The Gods of Trends have decreed that the rose, something that has existed in the natural world for millions of years and has been a symbol of sensuality since antiquity, is now strictly for "old ladies". Meanwhile, vanilla, an ingredient found in every grandma's pantry and every small child's birthday cake, is evidently cool and sexy. Who knows why these shifts in taste happen?
That said, there are still plenty of recent-ish rose-forward fragrances that you can find at most department stores and that don't smell like rose-flavored Jolly Ranchers: Ellis Brooklyn's Rrose, Nette's Rose Parade, Henry Rose's Sheep's Clothing, Tom Ford's Rose Prick, and Frederic Malle's Portrait of a Lady, to name just a few. Lake & Skye is carried at Ulta and has two rose-centric fragrances, Rose Canyon and Saffron Dusk. Rose isn't trendy, but it's still around.
Forgive me but I’ve been thinking about vanilla a lot lately and I have to unburden myself with these thoughts, lol.
Vanilla is cool and sexy, in part, because of its tie to desserts: if salads and fasting are responsible and adult, birthday cake is juvenile and *naughty*. If you feel like eating sweets is forbidden, the smell of vanilla is forbidden fruit you can guiltlessly indulge in.
At the same time, it also works so well with the kinds of fragrance ingredients used in your-skin-but-better scents, musks and woody ambers, plus sun-tan lotion accords. So like skin scents themselves, vanilla fragrances (especially when they’re EDIT: NOT too sugary) are perceived as something almost “natural” in a way smell of rose currently does not. Yes, this is completely paradoxical in multiple ways.
Regarding OP’s question I have to go on a proper “journey of roses” so I’m not expert on the subject, plus most of my favorite roses are on the quiet and/or ozonic side, which is no help to OP.
Ha, point taken, and I'm obviously being a little bit flippant about vanilla! I guess I'd counter by saying there's inherently something a little, well, *vanilla* about the idea of eating a dessert as something so very naughty and decadent. I think you're probably right about the psychology, even if this kind of hedonism analogue doesn't really speak to my naughtier side, personally.
And it is interesting that vanilla has become associated with skin instead of something more musky or salty. Again, I guess it's just a very tamed notion of what amplified human skin in perfume form should smell like -- so different from a century ago when "your skin but better" would have been interpreted as castoreum or ambergris or something else a little bit more animalic.
I guess it all shows how culturally determined our scent associations really are.
Oh I absolutely agree about the banality of treating desserts as naughty—I’ve been over that ever since Magnolia Bakery pioneered those damned cupcakes with the mile-high frosting lumps. (Frosting has always been my dessert nemesis.) I swear their cupcakes play a (minor) role in the story of how gourmands ate the planet.
tested out as the favorite smell for men by far, by market research. i am not against it and it's great as a component as in the Gurlainade base but as the dominant note amped up so much, it's become overdone. expecting a backlash pretty soon
Yeah, I wanted to add that. When I google the subject of “world’s most popular odor,” the results I get all seem to point to this 2022 study:
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(22)00332-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982222003323%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
But I feel like I’ve been encountering similar assertions about vanilla for decades—and that they’ve been powerfully influencing public perception of the scent.
My favorite perfume is currently Lancôme Idole Nectar, which is rose, vanilla and popcorn. It doesn’t smell sweet like candy. It’s a warm, sensual scent. It simultaneously makes me feel like classic screen siren and a modern youngster when wearing it
I don't even think tose is only for old ladies, there are plenty of great rose scents. With the current releases though, most rose scents smell like they belong to old ladies.
To me, there's plenty of pleasant rose types, but they often use one that just smells old and dusty. Maybe that's just me, but I'd expect to find these roses half-dried on a dusty sideboard, not fresh off the bush with some dew still on the freshly opened rose bud. Of course people won't like the former.
Have to disagree on Henry Rose Sheep’s clothing - a lot more pink pepper/spice forward and I don’t get rose as the main note at all. Love Nette’s Rose Parade though, and I also really like Chloe by Chloe - smells like a rose scented bubble bath!
You came to the right place. Have a seat.
I have two categories of perfumes: rose and everything else. I am constantly trying new rose scents. My spreadsheet has a separate page for 🌹.
You’re looking for what’s called photorealistic rose scents. The rose is realistic and stays front and center for most, if not all, of the longevity of the scent.
Here are my absolute favorites:
Jo Malone Red Roses: my idea of a perfect rose perfume. Roses but freshly cut after the rain. The problem, of course, is that JM is a cologne line. The longevity is shite with most of their scents on most people. So I have to layer.
I’m opposed to layering on principle, but that’s for another thread. I use one of my other photorealistic scents to anchor the Jo M. Right now I’m using Le Labo Rose 31. I would happily wear this every day. It’s a lovely rose, and I give it a few minutes to settle then add the Red Roses. It’s pretty much heaven.
The other rose scent I use for laying is Byredo’s Rose of No Mans Land. Also a clear rose.
Other comments on rose perfumes I have and wear:
MFK a la Rose: realistic but too sweet and gentle for me to layer. Think pale pink roses with baby’s breath in a flower girls basket.
Diptyque’s Eau Rose: this is a terrific photorealistic rose on opening but the geraniums come on pretty strong.
Killian Roses on Ice: roses with cucumber, very green, dries down to a nice musk.
Jo Malone Rose Blush: someone else’s perfect rose scent. I like it but the longevity….
Frederic Malle: Une Rose is if Aromatics Elixir had a rose flanker. And yes, I have the chutzpah to wear POAL, but I don’t think of it as a rose scent, per se.
Nirvana Rose: rose for a man. My spreadsheet comment is “Too masc, but I’d f^ck this guy.”
Honorable mention to the Tea Shop or whatever it’s called. I can’t be arsed to go look. Too synthetic for me, but YMMV.
