Rosa

A Rose, is a rose, is a rose.....I simply adore roses in every form, normally I'm a little strict when fragrances are too simple... only "one" flavour?!? But S.M.N. refers to old cabbage roses which are still wonderfully rich in perfume; this fragrance is astonishingly long lasting (it's only an E. de Coulogne!!!) that's why this scent is always on my shelf. Despite m.lle Chanel consideration about women that didn't want to smell like flowers... I think that this fragrance should be tried without prejudices: 1) it's quite fresh and "at its place" during the summer (even the hottest ones without spoiling itself) 2) during the winter it's rich and beautiful (NOT out of season at all!) I cannot say why but S.M.N E de C. it's a rose which can compete with more precious other fragrances on the same theme......

There is something beautifully romantic and 'old-wordly' about this brand and this fragrance in particular. I love rose scents myself and thought I knew them all until I found this one by chance. Yes, it is "only" a 'solifleur' but it is so incredibly beautiful and delicate, yet very strong and long-lasting. I consider this an excellent companion for summer or even if you want to layer or amplify your favourite perfume containing a rose and give it more rose-focus. Nothing but love for this! If Frederic Malle's "Une Rose" is the ultimate, modern gourmand rose (truffle note), then this one should be the ultimate classic heirloom, reference rose! As precious as your favourite hand-bound book!

Saintly bouquet of roses. Innocent, very romantic, calm and uplifting in same time, like a morning prayer. Amouage Lyric is also a great, non heady, morning fresh "rose", but in my humble opinion - this is even better and not so pricey. Where Lyric goes "green" and sometimes too "hairsprayish", this one goes more floral and natural - with a hint of gentle violets. Really, really delightful. After many oud+rose combos this is my return to innocence. (For rose lovers, I recommend to try talcum powder SMN Rosa, believe me, you wan't be disappointed.) Perfect for layering. 5/5

It opens with the smell of rose oil, a powdery sniff and very good sillage, some people even called it 'heavy' when I was wearing it. It transforms into unassuming natural sweetness, it's fresh and of course flowery. Very realistic and beautiful scent that lasts a really long time (an eau de cologne! but it's traditional with this house, their scents have great longevity). Definitely getting a full bottle.

As joyjoy says below, Rosa Novella needs a page as it's a new take on SMN Rosa. I've tried the new one, which is really gorgeous - fresh, floral, herby and musky yet soft with depth, it has a more complex character and I've grown to love it.

This one really changes on me. At first I smell the green fresh notes, then the florals and powder come through and finally the more earthy quality emerges. I love this for spring. Very enjoyable with a lot of personality.

I’ve been a little confused about the 1999 release called Rosa, as described here in Fragrantica, because my sniffer wasn’t picking up just rose. I thought perhaps I’d been given Eau de Cologne Rosa Novella which is a new 2020 release by mistake, because what my Rosa smells like is anything but a soliflore, or the single floral note of rose. I think (please please correct me if you have better information) that ROSA EAU DE COLOGNE is the fragrance which the SMN official site says is a Aromatic fresh citrus. That’s what I’m smelling too. It’s more complex and fresh than I was expecting, although not disappointing in itself. Just not straight rose. From the Santa Maria Novella website - “Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella’s ROSA fragrance is a bouquet of floral notes evoking the characteristic scent of the queen of perfumery, Rosa centifolia, or May rose. Top: floral note with citrus shades Middle: rose Base: aromatic woods I’ve since found out a little more information, and again, please correct me if I’m wrong. The notes include Top notes: Bergamot, Mimosa Heart notes: Jasmine, May rose Base notes: Patchouli So, all in all, ROSA is a lovely eau de cologne. Very refreshing, but fleeting. It really didn’t last long on my skin on a hot humid day, but then I wouldn’t expect an EDC to do much more. Just please don’t buy this blind expecting straight rose and enjoy it for it’s own sake. FYI, and again, I would love some further information from anybody who knows, if this listing in Fragrantica is for ROSA, not ROSA NOVELLA? Apparently that has notes of lemon, petitgrain, spicy aromatics, patchouli and sandalwood, cedar and musk.

A geranium rose. Sweet. Light. Feminine. Inoffensive. Not listed in Fragrantica is another SMN rose creation called Rosa Novella - a more interesting and unisex juice composed out of a chypre accord a with a green herbal top note and an oak-moss base. Fresh and slightly soapy/aldehydic/waxy. Both roses are versatile for the office and casual wear.

