Rosa Novella

I recently purchased a Santa Maria Novella Discovery kit: Acqua della Regina - smells like my favorite Bath Roman Premium Hot Herb Bath Salts (soothing ginger, red pepper, yuzu, etc), but not much the next day, the oddball as the only sample not still shouting 24 hrs later Fresia - a very soapy freesia scent, leaves, potting soil, bright sunshine on a perfect day Rosa Gardenia - that pickled floral that I despise, May roses screeching out for justice, The Perfumers Workshop Tea Rose turned spiteful and pretentious Rosa Novella - wonderfully warm, calm, patchouli-rose. Your mom reading your favorite picture book that you got from the library, a copy that was printed in 1990, after you just did a good job dusting the heirloom hardwood furniture with lemon Pledge. Unrelated to Agent Provacateur (cool-skin rose with warm metallic saffron) or L’Agent (boozey-spicebomb rose). Angeli di Firenze - unripe cantaloupe soap, melon gives my tummy a sinking-feeling Melograno - not what I expected from “pomegranate,” and oakmoss in the ingredients surely helps this become a personal favorite. This pomegranate received the Christmas Orange Ornament treatment and smells like all the best memories. Invokes a bodily response of “everything is going to be alright.” Excellent ally to victory in the battle vs holiday anxiety and car sickness! Tabacco Toscano - delicious, quality vanilla accosted by rubbery hickory smoke Pot Pourri - I was not expecting the Noxema scent, the face cleanser which I once bought to smell simply because it was so soothing and enjoyable, knowing it’s an awful product that has no place in a skincare routine. This is the strongest of the samples and smells just as much like a fresh tub of Noxema 24 hrs later, but now with orange peel demanding attention. 48 hrs later evocative of rose and pine forest and all fae folk who live within. Beautiful, and at no point did I see where this perfume was going.

This is a gorgeous perfume, I doubt it will wow the sort of rose fans looking for something really full bodied but nevertheless it's very accomplished and an inherently wearable piece from a great brand. So I hadn't looked at the notes at the point of thinking about writing this review (obviously have now) and I felt the creaminess of the base is sandalwood materials and musks right out of the gate, and despite them not being a top note, that is what I smell immediately, it actually becomes a bit less creamy after that. (but it does come back later on) Then you get a kind of soapy (in a good way) rose accord and I'm no expert at discerning different rose materials or recreations or whatever and frankly I didn't really know what the subtleties of May rose were TBH. However, I've recently tried a few, just in the last few weeks and this kinda screamed may rose to me...and what do you know? it's a rose de Mai apparently. This is a more functional, less opulent smelling rose to me than the usual suspects of Turkish or Bulgarian or whatever, but no less lovely. Just reading the review directly below and I can imagine that this could be the kind of rose perfume for non-rose fan because it's just so damned easy to get along with, and at the other end of the spectrum perfume fans who can appreciate nuance will like how this isn't atypical and is a smoothly well made blend of creamy and fresh, lasts ages and just smells really really good. I'm a big fan of this from the off and it's growing on me even more, and promoting a real sense of wellbeing today.

Well, I'll start with parameters. I don't know whether it's my nose, used to wearing delicate fragrance, or my skin that is so welcoming for Rosa Novella, but I have no issues with its longevity at all. What's more, I could feel this scent all day long yesterday! And even after swimming in the pool! Really, after reading all the words here how short RN lasts, I'm puzzled. But it's a nice surprise, so I'm the last to complain. As for the scent itself - rose in the name can be misleading, or (if one knows the brand) a prefect example of SMN craft... That is not a typical rose fragrance at all, so I wouldn't recommend a blind buy. I did so with this bottle and I'm more than pleased, but I have Cala Rossa, the other perfum from this brand, and was hoping for the same result and didn't disappoint myself. Cause Rosa Novella lays in exactly the same category - soapy apothecary style. Quite sharp at the beginning it calms down to a lovely, rich and clean luxury SPA vibes. For me - all seasons perfect office scent, with absolutely decent longevity but rather intimate sillage. Just what I like. Rosa Novella is my first perfume purchase in 2026 and I couldn't be happier with such a start.