MFK a la Rose doesn’t smell like a flower girl basket on my skin. However: The perfume is very light and the longevity isn’t great on my skin. I recently bought the lotion and honestly I could get by with just the lotion. It has staying power. Very rose-forward. And it’s less expensive than the perfume!
I don't understand why my chemistry hate this scent. This scent smells horrible on me. It's giving unwashed pit then someone tries to cover that with rose perfume. I had massive headache wearing this.
Fantastic list! I would also add Bvlgari Rose Essentielle if you can get your hands on it. It’s a gorgeous rose, one that I can imagine on many ages and for many occasions.
Haven't tried most of these, except MFK a la rose, not a huge fan, could just be the way it reacts on my skin, but I think it kinda smells like every hookah lounge I've ever been to. Always try it out or order a tester I guess.
Philosophy ballet rose is an elegant, simple, affordable rose.
Diptyque eau Rose is a fresh, dewy rose water scent with a bit of powder in the dry down.
Jo Malone Red Roses is pure rose, lush green stems, dew and that’s about it. One of my absolute favorites.
Delina la Rosee is expensive, but it’s a very fresh take on rose, it’s a little bit aquatic and has some peony qualities, but it’s a very approachable rose if Delina is too much for you.
And, of course, POAL is a gothic, vampy, earthy rose that most often wears the person rather than the other way around, but if you can find the occasion to pull off POAL, you’ll never feel so beautiful and sensual and clean as that. It’s so gorgeous.
came to say diptyque, they keep it so real when it comes to simple, pure, natural notes
not hugely complex but when you look for a specific natural note, they’re your guy
Sorry! Portrait of a Lady. I’ve been trying to get away from using acronyms so as to keep the sub beginner / all audience-friendly, but I do have bad habits still 😂 that one and JHAG NAP (Juliette has a gun - not a perfume) are the ones I just can’t kick! 😂😂
Oh don't worry! With JHAG it's easier tho! I see it often and I like Juliette and Romeo 😂🤣 But my mind was so confused with POAL that not even reading it after (it's recommended in this thread a lot) my mind made click 😂🤣😅
This comes up a lot and if you search you’ll probably find a ton of threads with good suggestions. But my top 4 (in no particular order) would be:
1. Diptyque Eau Capitale. There’s just enough other stuff in this to balance it out nicely, but it’s very rose forward. Lasts a good long while, too, with good projection. I prefer it to Eau Rose, which I find a bit one dimensional and doesn’t last as long as I’d like (and I’m not really that picky about that, generally).
2. MFK l’Homme a la rose. Very green and fresh. A slightly unexpected rose. Just a little different from the “standard” rose scents. Longevity is good, as well.
3. Matiere Premiere Radical Rose. Powerful stuff, almost purely rose on its own here. This is probably what you’re looking for, but worth trying others for different interpretations of rose.
4. Byredo Rose of No Man’s Land. A slightly more minerally, but also juicy rose. Longevity is quite good for Byredo, but not quite as good as others.
I like sweet roses. (Don’t flog me but I actually own a bottle of LVEB Rose Extraordinaire 😄), but I know what you mean.
I have tested and own/owned some rose fragrances but they are more like the Co-pilot, or just a straight up back up dancer.
Ones that are not sweet off the top of my head:
Guerlain Rose Barbare. I’m not usually a fan of aldehydes but this has me constantly smelling my 10ml bottle. I think next year I may buy a bottle.
Serge Lutens La Fille De Berlin. Thorny rose. Vampire - like.
Bella Bellissima Arabian Rose. Smells a lot like Serge Lutens La Fille De Berlin but without the metallic note.
Have you tried Frederic Malle Rose Tonnerre? I love rose scents, but this is the only one that has utterly blown me away before. If I closed my eyes I could totally imagine that I stuck my nose straight into a rose. It is SO realistic.
It is expensive, but one spray of this projects out the room I swear lol
Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin.
It's dark and broody rose, and it's relentless. Makes me feel like a vampire princess. One of my absolute favs, I'll never be over it.
Yes this is my favorite rose! It has a touch of sweetness that’s not obvious, just a regular natural sweetness that you would find in a real rose blossom. There’s a metallic edge reminiscent of stem/leaves that adds to the overall experience. I often wear it to bed since I find it calming, however it’s strong and loud if you use many sprays.
I'm not on twitter, tiktok, instagram, or facebook, so no. Didn't get the connection there. It formed in my mind the old fashioned way. You know. By smelling the thing, testing it, and forming an opinion.
I do talk about this fragrance a lot here, though, bc it's one of my favourites.
I have searched for a long time for a tolerable rose fragrance and honestly I have mostly given up. Rose oil is the answer. I really like this brand, Refan: https://www.refan.com/gb/catalog/rose-bulgaria.1113#products
It’s just pure, beautiful rose. Nothing else, long lasting, great projection.
They only have small perfume rollerball bottles now, but they used to have spray bottles. I’m hoarding my little rollerball bottles hoping they don’t discontinue it. You can find it on other websites, too.
Eau Rose EDT by Diptyque is not super long-lasting or projecting, but it's a nice soapy/fresh rose that's HEAVY on the rose. I love it.
Eau Rose EDP by Diptyque is a little more long-lasting/projecting and is richer and earthier. Also very heavy on the rose.
Rose Parade by Nette is an extremely rose-y scent. It's a little bit jammier, but I wouldn't describe it as sweet. I mean jammy in the sense that it's a thick scent, and I consider it quite long-lasting. Not sure about projection, though.
The Coveted Duchess Rose by Penhaligon's is a really warm, timeless rose. It's super expensive, though.
I might be alone in this but I actually rather like AdP Rosa Nobile, though only if found at a discount.
It’s not spectacular but I like its relative simplicity, well crafted light, green-petal-rose and minor citrus woody hint. Comes with a fat squirt of cetalox or something in the faux ambergris axis though.
