Tocade 2013

It's hard to find the right adjectives to describe Rochas Tocade... it is so beautifully crafted. It's a Luca Turin favourite for a very good reason. There's an old-fashioned quality to Rochas Tocade that nods to legendary perfume juggernauts of yesteryear such as Guerlain Shalimar, yet it still manages to smell 'modern' at the same time. I can see any women in every age group pulling this off effortlessly. It does not smell like any of the new perfumes (read: fizzy fruitchoulis) being marketed and churned out as of late, but somehow it doesn't smell dated. Although Tocade smells very upscale, sexy and feminine, it's very also bright and cheerful; Tocade is a happy fragrance that puts a smile on my face. It smells "fluffy" in a way as it's quite endearing and cuddly. The soft and sweet pillowiness of this fragrance makes it a great comfort fragrance. Now, I have never tried the original formulation but I'm very pleased by the 2013 reformulated juice. To me, Tocade is very much a vanilla-rose affair from the top down so in that respect it's pretty linear, but it reveals so many different facets of that wonderful accord. Still, Tocade manages to be masterfully blended; the notes in this perfume all meld together so seamlessly, that they smell like an entire "single" note. It is niche quality stuff. At first, Tocade opens with salted pepper note (?!) which is then followed by a heady, boozy rose liqueur. The vanilla at the beginning is very innocent-seeming, but that doesn't last long. She starts to uncover her true nature in a come-hither way, firstly captivating you with a happy, girl-next-door vanilla and then she is reveals herself as dark, ambery and sexy. I agree with another reviewer that there's a certain spice added to the vanilla that is not listed in the notes--cinnamon, to be exact (I guess Maurice Roucel is very masterful at creating spicy vanilla aromas). The rose is very lush and full in the heart, with the whole composition encapsulated with powdery iris and a touch of freshness from the magnolia. Eventually, the rose becomes more demure, and becomes more buttery. The vanilla fully blooms on the skin, thick but soft at the same time. The composition is grounded by sensual woods to balance that quality and gives the fragrance depth. People are saying that this reminds them of the Turkish delight (loukhoum) dessert and while I wouldn't necessarily disagree with this assessment, Tocade never really smells foody at all to me. The rose is too luscious and fresh, and actually has a wet quality in the top and heart stages. The deep vanilla in this IS reminiscent of vanilla extract, but it's grounded by inedible sandalwood and iris. The sillage and longevity of Tocade is excellent. Two sprays is all I need to last the whole day, and I have fragrance-eating skin. I was surprised to find out that this was only an eau de toilette and not eau de parfum! It definitely feels more like one. The quality of this fragrance would suggest a higher sticker price, so this is a complete steal in my opinion. This is a love for me.

I never smelled the original formula. But this one I quite like it. People keep saying this is a cheapie: well perhaps in their countries it is but not in mine: I blind bought this yesterday for 27€, wich is not cheap in my book. Not very expensive either thought for a Rochas. They only kept one solitary bottle of this at the Rochas stand at Primor, and was almost hidden on the lower shelves, with no tester at all. The fact of this being an affordable Rochas and all the rave reviews was what made me blind buy it. This is not cloying, no extremely foody, this is not your usual sickengly sweet teen vanilla. Vanilla in here has the same adult, sexy vibe as in Vanille Noir by Yves Rocher, only not as dry and not so unisex. Also reminds me of the vanilla in Hypnotic Poison because this is all grown-up and sexy, and the cozyness and powder of the vanilla in Soplo Tierna by Mercadona (a lovely clean powdery vanilla-musk cheapie, you can buy 50ml plus a body milk for 3 ́50€). It does not last long on my skin, a pity (longer on clothes) and sillage is light to moderate, wich makes this very wearable during the day, in hot weather and working enviroments. But this is not a serious fragance: on the contrary this is cheery and playful. The woods and citrus in here lend it a bit of freshness and the mix of roses and vanilla is somehow unusual, very perfumey and classy smelling. There ́s something slightly oily and indolic too, perhaps the magnolia. This is so very distinctive, and I ́ve never smelled this on anyone before, also it ́s not intrusive and propper for every occasion so this would be a lovely signature scent. Curiously I think I smell some jazmine too and a bit of tobacco even it ́s not listed on the notes. I love powdery scents, and even thought this is no extremely powdery like Kenzo Flower, it has a certain powdery feeling of expensive make up and vintage fumes. This reminds me a lot of Maderas de Oriente: the same distinctive mix of vanilla and roses, carnation, iris, citrics and powder, the same creamyness. But there ́s actually some woods in here at the bottom that Maderas de Oriente lacks in favor of musk and pink pepper, making this somehow more unisex and more perfumey. I love it and I think if you love Maderas de Oriente you ́re going to love this too.

