfume
French luxury fragrance brand Diptyque recently launched a new perfume in India, called Lazulio. Drawing inspiration from the peacock feather, Lazulio blends vibrant rhubarb, warm benzoin and Haitian vetiver. A delicate touch of rose gives the fragrance, crafted by perfumer Quentin Bisch, an elegant lift.
The perfume comes housed in the emblematic bottle of Les Essences de Diptyque ("The Essences of Diptyque"). The Maison’s signature oval is engraved into the glass as if a window was looking into the natural lustre of the peacock feather. The graphic art has been designed by artist Nigel Peake.
The creation of Lazulio was guided by the need to express contrast and emotion. Perfumer Quentin Bisch started with rhubarb, which brings an instant, vivid, green brightness.
"It’s crisp, tangy, and slightly acidic—the perfect note to evoke the luminous flash one perceives when the feather catches the light," says Bisch. To complement and contrast this opening, the perfumer selected benzoin from Laos which offers a soft, golden, balsamic warmth. "Its creamy texture brings depth, sensuality, and a sense of comfort," he adds. Bisch wanted the fragrance to shift from the brightness of rhubarb to the enveloping softness of benzoin, like the eye of the feather that draws you in. Vetiver added the woody, slightly smoky tension he needed to ground the composition, while a delicate touch of rose lifted the entire structure, bringing a final note of elegance. Each ingredient was chosen for the sensation it provokes. The idea was not to replicate the feather, but to translate its emotion.
In an interview with Lounge, the perfumer talks about the Maison’s new launch. Edited excerpts:
What made you pick the peacock?
The peacock feather came to me as a symbol more than a literal starting point. I wasn’t inspired by a single encounter or a specific scene, but rather by the emotion the feather carries: its elegance, its complexity, its fascinating interplay of colours and textures. It is one of nature’s masterpieces, full of contrast and movement.
What interested me was precisely that: how to capture, through scent, the sensation one feels when looking at a peacock feather. It is not simply beautiful. It surprises you. It invites you to get closer. And it leaves a lasting impression. I was drawn to this visual force, to its tactile softness, and to the way it plays with light and colour. That became the foundation of Lazulio.
How was the process of capturing the brilliance and tactile softness of the peacock feather while remaining fully aligned with the artistic and poetic DNA of Diptyque?
Working within the world of Diptyque means approaching perfumery as a form of art. The Maison encourages interpretation, freedom, and poetic transformation. I didn’t want Lazulio to be a literal translation of an object. Instead, it had to carry an impression—a memory, a texture, a glimmer. The brilliance of the feather came through in the sparkling, green top note of rhubarb. The softness was expressed through the creamy, balsamic warmth of benzoin. This interplay of light and texture is what made the fragrance feel alive. For me, being aligned with Diptyque’s identity means remaining curious, using the senses like tools, and creating a fragrance that tells a story. Lazulio is not just a perfume inspired by a feather. It is a perfume inspired by the feeling of wonder.
Irish architect Nigel Peake's drawings have given the perfume a striking visual impact. Do you feel the bottle design's visual impact complements the composition you created?
Absolutely. Even though we worked independently, I felt a deep harmony between the visual world imagined by Nigel Peake and the olfactory world I was creating. At Diptyque, this connection between the nose and the hand is essential. It’s part of the Maison’s philosophy: perfume is not isolated from the other senses. Nigel’s drawing captures the movement, the detail, and the hypnotic quality of the peacock feather. We interpreted the same subject through two different languages, but with the same spirit of freedom and emotion.
It's a woody perfume enriched with juicy rhubarb, creamy benzoin and Haitian vetiver and rose. What emotions is it likely to conjure when one tries it for the first time?
Lazulio is a perfume of contrast. The first impression is bright, electric, and unexpected. The rhubarb hits quickly—fresh, green, almost fluorescent. It creates a kind of olfactory flash, like the glint of a feather in the sun. Then the fragrance softens. Benzoin, with its creamy, golden texture, brings comfort, sensuality, and warmth. Vetiver adds a dry, elegant backbone, and the rose ties everything together with grace.
What I hope people feel is a progression: from light to shadow, from surprise to serenity. It’s a scent that moves, that transforms. It doesn’t just stay on the surface. It lingers like a sensation on the skin.
Peacocks have a great degree of cultural symbolism...
The peacock is a universal symbol, but it holds particular strength and beauty in Indian culture. Its presence is majestic, its symbolism profound. Lazulio wasn’t conceived with a specific culture in mind, but I believe the themes it explores—brilliance, softness, harmony, detail—are deeply resonant with Indian aesthetics. The fragrance is rich, luminous, and full of dimension. It speaks in a sensory language that transcends borders. If it finds a natural home in India, that would be an honour.
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