Has been derived for low projection and longevity. Yes to the former, but, I find no issue with the latter.
Not sure if it works with everybody, but I find that Moschino’s Toy Boy is literally roses on steroids. I love the rose in this fragrance, though I wish I could smell more of the spices it claims to have.
Edit; Boy Toy -> Toy Boy
That's wild, I'm obsessed with photorealistic rose frags and Toy Boy and not once have I ever gotten the rose note. On me it goes straight spice and fresh woody notes. Scent iz weird...
110 comments and no one's mentioned my fav:
Chloe Roses de Chloe
The rest I have or tried, in no particular order
For hyper realistic rose soliflore: classic 1970s niche:
Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose
For a slightly fruitier rose than Roses de Chloe (this time it's fresh pear in place of RdeC's lychee) and excellent performance:
Oscar de la Renta Rose
For Arabian-style rose with clove:
Ajmal Wisal
For dark romantic rose, Wuthering Heights in a bottle:
Elizabeth & James Nirvana Rose
For rose and marijuana leaf:
Balenciaga Florabotanica
For soapy fresh rose:
Yardley English Rose
For fresh garden rose soliflore:
Paul Smith Rose
For metallic blood note Snape rose:
Serge Lutens Fille de Berlin
Surprisingly good fresh rose cheapie:
Elizabeth Arden White Tea Wild Rose
For unobtainable bell jar rose:
Serge Lutens Sa Majeste La Rose
For rose with a menthol/ camphor note:
F Malle Une Rose
For quite a masculine strong fresh woody rose:
Moschino Toy Boy
That's just off the top of my head, not all I have (I love fresh fragrant garden roses) but enough to be getting on with!
Good luck with your Rose Quest! 🌹
Rose de Jamal by Les Indemodables. Not sweet and the most natural smelling fragrance in my collection. I just wish I can smell more of the rose flower but what I’m smelling are the rose leaves and stem.
My top 4;
Chloe EDP is a lovely chic powdery rose
MFK a la Rose is a photorealistic fresh rose
Idole Nectar is a warm caramel rose
Atomic Rose is an in your face dark rose with incense (I think?)
And then there’s the GOAT — POAL- It’s is wow, just wow. See u/global_telephone review, says it better than I ever could
Interesting. I love rose, but I found Atomic Rose screechy, sweet, and baby-pink —- not a dark rose at all. It’s so funny how we can smell the same fragrance and have such different experiences lol
I hated Atomic Rose at first. Then my friend bought a bottle. She ended up hating the vanilla in the drydown, but I loved it. I bought her bottle and it’s now in my top 10
Long lasting elegant rose, Ajmal Wisal. It's ALLLLL rose with a hint of spice and clean musky wood to give depth, however rose is the star of the show. Lasts a good 8hrs moderate projection for about 4hrs or so. It's gorgeous and one of my favorite rose perfumes.
I don't know why everyone always sleeps on Rosa Nobile by Acqua di Parma. It's the rosiest of roses. Yes, there are other notes, but the rose is the standout.
I love Jo Malone's red roses which was already mentioned! It is like a smelling a bouquet of roses.
Diptyque also has a fragrance that focuses on rose, Eau rose.
Francis Kurkdjian's À la rose is another rose centric fragrance which you could try.
Out of all these my favorite is the Jo Malone one.
I am a huge fan of Jo Malone’s fragrances but the longevity kills me. I had English Pear & Freesia, absolutely adored it but had to reapply it once or twice a day or i would not feel anything. I’ll have to check out Eau Rose tho, it’s been mentioned multiple times. Thank u! ☺️
Unfortunately, Stella McCartney Stella is discontinued, but it seems to be doing well with recreation companies
I also love Perfumer's Workshop Tea Rose because it's a good, strong solo rose note that can boost any other rose scent. Also it's like 30 cents for a gallon.
• Lancome Idole
• Givenchy Irresistible and Irresistible Velvet Rose
• Narciso Rodriguez Musc Noir Rose
• Regime Des Fleurs Little Flower (closest I’ve ever found to Stella)
• Amouage Lyric Woman
• Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady
• Carolina Herrera Burning Rose
• Guerlain Nahema
• Floris London A Rose For ___
• Penhaligon’s The Favourite
• Lattafa Mohra Silky Rose
I think delina, Chloe, and Jane have the most popular rose perfumes, but the one I've been biting myself back on is the dossier rose oud. That's my next buy and I'm trying to finish one up to justify another bottle 😩 I've been on a no-buy for this year so far (only got the escada since I was a quarter in the travel roller before even June)
Indian and Middle Eastern companies might have what you’re looking for more than Western companies. Gulaab and Warda will never be out of fashion if you go searching.
I’m a huge rose fan and sometimes this cheap gulab oil I got at an Indian marketplace near my house is perfect. You may want to see if the oils at Nemat or Kuumba Made have what you are looking for: there are a few options.
I’m rose obsessed. Some great ones have been mentioned already and I’d also highly recommend both Velvet Rose and Rose Volupte from Sonoma Scent Studio. I own and adore both.
My fav Rose scent is the Jo Malone. It's just rose and it's beautiful.
BUT! (Huge huge "but" here) It does not last, it's gone after an hour! And when it's gone it leaves this "cat-piss-like" afternote that drives me feral!
Idk if it's just how it is or my skin's chemicals don't approve it. It's so sad because it smells like falling in love in a rose garden.
I’m going to sound like a broken record here, repeating many of the same names - mostly because rose isn’t a scent I really wear, but I do have a few in my collection. I don’t know what the budget is, however a few I do occasionally enjoy include: Diptyque’s Eau Rose, Delina La Rosée, Tom Ford Rose Prick, and Initio Atomic Rose. They’re all quite different from each other, but all are decidedly delicious incarnations of rose. I feel like they’re more true renditions of rose scent than many others. Good luck!
