Rose des Bois
by AbdesSalaam Attar Profumo

Having sampled or worn numerous fragrances from this house, especially from their Scents of the Soul line, I have to admit I find Rose de Bois underwhelming. Boring even. The rose note goes MIA after 5 minutes. The wood section feels more like the basenotes - a subtle amalgamation of cinnamon, vetiver and sandalwood - soft, creamy with just a hint of spice for warmth. Projection is next to zero. But it is surprisingly tenacious, considering the claims to all-natural ingredients .

But the bone of contention I have with this somewhat skeletal composition is its lack of a distinct voice. I've worn this a few times and on each of those occasions, I simply forgot which attar I had on. I don't know if Rose de Bois unravels much too quick on my skin, but it smells remarkably similar to the drydown in many of Salaam's compositions. The talented perfume composer may have produced some notable hits but I'm afraid this isn't one of them.

1st August, 2011.

This has to be one of my favorite of La Via del Profumo's scents, of those I've tried so far. Creamy cinnamony with food spices, coriander among them. My kind of fragrance. I don't smell the rose very well, but if I try, I can fool myself into thinking I smell it. I just don't have a nose for this kind of rose, I guess. Salaam says there is vanilla in there, and that must be why I like it so. Almost all of my favorites have a touch of vanilla in it somewhere. I suppose that imparts the creamy flavor. And wood, supposedly there's rosewood in it? I've not smelled straight rosewood oil, so I don't recognize it. Sillage is pretty low-key after a few hours, but longevity is good for me. With several sprays, I could still smell it faintly on me after 10 hours. In that respect, it has a Bulgari Omnia quality to it -- spicy, minimal sillage, but good longevity. So, if one has had complaints about the sillage of Omnia, one can expect that kind of result here. I think the sillage issue has to do Rose des Bois being made completely of essential oils. The longevity, I cannot explain, because I've been told that most natural perfumes (from essential oils) have poor longevity. I myself did not have that problem with Rose des Bois.

4th July, 2009.

Rose de Bois has an immediate burst of rose blossom which quickly morphs into a sort of green rose, ie, foliage, stems and blossom all together. It is fresh and bracing, a little bit spicy due to the cinnamon which emerges soon after. The cinnamon is actually quite dry and sticks in my throat a bit, but as this fragrance develops quickly, it does not stay there very long. Soon after, the cinnamon mellows into the creamy wood base which actually reminds me very much of Roger and Gallet's Blue Carnation. I love the drydown in Rose de Bois--it is soft, sweet, spicy and woody with a hint of powder. At the same time, it is crisp and dewy, as I imagine a living carnation would smell.

In another wearing, I spritzed around 7:30 am, and could smell it faintly after lunch. Beyond that, is has been very close to the skin. The aesthetic sensibility of this scent reminds me very much of Chanel Egoiste (rose, creamy wood and spice), although I would not say this is a smell-alike by any stretch (Profumo's own Bazaar is much closer to Egoiste). I smelled the rose much more distinctly in this wearing. It is still in the first few instants when it is sprayed, but it comes back again in the green and spicy middle stage where it actually seems quite cool and mellow compared to the spicy accord. The drydown is the ever-consistent creamy vanilla wood. I am not quite beyond the potpourri or scented candle association in RdB, but I am impressed that it can carry this much spice and still skirt that boundary.

27th June, 2009.

Rose des Bois:
A gentle rose combined with a very green woody aspect (some rose petitgrain?) and maybe something animalic (which drops off quickly) followed by a tea-like aspect with or of the rose note. There is another floral too, I think? A spot of jasmine? Anyway, it is beautiful. All this is supported by an everlasting base of sublime vanilla with a little sandalwood and a touch of something else a little acerbic or skanky, maybe blackcurrant or that floral I can't place, I'm not sure. The base accord reminds me of a classic guerlainade made with the best possible materials. The vanilla and wood holding the soft aspect of the rose is just exquisite. It is a little rich but not sweet and a touch thorny without being sharp.

This scent has very low projection after the initial few seconds but endures extraordinarilly well as a skin scent.

16th June, 2009.