Rose in perfume works rather like salt in cooking: it is present almost everywhere, including in fragrances that never list it. Perfumers use rose structurally — it adds body, rounds off sharp edges and glues a composition together — which is why traces of it turn up in chypres, fougères and men's woody scents alike.
Two species, two smells
Damask rose, grown mainly in Turkey and Bulgaria, is honeyed and fruity with a slight winey acidity. It yields rose otto, the distilled oil.
May rose (centifolia), from Grasse and Morocco, is greener and fresher. It yields an absolute rather than an oil.
Both are among the most expensive natural materials in perfumery — a kilogram of oil takes several tonnes of petals — so accessible fragrances almost always supplement them with reconstructions. That is not a flaw; some of the most interesting rose accords are largely synthetic.
Five ways rose is used now
- Fresh rose — with lychee, raspberry, citrus. Light, spring-weight, daytime.
- Spiced rose — with saffron, pepper, cardamom. The Middle Eastern tradition, rich and thoroughly unisex.
- Dark rose — with patchouli and oud. Dense and nocturnal.
- Jammy rose — with vanilla and dried fruit. Warm and sweet.
- Mineral rose — with vetiver or tea. Dry, cool, contemporary.
On rose as a "feminine" note
This is a Western convention, not a fact about the material. In Gulf perfumery, rose with oud and saffron has been a men's signature for centuries, and some of the best rose fragrances on the market sit in men's lines. If you like rose and dislike sweetness, that is exactly where to look.
Buying and wearing
Decide on temperature first. Berries and citrus alongside rose mean freshness; spice and wood mean weight. Check what sits beneath it — rose is a heart note and on its own gives three to five hours, so longevity depends on the musk or wood underneath.
Apply to moisturised skin and do not rub your wrists together. Friction breaks up the light floral molecules and shortens the whole thing.
Rose handles both heat and cold well, which few florals do; the season is set by its companions rather than by the rose itself.
For a specific fragrance's notes, see the catalogue on faberlic.com. Other floral materials are covered in the perfume section.