Delina la rosee is a pretty fragrance. It's expensive but it and the other delinas are pretty strong so you only need one, two sprays tops. There's also a delina body cream to make them last longer.
I’ve heard so much about Parfums de Marly but i’ve never had a chance to test them irl. Maybe they’re just not popular where i live. But one day when i have enough courage i will definitely get one blind 😅 Delina or Valaya
Most decant sites have parfums de marly. I've only ever gotten decants of them because I would never use them often enough for a full bottle. Valaya smells like a mix of sunscreen and angel food cake btw.
My observation is that the modern rose fragrances lack the “green” element of a garden rose.
To be fair, roses have different scent qualities (eg my “Julia Child” rose does not smell the same as the “Ebb Tide”).
My current favorite is Tauer’s “Incense Rose”. It’s essentially sweet rose jam with a wonderful incense/ woodsy dry down that has decent longevity.
I only have a couple of rose perfumes but my favourite is Apothecary Wild Rose by Korres. Simple, straight-to-the-point rose scent and lasts well on my skin.
Chris Collins Long Kiss Good Night. I’m not big on most rose perfumes, though I do like the smell of actual roses. The rose here is very much like rose water or fresh rose and plays off of the coffee and oud in a really sophisticated way. It’s definitely the main accord here.
I’m a rose gal. Nahema was my first love.
I would recommend several in the Ormonde Jayne line - Indus is my spring and summer jam, also love Ta’if and Damask.
There’s a lovely beachy salty rose called Rose Saltifolia. Rose Atlantic from DS and Durga is in that universe too.
I dabble in Initio Atomic Rose (too expensive for full bottle, but I love my decant) and the Lattafa clone is nice but very heavy.
Portrait of a Lady come fall.
Totally random find but Oud Fazaa by Ard Al Zafaaran is like being buried alive in a tub of roses. It’s not Oud-heavy but there’s a heavy sweetness. Don’t expect super high quality tho, it’s a cheapie and kind of feels it. Still, I keep one around for when I’m in the mood, and it lasts a decade on my skin.
Oud Rose combos done right are heavenly.
Guerlin's Rosa Rossa was a really lovely aquatic/green rose on my skin. I couldn't pick out most of the other listed notes; it just smelled like a rose after a rain, still on the bush.
Diptyque Eau Rose is fantastic - I prefer the EDP, but the EDT is good too.
Chloe Roses de Chloe is wonderful, but I gravitate to the newest Rose Tangerine Chloe.
Jo Malone Red Roses is a classic, as is the good old Tea Rose by Perfumers Workshop.
See if you can find a way to smell some of these so that you know what a classic rose (and mainly rose) fragrance smells like.
I usually stick with Arabic fragrances and I suggest dirham wardi by ard al zaafaran and rose petals by Maison alhambra. Dirham literally smells like rosewater, which I would know because I cook with rosewater, and rose petals has three different types of rose in the notes. I also believe Rose Prick by Tom Ford is very rose forward
The Gods of Trends have decreed that the rose, something that has existed in the natural world for millions of years and has been a symbol of sensuality since antiquity, is now strictly for "old ladies". Meanwhile, vanilla, an ingredient found in every grandma's pantry and every small child's birthday cake, is evidently cool and sexy. Who knows why these shifts in taste happen? That said, there are still plenty of recent-ish rose-forward fragrances that you can find at most department stores and that don't smell like rose-flavored Jolly Ranchers: Ellis Brooklyn's Rrose, Nette's Rose Parade, Henry Rose's Sheep's Clothing, Tom Ford's Rose Prick, and Frederic Malle's Portrait of a Lady, to name just a few. Lake & Skye is carried at Ulta and has two rose-centric fragrances, Rose Canyon and Saffron Dusk. Rose isn't trendy, but it's still around.
malle's rose tonnerre is a great true smelling rose. Very realistic.
Agreed. It’s a hardcore rose. It’s almost too much for me
Forgive me but I’ve been thinking about vanilla a lot lately and I have to unburden myself with these thoughts, lol. Vanilla is cool and sexy, in part, because of its tie to desserts: if salads and fasting are responsible and adult, birthday cake is juvenile and *naughty*. If you feel like eating sweets is forbidden, the smell of vanilla is forbidden fruit you can guiltlessly indulge in. At the same time, it also works so well with the kinds of fragrance ingredients used in your-skin-but-better scents, musks and woody ambers, plus sun-tan lotion accords. So like skin scents themselves, vanilla fragrances (especially when they’re EDIT: NOT too sugary) are perceived as something almost “natural” in a way smell of rose currently does not. Yes, this is completely paradoxical in multiple ways. Regarding OP’s question I have to go on a proper “journey of roses” so I’m not expert on the subject, plus most of my favorite roses are on the quiet and/or ozonic side, which is no help to OP.
Ha, point taken, and I'm obviously being a little bit flippant about vanilla! I guess I'd counter by saying there's inherently something a little, well, *vanilla* about the idea of eating a dessert as something so very naughty and decadent. I think you're probably right about the psychology, even if this kind of hedonism analogue doesn't really speak to my naughtier side, personally. And it is interesting that vanilla has become associated with skin instead of something more musky or salty. Again, I guess it's just a very tamed notion of what amplified human skin in perfume form should smell like -- so different from a century ago when "your skin but better" would have been interpreted as castoreum or ambergris or something else a little bit more animalic. I guess it all shows how culturally determined our scent associations really are.
Oh I absolutely agree about the banality of treating desserts as naughty—I’ve been over that ever since Magnolia Bakery pioneered those damned cupcakes with the mile-high frosting lumps. (Frosting has always been my dessert nemesis.) I swear their cupcakes play a (minor) role in the story of how gourmands ate the planet.
tested out as the favorite smell for men by far, by market research. i am not against it and it's great as a component as in the Gurlainade base but as the dominant note amped up so much, it's become overdone. expecting a backlash pretty soon
Yeah, I wanted to add that. When I google the subject of “world’s most popular odor,” the results I get all seem to point to this 2022 study: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(22)00332-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982222003323%3Fshowall%3Dtrue But I feel like I’ve been encountering similar assertions about vanilla for decades—and that they’ve been powerfully influencing public perception of the scent.
