Rose de Chine

I’m genuinely surprised with how much hate this is getting hahahaah. Anyway, I like it as far as the Tom Ford roses go. It starts off with a fruity peony and dries down to a rose with something almost tea-like in its pungency. If you get a bunch of loose leaf tea fresh from a sealed tin, you can kinda smell this wafting bitterness underscoring a sweet vapor. Once it dries down, the kind of smell it reminds me of are like unlit incense sticks we used to have back home when we would light some by my grandfather’s picture. It’s sweet but not like an edible sweet, stuffy without really assaulting your nose, and had this weird texture of being ‘once warm.’ I didn’t really think of it as a “Chinese scent” until like that dry down and I was like “oh...” and I remember like visiting the temples and all that. The incense in those temples were so distinct from the incense in church. I always liked it more. You know, those dark pink sticks! I had to buy myself a bottle when my sales rep told me it was going the way of Rose De Russie a year or so back. I don’t regret the purchase. Like rose D’Amalfi, I had to give myself six overlapping sprays to get the best office hours performance. It doesn’t do too well in the heat. Sure it projects but it doesn’t go with sweat most of the time. So, when I spray it, I tell my office mates to “eat lunch without me,” hahahaha as I go for a place that doesn’t involved as much walking. My only issue really is the skin scent part maybe seven hours in because it DOES begin to smell like incense ash in a bad way, but other than that, I really don’t mind it. Hope this helps! Either way, it’s not blind buy safe!

It's interesting, because I'm not one for spicy scents usually, nor am I particularly keen on rose (I like it, but it doesn't rank in my top 5 favourite floral notes) and yet I find myself quite enamoured by this! Maybe it's the "Tom Ford DNA" (can't put my finger on it but it's definitely there, and I enjoy it), or maybe it's just how well this is constructed, or both, who knows? Either way the spice doesn't overpower the florals, since the peony is there to give the rose a helping hand in terms of retaining an air of freshness, and for me it puts Rose de Chine in a league of its own when it comes to this kind of scent - it's equal parts fresh, floral and spicy right out the gate. I usually find spicy notes trample all over any other notes allegedly present in the mix, but that's very much not the case here. The price tag is a kick in the teeth as is usually the case with Tom Ford, but I think I can juuuust about justify it to myself since the longevity is on point... the florals drop off after ~5-6 hours, leaving in its wake a mellow, comforting, soft spicy yet still subtly sweet skin scent. This phase sticks arounds for a good couple of hours too so from start to finish you get a longevity of about 9-10 hours. Perfect for autumn-winter and probably even spring if you're from a colder climate. Edit: can't believe I forgot to mention this but the silage is also quite strong; I was testing four(!) other fragrances at the same time but this won out - I could catch whiffs of it without even lifting my arm!

[450] Rose de Chine is a smooth, luxurious amber-rose scent. The rose is the focal point, and it develops beautifully throughout this scent, with the other notes simply serving to complement it. Initially a fresh, dewy peony-rose scent, RDC opens with a light rose note, reminiscent of rosewater, and sweet peony. It is slightly green yet sweet, pleasant, but underwhelming. However, it develops beautifully, becoming a rich, jammy rose scent, bolstered by an opulent, spicy amber base. The rose note is sweet but deep, getting progressively powdery as it develops. The amber base is balsamic and rich, complementing the rose to perfection. The amber-rose accord is refined and classical, yet has a light touch - it is nicely wearable. It fades to a slightly animalic amber skin scent after a while with a whisper of rose remaining until final fade. Sillage and longevity are moderate. Unisex as in Middle Eastern tradition, RDC is an utterly elegant transeasonal rose scent. Light yet rich, timeless and elegant, this is an excellent, nuanced, well-balanced rose scent. Beautiful in its simplicity. 4/5.

Very unhappy to report: Estée Lauder has discontinued Rose de Chine. Why does Tom Ford always have to discontinue its best releases?! It drives me insane. Rose de Chine is a stunning amber floral oriental fragrance that is suitable for either sex. It is a CLASSIC Tom Ford silhouette, with deep amber surrounded by pungent unisex floral notes. Sound familiar? It’s what the brand became illustrious for. Rose de Chine opens with a note of peony and eventually settles into a rose and tea fragrance with amber undergirding the other notes. Rose de Chine was one of those rare modern TF releases that could actually justify its retail price. So disheartened seeing it go. Another one bites the dust. But hey, at least we have an Electric Cherry release that smells like a Bath and Body Works fragrance teenagers 🤦♂️ I will be cherishing my small 50 ml bottle of Rose de Chine

I really like it! I’ve really been into myrrh fragrances lately and in this one, the myrrh and the rose really play hand in hand. And the peony is definitely leaving its impression as well. Somehow, this fragrance manages to be kind of smokey and kind of soapy clean all at once. It’s kind of funny because it’s both different than something that I would be used to, but it also doesn’t feel like it’s breaking any barriers. It’s a great performer on me as well. Definitely fits the quality of the Tom Ford Private Line. The rose is reminiscent of Noir de Noir, Rose de Russie and Cafe Rose (Private Line version)