Reviews of Costes
by Hôtel Costes

After hearing wonderful reviews about what a lovely spicy woods fragrance this is, I was so optimistic that I would love it. However, on smelling it, I get overwhelming rose, and not much else. I have encountered a few other people on other boards who agree with this assessment, so I am reassured that I am not completely alone, but hmmmm... still no idea why the rose in Costes is so incredibly prominent to my nose. If I liked rose scents, I would probably like this one, but I'm just not a fan in general - preferring rose to be a minor note, when present. AND, I'm hesitant to recommend this scent to people who are looking for a rose scent since so many other people seem to not smell the boatload of rose here that I smell. It's definitely not one to buy unsniffed - especially if youre sort of ho-hum on rose.

I was surprised at how much I did not care for the signature perfume from Hotel Costes. I admire and own decants of Diptyque's Tam Dao and 10 Corso Como, the two fragrances with which Costes is most typically compared and thought Costes would be a slam dunk. However, I don't find many similarities. To to my nose, Costes smells like a big bundle of cinnamon bark, with a bit of cheapish sandalwood/musk thrown into the middle notes. I had to wash it off before the base notes appeared as I was about to gag. Sorry 'bout that! (bad reviewer, bad reviewer!) I have heard that Hotel Costes liberally scents their entire hotel with this perfume and if that is the case, I think I'll be staying somewhere else next time my travel plans call for Paris.

Here are the notes, per The Perfumed Court: lavender, bay-tree, coriander, white pepper, rose, incense, woods and light musk.