Shiseido’s newest creation, by perfumer Nathalie Lorson, is their first major fragrance launch for women since Vocalise in 1997 and the recent re-release of Zen in 2000. Of course it remains to be seen if this scent will cross the great divide and land at a fragrance counter near you. A fruity floral perfume focusing on Bulgarian rose, other notes include red peony, blackberry, raspberry, Morrocan rose, iris, heliotrope, velvet musk and sandalwood. I’ve heard rumors that there is also a note of cacao, but have yet to find it listed anywhere.

Rose fanatics, listen up: this is nothing new. Yes, sadly, this is another fruity floral, much along the lines of Cacharel Promesse, though slightly warmer and not as light or "pretty". I finally tried this out the other day at Takashimaya and while it's nothing to go wild over, it's a "jammy" rose fragrance that removes most of the edges from what I normally think of when I think "rose" — gone is the earthy edginess, removed is any trace of leaf or stem; instead, this is a well-blended, somewhat fruity (red berries) rose scent resting on a light musk. Overall, "nice" but doesn't hold a candle to the fragrances of Rosine in my opinion. I was hoping for "sexy", "groundbreaking", "rich" and instead I got raspberry and rose petal jam.

I tried the Eau de Parfum and was pleased by the lasting power, staying with me about 5 hours. The scent does have an odd development, opening with floral preserves and then relaxing with an almost powdery accord — must be the heliotrope and iris — before moving back to a less sweet rose and ending with a subtle warmth of musk. The uniqueness of the Bulgarian rose aroma is evident throughout.

Though not at all a groundbreaker, it’s a sweet and warm rose scent that I honestly wouldn’t mind wearing. When I want rose, I reach for Lutens, Rosine, or L’Artisan, and had high hopes for this one. Oh well…Rose Rouge can be found at Shiseido counters across Asia and is currently available on Ebay.