Chanel No.5 fans rejoice – rose perfumes are making a comeback

Six months ago, you wouldn’t catch many of us going near a rose scent. Synonymous with a kind of fuddy-duddy, granny persona, the rose – an alluring proposition in a garden, but often an overtly powdery and cloying note in fragrance – wasn’t quite blacklisted, but it was far from fashionable. That is, until now.

“Granny” rose scents have had a revamp, and are subsequently enjoying a resurgence in our beauty routines. It’s no wonder, then, that Google searches for rose scents are up over 5000 per cent in the last few months alone.

The trend is not reserved solely for those of us who remember the old rose fragrances from the 1980s and 1990s, either. TikTok is full of Gen-Z counterparts reviewing their nan’s old rose minis and Chanel No.5, which is perhaps the most iconic rose scent of them all. These videos have garnered tens of thousands of views.

While No.5 has never really gone out of fashion, there are many perfumes that are more or less dead and buried. You may remember Yves Saint Laurent’s Paris EDP, a powerhouse rose-violet juice that, true to its early Eighties roots, would now be regarded as totally overwhelming – one spritz was quite enough. Guerlain’s 1979 scent, Nahema, was another in-your-face rose, which delivered the “soapy” finish that so many of us avoid now. Others include Christian Dior’s Poison (1985), Giorgio Beverly Hills Red (1989) and Lancôme’s Trésor (1990).

My own nan wore Joy Jean’s Patou, a scent that harnessed 28 dozens of roses in each flacon, which seems like an awful lot. I never smelt her and thought “old”, despite the fact that she was a good deal older than me. Her perfume was always just a reflection of her. Indeed, the beauty of perfume is its power over our limbic system, which is responsible for memories and emotion. It is completely unique to us and is the reason why certain smells can whisk us to distinct moments in time.

Old-fashioned fragrance or not, I can’t think of anything better than nuzzling my nose into my nan’s M&S cashmere cardigan and telling her all my stories, while inhaling that scent. But while I don’t have that opportunity anymore, perfume – even one that may have passed its sell-by date – can help transport me there. Chances are you’ll have a similar experience with one of your granny’s rose (or otherwise) scents.

To my mind, there’s room for every fragrance – dated or not. While the new generation of roses are not to be missed, there’s little cooler than someone who knows what they like, and wears it. “Old granny” or modern – who’s really asking?

Seven brilliant new rose scents

Best for date night

Sexy, sultry and a scent that lingers just the right amount once you leave a room, Tom Ford’s Rose Exposed marries middle notes of rose water and oil with leather, musk and spicy pink pepper. Daring and a little edgy, it’s a classic Tom Ford scent.

Tom Ford Rose Exposed, £222, John Lewis

Best for a mood boost

Housed in this colourful bottle is a scent that was inspired by the Taif mountains in Saudi Arabia, where the damask rose thrives despite the desert environment. It is delicious. Fun, flirty and thoroughly optimistic, it’s an empowering rose fragrance, with notes of amber and rich coffee to boot.

Jo Malone London Taif Rose Cologne Intense, £112, Cult Beauty

Best subtle rose

For Stina Bibbi Segar, the founder of Bibbi Parfum, the rose’s many facets make it one of the most versatile notes. In Rainbow Rose, it’s paired with ambroxan and cashmere for an optimistic, rather sparkling springtime smell.

Bibbi Parfum Rainbow Rose, £275, Liberty London

Best for turning heads

If the flacon isn’t fun enough for you, then the juice inside Dries Van Noten’s Raving Rose will fit the bill. Rose water and rose absolute blend with cashmeran, musk and pink pepper to form an unique, spicy floral scent that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Dries Van Noten Raving Rose, £225, Selfridges

Best affordable rose

Zara does some surprisingly good scents, and this fruity number will appeal to those that prefer a sweeter rose. From peach and red fruit to sambac jasmine, rose and coconut-vanilla, it quickly evokes long summer days.

Wonder Rose EDT, £7.99, Zara

Best for men

Formulated especially for men, this fragrance is spellbinding. Fresh and green, with notes of grapefruit, Damascena rose and ambery wood, it’s one of those scents that keeps others coming back for more.

Maison Francis Kurkdijian L’Homme À La Rose, £205, Selfridges

Best for rose fanatics

“The Middle Eastern smokey-oud perfumery style has really influenced our approach in the West in the last 20 years,” says Christopher Yu, founder of Ostens – a whiff of this oriental rose explosion is a case in point.

Initio Atomic Rose, £185, John Lewis