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I’ve always been a bit of a fragrance fan, but stopped wearing perfume years ago when I became vegan because it was difficult to find a decent one that didn’t rely on animal testing and animal-derived ingredients. But since trying a range of Diem’s scents, I’m finally returning to the fold! I really like their idea of a ‘discovery set’ containing 5 samples, and although they were all lovely, 2 were firm favourites and are now on my wishlist (for any friends or family reading this)! So read our Diem Scents review to find out more about this ‘challenger’ brand – it may help make your world just that little bit more fragrant too…
Editor’s rating: 4.8 / 5
Pros
- Great choice of scents
- Discovery set
- Personalised
Cons
- Over-packaged
I received a free Discovery Set from Diem to trial their products. However, this post is NOT sponsored by Diem, or any other brand or business.
About Diem Scents
I sense an entrepreneurial feel about this relatively new fragrance brand and they certainly see themselves as ‘disruptors’ in the perfume sector. They seem to differ from their competitors in several ways by:
- using an AI tool to try to understand your perfume preferences
- creating original scents, not copying others
- selling direct to the consumer online, avoiding the normal retail overheads to keep prices competitive
- enabling you to try out personalised choices in your own home, not a department store with assistants breathing down your neck!
The positives
So, I think there are a lot of positives about this brand with their great choice of new and exclusive scents, increasing personalisation as their AI tool learns more, and I love the Discovery Set too. Let’s take a look at each of those in turn:
Great choice of scents
Diem pride themselves on creating original scents, not copying the same old ‘standards’ that you get from the big perfume houses. And having now tried 5 of them, I can honestly say the difference is really exciting.
Of particular note is that their scents are not gender led and that’s really important – I like to wear a fragrance that is right for me, smells good and suits my mood or activity, and I don’t care if it’s meant to be worn by men, women…or even the dog (to be honest, absolutely anything would make my dog smell better).
So when you choose your perfume from Diem’s range, it is described in terms of style, mood and occasion, not by gender. And they have a good range, whether you’re looking for warm and woody, bright and citrussy (just made up a word there), or fruity and floral, so there should be something to suit everyone.
Discovery set
Diem’s Discovery set is such a great idea and whilst you pay for it initially, you recoup the cost when you go on to buy a larger 30ml bottle of your favourite scent. All you do is go onto Diem’s online store, answer a few questions about your perfume and lifestyle preferences, and their smart AI tool goes away, maps your answers against their range and then comes up with your Discovery set. A few days later it appears through your letterbox, all beautifully packaged (this would make a lovely gift for someone too, incidentally).
And probably because I said that I was open to trying new scents, my set included a couple of samples that share the characteristics of my favourite ‘standards’, alongside 3 different perfume profiles. I’m really glad it did because whilst one of those on my shortlist of 2 is familiar territory, the other is a bit of a departure. Had I been in a department store, I think I would have felt the pressure and just plumped for what I know, so I love this set for making me dare to be different!
Personalised
OK, so putting aside all worries about artificial intelligence – that would be a whole other blog – Diem use AI to identify the best matches for you, based on the information that you provide. And if you become an ongoing customer of Diem, then I guess over time it could build up a more detailed personal profile.
However, I’m assuming it is also enabling the brand to use more generalised data it collects about age ranges, lifestyle choices etc to determine its product range based on what its customers want – think of the more old style customer feedback panels so often used by marketing departments; similar thing, just a whole lot more clever!
So, the good thing is that you are more likely to get to try products that suit you.
The negatives
Well, some people might be worried by the use of AI, although to be honest, it is fast becoming difficult to avoid in our every day lives. So I won’t dwell on that one here because it’s a complex topic. Instead, I’ll talk about packaging, because for me, it’s a little overdone…
Over-packaged
I can’t talk about the larger perfume bottles because I have yet to buy one, but the Discovery Set is beautifully packaged. Now, I know that Diem are up against the incumbent perfume houses and so this product has to scream ‘quality’, and it does, from the premium royal blue cardboard box, to the small glass vials holding the perfumes. But then that cardboard box is encased in a cardboard sleeve (which I guess holds the 2 flaps down on the inner box pictured). And of course that then comes in another cardboard box for transit.
Don’t get me wrong, it is all recyclable (apart from the small plastic lids), and I’m not suggesting for a moment that plastic should be used instead, it’s just that it feels a bit excessive.
OK, just call me picky, but I do think we should all be trying to use less stuff, even when it is easily recycled. Rant over…
My thoughts on this Diem Scents review
It may have already become apparent, but I really like the Diem vegan scent range and it has re-introduced me to a lovely, fragrance-filled world. After I first went vegan (a lonnggg time ago) I tried a number of vegan, cruelty-free perfumes and was frankly underwhelmed. They either smelt a bit worthy (like a health food shop), a bit strange, or lasted for a few minutes before dissipating into nothingness. So, simple answer, I stopped wearing perfume.
But I love perfume – let me re-phrase that – I love nice perfume. Remember the days of a certain ‘toxic’ product? (You’ll either get that reference or you won’t, and sorry if I’m insulting those who wear it/love it!) To this day, I have never understood why anyone thought that was a good perfume to wear to an intimate restaurant, or an intimate anywhere come to think of it…
But scent is personal I guess, and that’s why brands like Diem might one day help to break through the perfume house monopoly. We like things to be personal and are more likely to buy something if it feels like it’s been tailored to our specific requirements. I felt a bit more special thinking that the Diem Discovery Set that had made its way to my door was put together with me in mind, even though the ‘thinking’ was done by an AI tool called YENA!
I think the concept of the set is clever, and it comes complete with scent-testing strips and discovery cards that tell you about each one. And if you want to buy a full sized version of one on the back of it, you effectively recoup the cost of the Discovery Set because they discount your first purchase. I was able to try out all 5 perfumes at home, with no hovering beauty consultants, and I could take my time in deciding which ones I liked without all my senses becoming overwhelmed by smelling one perfume after another in quick succession.
Most of us know, too, that perfumes change and can dissipate over the day but I was impressed that all 5 Diem scents retained their fragrance all day without being ‘heavy’ on first application. Again, this was another advantage over trying perfumes in a retail environment because I was able to take several days to decide which ones I liked best, not several minutes!
And it was great to be challenged with a couple of ‘wild cards’ in the set. It meant that I was able to try some fragrances I wouldn’t normally go for, resulting in one of them going straight onto my buying list! In addition, I’ve been able to share one of them that I wasn’t so keen on with my daughter, who conveniently happened to love it!
So overall, I am very positive about Diem Scents. And with their use of their AI tool, YENA, it’s my guess that Diem could just grab themselves some customers. I do hope so because they are daring to be different.
Alternatives to Diem
There are other vegan perfumes out there that you could also look at. Here are a couple of them:
Respected brand UpCircle do a small range of vegan perfumes, along with samples available at £3 each.
Then there’s Eden Perfumes who unashamedly replicate premium perfumes. They do have a sample box, but don’t offer you the chance to recoup the cost if you buy a full size. And having tried a couple of Eden perfumes myself, whilst they smelt great at the beginning, the fragrance seemed to fade very fast. However, they maybe worth a look if you want a cheap version of your favourite Stella McCartney or Marc Jacobs…
I hope you have enjoyed this Diem Scents review. I mentioned that personalisation is increasingly important to consumers, and another area where some brands use AI to determine and tailor their product offering is the dietary supplements sector. If you’d like to find out more about that, take a look at our Vitl review for more information.
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