The Rose, Part 2

 Rose in Perfumery

Queen of Flowers - the rose embodied beauty and sensuality throughout the centuries, and it is, besides one of the most cultivated flowers in the world, also one of the first to be used in perfumery.
Despite the fact that many of the hybrid roses have lost their scent there are still a few species of roses whose rich fragrance - fruity, green, clean, lemonlike, honeyish, musky, powdery, woody, clovelike - is present in many of the modern perfumes for both, women and men.

Most common in perfumes are the Rosa Damascena, mostly provided by Bulgaria (approximately 70% of the world production) and Turkey (Turkish Rose) - the rose oil has a honeyed fruity aroma and the absolute is more true to the flower`s smell with its green and floral nuances; Rosa Centifolia or Rose de Mai grown around Grasse - France, Morocco and Egypt (only called Rose de Mai when it has French origins) - mostly absolute with a deep and rich aroma of floral-spicy and honey; and Rose Bourboniana only extracted in India in both, essential oil and absolute, characterized by a floral scent with green and honeylike nuances and a soft hayish and powderyness in the back notes. The Taif Rose (Arabia Saudi) is rarely used in perfumery due to its low production and high costs.
The flowers are picked up by hand before dusk or early in the morning and the rose absolute is extracted the same day by solvent extraction (solvent extraction of the concrete followed by the extraction by alcohol of the absolute from the concrete) and the essential oil by distillation.
4 tonnes of roses or 1600000 flowers are need for one kilo of rose oil of Turkish Rose - Rosa Damascena. A very helpful and explanatory video was uploaded by the cosmetic company LUSH about the all the stages of the rose oil and absolute production - from the harvest of the flowers to the extraction of the rose oil. 

 The rose absolute contains mainly citronellol, phenylethanol, geraniol, nerol, alkens & alkanes, eugenol.

 Often associated with "old-fashioned" fragrances, the rose didn't occupied much of my mind until several years ago and I've lost so much! As a wise anonymous (wo)man once said "Take time to smell the roses.". And i took my time.

  I'm a freshy. A well mannered one.

- Tea Rose by Perfumer`s Workshop. Freshly cut red roses. Vegetal, sharp, loud and woody roses. It`s the sheer delight of a green, clean and sweet tea rose.

- Sa Majesté la Rose by Serge Lutens. In my vision it is the perfect representation of a "raw" rose with its fresh, cold, juicy and clear facets. It is simple and linear, but it is its candour that moves one to the deepest.

- Stella by Stella McCartney. A romantic rose bouquet with a dewy sweetness on a warm bed of amber.

- Chloé by Chloé. A sharp, clean rose with a soapy edge and sweet fruity vibrations.

Ms. Rose and Mr. Geranium (whenever he's home).

- Portrait of a Lady by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle. What more can i add to what was already said about this piece of art? Not much. Just that i get lost in its darkness more often that i ever dreamed a perfume could make me.

- Love Kills by Masque Milano. Love Kills is a bright and spicy rose, luscious and desirable, reinforced by geranium, that dries down in a tragic musky ending. Love Kills is a great example of deceitful simplicity. At first sight it may seem as an uncomplicated rose composition - bright, spicy and sweet, but that is only Love Kills` preamble before going into the dark.

- La Fille de Berlin by Serge Lutens. Honeyed greenery backed up by a geranium rose melting together into an ambery woodiness with musky touches.

- Rosenlust by April Aromatics. Geranium with its fruity to minty scent giving the rose a subtle lemony touch with metallic vibrations. It dries down into a slightly powdery muskiness with traces of resins and smoke that give an ethereal aura to to the whole composition.

  Miss Fruity Rose. 

- Ruby Wood by Exaltatum London. A caramelized rose with red fruits facets in an interesting combination with warm resins that play around a green, bright and slightly metallic veil of darkness. (Read the full review here.) 

- Miss Charming by Juliette has a gun. 

Sweet fruity floral that screems "Let's get back to the teenage years!". Youthful and pleasing without making one to fall head over heels, just like a teenage crush.

- Amora by Hendley Perfumes. A graceful and almost innocent rose bathed in sweet fruits and salty muskiness. Delicate and romantic.

- Zenne by Nishane. A dramatic rose that goes from fruity, playful and sweet to salty, slightly sour, and sharp in a matter of minutes. Tart and tangy rose, supported by currant leaves and rhubarb, with a slighty white flowers creaminess and vanilla whiffs that intermingle the saltiness of the base notes.

  Roses with a dirty mind. Animalic roses. 

- Charlatan by Fory & Manle. An ambery sweetness settled into the base of a pear / white floral`s indolic bouquet mix (mainly jasmine with a touch of tuberose and orange blossom) wrapped up around an austere rose.

- The Night by Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle. Animalic, barnyardy oud (a drop of Cambogian oud plus a realistic recreation) combined with a tangy rose.

- Oudh Infini by Dusita. This is what i like to call a good horse riding rose. Animalic, indolic (as fecal), hard to digest oud, especially by the oud non-connoisseurs, combined with cheesy civet with a goatlike edge that makes the sweet rose to blush shyly. Beautiful composition on the right skin!

- Kyara by Di Ser. Each of the other ingredients has been specially chosen to enrich the beauty of the Kyara oud and to enhance certain characteristics of it.

