As I read the press release for Les Parfums de Rosine’s Bulle de Rose — “rose bubble — I realized that very few perfumes have been inspired by bubbles, which is surprising, now that I think about it. Bubbles and fragrance can be described in similar terms: both are fragile, transparent, and ephemeral, shaped by a delicate dynamic between between liquid and vapor, temperature and pressure. Yet, apart from a few scents purporting to evoke bubble bath, there seem to be very few parallels between perfume and the airborne orbs of bubbles.

Now, however, we have Bulle de Rose, created for Les Parfums de Rosine by perfumer Serge de Oliveira…

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Just a week or two ago, I was saddened to learn of the death of Marie-Hélène Rogeon. As the founder of the present-day Les Parfums de Rosine, Rogeon revived the name of fashion designer Paul Poiret’s original fragrance house in 1991 and dedicated it to rose-inspired perfumes. Les Parfums de Rosine has been one of my favorite niche scent brands since I first encountered it at Barneys (circa 2005?) and I’m still grateful to Mme Rogeon every time I pick up one of my well-loved bottles.

In light of this news, it seems like an appropriate moment to review Rose Par Essence and Rose Absolument, two new-ish fragrances from Les Parfums de Rosine…

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