Roja Haute Luxe

I have a decant of this, and I was thinking of buying a full bottle. A very unique complex deep rich spicy ambery fragrance on a bed of iris and white florals, it starts of spicy citrusy and evolves into this creamy Laurel Bay type of scent, it REALLY reminds me of Aleppo soap of you’ve ever smelled that. It does smell a bit Grandma-ish but in the best way possible. I truly love this fragrance but for that price. Nuh-uh. So my hunt began, I’m sorry but I had to do it, DUPES. So far I’ve found 2 only, Dua’s Golden label and Kaisar Parfums’ Luxury Scent and there’s no comparison. I’m located in Europe so ordering Dua’s 30ml bottle for over 100$ including shipping I was thinking sure, as long as I don’t have to put a car payment down for a fragrance I enjoy too much to let go. It arrived and the packaging was what you’d expect from a dupe, that’s not what matters here, I opened it, sprayed and... what? This has NOTHING to do with Haute Luxe, I was immediately disappointed since I wanted something that will at least be similar to the OG, I know I can’t get it 100% but, cmon. I left it to macerate it for a couple of months and came back it to and WOW. Aleppo soap. Nothing but laurel and cloves to my nose. No creaminess, no iris, no sparkle. Just good ol spice cabinet in a damascene home. Then I saw that my main dupe “supplier” here in Europe is releasing a Haute Luxe dupe so I was waiting patiently for 2 months and FINALLY. It released. I immediately ordered a 12ml decant first (since I’m not falling for this trap twice) and bam, it arrived, packaging was also not amazing but, doesn’t matter much to me. It was looking slightly milky but looking at the list of natural ingredients this is to be expected and actually it was a relief to me. I sprayed it and again a punch of cloves and laurel but there was some of that sparkly bergamot, some creaminess some powderiness, dry down was floral and slightly animalic just a tad bit and that got me AROUSED. I mean it’s clearly still macerating and rushed out but it already smells this complex and this similar to the real deal?? I’m very excited to see what happens after a few more weeks of maceration, I’m on day 5 right now and the amount of sediment is crazy, with a gentle swirl it all goes away so I’m not worried about it, it shows that there are indeed natural ingredients in this and it better do since it’s quite expensive for a dupe. I will be updating whenever I remember to. But so far, I’m in heaven for finding a cheaper Haute Luxe, but I promise, if I ever get that much money laying around, I’ll buy a bottle. EDIT: it only gets better as it ages. That’s all I’m gonna say. I’m mind blown. And I’ve gotten a few messages asking about the brand name and it’s Kaisar Parfums based in Germany :)

I don't have this scent in my collection, but I was lucky enough to wear it... or more precisely to have it on my hand. I've had the opportunity to try hundreds of scents, I have 200+ at home, so you can imagine that I'm not surprised by anything so easy. A few days ago I was in a perfume shop and when the salesman asked me if he could help me in any way, I told him to show me something that when I smelled it, I would say "wow". He took out this scent, sprayed it on a paper strip, handed it to me, I smelled it and said "wooow". Then he sprayed it on my hand and I said "wooow" again and I kept smelling it every few minutes for several hours. It still lingered on my hand after a showering. To me, this scent is incredibly attractive, I can't imagine anyone not liking it. Is it worth the price tag? What do we really need? To breathe, eat, drink, and be clean and warm so that we don't get sick. Anything extra is a luxury, and the level of that luxury we prioritize depends on our financial situation. For many people, any perfume, even a spray for 5 €, is an unattainable luxury. Perfumery itself produces products that are considered luxurious regardless of their price. Do you understand what I’m writing about? What can we buy with money is cheap - there are things you cannot buy, even if you had all the money in the world, and these are truly valuable. Price is not a problem. There are people for whom clean drinking water is a luxury. And there are many people for whom the price tag of this is completely negligible, they pay more for dinner for two. And there are many people for whom it is not completely negligible, but they can afford it without guilt. Don't belong to these categories? That's okay, it's your choice. Is it a safe blind buy? If you want to smell extremely pleasant and attractive and create a friendly atmosphere with your scent around you, then yes, it is... you must have it... In my opinion, this fragrance is one of the ultimate... one of the few that we are looking for whole life and will not stop looking for...

