A Rose by Many Names

A Rose By Many Names is an appropriate name for this fragrance. It seems to be a play on the quote by Shakespeare "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," expressing that what you call something does not define it. But in this case, calling it by many names defines and explores the rose note, one of the pillars of perfumery, further. The foundation of the fragrance is a classical floral chypre: bergamot, rose, and oakmoss; however, throughout its lifetime and drydown, it combines with other notes, and in doing so, reveals the names of the rose one by one. Name #1 - Fresh and green: upon first spray, the rose is still budding. It hasn't quite bloomed yet; you get the green aspects of the rose bush with an interesting herbal curry leaf, supported by bergamot and sweet blood orange. Name #2 - Sweet and floral: now the body of the rose really comes in. Rose, like most florals, is a middle note, so you get the bulk of the "body" of the scent in the mid stages of the fragrance. It reveals itself to be a sweet jammy rose, with some of the heady floral characteristics usually associated with the rose note. This is combined with a smoky tobacco note which at first might seem oxymoronic, but really provides a nice juxtaposition and rounds out the sweetness. Name #3 - Dusty and powdery: as the lifetime of the flower and the fragrance fades, we explore the powdery aspects of the rose, and what better way to do this than combine it with oud? One of the great modern note/accord combinations is the rose/oud and it very much highlights the dusty aspects of the flower while still maintaining the sweetness. A Rose by Many Names is a fascinating fragrance. A journey in the lifetime of a rose; yet without it being prominently in the foreground. It clashes and blends with the other notes playfully, revealing facets about itself throughout. The ingredients are clearly quality and the notes are three-dimensional and clear. Definitely one to try if you are into the art and imagination of perfumery!

Sampling Aromas de Salazar A Rose by Many Names, a smooth rose scent that for me lingers between a sumptuously sweet, spicy rose and a more sober, almost masculine signature scent. It smells thoroughly rosy but not in a powdery or obtrusive way, with additional notes of tobacco, leather, citruses, oud, spices, and vanilla. It has just the right pinch of sweetness to counter the various spicy, animalic, and resinous notes. The notes seem to be in harmony as the blend feels complete and carefully conceived, the result of an idea being patiently realized through tweaks. It’s more wearable than, say, the sharper, more challenging, even metallic Bitter Rose, Broken Spear from the D.S. & Durga HYLNDS collection, and more easygoing still than Aramis Calligraphy Rose. Rather, the he immediate comparison I get is Issey Miyake Noir Argent (sort of a modern men’s fresh spicy signature scent) blended with a jammy spicy rose combo. The result is a creative blend that, like A Day at the Barbers, smells unique to me, an expression that I’ve not really come across before. It smells sophisticated and high-quality, among the very best of the house (that I’ve tried so far). A Rose by Many Names is priced at $250 for 50ml, so on the higher end of the catalogue, price-wise, but performs very well. It seems to be sold for now at only the house website but I believe that it will be available at Perfumology, ultimately. 8 out of 10