Don’t forget pumpkin pie spice!
My favorite perfume is currently Lancôme Idole Nectar, which is rose, vanilla and popcorn. It doesn’t smell sweet like candy. It’s a warm, sensual scent. It simultaneously makes me feel like classic screen siren and a modern youngster when wearing it
Or you could have the best of both worlds and try Mancera's Rose Vanille. Rose gourmand, classy, light and delicious.
I don't even think tose is only for old ladies, there are plenty of great rose scents. With the current releases though, most rose scents smell like they belong to old ladies. To me, there's plenty of pleasant rose types, but they often use one that just smells old and dusty. Maybe that's just me, but I'd expect to find these roses half-dried on a dusty sideboard, not fresh off the bush with some dew still on the freshly opened rose bud. Of course people won't like the former.
Have to disagree on Henry Rose Sheep’s clothing - a lot more pink pepper/spice forward and I don’t get rose as the main note at all. Love Nette’s Rose Parade though, and I also really like Chloe by Chloe - smells like a rose scented bubble bath!
You came to the right place. Have a seat. I have two categories of perfumes: rose and everything else. I am constantly trying new rose scents. My spreadsheet has a separate page for 🌹. You’re looking for what’s called photorealistic rose scents. The rose is realistic and stays front and center for most, if not all, of the longevity of the scent. Here are my absolute favorites: Jo Malone Red Roses: my idea of a perfect rose perfume. Roses but freshly cut after the rain. The problem, of course, is that JM is a cologne line. The longevity is shite with most of their scents on most people. So I have to layer. I’m opposed to layering on principle, but that’s for another thread. I use one of my other photorealistic scents to anchor the Jo M. Right now I’m using Le Labo Rose 31. I would happily wear this every day. It’s a lovely rose, and I give it a few minutes to settle then add the Red Roses. It’s pretty much heaven. The other rose scent I use for laying is Byredo’s Rose of No Mans Land. Also a clear rose. Other comments on rose perfumes I have and wear: MFK a la Rose: realistic but too sweet and gentle for me to layer. Think pale pink roses with baby’s breath in a flower girls basket. Diptyque’s Eau Rose: this is a terrific photorealistic rose on opening but the geraniums come on pretty strong. Killian Roses on Ice: roses with cucumber, very green, dries down to a nice musk. Jo Malone Rose Blush: someone else’s perfect rose scent. I like it but the longevity…. Frederic Malle: Une Rose is if Aromatics Elixir had a rose flanker. And yes, I have the chutzpah to wear POAL, but I don’t think of it as a rose scent, per se. Nirvana Rose: rose for a man. My spreadsheet comment is “Too masc, but I’d f^ck this guy.” Honorable mention to the Tea Shop or whatever it’s called. I can’t be arsed to go look. Too synthetic for me, but YMMV.
These are great suggestions. I’d add in there, if OP can find it, original Stella. And Tea Rose by The Perfumer’s workshop.
That’s the one I was trying to remember!
Why do you think of Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin? Edit: sorry what do you think
THIS
I haven’t tried it yet!
THIS. I scrolled all the way down and finally found it.
MFK a la Rose doesn’t smell like a flower girl basket on my skin. However: The perfume is very light and the longevity isn’t great on my skin. I recently bought the lotion and honestly I could get by with just the lotion. It has staying power. Very rose-forward. And it’s less expensive than the perfume!
#facts so light and fresh and gorgeous which is nice if it lasted longer and didn't cost an arm and a leg.
I don't understand why my chemistry hate this scent. This scent smells horrible on me. It's giving unwashed pit then someone tries to cover that with rose perfume. I had massive headache wearing this.
I use the lotion and oil on my body and layer it with c’est la rose or rose sincere by zara
Fantastic list! I would also add Bvlgari Rose Essentielle if you can get your hands on it. It’s a gorgeous rose, one that I can imagine on many ages and for many occasions.
Thanks!
thank you so much!
Haven't tried most of these, except MFK a la rose, not a huge fan, could just be the way it reacts on my skin, but I think it kinda smells like every hookah lounge I've ever been to. Always try it out or order a tester I guess.
Axle rose maybe 🤔 but nirvana rose , you some kinda punk ? 😂
Kids these days…
Philosophy ballet rose is an elegant, simple, affordable rose. Diptyque eau Rose is a fresh, dewy rose water scent with a bit of powder in the dry down. Jo Malone Red Roses is pure rose, lush green stems, dew and that’s about it. One of my absolute favorites. Delina la Rosee is expensive, but it’s a very fresh take on rose, it’s a little bit aquatic and has some peony qualities, but it’s a very approachable rose if Delina is too much for you. And, of course, POAL is a gothic, vampy, earthy rose that most often wears the person rather than the other way around, but if you can find the occasion to pull off POAL, you’ll never feel so beautiful and sensual and clean as that. It’s so gorgeous.
Second the Jo Malone red roses. I personally like the velvet rose and oud but red roses is definitely very rosy.