When I am sharing my impressions for particular fragrance the most important part always is about the scent itself, its smell. For me the presentation of the fragrance is not so important, amazing bottle with bad juice inside will not catch my attention at all while the opposite happens very often. I will not wear the box or the bottle of my neck :) When we are discussing Roja Dove creations, many people are speaking equally or even more about the price than to anything else. It's normal and I accept that but to a point. Yes, we have high expectations considering the price level but this shouldn't affect our perceptions. Considering all mentioned above, I'll not speak about the box, bottle or cap. Nor I'll make a dissection of the juice note by note. Rather my idea is to share with you what the smell evokes for me. The very first time I tested it on my skin a month ago all together with many other Roja Dove perfumes. What to tell you, I fall in love from the first sniff... The feel of luxury and sensuality has never been so natural, sophisticated, provocative,"old money" and contemporary at the same time. I was amazed and couldn't stop sniffing my arm like a dog during the rest of the day. On the next day, I bought it without any hesitation. No other perfume evokes such feelings like this one. Its refined animalic aspects gently pushing some hidden primitive parts of the soul, simply can't describe this better, you have to test it to understand. What I like about the perfumes as a whole are the images they create in my mind. In this case, they were of very sophisticated erotic, like an image of the well-dressed self-confident woman with deep sensual aura. Everybody is looking at her with the mix of admiration and desire and you simply know she will smell exactly like Roja Haute Luxe.

Just a point of information, re GenuineR30's comment on the gold leaf: the gold is not, in fact, the most expensive ingredient in there; Roja put it in to make the point that the gold is the least expensive ingredient in there. And you can tell. There is something at once unique and yet traditional about this scent: it is vaguely reminiscent of so many classic chrypres, and yet manages a depth and a complexity that is momentarily shocking. But it is a complexity worn lightly. There is no confusion here, nor yet oppression; the nose is led like a willing companion through an olfactory exploration. The notes are supremely well balanced, too: each note is afforded time without any being overbearing or aggressive. The bergamot is soft and inviting, rather than sharp, just as the styrax lends gentle support without any offending element. This is not, for example, like Bogue's MAAI, which is like a wild cat of a chypre (astonishingly beautiful, mind, but much more dangerous). In short, this is exquisite. At £2,500, is it worth it? Is it worth the sum total of nearly ten of his other frags? While of course the answer will come down to personal taste and thus will be one of degree rather than binary—and I'm sure that part of the price is to prevent ubiquity—for me this absolutely is. You can immediately tell the quality, even when compared with other scents in the Roja line (which is not a line known for shirking on quality), and, above all, it will make you close your eyes, be still, and smile. A lot. (I should point out that I initially smelled this—without being told what it was—amongst a bunch of other Rojas frags, and my reaction was as described, so it wasn't some fop to the price-tag).

Roja Haute Luxe has become one of the most famous niche fragrances on the market, despite most people having never smelled it before. Its obscene price and eccentric bottle design has captured people’s attention and thirst for luxury since day one. Whilst the price is ridiculous, I think a lot of people dismiss this fragrance simply because of that. Roja Dove wore Guerlain’s Mitsouko as his signature scent for just shy of 30 years, before it was reformulated and he fell out of love with it - he suddenly had to think, ‘how do I want to smell?’ There’s definitely elements of Mitsouko here, it’s composed as a classical French Chypre with a soft citrus opening, powdery floral heart and an intensely mossy, slightly leathery base. The oakmoss and the florals evoke a feeling of baroque vintage perfumery, it’s unapologetically old fashioned and I love it for that. Again, similar to Mitsouko, Roja includes some prominent warm spices of cinnamon and clove to add some much needed sensuality to the scent. Benzoin is also used in large amounts, giving you that warm ambery feel, but also a thick, sharp resinous facet which contrasts the smooth powderiness beautifully. This scent is stunning, when I wear it I feel like royalty - but you’re paying for status. The gold flakes, sharing a signature scent with Roja Dove, the price tag reflects privilege and not necessarily the scent itself. Don’t get me wrong, I adore this scent - I think it’s magical on the skin, but I just can’t justify spending £2,500 on a single bottle, it’s only perfume at the end of the day. Especially when I would consider Great Britain and A Goodnight Kiss to be far better creations, which are also a fraction of the price.

