Absolue de Mousse

Let me start by saying my nose is so unsophisticated you should stop reading now. That said I am wearing Absolue De Mousse for the first time right now. The initial spray had me regretting my purchase and really my spraying it on my arm. To me the first thing I smell is the scent of orange blossom perfume sold in old Florida citrus stands and tourist stops. This is not the scent of real orange blossoms in the air (driving through a blooming orange grove at night is one of the most magical smells you can experience), it is the orange blossom and soap maybe with rose smell of these inexpensive perfumes. To me always kind of old lady. Thankfully this was gone in about five minutes and slowly so was the soapiness. Again I don't know what I am talking about but the slightly and I mean slightly floral and very green resinous with a hint of leather this settles into around the thirty minute mark is totally different than anything I have smelled in the last twenty five years. To me it almost has a pine sent to it or at least the same type of dry down that is in the family of the original Polo. Yes, I am old enough to have worn that back in the 80's and I almost exclusively did! It is not a copy of it but again the green, resinous and slight hint of leather speaks out to me in the same way. This stuff is powerful too. I sprayed a little on the inside of an elbow and then on the opposite wrist . . . when I realized how the dry down was going I sprayed once on my chest. I have no idea the sillage or projection but it is all I can smell over an hour maybe two hours later. Glorious! I can't wait to see how long this goes . . . and more importantly I hope my wife will enjoy it (or at least not object to it).

There are a thousand comments one could make about this fragrance. I prefer to leave the deep dives into individual notes to those with more time. However, I have been obsessed with Rogue Perfumery since I was first introduced to Bon Monsieur several years back, but didn’t start to expand my personal collection of Rogue scents until this year. Purchased Mousse Illuminee and was even more turned on to this house and Manny. Shortly thereafter had to purchase the entire line, save a couple highly feminine or floral options. Never a regret, as there is no house more honed in to classic perfum techniques that actually perform than Rogue. Upon purchasing, Mousse Illuminee quickly became my current favorite in my large niche collection. It leaped to the top of my desert island scents. When I saw Absolue de Mousse available I immediately needed to have it. Described as inspired by the soul of Mousse Illuminee, what’s not to love. Sometimes when you purchase a fragrance you feel so hyped about it can let you down. This was not one of those instances. If you love the round, richness of Mousse Illuminee’s dry down then you love Absolue de Mousse. I also recommend layering the pair. It’s a lovely combination. Overall, what a beautiful scent. Backup bottle worth and I hope they keep this in the line and expand to a 75ml option soon. Looking forward to what other creations Manny and the Rogue team come up with next.

Having previously sampled just about every Rogue fragrance, I was cautiously optimistic going into this new release. Mousse Illuminee blew me away and really instilled Cross’ approach and talent for me. Fougere L’Aube and Tabac Vert were additional favorites. Absolue de Mousse is exactly how I want to smell. Initially, the opening caught me off guard, but I could get the DNA underneath this, and knew I had to wait. About 2-4 minutes in it begins to open up with the zing of artemisia and and bright oakmoss. I didn’t get the resinous quality until a bit later, however. The sharpness of the artemisia begins to round out with the introduction of nutmeg, cloves, and rose which blend together to create a simply beautiful scent. The resinous myrrh and olibanum provide a perfect framing aspect to the main accords. This scent is addictive and just wonderful. It is classic but not outdated, unique but not strange. The green qualities of Absolue de Mousse are more lush and earthy than those of Mousse Illuminee; simply a difference of preference. This is masterful work, the description of having layers is spot on. I enjoyed sitting and taking my time with this fragrance. It stands on its own next to Mousse Illuminee as a more complex, subtle experience that I myself slightly prefer to the up front classic scent of Mousse Illuminee. Cross has done it again, and I can’t wait for my full bottle to arrive.

I received an email from M. Cross early in 2024 after I made a purchase of a fragrance and asked about another that had been discontinued. (Flora and Fauna) Here was what he told me and I believe this is the fragrance he was referring to in that email: "I have been working on another all-natural chypre fragrance. It is super floral, powdery and even aldehydic! I utilized some essential oils that naturally have an extremely high aldehyde content to achieve the effect. I’ll gladly send you a sample but it will be after the 6th. I’ll email you a heads-up once it mails out. " "Absolue de Mousse" was released in 2024 and Bonded came in 2025 so it has to be this one but I am not sure if this is all natural chypre or it would be written on the bottle like he did with Flora and Fauna. He probably added something that was synthetic late in its development so he was unable to label it as he intended at first. Thats my guess anyway until I get a response from Manny on this mystery. This is a great fragrance that takes the original in a different direction which is more floral and subtle.

Absolue de Mousse is the latest release from Rogue, and it’s yet another banger. To me this scent combines an intensely sharp, aromatic fougere character with a darker, warmer fresh spicy feel. There’s a lot going on which makes it hard to pick out what you’re actually smelling. Most obvious to my nose, is the fresh spicy facet - artemisia and sage bring out this almost sour bitterness which is thankfully tempered and softened by creamy mosses. The then spicy side of this development is brought on by a hefty dose of nutmeg which typically should be warming but definitely feels as though it’s been freshened up by everything else. In the base, myrrh, frankincense and labdanum make for a thick chewiness which gives it that punch. Overall, I think it’s fantastic. It’s got all the character of Rogue Perfumery and simply oozes contemporary creativity. It’s not the usual sort of scent profile I’d wear, but despite that I want a bottle - it’s a truly unique and wonderful release.