Ahead, discover some of the most exciting new launches from brands like Diptyque, Cult Gaia, and Byredo, and see how perfumers are re-interpreting the rose in unexpected ways.
The Rich Girl Roses
There’s no such thing as quiet luxury when it comes to big, bold rose scents. They convey loud, over-the-top opulence in the best way, like how the Kardashian-Jenner boyfriends and husbands decorate their homes top-to-toe in blooms on birthdays and anniversaries. We’d put Bvlgari’s Le Gemme Sahare firmly in the rich-girl rose category, though it smells more like the Saharan desert than Calabasas; its luscious blend of satiny desert rose and ambergris lingers for hours.
The newly relaunched Balmain Beauty Carbone pairs what the brand calls a “maximalist musk” with a “minimalist rose.” Both the musk and rose absolutes get a chance to show off their dark and light sides, with the rose appearing soft and sweet at first, then deepening alongside the sensual musk and warm, spicy cumin notes.
And Amouage, a fragrance house that practically oozes luxury, put a gourmet spin on rose with their new Love Delight. Rose is spiced up with ginger, cinnamon, and a splash of rum.
The Renegade Roses
These rose fragrances stretch the limits of what a rose can be: dry, icy, windswept. Taking a cue from nature, they show the evolution of the rose from a simple garden flower to a complex, ever-changing icon. Diptyque’s Rose Roche, part of the brand’s new Les Essences de Diptyque line, is another ode to the desert rose, but while the Bvlgari rose is a rich, deep, and spicy scent, Rose Roche feels almost crystalline thanks to a squeeze of lemon and bright patchouli. It’s got great sillage, but still feels transparent and lightweight as a linen slipdress.
The desert was also the inspiration for Byredo’s Desert Dawn, which opens with a combo of peppery cardamom softened by a handful of rose petals and blended atop a dry, crisp papyrus base. Desert Dawn isn’t a rose fragrance per se, as the sandalwood and vetiver notes dominate most of the heart, but the softness of rose helps smooth out any sharp edges.
Future Society Haunted Rose was inspired by an extinct South African flower last seen in 1960, pairing a wet, dewy, fresh rose with a wallop of saffron, black pepper, and passionfruit to shake the rose out of its garden comfort zone.
The Party Girl Roses
Some scents are just made for fun and frivolity, and rose can be a top-tier party girl. NOYZ’s Love Club is another rose-and-saffron combo, juicy and flirty as its name suggests. It’s a scent that takes the rose out of the garden and places her right in the center of the dance floor. She lent you her leather jacket and a cigarette, and who knows where the night will lead.