With the relaunch of classic Rochas perfumes it is interesting to note how different are opinions and feedbacks about these gems. I, personally, find the new version of Tocade to be amazing despite the fact that it might have been changed slightly. It smells very sensual, elegant and well-rounded, something that could be found at Guerlain boutiques or elsewhere. Another thing to mention is that some French reviewers find this version to be more "original", similarly, as in the case of Madame Rochas and Femme. This leads me to thoughts that the pre-2013 versions could have differed pretty much in the EU countries and the USA. Anyway, I don't feel any nostalgia about the 90's version whose bottle and packaging I find to be hideous. It seems that Rochas is trying to put these perfumes back into the prestige market. Let's hope they don't fail. Upd: Can't explain why but there is a huge difference between Tocade 2013 sold in France and that of Britain. I, probably, won't sound very original, but the French version was WAY better than the one I bought from the UK. Has anyone come across similar issues? I know that some reviewers (from Italy, I guess) described, for instance, new Rochas Femme as an awful piece of perfume, why I know that Russian reviewers find it to be closer to the original, so it makes me wondering if perfumes are somehow "adapted" to local markets...The UK version is almost identical to Charrier "Ambre".

I LOVE this perfume. It's different from the rest. To me, it's a dry vanilla, so different from Jessica Simpson's Fancy, but I love both. To me, Tocade smells like a woodsy vanilla with a soapy touch ... I'm guessing from the cedar. So pretty. It's not harsh or overpowering or spicy. Just a smooth vanilla wood scent that lingers so mildly and yet so long. Even my mom said it was very pretty .... and she's usually telling me I put on toooo much perfume ... but you know how it is, after a while you can't smell it on yourself .... Edit: This is quickly becoming one of my favourite go-to perfumes. My mom, who cannot stand most perfumes says this is the only one she can wear. I think what makes it so unique is adding the cedar to the vanilla .... no other vanilla scent like this.

I mostly get rose and wood with the vanilla toned down. Just a lot of metallic rose and wood. The rose is deep, dark and shimmery. The metallics make it very luminous to me. It smells like Tocade, but it's grounded, not magical. Where I see a bright and beautiful fairy wearing the original, this is for mortals having tea with the fairy princess. Very pretty. Update: When I wore this in colder weather the cedar seemed separate from the blend. Now in summer it's seamless. Longevity and sillage are very good. Even with my poor sense of smell, I can smell it all day, with arms length projection. If I take a deep breath it comes through under my facemask. The top I wore yesterday still smelt lovely this morning.

I have both this version and the newer one in the red and blue bottle, and I love both. This one is more wood and iris to my nose through most of the wear time, while the newer one is more rose and vanilla forward. They both do showcase all the listed notes, just in different ratios throughout the wear. This is just the kind of thing I love to wear, and it's one of just a couple of perfumes that really feels like 'me' and I feel comfortable wearing anytime. It's one of those 'little bit of everything' that I love perfumes; rosey floral, dry sweetness from a very nice vanilla, woods, earthy iris, powdery violet. I don't plan to ever be without this perfume, it's a love 💕.

This is the smell of metallic perfection.. I have been yearning for such a smell for years and the only resemblance of the soul (not the smell) of this fragrance that I came across was Vera Wang's Look. Although they do not smell similar, they have the same spirit through their metallic wooden flowers... This smells divine and is best suited for the night, I have yet to smell the original Tocade and decide which one I like better... The notes my nose picks up the most are the vanilla cedar rose mix with a hint of iris

I get rose and vanilla, sometimes it is kind of a rose liqueur, sometimes it is very vanilla (reminds me sometimes of the vanilla in Vanilla Fields), sometimes has a spicy rose/vanilla combo (and in my skin the spice is aniseed, which is an incredibly strange but excellent combo).Unlike other people, n my skin Tocade is a night perfume, very incense-y too. Longevity and sillage are quite good, lasts for the whole day with heavy to moderate sillage for 3 hours.

I love this scent and can't believe it's taken me 5 years to get around to reviewing it. I'll never forget the first time I smelled this--opened it in my bedroom on a cold late winter day, and it FILLED the room with a gorgeous floral vanilla. I was immediately smitten, and still am! If you enjoy vanilla and/or rose scents, I think you can't go wrong with this.

to christianne1 Totally agree. I intended to mention the same but forgot. If you checked Rochas website, you would actually notice that the notes in 2013 version are the same as listed in the "original" version.

