Aqua Allegoria Forte Rosa Palissandro

While I love Guerlain's take on "Rosa Palissandro" this Aqua Allegoria is not going to be for everyone. It's not an easy fragrance. It's quite unique, which is why I love it. Okay so what it smells like. The predominant accords are of green and woods. Green and herbal, in fact, and I am not talking about like essence herbals, I mean like cut kitchen herbs. Coriander is the seed and spice part of the cilantro plant, and Rosa Palissandro smells like the metallic tang of cilantro releasing its essential oils when cut with a knife. It is also very lemony, which bleeds into the geranium and the fragrance smells like cilantro mixed with a lemon geranium plant. Quite earthy, herbal, and I think the aldehydes make the green practically shimmer. The green halo lasts a long time, through the lemon peel geranium, and through the rose that eventually peaks out. It's not a jammy rose, but rather a soft sanded demure rose. I know that the word rose is in the name of the fragrance but the rose isn't dominant. It's there but it's not the star. The rose actually seems to be finally emanating from the palissander rosewood, it's that discreet. The green halo still exists but it's surrounding a soft wooded rose, the sligtly powdered rosewood, a leaf or two of patchouli to mainain the greenery, and a nice smooth sandalwood. I do not detect any harsh woody ambers or woody aromachemicals thank goodness, the woody dry down is soft and slightly floral and nice to wear. This perfume is green, herbal, earthy, woody, with an aldehydic halo effect, and has demure rose peeking though as it wears down. I REALLY like this. It's different and I enjoy the green herb/lemon/geranium. The rosewood is soft and such a nice departure from the harsh woody chemicals that are cutting through so many compositions these days. Nice job Guerlain, and I think I'll even get a backup for this.

This is multifaceted and fascinating. Forte Rosa Palissandro holds my interest like I'm hosting someone from a very different culture and I'm continually guessing what s/he will do next. First, the very top smells off to me: like mint flavored fish oil for the first ten minutes. Then the fish oil starts to morph into something pleasant, and after a couple of hours this is... an airy lavender scent to me! And then it reminds me of the akigalawood in Quentin Bisch's Bois Imperial. Bois Imperial is more otherworldly supernatural, but they share the same clear, ghostlike presence. The violet maybe a player in both of these allusions (both other fragrance sites list violet as a note), but I wonder if they've included actual akigalawood? Or is it all due to the real palisander rosewood used here? Apparently I hadn't smelled the real stuff, since it's become very rare, but Guerlain has managed to get hold of some now. From what I've read, palisander rosewood is quite a special kind of wood with fresh and spicy nuances - including of the lavender type. The base indeed shares an accord with Santal Pao Rosa from their premium line, although these are very different perfumes. SPR is a charred meat oriental, Palissandro is an airy, all occasion, all seasons signature scent. In the very drydown (7+ hours later) I get pepper and patchouli which again remind me of akigalawood. I didn't get any rose until my second full wear. It's there, a bit sweet. I'm glad I got a sample instead of just sniffing a blotter and moving on. Forte Rosa Palissandro needs more attention. Unisex but the bottle is very feminine.

This is to Guerlain Santal Royal what PDM Greenley is to Layton. The citric/sour/woody back amped to 1000% without the other decorative herbal/oud-y components. It is reminiscent of Santal 33 uber-green, dill-pickle accord, heavy coriander-geranium opening that lasts over an hour and a half. The palissandro/santal is so concentrated it comes off as lipsmacking, nose-melting sour and pungent. Think of breaking a rosewood branch and smelling it immediately, but times a thousand. The rose sometimes shines through the dense, fresh forest wood cuttings, green, and smoky. I have honestly never seen a rose accord be treated this way (except for Santal Royal, but it's masked with the rest of the notes). It's an interesting wear, for sure. If you're into sweet scents, this is not the place for you. To my nose, this is dry and very masculine despite the pink juice and box. One thing to note: I had been given a sample of this when I purchased another Guerlain fragrance; My sample seemed to have a deep, fleshy-yet-green, dewy rose emanating from it that my full bottle does seem to have. The 2ml sample had clearly matured, as samples do, I wonder if all my bottle needs is some air to breathe. I could smell the palissandro through the cellophane before unboxing it; it's so strong. I'll come back to this in a year should my bottle change with time. It's a "I respect you" for now.

I love this. Personally I think it smells like a contemporary woody rose (more soft wood than it is rose) with depth that is somehow wearable in the summer. It's rich but not too heavy, has depth but is not trying too hard, and I would find this equally appealing on anybody else regardless of gender as I do on myself. I wore it night before last and felt honestly very sexy and sophisticated. I did receive compliments on it but I was already loving it before the commentary. I think this would also be great in the fall and winter so to me this could be an all seasons option which I don't find for myself often. It lasts for hours and hours and the sillage is about arms length. It will be my next full bottle purchase.

I can not get this out of my head. This, on me, is such an interesting scent. Like a gothic rosy fragrance and its a very hard thing to find! Usually dark leaning rose fragrances are heavyy on the patchouli, smell old or musty. But this is such a clean yet dark, velvet like red roses, also does not invoke rose water. It is not screechy which is also a rare thing because with rose scents there is usually a lemony scent to invoke freshness and this turns the fragrance too vibrant and harsh on the nose. This scent is dark, gothic, round and clean, alive, its unique and very well done. I need to get a big bottle of this as soon as possible, I need this beauty.

