Creed was established in London in 1760, and has been passed down within the Creed family ever since. It is currently owned by sixth generation perfumer Olivier Creed, and will reportedly be passed in turn to his son Erwin. Original Vetiver, the unisex scent released in 2004, was the first Creed fragrance developed jointly by Olivier and Erwin.
Fleur de Thé Rose Bulgare may have been created in 1890, as perfumeworld suggests, or it may have been created in 1959 for Natalie Wood, as escentual claims, or perhaps it was Ava Gardner? At any rate, it is not to be confused with Fleurs de Bulgarie, a rose and ambergris scent created for Queen Victoria. Fleur de Thé Rose Bulgare has notes of bergamot, lemon, mandarin, bulgarian rose, and tea blossom (camelia sinensis).
It is, quite simply, the truest, purest rose I have ever smelled. It has a bright, exuberant feel, possibly from the citrus notes although I cannot make them out separately at all. There is a touch of green, but no dark or dusky undertones.
It is almost linear, although the rose does deepen a bit as it dries down. A linear soliflore rose may seem like no big thing to achieve, but Fleur de Thé Rose Bulgare is the only one I have found that never turns sour or musty on the skin, and that isn't too sweet or perfume-y to wear.
Fleur de Thé Rose Bulgare lasts all day on me. I have to admit that I don't wear it frequently, as it isn't all that often that I want to smell like a rose, but it is just heavenly and I would hate not to have any in the house.
It is available only in a massive 250 ml bottle, a rather distressingly large amount of perfume unless you plan to wear it exclusively for some years to come. It costs $300; if you have any spare change left, you can also purchase one of the lovely Creed leather atomizers.
Fleur de Thé Rose Bulgare is part of the Private Collection, and is rather difficult to find. It can be purchased through escentual, parfumsraffy, or Bergdorf Goodman. Neiman Marcus also carries the Creed line but not all of the stores have the Private Collection fragrances.
Hi R! Glad to see you back! I understand that this Creed is very popular. Sadly – this has been a rather linear disappointment on my skin. Yes – it does smell of roses but that is it imo -does not develop and is not complex at all. My absolute favourite roses are Rosines along with Crystal Flowers and Rose Petals by Montale.
Personally I am absolutely unimpressed by the Creed Boutique/Flagship store here in Paris because of the indifferent government service (French) approach to client service. Guess that has put me off this line for a while now.
N, I readily agree that it does not develop. I just love it anyway! But the rose I wear most often is probably Rosine Ecume de Rose.
Now that Rosine is my favourite too! I love it. :))
For some reason, that one came off metallic, like tin, on me. It smelled like a rose wrapped in aluminum foil. Thank goodness: I don't have $300 lying around.
It is a wonderful thing when something expensive smells horrible on the skin, no?
Hi R,
Great to have you back. Your blog is amazing and I check in everyday!
Try combining FdTRB with Vintage Tabarome. The result is just amazing. Incredibly deep and rich. I actually think this is one of the recommended Creed combinations but that certainly doesn't matter!
Regards, Eric (evogel on BN)
E, what an interesting combination…I had a sample of Tabarome (not sure it was the Vintage though) but passed it on, so will have to get my hands on another to try that out. And thank you again for the compliments on the blog!
I agree with you R, it is linear and that's what makes me so iffy about this fragrance as gorgeous as it is!
The sell one at Bergdorf that isn't $300.
Thanks for the info, I thought they only had the Fleurs de Bulgarie at BG.
I think I like the Creed better than Rosine Ecume de Rose(which I love) I like the linear quaility of the Creed. What do you detect in the Rosine Ecume? It has something heavier in it no? I think the Creed is the first rose I've thought was nice on me maybe because they can be so heavy alot of the time.
The Rosine is lovely, but I find it much lighter, almost like rosewater. I will review it soon, it is the perfect spring rose fragrance.
This is my favorite rose to date. The linear quality is a plus when you happen to love the note that it is (think of those fragrances you've had to write off because you didn't like one part or other of the top/mid/base note).
This has a wonderful fresh sillage that seems to be present through to the drydown. I too, am not a rose person – this is one of the few I can even wear, and how wonderful that it turns out so special.
The tea/citrus note causes this rose to stay fresh and escape that dying rose drydown I tend to get with so many damascena scents. But the special thing about this is that one doesn't smell the citrus or tea – the fragrance isn't trying for several different notes. They were wisely submerged to the needs of the rose to create one glorious fragrance.
What a perfect description, thanks for commenting! I completely agree that linear is not always a bad thing, and in this fragrance, it suits.
Why oh why do Creed insist in keeping this lovely fragrance in such a large bottle?
The most beautiful rose fragrance I have come across. Not cloying or heady,just like sniffing a real rose.
I have no idea! I have never needed 250 ml of anything.
This fragrance is heaven. I found it today at my favorite perfume shop in Lübeck. They have it in a 75 ml bottle for 110€ (about 134 USD). I cannot imagine needing 250 ml of anything either, even 75 ml is plenty. This is such a lovely rose and I would love to own it.
K, congrats on finding a smaller bottle, that is great! In the US I have only seen the Fleurs de Bulgarie in the smaller bottle — also a nice rose, but not nearly as nice as the Fleur de The Rose Bulgare.
And yes, even 75 ml is too much!
I am so torn, as I fell in love with this fragrance, also fell for Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, and I still want Josephine. (and my husband just surprised me with the Kenzo Oriental). Is it wrong to want almost 400€ of perfume in one month?
LOL — don't know if it is wrong, only know that I am in the same boat much of the time 😉
I adore this one. Is it linear? Yup (read actually smells like it says it will) No uber trendy surprises here a la leather, sweat, sperm, milk. Rose, glorious, uncomplicated, luscious rose with tiny hints of citrus and honey. This is utterly gorgeous and truly rosey. I have sampled many so-called rose fragrances only to be disappointed by heavy handed blending with jasmin or violet or god knows what else with absolutely no, none, zip, nadda hint of rose (are you listening Montale Rose Petals?) Please Creed, never discontinue or reformulate this majestic beauty. I'm saving for the large flacon (maybe even two)!!
I agree it is glorious & luscious…I just find myself more likely to reach for blended roses, don't know why! But this one is lovely, and perfect for anyone looking for a “true” soliflore.
Oh Robin, this scent is far far away and sounds so right up my alley… What a pity *sob*
No Creed in your area??