Diptyque's Rs 5,000 'mosquito coil' is getting roasted in the Philippines too

A French luxury brand has unveiled a scented spiral as part of its summer collection, and Indians can't stop laughing. The product's resemblance to a mosquito coil, coupled with its hefty price tag, has sparked a wave of amused reactions online.

The internet has found its latest luxury-industry punchline, and this time it smells really nice.

French fragrance house Diptyque's newly launched scented spiral set, priced at €45 (roughly Rs 5,000), has become the subject of memes, jokes and side-eyes across social media. The reason? To many people in India, the product looks suspiciously similar to the humble mosquito coil that has spent decades defending households against buzzing invaders.

In India, mosquito coils generally cost between Rs 35 to Rs 50 for a standard pack of 10 coils.

Part of Diptyque's summer collection, the set contains six scented spirals along with an oval gold-finished holder. According to the brand, the collection is inspired by an idyllic Mediterranean-style water garden filled with flowering shrubs, orange trees, ancient stone pathways and sparkling fountains.

In typical luxury-brand fashion, the product arrives wrapped in a story as carefully crafted as the fragrance itself.

"This summer, Diptyque invites you to a refreshing, sensorial escape at the heart of a water garden," the brand says, describing a landscape where "every sense is awakened."

On the website, it is a poetic celebration of summer. On social media, however, many users saw something else entirely.

"Ab yehi dekhna baaki reh gaya tha," one user wrote alongside a facepalm emoji. Another joked, "After Prada Kolhapuris, now a French 'luxury' brand Diptyque has launched a Rs 5,000 mosquito coil."

The comparison quickly caught on, especially among Indian users familiar with the green mosquito coils commonly found in homes, balconies and verandas. But India isn't the only country having a laugh.

In the Philippines, where mosquito coils are commonly known as "katol", social media users also drew immediate parallels between Diptyque's scented spirals and the everyday insect repellent. Screenshots and memes comparing the luxury product to local katol variants have circulated widely, turning what was intended as an elegant fragrance launch into a surprisingly international internet joke.

Not everyone was convinced the luxury treatment justified the price tag either.

One user summed up the mood by writing, "I love Diptyque, but this is a nah for me. I'll just buy a scented candle instead." To be fair, Diptyque isn't marketing the product as a mosquito repellent. The spirals are incense designed to fragrance outdoor spaces, and the brand recommends placing them on the accompanying holder before lighting them.

The episode arrives not long after social media users mocked luxury brands for seemingly "discovering" products that have existed for generations in other parts of the world. Last year, Prada faced criticism and jokes after its sandals drew comparisons with India's iconic Kolhapuri chappals.

Now, Diptyque's scented spirals have joined that growing list of products that may have been designed for luxury consumers but ended up reminding people of something much closer to home.

- Ends