This stuff is insane! Seriously, it's off the charts good. And no I'm not brainwashed by the price. I'm speaking strictly of the scent itself. I know someone who drove an hour each way once a week to spray this on from the tester. Now I know why. I have a 7.5 ml travel size of this and it's basically the Hope Diamond to me. Anyone who owns a full bottle of this is insanely lucky. I hate all of y'all lol. Just kidding, I'm happy for you but I am extremely envious! Jeez! To me it's like Tabac Blond meets Mitsouko with some Guet-Apens and something else I can't place. If you know how good those are, imagine them combined. This is eyes rolling back in your head material. It's insanity! I don't even know how anything can smell this good. Roja Haute Luxe is as much oriental as it is chypre and it is smooth as silk. It's so seamless it's hard to even pick out notes. It is one of those fragrances that is a "whole" sum of its parts and you don't really think about individual notes. All I know is I'm buying lotto tickets every day for the rest of my life because I want this so bad. And I am going to start selling off all my "likes" and "low range loves" for the next year or two (I have a lot) and I WILL buy this. Or at least replace my travel size one each time it runs out. It's that good. It's utter perfection. I wanted to say "it's okay" because of the price but my mama didn't raise a liar lol. It's 32 stars out of 10. I can't believe I am actually considering saving for years to buy a bottle of perfume....but I am. Does Roja have an installment plan? Will a mortgage company finance this? Can I sell a lung or a kidney? Anyone need a limb? I have 3 extras. Call me.

Liquid Gold and Bottled Magnificence: The moment you spray this fragrance on your skin, you are enveloped in vintage elegance and indescribable richness. The bright bergamot in the opening transitions within seconds into a powdery, resinous, and incredibly deep oakmoss-rose harmony. The balance of the high-concentration raw materials in its formulation is simply masterful; the feeling it leaves on the skin is nothing short of "noble." The sillage is certainly not the shouting kind; rather, it cloaks your surroundings in an invisible, warm, and luxurious atmosphere. With the resins, amber, and that flawless touch of ylang-ylang, you feel the true meaning of quality with every breath. The magnificence of the real gold flakes floating inside the bottle perfectly complements the mature, sophisticated, and solid character of the scent. Who Is It For? Roja Haute Luxe is a masterpiece for those with mature, refined tastes who wish to carry the absolute pinnacle of perfumery art on their skin. Performance: It possesses a very deep, rich, and solid structure. Instead of fading away as the hours pass, it practically macerates on your skin, beautifully maintaining its resinous warmth. Sillage / Projection: It has a respectful yet highly charismatic projection that never suffocates the room. As you move, it delivers a quiet but clear "I am here, and I am very special" message to those around you. Longevity and Use Case: This is absolutely a scent for cool autumn and winter months, and elegant evening events. It can never handle sportswear or casual daily clothes; it demands to be paired with fine fabrics, a sharp tuxedo, or a very elegant evening gown.

For a fragrance this expensive (and exclusive?) it's hard to take some reviews seriously. It's difficult to pick out who has actually smelled it and just who pretended they did because they need validation from strangers on the internet. Mostly out of curiosity I bought a small decant of this. I mean who wouldn't be curious what a $3,500 fragrance smells like. I don't really know how to describe it except that it smells really good. It smells like money, lol. Thinking about it a bit more I would say that it's like when I wear Bleu de Chanel Parfum. Obviously it doesn't smell like the Chanel but the 'experience' of wearing it is the same if that makes sense. Like the Roja, I don't know exactly how to describe BdC either just that it smells like luxury/wealth and I just feel happy and a little more confident wearing it. Haute Luxe is not 'in-your-face' overpowering and doesn't have strong smell of one specific note so when you smell it you don't think 'that smells like x'. You can easily pickup the smell of it in the air and when you do you just know it smells expensive .... and rather addictive (just like BdC, I keep wanting to smell myself over and over). I buy fragrances for the experience and for myself so when I want to smell rich the Chanel does that it just as well as this IMO but for much much less. If someone wanted to draw attention to themselves there are a lot of other scents that can do that. It smells wonderful but so do a lot of other fragrances so I think the only reason to buy this is more or less because of the price, and the bragging rights that you can afford it, and less for the fragrance itself.