Earthy rose on complex aromatic architecture. If you don't like woody or vegetal smells this is not for you. I'm normally ambivalent about rose fragrances because they tend to high-femme floral, dark opulence, or vintage powder, none of which I reach for. This is a truly unisex fragrance: a scrambling desert rose in full bloom, trellised on a walled kitchen garden. The watering from the morning is evaporating in the midday sun, bringing the smells of soil and herbs. A love at first sniff situation. Projection and sillage are high moderate, the trail is more noticeable in warmer weather but is not shouty. Longevity is very good ~6-8h.

This is my signature scent. Androgynously elegant. The lightness and sweetness of the rose, the richness of the palisander wood, and the spiciness of the coriander blend so well. It's not complex, but sophisticated and well-balanced. There is something ancient about this scent--somehow it reminds me of ancient Greece. I would use Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema's painting "The roses of Heliogalabus" to describe it. I've been using this scent for over 3 years now and still I cannot stop smiling when I smell it. It projects well and lasts very long. A masterpiece.

I tasted it today but I can't wait to go back and get my full bottle. This is what I imagine nature smells like. The most perfect combination between rose and wood. For those complaining about coriander (cilantro) as Mexican I eat it almost everyday and let me tell you, it's so well blended that it's impossible to identify it on this fragrance the earthy take on it I will attribute it more to the patchouli (which I adore) and sandal. You are walking in a big Italian garden of roses after a rainy day... this is Rosa Palissandro

What I get is a lovely, unsweetened rose on a light woody background - think Santal33 and Timbuktu teaming up to give a dewy rose a badass makeover. It also reminds me a bit of Vaara, with the freshness of the rose and the tart top notes. Intelligent, reserved, and elegant without being stiff. I fell in love right away, and three days later I had my bottle. Longevity is good; the scent itself is quiet but present. Feminine in its beauty, masculine in its understatement, I can see this being worn by men too.

I think @LaContessina has a point, this is somewhat fougere-adjacent. It starts off with a mouth watering, lemon zest-y rose and rosewood, but then, as the rose dries up and becomes a bit soapier, the coriander and a strong sandalwood (of the dill-y kind à la Santal33 or Margiela’s Autumn Vibes ) come out and the whole mix somehow reminds me of lavender essential oil. This is very long lasting and by far the best smelling and unique out of the 3 new AA Fortes.

I’ve been wearing Rosa Palissandro Forte every day for weeks now. It surprised me how quickly I’ve grown to love it. In its essence, it’s a woody rose scent, but it feels like more than that. There’s a quiet depth to it and it stems from some sort of vegetal note in the back. I’ve seen other reviewers mentioning savory nuances and I feel that is what my nose is reading as vegetal. Reserved and elegant. Classic with a modern twist. 10/10 for me.

I absolutely adore this and my husband loves it on me. It opens a bit sour but in an intriguing way because of the underlying scent of forest drought. That’s what the coriander and rosewood does here....with the farsenol and geraniol. But it settles down pretty quickly. On me it develops into a dry, smoky, woody rose. Driftwood, with a slight sweetening of rose, anchored with patchouli. Killer longevity and really good projection.

This is a beast mode fragrance if you like sandelwood. I'm unfortunately one of those people that doesn't like sandelwood heavy scents, like santal 33, this fragrance is like santal 33 had a baby with a tart rich rose fragrance. Both notes are very prominent. It would be perfect if you wanted more of a femine twist on santal 33, but sadly not for me unfortunately. I have a full 100ml bottle for sale if anyone's interested 💟

The most ideal floral scent I could wear without smelling sweet feminine longevity gave me about 6 hours the dry down is where the magical lays really lovely damask sandal rosewood like you're walking in a field of planted roses during the early morning, I quite like it Presentation / Atomizer (Superb) Scent Quality / Uniqueness 3.5 Longevity / Performance 4 (6H+) Versatility / Occasions 3 Price Point 2 Final Verdict: 3.4

woody rose -geranium fragrance that's fresh (rose), spicy aromatic (geranium) and also creamy woody (sandalwood). all three notes that i adored and blended nicely. light enough for hot summer day yet also warm enough for cooler nights. Perfect for anyone, ladies and gents alike. on the other hand, i can see why some not like this fragrance. the coriander is a hint of unique here, which i adored (while other might not).

This i feel is a masterpiece and i can't understand the 3,60!! beautiful roses with sandalwood- a very serious fragrance, good quality *something you can wear when you want to smell like a Victorian rich lady 🤩,not a princess but a Queen. You are wearing a lot expensive jewellery with deep red stones on your fingers and your dress is a velvety black and red, long, austere one. I love this ❤️

This one just arrived this morning and I totally don't get the dislike and hate reactions. This is gorgeous and like nothing I have in my extensive rose collection. Totally delighted with it, it smells so special. It is a perfect marriage of rose and the palisanderwood. Wonderfully mysterious while at the same time fresh and airy. I'm enchanted. It's perfectly unisex too I think.

I know our noses will never relay the exact same things to us, but how this fragrance has an overall rating of 3.6/5 is beyond me. It’s a beautiful, stripped down rose and sandalwood. On my skin, I get the rose very easily and the coriander not so much in the opening. I’m very impressed, perhaps more impressed because I was expecting something bad, judging by the reviews.

Most negative reviews and the rating doesn't seem to correspond to the reality. It seems people want Thierry Wasser, Jean-Paul Guerlain or even Jacques Guerlain back. The reviews from Delphine Jelk Guerlain frags don’t seem to be strictly about the fragrances, unfortunately. It would be nice to read unbiased reviews back.

This is my total love at first sniff. It smells to me somehow "ancient" - like I was in ancient Rome or Egypt, I don ́t know, how to describe it more precisely. I love beautiful woody accent of this perfume, in combination with lemon and coriander it is really unique. It is unisex, it can be worn by women as well as men.