New rose perfumes for 2020

There's a new crop of rose-petal perfumes. Excitingly, they are nothing like the old-fashioned bygone bottles filled with stuff that gives off a whiff of Eau de Grandmère, or overly sweet, simplistic or synthetic sprays of the past either. Read on to find your very own rosy outlook…

Roses, albeit never very far from a perfumer's vision, are having a real resurgence right now. Some say it's down to political uncertainty and consumers feel the need to surround themselves with something familiar and comforting.

I'm guessing Donatella Versace is also banking on this being a winner as she recently adorned pretty much her entire collection with the bloom. All you need to do is liberally douse yourself with a co-ordinating rose scent, and you'll be a walking, talking scratch 'n' sniff protagonist.


VERSACE 2020

But which scent? That is the question.

There's a plethora of choice: From pretty, freshly cut florals with greener elements that can be found in Miss Dior Rose N' Roses, £65, to more spiky, rebellious interpretations like Tom Ford's Rose Prick.

This Eau de Parfum is said to be an ode to Tom Ford's rose garden and the balance between the soft petals of the rose and the thorny branches that lie beneath. As a spritz, it takes you on a journey of the bloom and opens with plenty of rosiness, but has hidden depths of pepper, turmeric, patchouli and tonka bean that give it guts and longevity.

If you're already an ardent rose fan, you'll be in flower-powered heaven with Frederic Malle's new Une Roses gift coffret – it showcases all aspects of where you can go with this singular bloom.

One thing's for sure, for spring, this reliably romantic aroma will be in the air tonight. Here's our edit of the best rose fragrances for 2020, so you too can come up smelling of roses…


Dior Miss Dior Rose N' Roses, £65
A sparkling floral scent with one of the most elusive of Grasse roses (it takes 300,000 Grasse roses to produce 1kg of rose absolute essential oil) along with heady geranium, fresh mandarin and bergamot, with a hint of muskiness. Juicy, green and pretty all at the same time.
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Tom Ford Rose Prick, £218
As the press release states: 'A rose by any other name wouldn't be Tom Ford.' How true. After all, he has a penchant for provocative perfume names. Lover or hater of a scandalous slogan, you'll find that the scent is actually pretty lovely. A full-blown rose experience with three different versions of the flower: the Rose de Mai, Damask and Turkish rose, mingled with pepper, turmeric and tonka bean. It's still soft and powdery but with an edge.
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Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris l'eau À la Rose, £150
This launched in Asia in 2019 and now the fresh, pretty scent has just landed here. The l'eau À la Rose unfolds on the skin with a delicate floral freshness. A drop of perfumed water reflecting a bouquet of 400 fresh rose blooms warmed by the sun, along with juicy and fruitier notes of pear, peony and violet.
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Maison Rebatchi Rose Rebatchi at Les Senteurs, £87.50
Damask rose essence and Turkish rose absolute is enveloped in powdery iris and white musk, and gently intertwined with velvety notes of peach, crisp apple, spicy pink pepper and saffron, with a warm and woody dry-down.
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Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle Roses: A Collection, £105
Five interpretations of roses, bottled. With the refined velvety Portrait of a Lady to the earthier Une Rose, and the drama of Rose Cuir, to the elegance of Promise – this has to be the ultimate rose bouquet in one very beautiful coffret.
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