This is becoming a summer signature for me. It's a very pretty floral - a subtle early summer bouquet whose sillage is perfect. I have a full bottle of the Acqua di Colonia version of Rosa Novella, which is fresher and, at first, slightly more unisex and Herby. I love both. I don't experience rose so much from either version of this perfume - it's definitely more about a gentle spring floral bouquet, lifted by subtle citrus and moss. As it drifts into dry down I get the sense of creamy lily of the valley, though as that's not listed in notes I suppose it's the combo of gardenia and jasmine. Santa Maria Novella's perfumes are like rare, magical elixirs for me - a mind, body and soul experience. Largely because the soul of each note is kept intact, no nasty cheap aroma chemicals. (I don't mind synthetics, I just can't handle the cheap nasty ones). I'm so glad this quality still exists!

Utterly unique in my collection. This opens on my skin with a freshly shaved juicy fennel root note, anisic, green and crisp. The rose is there, soft, pink and dewy. It presents much more like a cologne-type with a floral aspect than a traditional rose-centric perfume. The evolution is slow and deliberate, like the sun moving across the sky on a warm June day. Projection is intimate, but this is not a thin fragrance - it is airy, but substantial with complexity. All the ingredients in here belong here creating the impression of a garden well-loved with somewhat benign neglect. Excited to have this in my collection and looking forward to reaching for it in the heat of summer with no risk of overwhelming myself or others with an overly "perfumey" rose.

Soft rose and patchouli. Has a cologne vibe at first but lasts all day. It starts off more masculine but softens up to go into more feminine then balances back to unisex, if that makes sense. I put it on at 1 PM and now it’s 10 PM and this is still on. Very inoffensive fragrance, perfectly unisex. I can see a man rocking it. Lasts a long time. I’m surprised as this is a Cologne formulation. Perfect in cold weather - more patchouli comes out and it’s almost oud like but it’s balanced with rose and woods. It has some musky vibe and a bit sweet at times. Perfect rose. Highly recommend it. I’m enjoying it with the lotion from same brand, 5 sprays of this and all set for all day. Love at first sniff! And this rarely happens due to my massive collection.

Oooh, a bit of a thorny rose. The wood is more gentle on me than on paper- more of a grounding presence that comes forward about an hour in. The lemon is almost too strong at first, but it keeps things bright- like a cool sea breeze cutting through on a sunny day. At first I thought it was a youthful scent, but I think it's just optimistic, young at heart. Or maybe something stronger- a choice for joy. I don't think I could wear this when I'm sad or dreary: "Lightly child, lightly. Learn to do everything lightly."

Rosa Novella is a romantic and fresh rose, but it’s far from classic. It feels young and vibrant, like you’ve just sunk into a luxurious bath filled with rose petals. This is exactly how I imagine fairy tale princesses would smell. I’m so glad I got to try it, because until now I’ve only loved two rose scents, and now I can happily add another favorite to the list.

A clean, soapy rose jasmin that reminds me of some hand wash served in 5 star hotels - in a positive way. It is light and doesn't project as the brand always has been. I have no issues with that; it's an EDC after all. The house does soapy so well that no other brands can match. I personally prefer it to Jasmin Mohgol of Chopard.

I like the smell but I can only rate it as okay. Poor longevity and sillage like all SMN frags. Thus, value for dollar is not great. I sprayed half of a vial before I left home and now it's not even lunch time, but I can hardly discern it.

Beautiful. Refined yet slightly playful and never cloying. The subtle burst of citrus and pepper round out the fragrance and showcasing the rose bloom. Surprising longevity.

Lots of rose and lots of patchouli. Quite a sexy, dirty floral, not too feminine or sweet. I don’t really get the lemon at all. Moderate performance, lasts about 4 hours.

I love this take on rose perfume, it's spicy, woody, and a bit soapy. It's very different, and season less. It's definitely full bottle worthy when my sample is used up.

A very elegant interpretation of the rose patchouli theme. Classic and modern at the same time. It is like a new version of the beautiful Rose by Cardin.

I adore this rose. I don't own a lot of rose fragrances. It's fairly classic to me, but not too mature. Santa Maria Novella is so under rated!!