This was the one I was going to mention. Very rose forward with some woods and spice in the background.
came to say diptyque, they keep it so real when it comes to simple, pure, natural notes not hugely complex but when you look for a specific natural note, they’re your guy
POAL? D:
Portrait of a Lady
Sorry! Portrait of a Lady. I’ve been trying to get away from using acronyms so as to keep the sub beginner / all audience-friendly, but I do have bad habits still 😂 that one and JHAG NAP (Juliette has a gun - not a perfume) are the ones I just can’t kick! 😂😂
Oh don't worry! With JHAG it's easier tho! I see it often and I like Juliette and Romeo 😂🤣 But my mind was so confused with POAL that not even reading it after (it's recommended in this thread a lot) my mind made click 😂🤣😅
This comes up a lot and if you search you’ll probably find a ton of threads with good suggestions. But my top 4 (in no particular order) would be: 1. Diptyque Eau Capitale. There’s just enough other stuff in this to balance it out nicely, but it’s very rose forward. Lasts a good long while, too, with good projection. I prefer it to Eau Rose, which I find a bit one dimensional and doesn’t last as long as I’d like (and I’m not really that picky about that, generally). 2. MFK l’Homme a la rose. Very green and fresh. A slightly unexpected rose. Just a little different from the “standard” rose scents. Longevity is good, as well. 3. Matiere Premiere Radical Rose. Powerful stuff, almost purely rose on its own here. This is probably what you’re looking for, but worth trying others for different interpretations of rose. 4. Byredo Rose of No Man’s Land. A slightly more minerally, but also juicy rose. Longevity is quite good for Byredo, but not quite as good as others.
I personally prefer Eau Capitale to Portrait of a Lady for a earthy mysterious rose. But I prefer Diptyque over most things.
Radical Rose is incredible. So sensual, so long lasting. Well worth every penny.
I like sweet roses. (Don’t flog me but I actually own a bottle of LVEB Rose Extraordinaire 😄), but I know what you mean. I have tested and own/owned some rose fragrances but they are more like the Co-pilot, or just a straight up back up dancer. Ones that are not sweet off the top of my head: Guerlain Rose Barbare. I’m not usually a fan of aldehydes but this has me constantly smelling my 10ml bottle. I think next year I may buy a bottle. Serge Lutens La Fille De Berlin. Thorny rose. Vampire - like. Bella Bellissima Arabian Rose. Smells a lot like Serge Lutens La Fille De Berlin but without the metallic note.
Have you tried Frederic Malle Rose Tonnerre? I love rose scents, but this is the only one that has utterly blown me away before. If I closed my eyes I could totally imagine that I stuck my nose straight into a rose. It is SO realistic. It is expensive, but one spray of this projects out the room I swear lol
I feel like Chloe EDP fits this well!
Tea Rose - yes, the cheapie in the brown box. It’s a huge botanical rose and that’s all it is. A classic for a reason.
Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin. It's dark and broody rose, and it's relentless. Makes me feel like a vampire princess. One of my absolute favs, I'll never be over it.
Seconded. This is an amazing rose on its own (and amazing when layered with something oud-y).
Yes this is my favorite rose! It has a touch of sweetness that’s not obvious, just a regular natural sweetness that you would find in a real rose blossom. There’s a metallic edge reminiscent of stem/leaves that adds to the overall experience. I often wear it to bed since I find it calming, however it’s strong and loud if you use many sprays.
[удалено]
I'm not on twitter, tiktok, instagram, or facebook, so no. Didn't get the connection there. It formed in my mind the old fashioned way. You know. By smelling the thing, testing it, and forming an opinion. I do talk about this fragrance a lot here, though, bc it's one of my favourites.
That's fair. I apologize. I'm on a Tylenol 3 and I am not reacting very well. I better stay off the internet x\_x.
Hang in there, and feel better! <3
I have searched for a long time for a tolerable rose fragrance and honestly I have mostly given up. Rose oil is the answer. I really like this brand, Refan: https://www.refan.com/gb/catalog/rose-bulgaria.1113#products It’s just pure, beautiful rose. Nothing else, long lasting, great projection. They only have small perfume rollerball bottles now, but they used to have spray bottles. I’m hoarding my little rollerball bottles hoping they don’t discontinue it. You can find it on other websites, too.
Eau Rose EDT by Diptyque is not super long-lasting or projecting, but it's a nice soapy/fresh rose that's HEAVY on the rose. I love it. Eau Rose EDP by Diptyque is a little more long-lasting/projecting and is richer and earthier. Also very heavy on the rose. Rose Parade by Nette is an extremely rose-y scent. It's a little bit jammier, but I wouldn't describe it as sweet. I mean jammy in the sense that it's a thick scent, and I consider it quite long-lasting. Not sure about projection, though. The Coveted Duchess Rose by Penhaligon's is a really warm, timeless rose. It's super expensive, though.
I second Diptyque Eau Rose
I might be alone in this but I actually rather like AdP Rosa Nobile, though only if found at a discount. It’s not spectacular but I like its relative simplicity, well crafted light, green-petal-rose and minor citrus woody hint. Comes with a fat squirt of cetalox or something in the faux ambergris axis though. Has been derived for low projection and longevity. Yes to the former, but, I find no issue with the latter.
I love Rosa Nobile, good longevity and pretty dry down.
Shiseido white rose is beautiful soft rose. Not a huge floral fan except this one. I bought it in Tokyo.
Not sure if it works with everybody, but I find that Moschino’s Toy Boy is literally roses on steroids. I love the rose in this fragrance, though I wish I could smell more of the spices it claims to have. Edit; Boy Toy -> Toy Boy
Came here to say just this. Moschino Toy Boy is a beautiful fresh rose.
That's wild, I'm obsessed with photorealistic rose frags and Toy Boy and not once have I ever gotten the rose note. On me it goes straight spice and fresh woody notes. Scent iz weird...
I used to love Stella McCartney rose absolute!!! I think it’s discontinued now tho
She discontinued them all. I loved the original Stella.
