Flora & Fauna

Given that this is all natural I assume that means real civet musk and not civetone. If that is true I am guessing Manuel used an old forgotten bottle of civet musk he sourced at auction. This is likely the missing ingredient as it would be nearly impossible to source newly made civet musk. I have seen African Civet in Cameroun where I live. Unfortunately, I believe it is commonly sold as bush meat (I do not and have not ever eaten it). Everytime I wear this it is a wonderful experience, seems to have a much fuller spectrum then so many modern perfumes. Beyond love, like or hate, the scent really activates my mind. I daydream about real childhood memories as well as places and experiences I have not had but seem like they existed. My first time eating a fuzzy apricot my mother gave me as a boy; Stone fruit in a wooden bowl in a dusty sunlit artists studio; harvesting apricots from underneath the trees in orchid as a flock of sheep grazes; the smell of a beautiful, well dressed blonde women in the 1980s. The perfume does not really fit my personality and I don't think about wearing it often, but it is always a beautiful experience when I wear it for an evening.

This is Manny Cross's first all-natural scent for Rogue Perfumery, and like Chypre-Siam, this is a remarkably successful attempt to pretty much do a true chypre the old-fashioned way. The textbook definition of a chypre is to use citrus as the opening note; and oakmoss heavily in the basenotes: just as Mitsouko famously mixes peach with its opening citrus, Cross cleverly uses the hard-to-place but delightful smell of apricot mixed with the bergamot to open this. It's a heavenly fruity fragrance: I just love it. Cross really can do old-fashioned chypres gorgeously. I am hard pressed as to whether I should buy a full bottle of this or of Chypre-Siam (although since the price of this is twice of CS due to the expensive all-natural ingredients, my choice has been made for me for now). But these are my two favorites of his fragrances. Update: I had to buy a bottle of this in the end because I love this so much (even though I also bought a bottle of Chypre-Siam). The combination of the leather and especially the apricot note make all the difference for me. This is such a special fragrance--I've never smelled anything quite like it.

There is no doubt that this is one of Manuel Cross's very best Chypre fragrances, actually this is among the best modern Chypre fragrances. It is sad that is is not only no longer being made but is nearly impossible to find. It has sort of a tart apricot mossy leather mix that is electric on the skin. So glamorous! The one set back is I wished it had better longevity although I have no qualms about reapplying it after 3 or 4 hours. The scent somewhat reminds me of Rocha Femme only with Civet and more oak moss. I score it 9 /10 because of the longevity issue. Everything else about it is perfect. It took me two years to find this bottle so now I begin looking for a second bottle or hope that Manny cranks this fragrance back up for a second run. His words to me in an email were as follows: "I unfortunately had to discontinue that fragrance (Flora and Fauna) because a few of the key materials are now unavailable. I’ve been trying to procure more in hopes of running a limited re-release but that is all up in the air right now. " Here's hoping he does find the materials he is missing.

The luxury ingredients in this frag have produced a creamy chypre classic. I did not know that high quality oakmoss has a tendency to come across as a creamy scent. This is amazing, sophisticated and possibly one of the best chypre's available today. Manny once again,"respects the old and brings the new". I still feel this is not getting the love it deserves even though it is rated highly. The other citrus notes enhance the theme and I still haven't figured out which classic fragrance Manny tried to modernize. I suspect it is Mitsouko, if it is; this is considerably better but clearly not as original. So scent and quality only, this is a Masterpiece and a must own for all fine fragrance fans. Since I prefer mostly naturals this is an ideal scent. Possibly the only weakness is longevity, sir-coming to the rumour that naturals don't last. 4.5/5

I've never smelled a vintage version of Mitsouko, but if I'd have to take a guess - this is what I think it had smelled like. A photorealistic, dense, deep, fruity sugary peach accord on top of a bed of the greenest oakmoss, leather and civet. It can not get any better than this if you love chypre. This and Chypre Siam are basically the definition of chypre. It is a shame, that his is a limited release (apparently). I ordered a bottle of Chypre-Siam at a perfumery, they gave me a few 0.5ml samples of different Rogue perfumes (just to get an idea of what the perfume smells like) and I have to say, ALL of them are through and through fantastic, masterful! Manuel Cross has become my favorite perfumer within in a heartbeat, his work is art! Fans of vintage fragrances HAVE to test through this house.

