After having smelled hundreds — if not thousands — of perfume samples, sometimes it feels that many fragrances give in to the same tropes. Rightly or wrongly, it’s easy to dismiss them with a “been there, done that” cursory sniff. If I say “white floral,” you probably mentally sniff gardenia, tuberose and musk. Or, to get more specific, “beachy white floral,” “innocent white floral” and “glamorous white floral” bring to mind particular fragrance types. If you’ve smelled one, you can assume you’ve smelled them all.
So, when Phaedon Rouge Avignon was presented to me as a “rose incense,” I figured I knew what I’d smell next. After all, I’ve spent time with samples of Tauer Perfumes Incense Rosé, Terry de Gunzburg Rose Infernale and others. What I didn’t count on was a good-enough-to-eat infusion of raspberry and cocoa along with the rose and incense. It makes for an unexpected — and if you’re in the mood for it — appealing twist.
Phaedon released Rouge Avignon in 2013, and perfumer Pierre Guillaume of Parfumerie Générale created it. Its notes include rose, ylang ylang, raspberry, “waxed” woods, cocoa bean, black truffle, vetiver, sandalwood, musk and amber. It’s billed as an “haute concentration” Eau de Parfum, meaning that it carries about a 30% concentration.
On paper, Rouge Avignon’s rose leaps center stage. It’s thick and luscious and leads me to think of it as chiefly a rose fragrance. But on skin, the perfume’s incense-gourmand body plays at least equal billing, especially as its warms. Beware: Rouge Avignon’s raspberry is a true, ripe raspberry and not a dry hint at fruit. Boxed in by incense and sprinkled with bitter cocoa, it doesn’t come off to me as jammy, but people will recognize it as raspberry. If you prefer your fruit barely recognizable, you probably won’t be a fan.
After an hour or so, the raspberry disappears into Rouge Avignon’s incense. Vanilla and sandalwood keep the incense from being too sour or tangy, as it can be sometimes. At this point, instead of morphing into a bottom-heavy incense fragrance as I’d expected, Rouge Avignon seems to shed weight and rise, maybe because of its musk.
Rouge Avignon has substantial body and sillage, but it isn’t a blockbuster, so you don’t have to worry about inadvertently clearing your workmates’ sinuses or summoning thoughts of the pope when you’d rather be projecting a more professional image. It lasts all day on my skin, melting into a vaporous sweet wood as it ages. The fragrance feels firmly unisex to me, and because of its sweetness and lift, it’s less masculine than many incense scents.
I’d wear Rouge Avignon in the autumn, when it can be swaddled in cashmere and wool, and when the chill in the air will keep the raspberry under control. Leaves crunching underfoot and chimney smoke in the air would complement the fragrance nicely. And, hey, that time of year is just around the corner…
What incense-rose fragrances do you like? And what perfumes are you most looking forward to wearing this fall?
Phaedon Rouge Avignon Eau de Parfum is $160 for 100 ml. For information on where to buy or sample it, see Phaedon under Perfume Houses.
Note: top image is ruby snack [cropped] by miss karen at flickr; some rights reserved.
I’d like to try this frag. Is the truffle noticeable? If so, how much?
Lovely photo!
I don’t notice the truffle at all–and I do love truffle, so I think I’d pick it up.
I like the photo, too! Robin chooses the images for my posts, and I always love seeing what she picks.
Isn’t 30% concentration basically an extrait??
That aside, it does sound nice. I don’t think I’ve tried anything from Phaedon yet, but I’ve been meaning to.
It does seems plenty high to me! I wonder if they thought labeling it “extrait” would be off-putting in some way? Not to me.
Have you tried Parfumerie Generale’s Brulure de Rose? It also has raspberry and cocoa, although not incense that I recall… Curious how the treatment if raspberry compares in the two.
I haven’t tried that one, but I’m interested to hear about the rose, raspberry, and cocoa they share. Hmm. The incense in Rouge Avignon is pretty upfront, though.
I have never tried a rose and incense fragrance, so I can’t comment on that. Probably the perfumes I’m looking forward to wearing with cooler weather (December if we’re lucky) are Kenzo Jungle, Pacific Tibetan Mountain Temple, Demeter Crysanthemum, and Shalimar.
It’s been ages since I’ve worn Kenzo Jungle–such a good one for cool weather!
I love Homage Amouage, its one of my top 5 favorite fragrances, maybe top 3…
Of course, now I’m dying to know what your other top 5 fragrances are…
When I read “rose incense”, I immediately thought of Pour Une Femme by Caron.
And I am really looking forward to trying my vintage mini of Private Collection by Estee Lauder. I have only sniffed it from the bottle yet, and for some reason I am waiting for the right mood and right weather to put it on.
I remember Pour Une Femme! Mostly what I remember, though, is a strange transition where the scent gears grind for about 15 minutes before the fragrance gets underway again.
Private Collection is a good one! It’s terrific in spring, too.
Portrait of a Lady is my favorite. Most of the incense roses I’ve tried end up smelling like potpourri.
Portrait of a Lady is terrific! It’s so unladylike, though, in my opinion. It’s downright womanly.
Perfumes I am most looking forward to wearing this fall:
1. Golden Cattleya by Olympic Orchids
2. Tons of samples I’ve been waiting for cooler weather to try.
I haven’t tried Golden Cattleya, but what a fabulous name!
Golden Cattleya is bliss in a bottle to me. Narcissus, honey, and orange blossom in their most beatific forms? Yes, please.
Sounds positively narcotic!
Raspberry in perfume is usually an instant headache for me, I’d be afraid to risk it. Besides, Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Inner Sanctum is the best incense rose there is, imho. Thanks for the review!
Hey, if you’ve found the best, you don’t need to worry about sampling the others! (Goodness knows there’s enough to sample as it is.)
I am still waiting to sniff Terry de Gunzberg’s Rose duo and here comes this review!
I certainly cannot pass on the opportunity of a gourmand rose! (And with Cocoa to boot)
Looks like I may even be tempted to get this blind…
If you like the rose-incense combo, Terry de G’s Rose Infernale might be pretty tempting for you. Do sample them both if you get the chance!
Lovely review! Sadly, I find rose fragrances migraine-inducing on me while loving them on everybody else. Still I have 2 I might be wearing very sparingly: Rose Barbare by Guerlain and the now-discontinued Tumulte by Christian Lacroix.
There’s also Voleur de Roses but that was a mistake as I can’t wear it and have been told I “smell like a church”.
Wish I smelled like a cathedral at least
At least you don’t smell like the church’s crypt, which is what Voleur des Roses can do to some people….