Rose Perfume – the queen of flowers, a thousand faces

Rose in perfumery: a thousand faces of one flower

May rose and Damask rose

Two species supply the bulk of perfumery. The centifolia rose, known as the May rose, is grown in Grasse and picked over three weeks, by hand, before sunrise. Fragile, it cannot withstand distillation: it is solvent-extracted to obtain a concrete and then an absolute, deep and jammy. The Damask rose, grown in Turkey, Bulgaria and Morocco, does withstand steam: it yields a brighter, spicier, more honeyed essence. The yields explain the price: it takes roughly four tonnes of flowers for one kilo of absolute. Each method gives a different rose, and a perfumer chooses one or the other the way a painter chooses a pigment.

What does rose smell like?

Not of soap, and not of the garden rose. A perfumery rose is a complex object, shot through with facets that depend on the extraction: honey and jam for centifolia absolute, lychee and red fruit for certain essences, pepper and clove in the Damask rose, black tea and leather in the darker readings. The rose oxide molecule adds a metallic, almost green brightness. It is this range that explains how one rose can be fresh and tart in the morning, heady and carnal in the evening. On skin it moves quickly: the green facets fade within minutes, and the honey and the base take over.

Rose perfumes at Le Soleil d'Or

Rose Magnetic by Essential Parfums, created by Sophie Labbe, gives a bright, magnetic version. At Maison Crivelli, Hibiscus Mahajad by Quentin Bisch sets it against a fleshy fruitiness. BDK Parfums offers two opposite readings: Bouquet de Hongrie by Serge Majoullier, floral and ample, and Impadia, more contemporary. Pink Me Up by Atelier des Ors, composed by Marie Salamagne, draws a sparkling reading from it, while A l'ombre d'Artemis by Hellenist places it in a greener setting.

Rose accords and fragrance families

Rose is the flower that accepts everything. With oud, it forms the signature accord of contemporary oriental perfumery, dark and resinous. With patchouli and oakmoss, it gives structure to chypre perfumes. Pink pepper and saffron wake up its spices; raspberry and blackcurrant draw out its jammy facet. Laid over a musk or a sandalwood, it loses all stiffness and moves closer to the skin.

Who is it for, and when?

The idea that rose is feminine is a commercial convention, not an olfactory reality: it is massively present in men's perfumes in the Middle East, and leathery or peppery roses are worn by anyone. Nor does it have a season of its own. Bright, green and tart readings call for spring and summer; jammy, spicy and woody roses come into their full scale in autumn and winter. One piece of underlying advice: if rose strikes you as old-fashioned, it is almost always because you met the soapy roses of the 1980s, not the material itself.

How to choose your rose perfume

Start by identifying the facet that draws you in, because two roses can have almost nothing in common. The bespoke discovery box brings together five hand-filled 2 mL samples: it is the most effective format for comparing at home, over a full day. Take two extremes to get your bearings, a bright and luminous rose such as Rose Magnetic, and a dark, fruity rose such as Hibiscus Mahajad. If you are in Lille, come to the boutique: smelling four roses one after another does more for your choice than any written description.

Rose at Le Soleil d'Or, a Lille perfumery since 1953

Founded in 1953 by Jeanne Muyllaert on the Grand'Place in Lille, Le Soleil d'Or is an independent perfumery passed down from one generation to the next. Hubert Maes (third generation) turned it into a reference for niche perfumery; today his daughters Victorine and Apolline Maes (fourth generation) uphold the same standards at 22 rue de la Clef, Lille (59800). Our team will let you smell the rose perfumes in the catalogue, with expert advice and guided trials, and can point you in the right direction using our guide to fragrance families.

Delivery & free in-store collection in Lille

Within mainland France, Colissimo delivery is free from 49 € to a pickup point and from 79 € to your door. Within Europe, it is free from 90 € to a pickup point and from 120 € to your door; we also ship worldwide. Live in Lille or nearby? Free in-store collection at 22 rue de la Clef is the fastest and most economical option. Full terms on our shipping page.