Roses are one of those things. They come in so many types and combinations that it’s impossible to say whether you like rose fragrances or not. From powdery-soapy with ruffles to cool and distant to spiritual or even brute in combination with oud. Two reports that I wrote here a long time ago spontaneously come to mind. “Real guys: Caraceni’s bespoke suit of eau de toilette” from 2011. There I naively asked: “A rose fragrance for men, is that possible?” To determine exactly this. Unfortunately, it no longer exists. A year later, I “fabulated” about “Parfums de Rosines Slam Dunk”and linked a rose fragrance with the basketball player Derrick Rose. Only the AI is currently hallucinating so wildly.
Today I am holding two rose fragrances from the French brand Marie Jeanne under my nose and I am confident that I will discover modern representatives of the “queen of flowers”.
Rose Shiso – rose always works
Rose Shiso makes no secret of the fact that we are dealing with a combination of rose and shiso leaves. But what was Shiso again? The plant is also called Perilla (Perilla frutescens). The essential oil from the leaves is said to have a spicy and green character and is reminiscent of cumin.
ローズシン is written on the label, which probably means “Rōzu Shin”. Who knows Japanese and can interpret these kanji?
But now to the fragrance itself. The rose is not long in coming and reveals itself immediately. Powdery, floral and bright. No heaviness, freshness, cleanliness and transparency (thanks to magnolia), I perceive. The leaves are particularly evident on the skin, green, somewhat herbaceous, but without cumine notes, which I am relieved to note. Even if the fragrance notes (see below) suggest otherwise, Rose Shiso is minimalist and not at all complex. Just imagine a herbaceous-green rose. The basic mood is bright, positive and — I know the image has been used very often, but it applies here — a walk through a rose garden. After a while, the leaves recede a little and matching woods emerge.
Rose Shiso is something for the warmer seasons and is unisex thanks to its minimalism. However, rose always leans a little in the feminine direction. I think the fragrance is a great example of how rose scents can work today without any historical baggage. Absolutely modern!
The fragrance notes of Rose Shiso
Top notes: shiso (perilla) leaves, Bulgarian rose, magnolia
Heart notes: Provence rose, iris, Virginia cedarwood
Base notes: Turkish rose, sandalwood, Texas cedarwood
Out of the shoebox: Au Pied du Rosier
I was looking forward to Au Pied du Rosier even more. I think it’s an incredibly good idea. Here, the house has translated the joy of a new pair of sneakers into a fragrance. How is that supposed to work? We will see.
Karine Vinchon has created a special “new sneaker accord”, also known as “New Basket”, which gives the impression of rubber, plastic, color, almond and orange blossom. The feeling of opening a shoe box for the first time. And rose, Rosa Centifolia, also known as the Provence rose.
That’s good! The first whiff of the fragrance strip transports me straight to a sports store, where it smells of rubber soles, footballs and flip-flops. And not an abstract interpretation of rubber, no, rubber! Of course, a few rose accents also come through and you suspect that a few resins or balsamic notes may also sparkle in here. So put it on your skin. Here, rubber doesn’t hit quite as hard. You can clearly perceive saffron, but I have to look for the mandarin. Instead, the whole thing goes into the familiar oud-rose combination with saffron. This part is familiar, but the synthetic note of the rubber-plastic breaks up the familiar and turns it into an extremely exciting creation. I love it when you have to follow the associations and don’t know exactly where they come from.
It’s not an easy fragrance, especially if you’ve just had the minimalist Rose Shiso under your nose. But I’m a great advocate of bold ideas and a willingness to try something new. Everything else is imitation.
The fragrance notes of Au Pied du Rosier
Top notes: mandarin, saffron
Heart notes: Provence rose, gum
Base notes: sandalwood, eaglewood (oud), labdanum (cistus)
My conclusion: today I had two completely different versions of the rose in front of me and both really have their own charm. Rose Shiso is absolutely fine as an everyday companion or office fragrance, Au Pied du Rosier is wearable despite its initial sneaker note and not too niche to not be able to wear it every day. Once again a great test recommendation!
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