Every spring I am inundated with debutante rose style perfumes. Every spring I ask myself does every woman want to smell like a fresh-scrubbed youth? I guess there is an appeal to trying to be the blushing rose. I am bored to death of this style of fragrance. That I have to subject myself to another couple dozen every year seems ridiculous. Shouldn’t there be rose perfumes for that debutante who turned into a stylish woman? Something that sets her apart as a person of assuredness. Lazarus Douvos Rose 1845 seems to want to be that perfume.
Lazarus Douvos has been an internationally recognized hair stylist for years. He has designed his own line of haircare products that are just the basics. A little over a year ago Mr. Douvos decided to add a perfume to his line. Most of the time this results in a collection of multiple mediocrities. Mr. Douvos chose a different path by only concentrating on one perfume. The other great decision was to choose Christophe Laudamiel as his perfumer.
Lazarus Douvos (l.) and Christophe Laudamiel
According to the press materials Mr. Douvos introduced himself over social media. After five tries M. Laudamiel agreed to meet with him. One of the reasons I adore M. Laudamiel is his ability to identify and use new sources of perfume oils. It is only for an independent operator like Mr. Douvos that he is going to be allowed to use them. There is plenty of rose to be found here but it is two ingredients from Tasmania that give this rose something extra.
- Laudamiel uses the classic debutante rose from Grasse, Rose de Mai. Instead of letting that lead the way he adds in an equal amount of Bulgarian rose. That has a velvet-like texture which immediately shrouds the innocence of the Rose de Mai in something more grown-up. This is still a fresher rose accord. It just isn’t an insipid teenager. It is a rose of elegance. M. Laudamiel then adds Boronia from Tasmania. Boronia has a prismatic floral scent profile. Which means the part of it which smells like rose comes together with the rose. The other parts which have the scent of osmanthus and immortelle provide a rugged quality of animalic and subtle sweetness. Myrtle from Tasmania pulls it all together in a floral ribbon tying the accord off. The base is a subtle woody mixture of cedar, tonka bean, and benzoin. Each finding facets to ground the floral accord in a satisfying finish.
Rose 1845 has 14-16 hour longevity and above average sillage. This is a powerhouse perfume, a little goes a long way.
I’ve been talking about Rose 1845 in terms of a woman’s perspective. I think this could also be worn by a man who likes darker rose perfumes. It isn’t as dark as many rose fragrances marketed to men but it sure isn’t some airy rose either.
Mr. Douvos designed a rose perfume that isn’t for those debutantes, or the senior citizens. Rose 1845 is for a woman who knows who she is and how she got there.
Disclosure: this review is based on a sample supplied by Lazarus Douvos.
–Mark Behnke
Thank you for this review. Being a rose perfume person, I was very interested in this scent. Bought it blindly. No regret, the scent reminds me Shiseido Roses, properly made and worn with pleasure.