Rose Highland

Early on in my fragrance journey, I thought of rose scents—along with most florals, really—as something outside my wheelhouse. Despite being theoretically opposed to the idea of gender in perfume, in practice I still tend to gravitate towards more unisex or masc-coded smells. However, I’ve become increasingly interested in the idea that wearing a rose fragrance could be a cool flex for me and I’ve been seeking out weirder” roses (whether green, earthy, peppery, salty, or otherwise) that read as “unisex” to me. Of the ones I’ve found, Jorum’s Rose Highland might be my favourite. It’s a cool, bracing scent that opens with a startlingly realistic ocean breeze, salty and mineralic, surrounding the impression of wild rosebushes with herbaceous notes that vividly transport you to a Scottish cliff carpeted with scrubby, flowering heather, overlooking the ocean. Basil imparts an aromatic green touch as sharp pink pepper and cloves spice up the rose’s supporting florals (geranium, rhododendron, and jasmine). This isn’t some pampered hothouse rose, it’s a rugged, thorny one, with just a handful of dark-red blooms. It has a forlorn, solitary flavour, bleak but romantic, perfect for gazing longingly out to sea while swathed in a shaggy Shetland sweater and tartan scarf, listening to plaintive Scottish indie pop. As it dries down, the oceanic notes recede and the rose blooms seem to dessicate into dried petals wrapped in a woody, grassy vetiver, still salty, maybe a little tear-stained. It’s a beautiful, evocative scent that I find very unisex, and it’s also an extrait with impressive stamina: like a cliffside shrub, it’s built to last and won’t be uprooted by inclement weather. Quite possibly my overall favourite Jorum creation (though their recent release Boswellia Scotia is also a top contender).🌹 🥀 🌹

Rose Highland by Jorum Studio. (photo in fragram by Grim, review by Maria) A reconstructed, naturalistic rose. Like shards of a shattered mirror in which it reflected and continues to reflect, fluttering in the wind. Very green, with a citrus undertone, dense with geranium, fragile, and prickly. The mood is minor and unsettling. It clings with its sharp thorns to a rocky cliff, struggling to survive in harsh conditions and attract those who are not fond of the usual garden beauty. However, the flower is sometimes drowned out by the mineral notes of salty stones, some of which are covered in moss on a peat base, earthy, almost inky vetiver of a stormy sky, iris-spicy smoke hanging in the mist. This wild, ascetic rose is from the dark tales of the deep Middle Ages. I love wearing it in wet, windy weather when it gains even more momentum with the elements and becomes impossibly good! Like a sea sponge absorbing transparent droplets of the sea, dew, rain, or the “water of life,” tinged with the color of pigeon blood. A very unusual, cold, and tragic thing. Genderless and timeless. Moreover, it’s extremely diffusive, instantly filling a room! Keep in mind that one spray is enough to stay with it for an entire day. And the smaller the dose, the more beautiful Rose Highland becomes! Tags: #fragrance #JorumStudio #RoseHighland #rose #perfume

this is such a beautiful expression of a wild rose. the first time i smelled rose highland i felt transported to the heart of a brontë novel —hear me out, although in different parts of the UK brontë’s england and scottish rose highland are from the same universe. there is something pure, fresh yet devastated and haunted about it. it is a romantic rose but in a truly exalted and tormented 18th century way. i smell the jagged cliffs, i smell the cloudy mist, i smell a wind lightly charged with ocean spray (is this the work of the pepper corn ?) and most of all, i smell delicate but ever present wild roses and heather laced through the windswept and low lying shrubbery of the scottish highlands. everything is wet and mineral, dewdrop jewels hidden among rosy petals. i went on a wild camping hike through parts of the scottish highlands at the end of last summer and the landscapes evoked the very same emotions stirred in me by this perfume.

Edit to add: I went to Scotland and was able to see the Jorum Studio store and try all of their amazing scents. After that visit, I went to Stirling Castle and had a moment where I was standing on the wall walk staring toward the highlands in the north. The cold, damp stone wall near the moist grass and soil, paired with a nearby blooming rosebush, evoked the balance this perfume strikes perfectly. I rushed to the shop when I got back to Edinburgh and purchased it so I can remember that moment forever. **** Impressed is the first word that comes to mind. At first spray, the rose felt a bit "much" but it almost instantly turned into something greener, spicier, and more mineralic. The rose stays, but it allows other players to come forward and do a lovely little dance.

Reviewing a sample from 2025. Rose Highland was launched in 2022. This is a windswept deep red rose on a bed of thorns . This Rose is a bit distorted. Rose Highland opens with a potent metallic slightly spicy rose with leathery- hay undertones.Over time this morphs into a clean metallic accord joined by indistinct florals (mostly geranium) and cloves. It is not sweet, fruity or cloying. A complex base of ambery orris and aromatic woods provides contrast. Quality- excellent Unisex - totally Performance - excellent This is a truly modern interpretation of rose. Should have been called Guns 'n Roses .If you have had enough of rose oud or vintage/ cloying rose scents this is one to try. 9/10