When the mesmerizing Spanish actress, Rossy de Palma, decided to create a fragrance, she selected rose as her main theme. While the choice of such a classical flower for the star of Pedro Almódovar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown might have struck some as surprising, the perfumers Antoine Lie and Antoine Maisondieu weren’t taken aback. They were the co-authors of de Palma’s scent, and when it was released as Eau de Protection by the niche perfume house Etat Libre d’Orange, the result was anything but staid. As the perfumers knew, rose had many faces, and it could be made as smoldering or as innocent as an artist’s skill allowed.
Eau de Protection opens up on a spicy but fresh accord of green citrus peel and black pepper, but as the rose unfolds, so does the dark note reminiscent of damp soil and antique woods. Spice, honey, green sap, and fruit, the notes present in rose absolute, are cleverly highlighted in the fragrance, but the overall effect is abstract. The perfume is memorable not only because of its opulent character—aided by the generous dose of natural rose essence—and original interpretation, but also for doing away with the usual gender labels. For a man who loves patchouli, amber and dark woods, the prominent rose notes in Rossy de Palma’s Eau de Protection aren’t too challenging. On the other hand, a woman who wants to eschew the cliché of “sweet and pretty” would find it a perfect statement fragrance.
In the same group of unusual roses is Frédéric Malle’s Portrait of a Lady. The name brings to mind blasé elegance and sophistication, except that the fragrance is bold and assertive. Like many of Henry James’s heroines, to whom the name alludes. Portrait of a Lady is a rose made dark and dramatic.
The creator of Portrait of a Lady, perfumer Dominique Ropion, is renowned for his ability to engineer powerful fragrances, the kind that leaves a mile long sillage. While opulent is an understatement when it comes to Portrait of a Lady, it’s a radiant rather than heavy perfume. The honeyed sweetness of natural rose rises up like champagne bubbles, and as the rose warms up, it wraps you in a warm, velvety cocoon. The perfume’s story doesn’t finish here, however, and soon the chocolate-like patchouli and creamy sandalwood float up, leaving a shimmering, dark trail. Like Eau de Protection, it’s appropriate for both men and women, as long as they’re ready for an adventure.
My other favorite rose with a twist is a softer, gentler creature than the two I’ve described. Chanel No 18 was created by the renowned perfumer Jacques Polge, who was inspired by the house’s jewelry boutique at 18 Place Vendôme. To capture the glow of a diamond, he used rose and ambrette seed. Ambrette, with its scent recalling cool musk and unripe apples, tones down the sweetness of roses and instead accents the iris in the perfume’s drydown, that most unfloral of the floral notes. Nothing about Chanel No 18 is predictable, but it perfectly attests to Coco’s maxim, “In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”
Photography by Bois de Jasmin, a rose from Edmond Roudnitska’s garden. It smelled of cloves and tobacco.
What are your favorite unique rose perfumes?
Here is our running list (I will be adding your favorites as you keep mentioning them in the comments):
Etat Libre d’Orange Rossy de Palma’s Eau de Protection
Chanel No 18
Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady
Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin
8 Comments
Betty Ackerman: L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Voleur de Roses is a favorite dark, Gothic rose. It seemed to have been discontinued for a bit but has reappeared on their website. May have to gift myself a bottle… December 23, 2024 at 9:15am
Janet Kubalak: I am in love with Dyptique’s Eau Capitale. It’s not a strictly-rose perfume, I guess, but has rose, peppercorns and something damp that makes it a perfect winter perfume for me. December 23, 2024 at 9:27am
Sariah: Thank you for the reminder to pull out the lovely No 18. I bought it as my birthday gift to myself the year my son was born (2013!)
I also love Stella McCartney. Rose + Amber. December 23, 2024 at 10:11am
Kimberly: Thank you for the review Victoria. My favorite is Portrait of a Lady which I tried after reading one of your reviews. Another rose perfume that I added to my collection after reading your review is La Fille de Berlin. I would also add YSL’s Paris. While it is not strictly a rose fragrance, it does feature a bouquet of bright rose and greenery softened by a violet powder. I love that you are writing reviews again! December 23, 2024 at 10:13am
Colleen Geary: I have Une Rose (now renamed) and my husband loves it! December 23, 2024 at 10:16am
Samantha Anastasiou: Hello,
This was a lovely recommendation as I live rose and I look forward to trying this.
I have been enjoying reading this blog and the community here for years-although I don’t comment, this is probably my first time!
I have a question that hopefully can be answered. I have some confusion when the recommendation is for a classic fragrance that have been in production for awhile. My perfume collection is all vintage, as I am a vintage and antiques collector and that’s also my business. When recommending classic fragrances, I am wanting to know what eras are best , or if purchasing new is still as good as the vintage version due to the change in ingredients list. This comes up quite a bit in discussions and a lot of the Information and experiences are shared here in the comments, which I love. The problem is that I should be taking notes because I forget! If there were a database online of perfumes and their production change dates with ratings regarding this that would be amazing. Perhaps this exists, and I’m unaware. If so, I would appreciate any suggestions or if anyone has this information kindly point me in the right direction. Than you! December 23, 2024 at 10:37am
Hamamelis: It was important to have seen Ukraine through your eyes in the last months, but it is lovely to read your perfume prose again! I have many unique roses, here are a few. Yesterday I wore Mohur Extrait, the rose is even more wrapped in spices and woods than in Mohur. It is very beautiful. Today I wore another hidden rose by Betrand Duchaufour, Traversee du Bosphore. Here the rose is wrapped in saffron, honey, pistachio and apple. Vero Profumo’s Rozy is breathtaking, in all versions. The rose disguised by blackcurrant, honey and passionfruit. December 23, 2024 at 10:43am
Aurora: Thank you very much for writing about Eau de protection, I should try it, so far I have only one ELDO, Fils de Dieu du Riz et does agrumes and dearly love it. I nominate the ornate and opulent Caron Parfum Sacré as m’y unique rose. Caron discontinued classics like Fleurs de rocaille, Bellodgia, Or et Noir and En Avion are back, it’s great news, praying they are in recognizable shape or better, Caron finally saw sense. December 23, 2024 at 11:04am