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.

Trades the grape-y top note of Mousse Illuminee for a deeper darker wormwood, and earthy character. However it doesn’t completely leave the brightness of Mousse Illuminee behind, it still has some bright bitter moss top notes, and some clean white florals. With all that said, I believe this differentiates itself plenty well to stand on its own. I impulse bought a bottle and am very happy I did. It’s bright, spicy, herbal, and earthy. A vintage smell with an interesting and novel spin. Very much worth a try. I’ve sampled just about every perfume from this house, and I think this is definitely one of my favorites.

The initial blast is pretty pungent and might throw some people off, but after a couple of minutes this smoothes out, and you are now in heavens garden!! I'm getting vintage Cosmair RL Polo vibes, only much higher quality and still referencing the original Mousse Illuminee. This one is good, like.. really good! Absolue de Mousse is not as strong as my Mousse Illuminee, but maybe that's a good thing haha. It lasts a hell of a long time on skin, but doesn't project as much as MI. This is definitely not redundant to own if you already own MI, they are quite different. 7/10

Lives up to very high expectations. Mousse Illuminee is my favorite scent, and this is taking the same DNA with some twist. I feel this one is greener and damper. Dry down is beautiful. money well spent !

Another banger from Idaho! Amazing! I actually prefer it over the original one as it leans more towards a high end Polo. Perfect for the Fall and Winter.

If you liked Tom Ford Patchouli Absolute, layer this with Molecule 01 + Patchouli.

It's very hard to characterize this since it's an odd mixture of notes--probably it would be best termed a green aromatic amber. It was conceived of as an intensification of the notes of Rogue Perfumer's most famous fragrance, Mousse Illuminée, which is one of the few masculine Rogue scents I actually don't care as much for because I consider it too camphoraceous. But this isn't similar in that regard, and is quite enjoyable and unusual in its own right, taking the notes of Mousse Illuminée and doing something else with them. I'm not super-fond of the jumbled, artemesia-heavy opening. But when that dies down, this becomes something very remarkable--very mossy and dank and sensual. It reminds me somewhat of Chypre Mousse from Oriza L. LeGrand, but also in its own way of one of the hypermasculine leathers like HdP's 1725 (even though this doesn't actually have leather in it). Like those fragrances, this is probably something I am more likely to enjoy at home then wear out because it's unusually potent. But enjoy it I shall nonetheless.

The opening reminds me of the first time I tried Mousse Illuminee, and its very first iteration. I know Cross and co say they have never reformulated any of their fragrances, but I seem to remember first bottle of mousse Illuminee (2019) leaving quite sticky residue at the spray nozzle as well as having much darker juice. In any case, the strong artemisia note at the start of absolue is reminiscent of that first time trying mousse Illuminee. It's a lovely, but potent, medicinal and herbal smell (I no longer get this from my new 2025 bottle of mousse Illuminee) that I am not prepared for others to smell! I kinda love it though. Grape soda has been mentioned and I can get that. Once this settles down, I get a wonderfully blended fragrance. It's like a slightly sticky chypre, not like those super dry traditional ones, although this is clearly a classic fragrance and probably not for those who prefer modern fragrances. Overall: 7/10. Probably won't get a full bottle but I can imagine this growing on me.

This is clearly a flanker — the same associations come to mind right away, especially the initial grape soda note. What’s the actual difference? I thought it might be darker, but it’s more like an emphasis on that juicy aspect, like grape soda, which makes the scent feel more linear. Maybe it’s a bit rougher? There’s an addition pushing it toward tartness — more red currants, more sensory aspects similar to Egoiste Platinum than something creamy. The break from creaminess isn’t total, but enough to cut off a certain special, magical, and challenging quality of the original that seems key to this fragrance. It becomes more restrained, more subdued — Illuminee resonates like a tough, wild resin, while Absolue closes itself in a cage. Still, it remains original and very good. It’s a bit like taking Illuminee and adding some Bon Monsieur aspects — a blend of wildness and elegance.

In the opening it's like a mix of Musse Illuminee original with the pine/minty aspects of Antonio's Puig Quorum. Doesn't have that fizzy green grape accord of its predecessor, it's more mature, the white flowers are toned down and it's more heavy on the Artemisia along with the labdanum! On the far dry down both versions are almost identical. You can't not like it if you like the original and it performs better, but still cannot beat the OG!

The opening of this flanker is rough. It ultimately levels out and becomes just as beautiful as the original, but it's a shame you've got to wade through that brash, weedy opening to get there. If you're looking to buy one or the other, get the other. Mousse Illuminee is where it's at. It's what niche is all about.

I love this one. Treemoss and oak moss are major, giving that bright bitterness; the myrrh is what I take to give it the sweet, resinous balance. More earthy/resinous than Mousse Illuminee, I think. It’s impossible for me to pick a preference between the two — both damn near magical fragrances, to me.

I really liked Mouse Illuminee so thought Absolue de Mousse would fall into place - maybe similar but stronger or a slight twist. Well, no, that's not what it is. It is significantly different. The opening was rather repulsive - in the air it was a weird kinda scent that was hard to describe, however nose to skin took on a somewhat fishy smell. As it dried down, the scent improved with nose to skin becoming more pine-y while in the air it became a strange blend of resin and musty earth. Overall, did not care for it. Performance was good with excellent longevity and slightly above average projection. I'll pass on this one.

Absolue subsitutes wrigley's spearmint vibe from Mousse Illuminée for root beer and something which I could only describe as malty. As it is the case with most Rogue fragrances, Absolue de Mousse lacks a bit of refinement while the blend is pretty rough and Cross' limitations as a self-taught perfumer become apparent. The eternal dilemma of the autodidact.

This house is meant to bring a modern take on traditional colognes, but I find this incredibly traditional and boring. We've all smelled this a million times from a ton of different perfumeries.

Why does this opening smell like cold cuts of turkey? Absolue the worst thing I have ever smelled. Why would someone ever make an opening like this? It needs to be reformulated ASAP.