Rosa is a light geranium rose w/ minty nuances w/ the green top notes. A pretty feminine leaning rose perfume. Perfect for those hot summer days when you want something light and rosy.

I used to have this perfume, or the one that shared the name Rosa . It was a green, fresh, realistic but distinctly old-fashioned rose soliflore. I've been sent a sample with another purchase and Rosa has now become a blended violet-rose. I think Santa Maria Novella may have shuffled the deck. There's a parma violet note that wasn't in the original. It's still fresh and floral but this time there's neroli, some soapy musk and it feels less old-fashioned, perhaps that was the reason behind the reconstruction. I used to wear the original as it was relatively unisex, woodier and greener. Now it feels more powdery, feminine and closer in spirit to stablemate Rosa Gardenia . It's still pleasant but it's no longer for me. And sadly it nixes my fantasy of the Santa Maria Novella's monks creating their colognes by simply crushing petals in a giant pestel and mortar. Notes from the SMN website 11/2023 Top: Bergamot, Neroli, Rose Petals Middle: Centifolia Rose, Jasmine, Violet Base: Musk, Patchouli, Vanilla

So much different from a rose fragrance with high reduction degree. A bit herbal at the first sniff. More like bright agastache rugosas plus petit grain. Then, gradually turning into rosey smell. But like pink roses instead of any independent, strong and courageous red roses. Not really my kind of perfume.

Opens as a beautiful interesting rose fragrance that smells very modern to me because it eliminates the sometimes cloying sweetness and fussiness that rose perfumes can have. However, there is something at the base of this that I would describe as ‘horsey’; a barnyard smell that on me comes out more and more in the mid and base notes. Pretty fascinating for a perfume with nothing in it but rose. Anyone else smell that? Edit: yesterday I smelled a combination of natural essential oils of jasmine, neroli, and rose Otto. Voila- that horsey smell!

WOW! A perfume for woman that smells like... ... rose!!! It is soooo much original! [Irony Mode Off]

Cabbage rose done by monks! This one is a dreamlike cabbage rose, just what you would picture. Full bloom, heavy head, too tempting not to pick. The unique stony signature underneath is specific to Santa Maria Novella. The fact that this house was founded on perfume recipes by 13th century Dominican Friars, sticks in my mind as one of the characteristics of their scents since each one so far has had an underlying smell of a monastery. Kind of a stony, green aroma. Probably from their treatment of oakmoss, but it's charming, and smells like what I associate with huge ancient castle structures. I'm imagining bouquets of garden roses, placed all over the cloister. Fresh, pretty, like no other rose perfume. One for Romeo's Juliette!

This is probably not the place to post this but Fragrantica needs to add/update SMN’s page to reflect the new Rosa Novella & what I’m wearing right now-the new Rosa Gardenia. FYI, both are available in a new 8 pc sampler set (2ml sprays). 😊 Plus for SMN fans-they have new 50 ml bottles (& 100 ml) of these 8 fragrances they’re calling the Firenze 1221 line. New clear bottles (like before but even nicer) w/white labels. And they’re sealed, no splash option, which I personally prefer. The SA didn’t know but I’m assuming this is what they’ll do with the rest of the perfumes. Also SA said no but I’m pretty sure they’re discontinuing some fragrances so beware.

From the discovery kit this one was my favorite. I have a lot of rose scents already in my collection but purchased the NEW addition, Rosa Novella, to the house of Santa Maria Novella . This starts out effervescent and kind of peppery (my favorite stage) Softens to a spicy rose. Easy to wear. Nice staying power. I never would have discovered Santa Maria Novella, the oldest apothecary in the world, if it were not from a fellow fraghead member here. Wink wink

This is the page for Rosa. Rosa Novella was released in 2020 & needs a page here on Fragrantica. From what I’ve been told Rosa Novella has a whole lot more going on than just rose. From what I remember, Rosa is very much a rose scent with a bit of citrus & woody notes.

Like a red rose ..a bloody rose , deep and enchanting ...a mix between "Nahema" - Guerlain and "English Tea Rose" - Perfumer's Workshop : the sensuous side of the former and the fresh side of the latter