Othoniel Rosa

Peppery rose over a clean vetiver base. The opening hit of pepper is instantly awakening, like someone gently blows it in your face. Sharp in a good way. If you’ve been into Diptyque for a while, you’ll clock this rose immediately. It carries that unmistakable Diptyque DNA. Scent-wise it’s different, but the wearing experience reminds me of Eau Rose EDP with its dewy, green rose. Rosa Carnivora also comes to mind, though that one feels flatter and eventually leans hard into vetiver. Othoniel Rosa stays more balanced. Even if it’s fairly linear, it offers more nuance and dries down into a watery pink rose with vetiver rather than going full vetiver. If you already own Eau Rose EDP, you probably don’t need this. But I do—and I still want Othoniel Rosa. Instant cop if I ever find a bottle here in the Philippines. 9.8/10 ✨

The green rose reminds me a lot of Aesop's Rozu. Both scents are modern, open very green and have a very subdued rose note at the beginning which reveals a tiny bit more of its pink tone in the dry down. Both scents represent their concept and the artists behind it pretty well and the rose in the fragrances is as abstract as their work. Rozu is a bit more chalky, more textual to my nose and takes longer to reveal the flower underneath. Othoniel Rosa develops quicker and stay linear after that. I really wanted Rozu but the price kills every bit of my temptation to pick up a bottle. Othoniel Rosa is a resembling but more reasonably priced alternative and certainly not an inferior scent. I am sure this type of scents will grow on me the more I wear them. Completely genderless because of the abstractness of the rose.

Pink pepper isn’t listed here, but it plays a starring role alongside of the rose. I adore Le Le Labo’s Baie Rose, which have seen it described as a dewy rose- this is the same rose with black pepper instead of dew, autumnal rather than vernal. Fresh and tender, yet dry and spicy with the vetiver. There is a note in the opening that bothers me a little bit, probably ambrette (which generally annoys me), but it fades quickly. It’s a beautiful and comforting fragrance, perfect for the seasons ahead. It’s also a third of the price of Le Labo and in a prettier bottle.

Powerful green rose opening. Tons of vivid, fresh-cut blooms. Some bracing vetiver and spices serve as backdrops. After a half hour or so, the slick, watery florals and chugging spices are extraordinarily reminiscent of Toy Boy. MTB is far more linear and unsurprising, but I'd say they're 90% similar outside of the opening (where they're really nothing alike). Toy Boy might actually last longer, but if you have Othoniel you definitely don't need MTB; if you have TB and not DOR, you're missing out on a pretty epic fresh rose opening.

Summary of what others have said here which I totally agree on and some suggestion: Autumn Spices Fresh rose opening Bright rose Spicy, woody rose Dirty, darker, slightly mysterious rose Cold Quite linear and straightforward upon drydown Short lifespan (at least for the nice rosey opening and its fast diminishing mid aspects) Fairly masculine Vetiver woods generic drydown Energetic Grown up and versatile Layers nicely with a polite vanilla or sandalwood to warm it up Almost wanted to sell it off due to its biting cold astringency; upon noting its versatility, uniqueness as a rose fragrance, and potential for layering—I have decided to keep it.