I’m not usually a fan of rose scents, but this one is really nice! It’s fresh, spicy, and kind of fruity on my skin as it ages.

Full bodied warm rose with honey. Slightly chypre-like. Reminds me a bit of Guerlain's Rose Barbare and Sisley's Soir de Lune.

easily on my top 3 rose scents i have ever put my nose on. just gorgeous

I like this brand Not everything they produce is excellent but the idea of mixing everything with soapy hues is substantial to the industries growth I don’t remember any brand that took the same route so they deserve respect out of the uniqueness of the idea alone Coming back to the scent it’s wonderful and intriguing at the same time The patchouli works wonders here cementing the chypre structure with depth and darkness The rose is just as good and the rest of the mix and notes takes the combination to a little sour side benefiting from the lemon and jasmine It reminded me of Eau Suave by Parfum d'Empire although not as good ......but it’s close with less rose here I liked it but the major problem with the brand is the performance I have similar scents In my collection hence getting it is not on my radar

A gorgeous rose fragrance! Rosa Novella is indeed like a much gentler version of Agent Provocateur. It's like a cross between Agent Provocateur and L'Agent, because L'Agent has a much softer, hazier, muddled rose than the original Agent Provocateur. This fragrance is an interesting middle ground between a heavy rose and a fresh rose - there are citrus and herbal elements that lift the perfume, but also patchouli and other green elements that bring it more earthiness and mystery. It's classic, but not too classic and powdery pretty or dated. My friend liked this on me, and she said it smelled classic, too, but I don't think it's unappealing for the modern crowd. Genuinely I was surprised by how much I liked this, I was expecting more of a generic fresh rose.

agree that this is definitely a classic chypre- nothing too crazy but i like that they used rose de mai as opposed to a more traditional damask rose (i'm thinking diptyque eau capitale). this definitely gives it a more vegetal, balsamic aspect that i find refreshing. it's wearable, elegant and versatile, but doesn't have as much of a prominent citrus top note that i would hope for. it's kind of exactly the scent you would think of when you hear the word "perfume" if that makes any sense haha.

A rose surrounded by white florals and delicate citrus notes with a subtly waxy nuance. The fresh, green, floral opening gradually gains sweetness, allowing the namesake rose to bloom against a backdrop of smooth, woody accords. Overall, the composition feels pleasantly spring-like, though not the lightest, as it can occasionally become slightly heady. It is a well-crafted floral fragrance with a depth that goes beyond simple, mainstream rose interpretations. Well worth discovering.

Not your typical rose scent, this opens with a bang of patchouli, which for some reason I really loved here ... As it dries down, the lemon, jasmine and gardenia start showing up, and that sort of shifts everything. It becomes more dense, more layered, and it almost feels like I can pick everything all at once and tell them apart too ... Eventually this becomes very powdery, but I still like it quite a lot. A nice scent i would probably wear for brunch. - Bhavna Darira Chesan

A pretty light, fresh and citrusy rose. The patchouli adds a little twist so it's not boring. The spices add a smokey feel to the whole fragrance which I absolutely love. It's classy, easy to wear yet not too simple. Longevity is great on me actually, but then again I do 4 sprays and I find that spraying on my clothes makes it last almost all day. Sillage is strong at first, but then settles down after an hour and becomes moderate. This is a very beautiful cologne by SMN.

Got this because I knew it would probably have a vintage quality and it does. It smells lovely and so full of life. The rose is more of a background character. It’s lovely if you know you don’t mind that it’s not a modern scent. My grandma passed when I was a high schooler and I never knew her perfume but it was definitely similar to this one. It’s comforting :)

This is very pleasant, and reminds me of Ffern's Winter 24. It is a well-blended rose, with some depth and spiciness. However, on me it is extremely weak, with no longevity nor sillage. In fact, the scent seems to vanish entirely within a couple of hours (at sedentary, interior, room-temperature conditions). Therefore I consider it a tad over-priced.

i went to a work trip with this perfume and it performed super well. it lasted days on my coat. i'd say the smell is quite classic and not for everyone, could definitely come off as a "grandma perfume" but i personally love it. the lemon is rather punchy but i like that it lasts so long ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧

Green and slightly unripe lemon leads to a fresh and spicy rose. An earthy and slightly dirty patchouli emerges with some musk for balance. Overall, feels like a bit like a chypre, one you'd find a bit aged in an apothecary. Best for warm/hot weather, definitely needs to be reapplied.

