Rochas Femme (new) (1989)
by Rochas

OMG! This I think is one of the best fragrances for men. I haven't smelled the original, but this reformulation with cumin in it adds the perfect dimension to make it a sensual, dark, and rich, all befitting the sophisticated gentleman who wants an air of mystery. All the notes are kept in check, and the florals never come out into the light. It is spicy, dark, woody, ambery, and rich! This is now one of my beloveds in my collection! I will always need a bottle if I ever run out.

WOW! I read several enticing reviews about this fragrance, so I rushed to purchase a bottle. YIKES! This reminds me of a nursing home! After the "old lady" wears off, I am left smelling like a bad case of body odor. I really, really wanted to love this fragrance, but it smells something awful.

Hats off to Olivier Cresp! I love this fragrance, including its name 'Femme'. It is full bodied and generous and very French chic, and the shape of the bottle exudes grown up womanhood. I get the peach, plum, and cumin notes but I am unable to identify the others, except perhaps some rose? Its dry down is an unmistakable chypre, but a chypre with a difference. There is nothing else like it on the market. It has remarkable sillage, too. I wear it only in the autumn and winter months - but sparingly - and I get lots of compliments (but mostly from women). So, if you want a classic fragrance with a difference, try this one. You must test before buying, though, because it doesn't suit everybody.

Not a fragrance for everyone, Rochas Femme is very strong, with a potent ripe fruit accord and a touch of the dirty. The opening fruit accord – peach and plum – is not at all sweet because its sweetness has been tempered by cumin and rosewood. It’s an excellent accord and I think that it is quite unisex. The florals from the middle still carry the spices to a very great extent, reducing the femininity of the florals. It’s base is a typical chypre dry down complete with patchouli and oakmoss. The result is a full, mellow, traditional chypre that is quite attractive and sensual. It’s a grownup scent, strong and forceful, that like so many of these older chypres, could easily make it as a unisex fragrance.

I am really sorry to say that this famous classic, Rochas Femme, don´t work on my skin at all. It just smells like a spizy cace, no fun or beautiful at all. Thankfully I wear Madame Rochas very well instead.

It is with a heavy heart that I report this classic fragrance turns to a powerful and repellent hairspray smell on my skin. It had to be scrubbed off.
I must add the caveat that oakmoss is a note that I just can't get to work for me and that is the culprit here.