The rose envelops it in a sweet romantic embrace that reduce the oud's bitterness, with its fresh hues tinged and powdered, giving it even lightness, while the tuberose enhances its animalic character and the sandalwood gives it a definite touch by adding a woody touch and creaminess in the right measure. The combination of all the notes creates a perfect harmony, but always leaving room for its protagonist, the Kyara oud, to be in the center of attention.

 There is Rose after dark. Orientals, oscure y all kind of black roses. 

- Rosenthal by Hendley Perfumes. Often described as a Gothic rose due to its darkness, this rose is indeed obscure, and dry. Incense, patchouli, dried fruits and herbs marry the rose in the most beautiful ashy ceremony that will last for the rest of my life.

- L`Agent by L`Agent Provocateur. A very well hidden rose. Incense and resins come out as a veil that covers all the beauty the rose displays. Only shows a trace of sweet lemony nuance and it gets lost again into the darkness. Smoke and more smoke.

- Voleur de Roses by L`Artisan Parfumeur. The rose thief into a wet garden at night. Earthy patchouli trying to cover its traces with roses.

- Soir d'Orient by Sisley. Its darkness reminds me of L`Agent by L`Agent Provocateur, but there is a greenery hiden in Soir d`Orient core that i don't find in L`Agent. Don't get me wrong, they are not the same fragrance, but they resamble. Soir is just as smoky as its comparison budy, but instead of being resinous it's bittersweet rosy and balsamic with the right amount of spice. Despite of being quite a powerful potion it doesn't last long... I don't mind, I'll gladly reapply it anytime just for the sake of that pure incense opening.

- Rosa Turca by Nishane. This is a loud rose with a sharp mind and a jammy heart. Jasmine and ylang-ylang provide a considerable amount of indoles to the composition while, in the base, a powdery sweetness similar to benzoin adds a sugary aura to the rose.

  Hit me with the jam. Sweet / gourmand roses. 

- Rose Omeyyade by Atelier des Ors. Very sweet although, in a very strange way, not gourmand. Jammy roses with a caramelized edge soaked in amber and dry woods with sharp facets. 

- Miracle of Roses by Miguel Matos. Miracle of Roses is not one of the rose fragrances we are used to. It's unique in its own kind and somehow strange. A gourmand that doesn't overpass the bounds of the nowadays` trend of sickly sugar-coated fragrances. It almost feels like roses and cinnamon were infused into the cozy fluffiness of another weird, yet true to the niche concept, fragrance - Jeux de Peau by Serge Lutens. It creates the realistic image of having breakfast in a kitchen where the smell of rising dough still floats in the air staining the red roses on the counter with its fermented aroma. Fresh baked bread spread over with creamy butter, cinnamon and a touch of smoky, slightly woody, honey soaked in warm milk. The roses will soon lose their greenness into a powdery and dry woody aroma with a touch of darkness rising like a cloud. Miracle of Roses oscillate from wet to dry and it's changing its direction to a completely different path of each stage.

- Oud Bouquet by Lancôme. Praliné melted abundantly over a syrupy rose drenched in vanilla. Ever since Angel grew the taste for sugary gourmands, sweet fragrances pop out floating the air around with their busy scent. 

- Le Mat by Meditorrosa. Spices and candy-coat come together united by the power of the rose into one of the most beautiful compositions. I wish it wasn't so sweet, it would have been close to perfection. 

- Oud Satin Mood by Maison Francis Kurkdjian. Before wrapping up your skin with its overpowering aroma, it takes one by surprise with its naked sweetness only covered by a slight powderness. A rose is not just a rose. Is sugar. Plus vanilla. Plus benzoin. Plus more vanilla. Jam! 

 Call me a classic, but never old-fashioned. Retro-vibe roses. 

- La Douceur de Siam by Dusita. A creamy to almost wet blend of exotic flowers blooms under the sign of a sweet rose gently refined by a quiet spicy greenery. A timeless rose. 

- Lyric by Amouage. The old formula was an opulent composition of sensual rose with warm spices, smoke and the right amount of sweetness. Sensual and seductive. 

- Lady Vengeance by Juliette has a gun. This rose has thorns and wants to be noticed. A well balanced composition in between fresh and dark, light and deep, jammy and dry. Spicy, a tinge aromatic, with a sweet muskiness in the dry down and a patchouli to support its richness, this rose is not as vengant as you may think. 

- Une Rose by Editions des Parfums Frédéric Malle. A well put together rose. Strong, green, spicy, heady, soapy rose. Unique and daring. 

  Violets are red. Powdery roses. 

- Lipstick Rose Editions des Parfums Frédéric Malle. Rose with a retro cosmetic vibe surrounded by a delicate sweetness in a powdery cloud that gives the feeling of a dusty wax flower. 

- Drôle de Rose by L`Artisan Parfumeur. Lighter than Lipstick Rose, Drôle de Rose is the delicate balance of green and powdery. A delightful combination of rose and violet on a smooth leather base. 

- Paris (Edp) Yves Saint Laurent. Powdery rose with a retro appearance, dressed up by a heavy floral gathering and a strange plastiky vibe in the background of the spices and moss. 

"From out imprisoning petals - velvet, red - 

Thy soul slips forth in fragrance wondrous sweet

A silent subtle presence - never fled,

That makes thy mastery over me complete."

                                   The Presence of the Rose, 

                                           By Angela Morgan. 

 Rose fragrances are as many as tastes and trends. Mine is just a short list of the multiple roses I've tried since my rose craving started years back. I may have forgotten some, not consider others or i have simply not tried the ones you may like and don't find mentioned here, but this is my list. 

Don't forget to give time to the roses.