I love it! One of the best blind buys!!! It is oriental, rich and deep. A classy french lady in Chanel suit! Love! 1~10 scale. I would rate a 15.

Wow. This is what my fabulous mother smelled like in the 90s. I love it. I think I will be wearing this every day in winter.

I can't comment on the 90's version of Rochas Tocade because this is my first experience. I bought this one because I like the bottle better (minus the cap) and I read here that some people liked it better. Opens with a light burning rubber smell, thankfully it passes quickly. (I have not read a similar experience so it's probably just me.) Predominantly vanilla with some florals and cedar. I'm also picking up an amber accord, which is listed in the original composition. And I pick up a faint bergamot or citrus scent in the middle. For the price, it's a great performer and I find it intriguing. A thumbs up but not a love. (the opening, albeit short lived, needs improvement). I will test this out again in cold weather, and update if anything changes. edit: decided to let go of this scent, I don't hate it but it's not a love.

The original Tocade is one of my first big, I mean BIG faves of my adult years (mid-noughties) - it used to be my happy-go-lucky scent, also greatly appreciated by my then-suitors, but I had a huge clearup before I restarted my pefume collection and the last empty bottle ended up in the bin..I regret it now, as a full size bottle is hard to find and became quite pricey.. I just ordered a bottle of this reformulated version. Updates coming soon. I`m quite curious how could they make it even better.. EDIT: Well, it is slightly disappointing compared to the original..Still the same idea, but this one is defo more masculine,more woody than the original that I adore. Still wearable, but to my nose there`s too much cedar and not quite enough vanilla. I advise to buy the original instead..

Hit of citrus in the top with vanilla and powder from the iris, tiny floral note with tiny woody note and a little tiny geranium to spice it up; a pretty, powdery vanillic scent with florals in the base, very close to the skin, doesn't last long and sweeter

Reformulation 2013 - It smells as good, as it ever did - it smells even better, fruitier and less powdery.

2013 Reformulation Hmmmmm - I was expecting a big VANILLA but mostly what I get is a little vanilla with a lot of patchouli, cedar & powdery amber. The flowers are there but they barely provide a background note. I don't hate this - which surprises me since I really do not like patchouli. But it's only a kind of like for me. I want more dark and rich vanilla & it's just not here. It's not that complex - didn't this used to be more complex?! It's very good but not great. This lasts & lasts on me. I still smell it the next day.

Disappointing, especially so since I love and respect this house. I'm not really getting the listed notes. There's vanilla in the drydown, but the strongest note throughout is an odd, powdery one that I'm not enjoying. Maybe it's trying to be iris? When I want a rose-y vanilla, I'll be sticking to JPG Classique eau de parfum, which I strongly prefer.

Highly commended by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez as an underrated gem composed by Maurice Roucel, I finally bought a bottle in my Xmas order and am pleased to report that Tocade is just wonderful. That I didn't have to part with a great many dollars for it was a Xmas present in itself. And it slotted in to the festive season with great aplomb, the Turkish delight blending with vanilla and geranium rose that in turn blended with Xmas mince pies and egg nog. Tocade's use of magnolia reminded me of what Un Matin D'Orage should have been at a fraction of the price. Included here is a little excerpt of Maurice Roucel talking to Cafleurlebon on his favourite note. "MR: It certainly is not michelia centifloria...where did that come from. Who said that? You can’t trust everything you read :) But I did discover a species of magnolia that is not my signature, but I am very proud of finding and creating, it’s an extraction from a Chinese magnolia. Ambergris is my favorite" I believe the magnolia in Tocade is this invention of Roucel's. Mine is the reformulated perfume, which I am led to believe did not suffer much and may have had a compensatory factor added for goodwill.

Uh oh , a perfume with 7 notes only ? If it is really so , firms are very smart : they use a famous name , famous brand and they can sell all the "fragrance" they want if they persuade people that old Tocade is old fashioned and the new one is more desirable . They canceled notes , well , they should also shorten the name ...from Tocade to either Toc which means fake in French :-) or Ade , which means the world of the dead in Italian ( also very suitable : Old Tocade rest in peace ) A little anecdote : A shop in my Island , located in a very fashionable and glamorous tourist area, lanced its perfume with 6 notes ! wow , what a richness :-) ... pyramidal structure , of course , with SUGAR in the base notes ( what a backbone ! ) . Named Mojito ... The recipe of the drink also contains sugar , so they must have obviously put it into the fragrance which smelled of light cheap aftershave , but was sold at a very expensive price . Well , I am a woman but If I were a man I would never wear this Mojito as an aftershave as a beard usually grows too next to the nose . This makes me go hunting some more back up oldies .