Rosa Sacra

Sacred Rose is a great name for this perfume. In my mind there is an image of a statue of the Sacred Mother, porcelain, blue eyed, and gentle-faced (even though she would have been an Arab Jew if she actually existed, but never mind), holding a none-too-convincing rose in her hand. The rose looks the way this perfume smells: hard, worn, the green smells of pigments, wooden, a bit darkened in areas from decades or even centuries of incense smoke. A fruity peppery, green, and woody opening convinces me. Ample doses of gentle fruits, rainbow pepper, geranium and mint, bolster a woody rock rose type accord. It feels fake, like an artist’s best replication of a rose, and yet despite the seemingly novice imitation there is a stately, elegant, reverent and revered quality to it. That regality and heavy-spiritual feeling comes from a solid yet gentle base of woody mosses and vetiver, and sweet, loamy patchouli and benzoin that smell the way I would think the ancient wood of a church or a holy statue would smell. There are no dramatic or diva qualities to this rose. Its often baroque and showy personality is nowhere to be found. This rose requires you to approach head down, hands clasped, and on bended knee when you get to her, waiting patiently and gratefully for words of wisdom and blessings. I’m not sure I’ve ever been put into reverent silence by a perfume before. One more excellent piece of work from Frassai.

What happens when a rose pretends to be something else? A rose wants to don a costume and blend in with the squash patch or a bramble bush. Maybe it wants to just be a floating leaf in a bird bath, soaking up all the standing rain water. Or it wants to imagine being invisible, but we sure enough can see it—and smell it. Then there is Rosa Sacra, which tells its story differently on a mouillette than on skin. When it lands on paper, it tells a straightforward story of a wet, aromatic, pink rose: nice and welcome. Then, on my skin, it plays that pretending game. Is this rosy? Or is it a green, watery, crunchy garden within a Schinus molle grove? The rose does soon say "peek-a-boo, I see you" but then hides behind a stone wal. It has you guessing if you're really smelling the rose itself or a story told by the rose. This is light years from a Caron rose (we love), this doesn't perform the hocus-pocus holographic ruse like Guerlain Nahema. Rosa Sacra is not buffered by powder or orris—rather, its game is to make you question whether a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. Does a rose by any other name still same the same? Often, in the real world, not in the la-la-land of perfume, roses often do in fact smell like...something else. And this is why Rosa Sacra in all of its ambiguity, is a charming diversion.

Rosa Sacra is a uniquely sexy, casual and well-crafted fragrance with a tangy, summery, fresh, rosy vibe. It reminds me of perfumes like Ombre Dans L’Eau, but it is more woody, salty, tart and less flowery. More androgynous. The base is woody-herbaceous. I don’t smell peppermint (Edit: Looked at website and peppermint is not mentioned in Frassaï's pyramid nor ingredients list). It’s more like crushed thyme and sweet basil. Also smells rather aquatic and salty, which I believe is carob tree. I am reminded of Paris-Deauville, which is similarly tart, limey, salty and also with basil. I have been wearing my official Rosa Sacra spray sample in the humid Florida heat, with temps around 86F. It has moderate projection for a couple of hours before slowly fading. Although it ultimately sits close to the skin, it does last several hours. Yesterday I was walking past some people when a young woman yelled out, "OMGGGG! Something smells soooo gooood. What is that smell?! Is it perfume? WHO is it?!" I walked back to her and said it's probably me. She said, "It smells just like a spa!" I said yep, it's me. My perfume is woody and fresh. She looked like she was in heaven. I don't know her well, but I will give her a couple samples of it next time I see her.

So, after a LONG think, I did end up adding Rosa Sacra to my collection. It smells beautiful. My only question was: is it really a rose? On paper it would seem so. On skin: the peppermint dominates at first, and it feels very fresh. But this is not a green rose. The aromatic notes never fully yield in that direction. And the peppermint eventually fades, balancing itself out with the spiced bergamot. Wait it out a little and that rose comes through. Strong and present throughout afterwards, while keeping those aromatic undertones. Longevity is good, but the sillage is on the low end of moderate. I wish it were a bit more potent. Still, a very enjoyable aromatic rose!

Rosa Sacra took me by surprise. I got the Frassai discovery set to test a fragrance in their house that was getting a bit of hype in the spring of 2021, Blondine. I went through all of the fragrances one by one, and while I did enjoy Blondine very much, I opted to purchase a full bottle, and travel spray of Rosa Sacra. I feel the composition is fresh and suitable for wear year round, the combination of Rose notes and Palo Santo give me an incredibly happy feeling everytime I smell this scent. I carried the travel spray everywhere during the heights of the pandemic. A quick spray on the mask and it became on-the-go aromatherapy during stressful times.