Hedonistic. Kaleidoscopic. Described by Roja himself as a chypre wrapped in cashmere. Very accurate, as there is a comforting, almost familiar warmth, cocooning you, a glowing gold bubble surrounding you. Made almost entirely out of base notes, I cannot begin to describe how syrupy thick, buttery rich the resins and orris are here. Quite possibly the best cinnamon note ever? I can’t imagine the price of the ambergris in here, it’s so deep and creamy. This is undoubtedly made with some unbelievably high quality materials, and is incredibly well blended. And yep, I can smell Mitsuoko deeply in here. She shows her face during the drydown. If you get this, please, just wear it. Don’t let it be just for special occasions. It’s meant to be enjoyed, let everyone else around you enjoy it too. One of the best things I have ever smelled. If you love chypres, resins, just get a sample, and actually put it on your skin, not on a piece of paper. You will never forget the first time you truly experience it for yourself. To the reviewer below having issues with the atomizer being clogged with some of the gold flakes, I know it’s late now but (to anyone else who might be hesitant because of such things) you can special order a bottle of it without the gold flakes. It’s also how they used to sell the travel atomizers of this, they were 7.5ml, and came without the gold flakes.

This amazing creation is the epitomy of Roja Dove selection from the rarest and highest qualities ingredients to put in a fragrance. It has all the greatest aspect from A Goodnight Kiss, PLDN series and Chypré Extraordinaire combined. All of the notes here comes "ultra soft and smooth" with cashmere like texture in the whole progression of this fragrance. Start with light powdery orris accompanied by the bergamot giving a slight touch of freshness. The powdery facet is softer and even smoother compared to A Goodnight Kiss creating an aura of sophistication and luxury that instantly creates calming mood. After a while a very mild aroma of cistus flower found in PDLN 2 is present but the calming personality remain unchanged because they are layered in the background of the main powdery profile. Entering the drydown the most soft rose and jasmine wrap in leathery labdanum accords start to develop. At the end the oakmoss appear to give a slight sweetness to the dry composition. Haute Luxe is equal to a masterpiece orchestra perform by hundreds of people playing different groups of instruments harmoniously to present a multi layered symphony. A fragrance for a true connoisseur with calm and passionate personality. #vscentorientreview

It is a beautiful, classy, interesting and opulent fragrance. There is a satisfaction to knowing you are using the real deal--Jasmin de Grasse, Rose de Mai, Orris, Ambergris--as Roja has said the BBC, when they were making an ambergris documentary, found no one using actual ambergris other than he (now, maybe they just didn't do a lot of looking). Its projection, in some cases, is up to about 35 feet (as soon as someone entered a room I was in while I was using a sample vial I'd prepared, they smelled it); two others reported running into the "scent field" at about 12-14 feet away. I'm not struck by its longevity. To my nose, and it varies depending on how much juice you're spraying, the initial Cinnamon "cover" gives way (becomes unappreciable) after 3 hours, so that Oakmoss steps forward, then Ambergris and Vanilla. The Cinnamon, I think, is a wise selection for addressing the Ambergris--combines creamily with it, preempts a fecality.

On my skin, this is more of an oriental than a chypre. It kind of contains 'everything' - as in an old or traditional style of perfumery. Perhaps it can be called a floriental, or a floral amber as it certainly reminds me of 'ambers'. It is a good fragrance, even excellent. Although nothing in the perfume can justify the exorbitant price. Since it contains a number of traditional ingredients, it smells rich, opulent, and with the main elements being resinous and floral, and I could at times clearly smell galbanum, labdanum and powder. It is very well blended and has a beautiful transition and development. It is a unisex fragrance, with its oriental and resinous focus - but there are also florals and powder which makes it lean towards the feminine spectrum at times. It is a powerhouse fragrance so 1-2 sprays might be better for men, at least for me, otherwise the powder will be overpowering. Powder is my kryptonite.

I was lucky enough to be in front of my friend when he unboxed it, he also got it signed.. As for the scent. The Chypre Floral description is at best a small subtitle for what it really is. I'm not a "perfume snob" at all.. I even kind of disliked Roja(s) back in the day. But I cannot unsee the similarities between Tom Ford's Black Violet and this.. Obviously that's a collector's item, no one in their right mind would spend €3.3k for this if he is a regular Joe. I don't see why people seem to hate it, blame your bank account, not the brand. I don't see people hating Chanel Extraits the same way. Like seriously.. $17k for Chanel's Gardenia Extrait???? come on.. :) Of course it's not the best offering from the brand tho, but it's ok for what it's marketed to be. Would I even consider buying it? No thanks; you see.. such perfumes are more in the nature of a PR stunt than anything else really..

