Launched in 2015 by L’Artisan Parfumeur Rose Privée is based on the Rose de Mai, or the Provence Rose, which grows in Grasse. 

Rose Privée opens fresh and citrusy from green mandarin, while basil adds a green herbal note and its lovely anise facet; violet leaves keep it fresh and green. This is not the sweet violet smell traditionally used in retro fragrances. The violet leaves make Rose Privée modern, contemporary and unisex. Then, the most tangy, fruity note of blackcurrant shows up, making the opening just the beginning of a gorgeous journey. It doesn’t take long for the Rose de Mai to appear - clear, sweet and just rosy perfection. Carnation gives it a gentle, spicy hum, while magnolia gives it a lush, creamy, floral depth. There is a whiff of lilac; a reminder that this is spring. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled anything like this. The rose stays right through to the oakmoss-free chypre base. This is a game changer in terms of regulatory standards. There is a note of dry hay at the base, and it echoes the green at the opening, while beeswax adds a deep animalic note, all of it warmed and smoothed by musk.

The drydown is richly rosey, elegant and sophisticated. It radiates quietly from the skin instead of sitting on it. Maybe that makes it a rose privée – a private rose in English.

Rose Privée is why I love rose-based fragrances.

Notes: Green mandarin, basil, violet leaves, blackcurrant, Rose of May, magnolia, carnation, lilac, chypre accord, hay, beeswax, musk.