The Myth

A slightly dusty, potpourri-ish rose (on the order of Portrait of a Lady or that Byredo Rose or No Man's Land or whatever it's called) over an assertive woody base and slightly laundrylike white musk. Scentwise, it's vaguely reminiscent of Paris-Paris by Chanel and Idôle L'Intense. The packaging could not be prettier. I also love the bottle for related Gucci dupe Chant for the Nymph. These are great alternatives to the appealing but wildly overpriced Gucci OGs. I think the people who dislike this must have an issue with the woodsy notes, which have a slight "pencil shavings" vibe, although that's a positive association for me. I just adore Maison Alhambra/Lattafa. As it dries down, it also really reminds me of Caswell Massey's vintage throwback Marem. Update, three days later: I'm upgrading the longevity on this because on fabric it is eternal. I sprayed some unbleached muslin with a bit of The Myth three days ago, when I first logged this review, and I can still smell all the main notes. On fabric, especially hours into the drydown, I simply do not think it would be possible to distinguish this from the other, more expensive perfumes that it references. Clean, woody, faintly spicy, with a slightly nostalgic mien. Update: 9/22/2025: There is something about this that reminds me of being in my Estee-Lauder-loving great-aunt's scrupulously clean, antique-filled house in the 70s and 80s. There is also something vaguely reminiscent of old church pew wood with incense. I like it, but it's not a huge projector, and I don't think to wear it very often because I'm not always in the mood to conjure complex and ambivalent memories, or to smell like some middle-aged good southern Baptist lady's immaculate guest bedroom. I would love to get my nose on the wildly overpriced Gucci original to compare/contrast, but I don't think that will happen. My guess, though, is that the Gucci original (A Song for the Rose) contains many more notes than the three listed, and some of these notes overlap with the ones listed in The Myth. I consider this very unisex, although I don't think my husband would wear it.

I have three from this 'inspired by' collection, The Myth, The Chant, and the Serpent. I don't have any of the expensive ones this is based on, but I have smelled them and I love them and so I ordered these cheaper versions so I could have the scent profiles in my collection. I can't really compare them directly, I plan to go smell them all again at the Gucci boutique at some point, maybe buy the real thing if I come into some cash! I love rose scents. I don't think it smells cheap. It has a nice incense-y rose-y smell. It lasts a long time for a cheapy. To gauge my enthusiasm, my collection has less than 20 full size bottles, and I have just ordered a back up bottle/gifting bottle of this cause I love it that much! Post Edit: I have returned and made some edits to this review. ----So I do think the first few minutes smell a bit crazy, and maybe a bit synthetic...but I still love it. If I compare it to other rose scents I would stick with my initial impression, this is kind of an incense rose, woody notes are listed, but not oud and it's not a rose oud. It is not a fresh rose, not a dewy rose, not a waxy rose. I still can't really speak on how close it smells to the Gucci. I do know The Chant smells a lot like the Gucci, but I am still not sure about this one, I plan to sniff it again.

Dry, spicy, musky rose with minimal sweetness. My decant and bottle differ slightly. The decant opens with more apparent tangy bergamot and peppery spice while these notes emerge later in the bottle's development, but they both eventually come around to an appealing dusty aromatic musk. MFK l'Homme à la Rose handles musky rose in a similar way, but without the spice and tang. The expensive Gucci original is richer and more dimensional, unsurprisingly, but The Myth is much improved by layering a dab of a strong dark rose (Montale Roses Musk, TF Noir de Noir). A great value if you like the fragrance profile, and definitely a best buy at under $20 USD.

This is a strong, prominent Bulgarian rose note that settles into a woody, musky base with hints of cinnamon. The floral notes are fresh and photorealistic, a good attempt in its reimagination of Gucci A Song for the Rose. I'm a dude that likes rocking rose scents so let me tell you it ain't no grandma rose. It comes off feeling plenty masculine with the spices and woods, never particularly sweet.

Realistic rose with hints of wood. That’s it. 8/10