I find the “similarity” between Roja Haute Luxe and Atmayatra interesting, but also somewhat surprising. Haute Luxe is extremely rare, very expensive, and not widely available for testing, while Atmayatra is from a very new, niche brand that is also hard to sample. Because of this, it seems statistically unlikely that a large number of users have had real access to both fragrances for a meaningful side-by-side comparison. Based on the published note structures, they also appear to sit in rather different olfactive families (classic chypre/woody-resinous floral vs. green/aromatic/incense-earthy style). While there may be some overlap in the base (resins, patchouli, vanilla), the overall construction and character seem quite different. I’d be very interested to hear from users who have genuinely tried both and can describe where they find the real similarity in wear and dry-down.

The best way to describe this IMO is an expensive gold plated chewing gum that is wrapped up as a gift for Christmas or any other joyful occasion. This fragrance is all about happiness, joy, fun (because of gold), and fantasy. Yes when I smelled it for the first time I was disappointed because I got grandma vibes but I knew that I wasn't paying that price tag just to smell like grandmas. I knew that their is a bright side to such an expensive fragrance which is what I described in the beginning plus the feeling of indulgence that you get out of this perfume is to die for which is why I described it as an expensive gold plated chewing gum because I want to keep indulging in it for me this shines in the base just like most roja's IMO. Hats of to roja for such an amazing creation.🎁(This fragrance should be an ode to the golden era of anything, honestly)🎁

I have a small bag of Roja Dove samples from another fragrantica member, the kind rithacha. Without her generosity, I would never be able to experience Roja perfumes. In any case, I feel like a person who has $50 in her bank account and I’m walking into a Madison Avenue Boutique. Clearly I am out of my league but it’s still fun to dream. Haute Luxe is a beauty. A vintage spicy Iris powder, that’s never cloying. It’s not loud but it remains present for many hours. My husband loves it. Haute Luxe defines the Fall season in the same way your favorite cozy sweater does. It wraps itself around you and you feel somehow comforted by it. There is no denying the quality in this bottle. If I added a couple extra zeros to my bank account, I’d have no problem stepping out with this perfume. It’s stunning and classy.

At first it may smell like a simple fragrance, but as it dries down, it reveals many layers. This is fit for a king! An oriental chypre with just enough spice to give it warmth. You can pick out all of the notes, yet it is blended smooth as can be. The dry down is fueled by strong natural ambergris that blends perfectly with the sandalwood and vanilla. Easily the most crowd pleasing scent I have come across that conveys luxury and class. Unless you're rolling in cash not a signature scent, but one worth trying for any Roja fan

Not been the biggest Roja fan over the years. Always preferred A Midsummers Dream and Oceania over the more expensive ones. Now this one is different. It actually has it all, and I'm not really a chypre kinda guy. Blows me away! Its definitely a lot of money, but its also a lot of amazing balance, things happening all the time, and a chance to smell one of the best fragrances ever made. Getting noticed from people who know their stuff....for real! Humble and a (large) bit poorer, but smelling like a million bucks.....or more!

Yes it smells vintage. What else we can expect from typical floral chypre structured perfume. However the ingredients are premium and well blended. Super quality ylang ylang, rose, jamine, iris and definitely labdanum are all here for us to enjoy. Amber base is smooth sweet with right amount of animalic aroma. I love to sit quietly and enjoy this complex perfume unfolding itself to my nose layer after layer. Performance is great for both sillage and longivity. It is a love from me.

CHYPRÉ – WARM & DRY, RICH, SOFT, SPICY, POWDERY & SENSUAL. I would have to add exquisite. Fragrances like this are the reason perfumery is the 8th art. Perfectly balanced chypre with an old fashion structure and modern approach. Spicy and woody with a floral heart on ambery - labdanum - benzoin base with a light powdery touch. Complex and multifaceted. It touches perfection. And it proves Roja's admiration for Mitsouko. Great sillage and longevity.