Rose fragrances are having a moment in the perfume world. For starters, forget everything you think you know about rose perfumes: This rose revolution is brushing off the rose perfumes of yore and shepherding in a revival of the world’s most famous accord that even the non-rose lover will love.

Rose can be a truly dividing note within the perfume category, with many fragrance aficionados feeling the tug of a love-hate relationship. But the truth is, there are quite a few different types of rose notes used in women’s perfume and each have a distinct aroma. New, clever pairings of rose with a variety of other notes ranging from fresh to funky, can add depth to verdant, crisp perfumes, lift heady ones and ground herbaceous, earthy numbers.

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“The scent of a rose feels quite delicate and romantic, it can also be deep and complex,” says director of marketing at Diptyque, Eduardo Valadez before adding that rose “tends to be floral and fresh in tone.”

Top Rose Perfumes of 2022

Best Green Rose: Diptyque Eau Rose Eau de Parfum
Best Genderless Rose: Boy Smells Rose Load Cologne de Parfum
Best Summertime Rose: D.S. & Durga Rose Atlantic Eau de Parfum
Best Party Time Rose: Byredo Rose Noir Eau de Parfum
Best Luxury Rose: Tom Ford Private Blend Rose Prick Eau de Parfum
Best Sweet Rose: Miss Dior Rose N’Roses Eau de Toilette
Most Unique Rose: Le Labo Rose 31 Eau de Parfum
Best Vanilla Rose Perfume: Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose Eau de Parfum
Best Rose Oud Perfume: Jo Malone London Velvet Rose & Oud Cologne Intense
Best Rose Perfume Oil: Nest New York Turkish Rose Perfume Oil
Best Masculine Rose: Maison Francis Kurkdijan L’Homme A La Rose
Best Eau de Toilette Rose: Chloé Rose Tangerine Eau de Toilette
Most Affordable Rose: Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile Eau de Parfum
Best Natural Rose Perfume: Ellis Brooklyn Rrose Eau de Parfum
Best No-Rose Rose: Ex Nihilo Rose Hubris Eau de Parfum

Diptyque Eau Rose Eau de Parfum

Best Green Rose

Rose is obviously a key player in this fragrance, but it’s also not the first or only note you’ll pick up on. “The upcycled Firad rose used in our new Eau Rose Eau de Parfum features a second extraction process of the damascena rose, which brings forth notes of litchi, artichoke and chamomile,” explains Valadez. The result? “A surprising bouquet that is quite balanced and vibrant.”

Diptyque Eau Rose Eau de Parfum $190 Buy Now

Boy Smells Rose Load Cologne de Parfum

Best Genderless Rose

This new Cologne de Parfum from Boy Smells, the queer-owned brand famous for their cheeky candles, is designed to be genderful, not genderless, by tapping into both masculine and feminine energies for a complex and long-lasting perfume. Smoky papyrus, deep agarwood and luscious raspberry notes sparkle with rose petals and rose absolute. How does a traditionally feminine rose fragrance become genderless, asks Robertet’s head of evaluation, Lauren Shyman, who works side by side with perfumers to create new additions to Robertet’s fragrance family. “You will see how the layers of smoldering woods and two rose ingredients define a new vision in modern rose fragrances,” she says.

Boy Smells Rose Load Cologne $98 Buy Now

D.S. & Durga Rose Atlantic Eau de Parfum

Best Summertime Rose

Indie brand D.S. & Durga craft scents of imaginary landscapes to inspire exploration and adventure. This one brings to mind a postcard-perfect, romance-filled lazy day at the shore with a salty, dune grass breeze, thanks to the blend of evocative seaside notes, like dune grass, salt water and white moss complimented by fresh lemon oil and salt spray rose accord. Most important of all, while you’re searching for the best rose perfume that sends your heart racing, “be excited about exploring,” says founder David Moltz. “Never fear making mistakes with fragrance.”

D.S. & Durga Rose Atlantic Eau de Parfum $260 Buy Now

Byredo Rose Noir Eau de Parfum

Best Party Time Rose

There’s only one way I can describe this Byredo masterpiece: Decadent. A sophisticated mash-up of cardamom, freesia, grapefruit, red berries, jasmine and patchouli capture a rich, warm vibe that screams decadence. It’s perfect for date night — or any night you want to leave a lasting impression.

Byredo Rose Noir Eau de Parfum $196 Buy Now

Tom Ford Private Blend Rose Prick Eau de Parfum

Best Luxury Rose

Tom Ford is famously known for his love of roses and his rumored private rose garden at his London home is the stuff of legends. Consider this fragrance his personal love letter to roses everywhere. Composed with the rarest roses in the world — Bulgarian, Turkish and Rose de Mai — balanced with fiery notes of Sichuan peppers, turmeric and Indonesian patchouli, this rose perfume evokes the beauty of roses and the sharpness of its thorns.

Tom Ford Private Blend Rose Prick $216 Buy Now

Miss Dior Rose N’Roses Eau de Toilette

Best Sweet Rose

Bursting with a floral-meets-fresh vibe, this juicy blend by Dior leans into a collection of exclusive Grasse and Damascus rose absolutes, brightened by zesty Italian mandarin and anchored by romantic white musk and bergamot for a finish that is delicate, soft and elegant.