This may be the only rose scent I have ever liked, and it's thanks to the citrus and wood notes reigning the rose in. Oftentimes, rose perfumes smell like ALL rose, which is one-dimensional and boring. Also quite dated and matronly. But this is great! An exciting rose.

Soft spicy rose, my favorite of the roses in this line. I know these are colognes and are not going to have the greatest lasting power but I prefer this line instead of Jo Malone. This has some complexity to it and lasts but mostly as a skin scent.

A light powdery rose with a fresh veneer of airy jasmine and lemon. A soft and delicate scent, very simple but pleasant enough. It's more clean musk than anything. Moderately soft projection for 2-3hr, longevity 6-8hr.

Lovely rose, citrus and light patchouli scent; realistic with soft projection. This might not tick off the unique box, but I can imagine reaching for it often. Appropriate for day or evening. Strong like.

pretty feminine delicate rose with the perfect balance of pissy musky/patchouli -- comparisons to Agent Provocateur are interesting. This is a much more subtle wearable version much more rose than musk

I used to like this but I don’t anymore. It smells like something I would find in my grandma’s make up drawer. Thankfully, the dry down is a lot bearable than the first spritz.

Gorgeous, easy to love, not too complicated but very layered and has depth.

Soft and pleasant but alas doesn't last on my skin.

The name means New Rose, and this is meant to be a more modern take on a rose fragrance. It IS one of the more unique rose fragrances I’ve smelled, I’ll give them that. I’m a rose lover, so I’ll admit I am pretty picky. This is not a straightforward fresh-cut rose scent, nor is it sweet. The opening is predominantly woodsy, and the rose only emerges as the cologne dries down on my skin. However, it remains as a background note, while the woodsy and citrus notes stay front and center. This is really more of a nice citrus scent with a touch of rose. As with other Santa Maria Novella fragrances I’ve sampled, the drydown also takes on a soapy quality on my skin. This is a true unisex scent in my opinion, but the scent profile leans a little too masculine for my personal taste. It’s a perfectly nice fragrance, just not for me. I do have to say though, I am impressed by the projection and staying power, considering this is only an Eau de Cologne concentration. I could still easily smell it after 4 hours, and it did create a little scent bubble around me instead of instantly evaporating into a skin scent.

This unfortunately did channel the grandmothers perfume scent. It last decently for an EDC, depending on the sillage you are wishing for. It starts off with great projection, but after 2/3 hours settles closer to the skin. I actually got a hint of it 12 hours later while preparing for bed just by holding my forearm close by my head. That being said, it has a strong enterance of makeup and rose causing for that ‘grandma’ association. The makeup scent isn’t as comforting as freesia air gardenia typically is—hinting towards the more traditionally floral alternative of jasmine. Somewhere in there is a very faint bright citrus (lemon), but no comfort from the musk base note. I’d argue that sandalwood comes through more, making this scent sharp and demanding. You can’t miss it, and you can’t help but imagine your grandma curled in her blankets on a token family chair. Not for me, but it is for someone

A fresh yet woody rose. This smells really great, and I want to love it, but as others have said there are issues with performance. Initially it is quite strong but it fades fast and is basically a skin scent after about 2h. Overspraying doesn't really work here because it is then TOO strong at first and it still doesn't last much longer. IMO the optimal fix is to layer it over the matching body cream. When I do this it goes for a good 4-5 hours. I really wish they would release this in a higher concentration.

