My thoughts on Roger & Gallet can be summed up in four simple words: what’s not to like? They make wonderful smelling things with quality ingredients for a price that is wonderfully reasonable. Their fragrances have a simple, effortless beauty to them. They’re not fussy or overcomplicated, they’re just good, made with excellent materials and by some of perfumery’s most talented noses. There really isn’t anything to dislike about Roger & Gallet. Not one single thing.
In their Extraits de Cologne collection, Roger & Gallet aim to twist the idea of the Eau de Cologne into something more modern and contemporary. The collection launched last year with five fragrances, each of which celebrated one iconic ingredient. This winter, Roger & Gallet has added two new Extrait de Colognes to the collection: Rose Mignonnerie and Magnolia Folie – two fragrances that take familiar floral notes and bring an air of freshness to them. The result is two beautiful Extrait de Colognes in the signature Roger & Gallet style.
Rose Mignonnerie Extrait de Cologne
Mandarin Essence, Damask Rose Essence, Pink Pepper, Basil, Elemi and Cedar
In French, ‘mignonnerie’ means something that is charming due to its delicacy and smallness. Perhaps a better, more colloquial translation would be ‘cute’, so Rose Mignonnerie is a cute rose – a petite rose with an affable, joyful personality – and smelling the fragrance, that is a definition I can certainly get behind. Created by the perfumer Aurelian Guichard (Narciso Rodriguez NARCISO and Gucci Guilty), Rose Mignonnerie showcases a damask rose essence at its heart, delivering this opulent material with lighthearted, vivacious air that is so easy to enjoy.
On the spectrum of rose, Rose Mignonnerie sits towards the fruity end. The heart of damask rose is accented by mandarin and berry notes, a combination that brings out the natural blackberry and lychee facets of rose, as well as the bright citrus of lemon. This all creates the impression of a blush pink rose – of petals tinged with a hint of purple on the edges – painted in soft watercolours. Underneath this pastel rose lays a blurry base of smooth musks and woods – a breezy, smooth blend that feels as soft as silk and light as a feather.
A very cute rose, indeed.
Magnolia Folie Extrait de Cologne
Jasmine, Orange Flower Absolute, Magnolia Flower Absolute, Cassis Bud Absolute, Cedar and Patchouli
White flowers always have to work a bit harder than the more colourful blooms in nature’s kingdom. They do not have bright hues to attract pollinators so instead, they rely on scent to lure the bees. This why white flowers have such distinct and pungent odours – isn’t nature fascinating? Anyway, one of the most beautiful smelling white flowers is the magnolia. It manages to capture that flesh, white floral character – the smell of white-hot waxy petals – but also has a fresh lemon facet that is evocative of freshly squeezed citrus. It’s yet another marvel of nature and one that Roger et Gallet have captured perfectly in Magnolia Folie.
Magnolia Folie opens with a lens flare of citrus notes. You know in a movie when the camera catches the sun and creates a bubble of light? That’s how Magnolia Folie starts – vibrant, bubbly and luminous. Soft white petals are drenched in a golden rain of lemon and orange, with the juiciness of cassis to provide a tart contrast. As it dries down, Magnolia Folie softens, unfurling its petals to reveal a velvet base of cedar wood. It’s so soft, so supple and so stunning – a magnolia as beautiful as the real thing.
The smell of spring, in a bottle.