Miss Dior Rose N'Roses Eau de Toilette $118 Buy Now

Le Labo Rose 31 Eau de Parfum

Most Unique Rose

This brand is every millennial’s go-to, and Rose 31 pushes the envelope by blurring the line of what’s considered traditionally feminine. Designed to be born by all genders, this understated masterpiece is what Tanaïs calls one of her “absolute favorites” and it’s easy to see why. Hand-picked rose petals from the fields of the fragrance capital of the world, Grasse, are grounded with spicy notes of cumin, cedar and amber to give this perfume a rich, sensual warmth.

Le Labo Rose 31 Eau de Parfum $88 Buy Now

Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose Eau de Parfum

Best Vanilla Rose Perfume

Lipstick Rose is one of the brand’s most popular and bestselling perfumes by master perfumer Ralf Schwieger, who drew inspiration from old Hollywood beauty. Described as “retro” by the brand, think of this sweet rose scent as a glamorously feminine cocktail of rose notes soaked with grapefruit, violet, raspberry, vanilla and white musk.

Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose Perfume $290 Buy Now

Jo Malone London Velvet Rose & Oud Cologne Intense

Best Rose Oud Perfume

“I adore rose fragrances that have depth and are spicy,” says Valadez. “To me, it adds a mysterious and moody quality.” If Valadez is speaking your language, look no further than this work of art by Jo Malone London. Warm, dreamy and complex, it mixes dark Damask rose with a zing of clove and oud wood, finishing with creamy praline. And what does Valadez think of rose and oud perfumes? “Addictive!”

Jo Malone London Velvet Rose & Oud Cologne $138 Buy Now

Nest New York Turkish Rose Perfume Oil

Best Perfume Oil

“Perfume oils are a more sensual and personal way to wear fragrance, a true moment of self indulgence,” says NEST New York founder Laura Slatkin. Although Slatkin admits she doesn’t often like florals, she can’t help herself when it comes to her newly launched Turkish Rose, describing it as “so beautiful I can’t stop wearing it.” This is one of the freshest takes on rose — it honestly smells as if you were wandering through a blooming, faraway rose field.

Nest New York Turkish Rose Perfume Oil $98 Buy Now

Maison Francis Kurkdijan L’Homme A La Rose

Best Masculine Rose

“Floral scents are instant mood changers,” says House of Bō founder Gerard Möller. “They’re perfect for the days where you want to feel uplifted.” While technically a men’s fragrance, lovers of all genders will fall hard for L’Homme A La Rose’s notes of Damask and Centifolia roses, grapefruit and a touch of sage, but it gets its woody depth from the deep amber wood accord.

Maison Francis Kurkdijan Paris L'Homme A la Rose Eau de Parfum $165 Buy Now

Chloé Rose Tangerine Eau de Toilette

Best Eau de Toilette Rose

“Generally speaking, an eau de toilette is lighter and fresher in composition,” explains Valadez, adding that they may be “more appropriate for daytime or work and in warmer climates.” Rose Tangerine‘s fruity blend opens with tangerine essence and rose absolute before melting into blackcurrant undertones, steadied with cedar and white amber base notes for a light and bright zest.

Chloé Rose Tangerine Eau de Toilette

Chloé Rose Tangerine Eau de Toilette $109 Buy Now

Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile Eau de Parfum

Most Affordable Rose

No best-of list would be complete without Acqua di Parma’s Rosa Nobile. Ultra-floral, super clean and fully vibrant, this rose perfume smells like a fresh summer bouquet of roses, lilies of the valley, violets and peonies. It’s sunny and cheery and trust us, it will totally start your day off right.

Acqua de Parma Rosa Nobile Eau de Parfum $84 Buy Now

Ellis Brooklyn Rrose Eau de Parfum

Best Natural Rose

Just like the intentional typo in Rrose, this is a perfume that will keep you guessing — it’s like the rose version of the no-makeup makeup trend, perfect for those who don’t immediately gravitate towards the flower. This clean fragrance was created as an ode to Marcel Duchamp’s feminine alter ego, Rrose Sélavy, and this musk and cashmere woods-based fragrance is punctuated with petals of Centifolia rose,
peony, rhubarb and Sicilian lemon for a rose perfume that only hints at its cornerstone accord.

Ellis Brooklyn Rrose Eau de Parfum $100 Buy Now

Ex Nihilo Rose Hubris Eau de Parfum

Best No-Rose Rose

Let’s hear it for one of the most unexpected rose perfumes out there. Unapologetically earthy with a heavy dose of oakmoss spiked with the aromatic spice of fenugreek and patchouli, Rose Hubris is a cheeky scent that alludes to the foundations of all flowers…dirt. And we love it. Its heart notes of rose of May and lychee add a touch of sweetness for a composition that smells a little avant-garde, but a little old-fashioned, too.

Ex Nihilo Rose Hubris $225 Buy Now

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The 15 Best Rose Perfumes That Are Anything But Old-Fashioned

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Top Rose Perfumes of 2022

Diptyque Eau Rose Eau de Parfum

Boy Smells Rose Load Cologne de Parfum

D.S. & Durga Rose Atlantic Eau de Parfum

Byredo Rose Noir Eau de Parfum

Tom Ford Private Blend Rose Prick Eau de Parfum

Miss Dior Rose N’Roses Eau de Toilette

Le Labo Rose 31 Eau de Parfum

Frederic Malle Lipstick Rose Eau de Parfum

Jo Malone London Velvet Rose & Oud Cologne Intense

Nest New York Turkish Rose Perfume Oil

Maison Francis Kurkdijan L’Homme A La Rose

Chloé Rose Tangerine Eau de Toilette

Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile Eau de Parfum

Ellis Brooklyn Rrose Eau de Parfum

Ex Nihilo Rose Hubris Eau de Parfum

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