Very pleasant after the initial sharp green/(balsamic?) opening, softens down into a very mild, polite rose, but it looses a lot of its staying power very quickly. Probably wouldnt buy because of its lack of durability. Soft woody and spicy notes at the very end of the drydown are really nice and tip this slightly in the unisex direction for me, but it just didnt have the floral "oomf" I was hoping it would have. Interested to see how this holds up in comparison to SMN Rosa :)

Patchouli bomb! With a nice rose underbelly. These were the kind of perfumes I sniffed when I first created the idea of what perfume was in my head growing up. It’s a very nostalgic scent, in a way that reminds me of a time period I can’t quite put my finger on. Not for me personally, but I can appreciate what it does. There is a nice lemon note in there.

Not a conventional rose fragrance. Unfortunately for me this is too too much, overdone, and the rose is buried somewhere under so many loud layers.

Everyone is saying different things and I am having trouble placing notes of this on my skin. I can say it does give Chanel vibes. Not a big fan though, I think because of the white florals. It's too stuffy for me.

Throughout the life of this fragrance, you can't escape the heavy indole component. It chases after you. It keeps waking your sense of disgust every time you think you're tired of being disgusted. Why, SMV? Why? This could've been a nice thing but you blew it all away through a cow's rectum. Perfumers: please use indoles responsibly.

A Benjamin Button situation of a rose. At first spray, it's plumes of something an antique-y and vintage-y. It put me off for a while before I revisited it. I think it's the rose in combination with the stringent petitgrain. But it soon relaxes and the tension gives way to something more youthful, sweet, and lemon-y. I hadn't read the notes beforehand, so I swore it was brown sugar that I was getting. It actually reminds me of Skinfood's Black Sugar mask which has a light citrus scent. So that's probably where I got the sugar-lemon association. In contrast to a lot of other reviewers, I think it's a modern offering from SMN compared to their usual, aged apothecary assortment.

I’m currently sampling this and I have a slightly different take than most reviews before me. This perfume opens up as a bright lemon citrus. The opening fades quickly revealing a hodgepodge of florals (the rose isn’t distinct). The dry down comes fast and lasts a very long time. It has strong projection as well. The dry down is a heavy patchouli with hints of rose. Very high quality, spicy, earthy, patchouli. It reminds me strongly of Guerlain’s Rose Centifolia dry down! If you like that profile of patchouli, this is beautiful. I have unfortunately grown an aversion to it lately so all my good rose-patchouli scents are in the declutter bin.

I bought this on a whim in Florence, I just wanted a souvenir. This review is written now that I take the time to analyze this cologne - I see now that the climate dictates if I like this. It really fit in with the cold winter in Florence - smelled of oud and roses. Not that oud is Florentine at all, but it worked with the climate. It felt like everyone was wearing it there in winter 2022. Now in the dry CA climate, I get a masculine cologne that involves lavender, citrus and other astringent notes. I think it is great, but not something I reach to to feel feminine/sexy. It's a perfume I put on when I am feeling edgy and strong.

Well balanced fresh floral scent, can be worn either summer or winter. I’d say it is made forward to girls, however due to freshness, this can be worn by confident men who aren’t afraid of smell a touch of feminine. This is not a compliment grabber due to weak projection but hey, when you are out with your girlfriend/boyfriend, your fragrance doesn’t need to project a lot. Huge projection might work negatively on a date. But on the date, fragrance does the job. It will stay close to you, and once your partner get close to you, they will definitely notice and bring out your inner sexiness. This is a perfume for an adult.

One of the best rose fragrances, but not on the Leathery/spicy/Earthy side of Roses. Very light but sparkling rose with subtle hints of the other noted mentioned, mainly white florals and light wood. Sensual and sexy. As the person before me mentioned its difficult to smell it, or for it to have much projection after a short while, as it is a Cologne concentration, but I imagine that increasing the number of sprays could solve this problem, or decrease it at least. Because of the last point mentioned, I would classify this fragrance for personal enjoyment mainly.

Rosa Novella is a rose patchouli fragrance of the transparent, dewy type. If you have smelled Chanel's Paris-Paris, you will already have an idea of how this one smells. Here, it's rendered in the SMN style: natural smelling, a little green and herbaceous, a little retro, dry, and very soapy. Gardenia is a note I struggle with, but there is no buttery white floral note here. Maybe the gardenia is contributing to the cosmetic, soapy feeling of the fragrance. A nice fragrance but nothing you haven't smelled before.