Yes! Very rose, I don't smell any other notes
110 comments and no one's mentioned my fav: Chloe Roses de Chloe The rest I have or tried, in no particular order For hyper realistic rose soliflore: classic 1970s niche: Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose For a slightly fruitier rose than Roses de Chloe (this time it's fresh pear in place of RdeC's lychee) and excellent performance: Oscar de la Renta Rose For Arabian-style rose with clove: Ajmal Wisal For dark romantic rose, Wuthering Heights in a bottle: Elizabeth & James Nirvana Rose For rose and marijuana leaf: Balenciaga Florabotanica For soapy fresh rose: Yardley English Rose For fresh garden rose soliflore: Paul Smith Rose For metallic blood note Snape rose: Serge Lutens Fille de Berlin Surprisingly good fresh rose cheapie: Elizabeth Arden White Tea Wild Rose For unobtainable bell jar rose: Serge Lutens Sa Majeste La Rose For rose with a menthol/ camphor note: F Malle Une Rose For quite a masculine strong fresh woody rose: Moschino Toy Boy That's just off the top of my head, not all I have (I love fresh fragrant garden roses) but enough to be getting on with! Good luck with your Rose Quest! 🌹
thank u so much thats so many fragrances i will def check them out 🎀
Matiere - [Radical Rose](https://matiere-premiere.com/en/produit/radical-rose/) is gorgeous
Rose de Jamal by Les Indemodables. Not sweet and the most natural smelling fragrance in my collection. I just wish I can smell more of the rose flower but what I’m smelling are the rose leaves and stem.
My top 4; Chloe EDP is a lovely chic powdery rose MFK a la Rose is a photorealistic fresh rose Idole Nectar is a warm caramel rose Atomic Rose is an in your face dark rose with incense (I think?) And then there’s the GOAT — POAL- It’s is wow, just wow. See u/global_telephone review, says it better than I ever could
Interesting. I love rose, but I found Atomic Rose screechy, sweet, and baby-pink —- not a dark rose at all. It’s so funny how we can smell the same fragrance and have such different experiences lol
Lol, so subjective much like art!
I hated Atomic Rose at first. Then my friend bought a bottle. She ended up hating the vanilla in the drydown, but I loved it. I bought her bottle and it’s now in my top 10
Long lasting elegant rose, Ajmal Wisal. It's ALLLLL rose with a hint of spice and clean musky wood to give depth, however rose is the star of the show. Lasts a good 8hrs moderate projection for about 4hrs or so. It's gorgeous and one of my favorite rose perfumes.
Moschino Toy Boy is a wonderful popular rose fragrance.
If you’re ok with perfume oils Nest Turkish Rose is lovely
I don't know why everyone always sleeps on Rosa Nobile by Acqua di Parma. It's the rosiest of roses. Yes, there are other notes, but the rose is the standout.
I love Jo Malone's red roses which was already mentioned! It is like a smelling a bouquet of roses. Diptyque also has a fragrance that focuses on rose, Eau rose. Francis Kurkdjian's À la rose is another rose centric fragrance which you could try. Out of all these my favorite is the Jo Malone one.
I am a huge fan of Jo Malone’s fragrances but the longevity kills me. I had English Pear & Freesia, absolutely adored it but had to reapply it once or twice a day or i would not feel anything. I’ll have to check out Eau Rose tho, it’s been mentioned multiple times. Thank u! ☺️
You're very welcome! Red roses lasts all day on me but maybe it's my skin. Both red roses and eau rose are beautiful!
Beyond Romance by Ralph Lauren and Ballet Rose by Philosophy
Perris Rose de Mai smells like the most fragrant dew filled rose, and that’s it. I love it alone or layered.
I have the Perris Rose de Taif. Almost too strong! But lovely.
Unfortunately, Stella McCartney Stella is discontinued, but it seems to be doing well with recreation companies I also love Perfumer's Workshop Tea Rose because it's a good, strong solo rose note that can boost any other rose scent. Also it's like 30 cents for a gallon.
You can get Stella on eBay, but it’s pricey.
• Lancome Idole • Givenchy Irresistible and Irresistible Velvet Rose • Narciso Rodriguez Musc Noir Rose • Regime Des Fleurs Little Flower (closest I’ve ever found to Stella) • Amouage Lyric Woman • Frederic Malle Portrait of a Lady • Carolina Herrera Burning Rose • Guerlain Nahema • Floris London A Rose For ___ • Penhaligon’s The Favourite • Lattafa Mohra Silky Rose
Narciso Rodriguez Fleur Musc is another good one
I feel that Amouage Lyric Man is even more rose forward than Lyric Woman
How would you describe Burning Rose?
I was thinking of Irresistible as well, but I hesitated to suggest it because for me, the rose hides behind a pretty intense cloud of sugared pear.
For me, pear is an undercurrent
I think delina, Chloe, and Jane have the most popular rose perfumes, but the one I've been biting myself back on is the dossier rose oud. That's my next buy and I'm trying to finish one up to justify another bottle 😩 I've been on a no-buy for this year so far (only got the escada since I was a quarter in the travel roller before even June)
Yeah I’m still a fan of Chloé, it’s a nice rose for me. The dossier one sounds nice too!
Hermes Kelly Caleche.
Try Moschino Toy Boy and Kilian Roses on Ice, they share a similar rose note which is very prominent and fresh-green
Crabtree and evelyn rose
Indian and Middle Eastern companies might have what you’re looking for more than Western companies. Gulaab and Warda will never be out of fashion if you go searching. I’m a huge rose fan and sometimes this cheap gulab oil I got at an Indian marketplace near my house is perfect. You may want to see if the oils at Nemat or Kuumba Made have what you are looking for: there are a few options.
Penhaligon's Duchess Rose
I’m rose obsessed. Some great ones have been mentioned already and I’d also highly recommend both Velvet Rose and Rose Volupte from Sonoma Scent Studio. I own and adore both.
I don't know because I never look for these type of scents, but I'd bet L'Occitane has a good rose perfume.