If anyone has a bottle they want to part with please reach out.

I'm so ravenously curious about the apricot accord in this. It smells just like the note in Sayat Nova by Bortnikoff, and I never thought I'd encounter such a realistic, delectable apricot in another scent. I must say, though, that I got very little besides apricot from this scent. It was rich, occasionally a little cloying, but that could also just be that in spite of my love for the smell, the apricot specifically does give me a bit of a headache after several hours. For the first half hour, I did perceive some elements of the animalic, but not in a dirty way, more in a way that lent thickness to the overall scent. In the drydown I expected more oakmoss and leather but got none whatsoever. I showered at 6 pm, applied unscented lotion, and used my roller applicator to daub a moderate quantity of Flora & Fauna about 30 minutes after my lotion had dried. I spent the evening in my home (around 24 degrees Celsius, 50% humidity), and there was moderate projection for a few hours. I can still smell occasional faint wafts while typing at my desk at work 16 hours later, and if a lover was close enough to kiss my neck the way I occasionally huff my mouthwateringly apricot wrists, they'd certainly be tempted to take a bite of the yet-noticeable fruity goodness. Perhaps of note is that I received this sample just a week ago. I will do another test in 6 months, and we will see how the scent ages-- perhaps more of the oakmoss perceived by others will come through.

Been a while since I've written a review, but just had to for this. Flora and Fauna is certainly a unique fragrance - spiced apricot cobbler is the main accord on me, and lasts for a good long while (though it does turn less gourmand and more ambery over time). The moss, patchouli, and civet in the base help to tame the sugary sweetness to a certain extent, and make it feel better-blended and more than a tad bit creamy. Definitely leans just a little feminine imho, though still something that can be more than comfortably pulled off by most guys. The quality is certainly there, and it lasts longer than I would've expected, but its just not quite my style. Still disappointed that this has been discontinued due to lack of appropriate materials. 7.5/10

I was so confused on how to feel about this perfume. Someone said “spiced apricot cobbler” and I agree. It’s very interesting and the notes that make up that portion of the scent smell so good. But I am an animalic hater. Civet is a huge turn off for me. That being said, this is one of its better forms. It’s not as offensive as it usually is to me and this has made me reconsider my hatred for the note. But it’s still way too strong in the opening and takes a long time to fade. The smell that lingers a couple hours later is perfect and when the spiced sticky apricot smell really comes out. If they could bottle that, the gourmand girlies, myself included, would lose their collective shit.

Sweet and animalic chypre. Vintage, sophisticated, and balanced. I don’t think it’s going to knock any socks off, but I don’t think it’ll offend anyone either. It’s a rare animalic that I think is very agreeable. As with many of Rogue Perfumery’s perfumes, I wish it did a bit more to break the mold, however that seems to be against the intention of the brand.

Opening is like a deep peachy moss. Touches of leather, civet, and patchouli give it a dank sort of depth that smells funky up close but pleasant in the air. Dries down to something really similar to Chypre-Siam IMO, so while it's neat that it's all-natural ingredients I'm not sure it differentiates itself enough for the extra cost. That said, I don't love this since CS is also my least-favorite Rogue fragrance. Moderate projection for ~2hr, longevity 6-7hr from the roller ball sample.

A little confused by the name, as there is no flora to speak of in here. The soft clean spice of this hints at soapiness on one side, and hints at barnyard hay on the other. How does someone create something like this, so perfectly in balance? This emanates really softly from my skin, like hot breath on a cold day. I think this is discontinued - I do not see it listed for sale on the Rogue website.

I don't smell apricot, but a rather synthetic scent of sugary peach, which makes me feel sick. Once the peach phase fades away this perfume has minimal projection on my skin. Not for me.