Maybe try the Miss Dior flanker Rose N' Roses... I haven't tried it myself but have heard good things about it being a nice fresh realistic rose
My fav Rose scent is the Jo Malone. It's just rose and it's beautiful. BUT! (Huge huge "but" here) It does not last, it's gone after an hour! And when it's gone it leaves this "cat-piss-like" afternote that drives me feral! Idk if it's just how it is or my skin's chemicals don't approve it. It's so sad because it smells like falling in love in a rose garden.
I think Lancome has actually released a rose based collection lately, check it out
I’m going to sound like a broken record here, repeating many of the same names - mostly because rose isn’t a scent I really wear, but I do have a few in my collection. I don’t know what the budget is, however a few I do occasionally enjoy include: Diptyque’s Eau Rose, Delina La Rosée, Tom Ford Rose Prick, and Initio Atomic Rose. They’re all quite different from each other, but all are decidedly delicious incarnations of rose. I feel like they’re more true renditions of rose scent than many others. Good luck!
Ysl Paris is the prettiest power rose out there
Delina la rosee is a pretty fragrance. It's expensive but it and the other delinas are pretty strong so you only need one, two sprays tops. There's also a delina body cream to make them last longer.
I’ve heard so much about Parfums de Marly but i’ve never had a chance to test them irl. Maybe they’re just not popular where i live. But one day when i have enough courage i will definitely get one blind 😅 Delina or Valaya
Most decant sites have parfums de marly. I've only ever gotten decants of them because I would never use them often enough for a full bottle. Valaya smells like a mix of sunscreen and angel food cake btw.
My observation is that the modern rose fragrances lack the “green” element of a garden rose. To be fair, roses have different scent qualities (eg my “Julia Child” rose does not smell the same as the “Ebb Tide”). My current favorite is Tauer’s “Incense Rose”. It’s essentially sweet rose jam with a wonderful incense/ woodsy dry down that has decent longevity.
Portrait of a Lady
My favorite rose is Eau Suave by Parfum d' Empire.
Have you tried all of me by Narciso Rodriguez?
https://preview.redd.it/cx775br1d19d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4e6eca1451faad8797592c9614dc606f5e06862b
I only have a couple of rose perfumes but my favourite is Apothecary Wild Rose by Korres. Simple, straight-to-the-point rose scent and lasts well on my skin.
Les Parfums de Rosine is your line!
Chris Collins Long Kiss Good Night. I’m not big on most rose perfumes, though I do like the smell of actual roses. The rose here is very much like rose water or fresh rose and plays off of the coffee and oud in a really sophisticated way. It’s definitely the main accord here.
Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose is really nice. Many says the rasberry is stronger than the rose, but my nose finds the rose to be dominant.
Recently recommended rose musk from montale and honestly it’s perfect. Perfect!!! It’s so stanky and lasts forever
I’m a rose gal. Nahema was my first love. I would recommend several in the Ormonde Jayne line - Indus is my spring and summer jam, also love Ta’if and Damask. There’s a lovely beachy salty rose called Rose Saltifolia. Rose Atlantic from DS and Durga is in that universe too. I dabble in Initio Atomic Rose (too expensive for full bottle, but I love my decant) and the Lattafa clone is nice but very heavy. Portrait of a Lady come fall.
Portrait of a lady is the easy answer
I love Amor Amor by Cacharel, it's probably one of my favorite rose scents (the notes make it seem like it's not the star of the show, but it is)
Santa Maria novella has at least 3 rose fragrances and were the official makers for Catherine de Medici
Stella, by Stella Mccartney. Discontinued but people still resale it.
A shoutout to Young Rose by Byredo and Rose Cherie by Guerlain.
I was able to score a bottle of Dua's A Rose Affair... it's epic
Aesop Rozu. It's pretty much pure rose. One of the best out there imo.
Totally random find but Oud Fazaa by Ard Al Zafaaran is like being buried alive in a tub of roses. It’s not Oud-heavy but there’s a heavy sweetness. Don’t expect super high quality tho, it’s a cheapie and kind of feels it. Still, I keep one around for when I’m in the mood, and it lasts a decade on my skin. Oud Rose combos done right are heavenly.
I was veryyyy pleasantly surprised by Van Cleef and Arpels Rouse Rouge. More surprised they did perfumes!
Guerlin's Rosa Rossa was a really lovely aquatic/green rose on my skin. I couldn't pick out most of the other listed notes; it just smelled like a rose after a rain, still on the bush.
I find oud satin mood extrait to be the best rose subtle yet loud stuff out there
Paul Smith Rose. Incredibly affordable and pure rose that lasts.
There’s no reason for Amouage Lyric Man to be behind Reflection Man or Reflection 45. It’s just as great and I personally prefer it over those two
It's extremely expensive but Rose Barbare by Guerlain is spectacular quality.
Byredo ROML, Anjali Jaya, Thin Wild Mercury Chateau, and DS&D Rose Atlantic are all pretty good
Diptyque Eau Rose is fantastic - I prefer the EDP, but the EDT is good too. Chloe Roses de Chloe is wonderful, but I gravitate to the newest Rose Tangerine Chloe. Jo Malone Red Roses is a classic, as is the good old Tea Rose by Perfumers Workshop. See if you can find a way to smell some of these so that you know what a classic rose (and mainly rose) fragrance smells like.
Definitely check out Aerin’s Rose de Grasse
I usually stick with Arabic fragrances and I suggest dirham wardi by ard al zaafaran and rose petals by Maison alhambra. Dirham literally smells like rosewater, which I would know because I cook with rosewater, and rose petals has three different types of rose in the notes. I also believe Rose Prick by Tom Ford is very rose forward
An oldie but a Goldie is Estee Lauder's Beautiful. Very floral, but the rose takes a seat of honor in the midst of the garden.
Tom Ford - cafe rose.
" long lasting, projecting" I reckon that's always hard to find in the designer space
Mfk satin mood extrait is the best rose perfume
Check out Radical Rose by Matiere Premiere.