Ok. Wow. First spray, and I suddenly know what Thierry Mugler was trying to do with the cotton-candy/tire fire opening of A*Men. Similar notes, spun sugar and something acrid, but better balanced, toned down, and nestled comfortably in something floral, gauzy, and that comes on quick and says, "it'll be ok. The clown can't hurt you, I'm here." And then moments later: I finally know what people on Fragrantica mean when they say "Animalic". Wow, something somewhere in there just purred at me and asked if I had any red meat. By god, it's another orchestral overture from Rogue. Good one, too, this one I really like. Please god, let this be the one that lasts beyond the opening. Soon, there's scented wood. Pine needles? Or some sort of herbal elixir in there, too, that reminds me of a liqueur I haven't had in a long time, Chartreuse, maybe? Wow, this is complex, yet totally unified and delicious. The sugar and acrid note are gone within minutes, or at least, toned down to be an integrated and indistinguishable part of the symphony. Seriously, it's been a long time since I thought about hitting the bars, but this is making me feel like it, because any woman who wouldn't like this smell, I don't even care to know. I feel like Indiana Jones. My hands smell like I've been eating tropical fruit. Not the sharp kind like pineapple, more round and aromatic, like papaya? Persimmon? Mango? Or maybe it's cinnamon and sugar. This scent is a labyrinth. Once again, within 10 minutes of putting on a Rogue I'm looking online at prices for a full bottle. By the end of the first hour, this moves closer to the opening ginger-cookies-and-paint-thinner accord of Champ Lunaires, although still smouldering with the dazzling complexity of the opening. I got maybe 2 nice hours of this. Four hours after spraying, the whole thing was gone, gone, gone. Not a skin scent left, nothing. And thank god, because I might have spent my life savings on this stuff. I still might.

Certainly follows the brand's aesthetic with the vintage feel. While I appreciate how the perfumer goes out of the box and makes such strong fragrances out of EDT's, I wasn't a huge fan of this one. I was excited to try it since it's the first EDP I've seen from the brand, but that civet note reigns a little too prominent to me. Although the sweet apricot and labdanum is as strong as expected, right in the middle of it is a smell reminiscent of strong cat pee to me. Which is no dought a deal-breaker when it comes to an actual bottle to purchase. I do think this is worth a try though because that could just be my nose. Definitely don't recommend blind buying, since this is like a 50/50 kinda deal. If you like fruity, I think Derviche from the brand is a better option since its brighter and juicier w/out the civet note.

Flora & Fauna is an exquisitely smooth, polished, and thoroughly approachable chypre. I'm transported to a comfortable leather chair perched on a soft bed of moss under forest trees. I'm munching on a fresh apricot while basking in a gentle breeze and dappled sunshine, the perfect balance of cool and warm. Here all is peace. I get surprisingly good sillage too for an all-natural fragrance, it's soft but definite for at least 6 hours, and I'm still getting wafts at 10 hours. Outstanding craftsmanship that shows a great deal of care and love of the art. If this type of fragrance is your thing, do give Flora & Fauna a try!

This smells like Chanel No 5 EDT to me. It's sonewhere between the vintage version and the current version. The vintage EDT is too civet-heavy for me and smells urinous. There's an aura of civet in the base of F&F, but it never registers as urinous to me. A few years ago, I wore No 5 EDT nearly daily. Of course after OD-ing on it, I'm not drawn to wearing that smell anymore. In any vent, I think this is nicely done

I am getting neither flora nor fauna. Rather, I'm getting vintage aftershave, almost on the dot. Dried, (kind of dusty) fruit and old, dusty house. It's not disgusting, but not something I'm gonna keep the sample of. Of all the Rogue Perfumery I've tried, this is the only one that smells "vintage" in a kind of unpleasant way.

C’est superbe c’est pas pour tout le monde c’est bien meilleur que diagilev roja pour moi plus doux plus sensuel très bien mélangé ont sent l abricot et la civette ce qui donne un coté mystérieux et sensuel et la mousse de chêne qui rend le parfum unisexe j’ai beaucoup aimé 8,5/10

I watched Manuel Cross say in an interview that he had to pull this fragrance due to sourcing issues for the materials. I'm hugely disappointed that I won't get to try it. Hopefully he'll reformulate and rerealease it. I for one would love apricot paired with a deep dark tobacco.