The 8 Best Roses Perfumes, According to Rose-Obsessed Editors

When I first smelled Eau Rose, I knew my search for the best rose perfume was over. It’s everything I want in a rose scent: fresh, floral, fruity and not overly sweet. This is my signature scent, and I love and interchangeably also use the eau de toilette. The top note is the honeyed layer of the Centifolia flower—Rose de Mai—and slowly reveals the sharp fruity accent of litchi as the day wears on. What really makes this perfume is the artichoke. It keeps things green and balanced, which is why I think I love it so much. Eau Rose is my favorite of all the Diptyque perfumes, and has a longevity of eight to ten hours.

Fast Facts

• Notes: Damascena and Centifolia roses, chamomile, litchi, artichoke
• Formula: alcohol-based, perfume and eau de toilette
• Size: 2.5 ounces

Parfums de Marly’s classic Delina took me by surprise. The house describes it as “sweet and sensual,” so I hesitated. My pet peeve with fragrance is that it can sometimes smell like a candy factory. Straight sugar gives me nausea, and I was afraid that Delina was going to be just that. However, while it is sweet, it toes the line on being cloy. That’s the definition of sophistication to me. The vanilla and rose top notes are strong, but eventually mellow into the fruitier profiles as the day wears on. There is a sharpness to it, thanks to the bergamot essence. I think it’s a great pick for those who like sweet scent profiles, but don’t want to smell like syrup or like they just walked out of the Jelly Belly factory. It’s candy perfume for a grown-up. (I think this is due to the musky notes—Parfums de Marly is notoriously powdery with its perfumes.) It’ll last a solid five or six hours, though by the end of the day, you may want to reapply if you still have a night ahead of you.

Fast Facts

• Notes: Rhubarb, Lychee, Bergamot Essence, Damascena Rose, Vanilla, Cashmeran, Musk, Vetiver
• Formula: alcohol-based, perfume
• Size: 1 ounce, 2.5 ounces

Jo Malone Red Roses is the first rose perfume I ever bought, and is said to be the ultimate classic. This is probably due to the fact that it smells like an enormous bouquet of Valentine’s Day flowers. Imagine burying your nose in a bed of roses that are just on the verge of wilting. That syrupy, honey note is tempered by the hint of citrus in the top note. Spray sparingly, and it’ll be there at day’s end.

Fast Facts

• Notes: lemon, red roses, honey
• Formula: alcohol-based, perfume
• Size: 1 ounce, 3.4 ounces

I was introduced to Ellis Brooklyn through a friend and former colleague, and RRose was a delight from the start. The name hints at the cheeky scent to come, pronounced as a play on words—Eros, the god of love. While incredibly floral (it uses my favorite Rose de Mai as a heart note), RRose keeps you on your toes with the bright tartness of cassis, earthy fruitiness of pear, richness of the vanilla orchid and a little bit of musk thanks to cashmere woods. It’s surprising, bold and feminine—I’ve never failed to pull in compliments with this one. RRose also has good longevity, between eight and ten hours.

Fast Facts

• Notes: sicilian lemon, cassis, pear, lotus blossom, peony, Centifolia rose, cashmere woods, spring musks, vanilla orchid
• Formula: alcohol-based, perfume
• Size: 0.33 ounce, 1.7 ounces

When I first smelled Tom Ford Rose Exposed, I was shocked that so much power could be encapsulated in such a small bottle. As I wrote in my review, this is the Joan Jett of rose perfume. Leather, musk, sandalwood and pink pepper come out of the bottle swinging—so use sparingly. I could still smell it on my body after 12 hours and a shower. For the girl who wants a seductive, sultry scent that somehow also manages to be commanding, who wants femininity to play with rock ‘n roll sensibilities, you can’t do better than this.

Fast Facts

• Notes: white pepper, pink pepper, rose water, rose oil, orange blossom, olibanum, leather, musk, sandalwood, cashmeran
• Formula: alcohol-based, perfume
• Size: 1 ounce, 1.7 ounces

With all the chatter of “pheromone” perfumes going around, by/rosie jane’s Rosie is a great contender for both categories. It bills itself as a “barely-there skin scent impossible to forget. warm, white musk with a hint of pure rose essential oil.” The scent profile is the most slimmed down of all the selections on this list, with just three: white musk, sweet rose and white amber. Indeed, the musks are more forward here, and the rose a beautiful afterthought, an apparition as the perfume dries down. If you want a rose scent that feels clean, Rosie is it. I get tons of compliments whenever I wear this, and I love that it’s soft but strong.

Fast Facts

• Notes: white musk, sweet rose, white amber
• Formula: alcohol-based, perfume
• Size: 1.7 ounces

PureWow Assistant Editor of Branded Content, Madeline Merinuk, raved to me about Kai Rose Eau de Parfum. “It’s so luxurious smelling but isn’t too strong or artificial,” she says. “It just smells like the perfect, natural rose scent. Every time I wear it I get compliments! It’s also a great layering perfume.” The top note is rose absolute, accompanied by gardenia and white exotics. Kai also adds antioxidants, essential oils, vitamin C and vitamin E into its formula.

Fast Facts

• Notes: rose absolute, gardenia, white exotics
• Formula: alcohol-based, perfume
• Size: 1.7 ounces

The second rose perfume I ever bought was Officine de Buly’s Eau Triple Rose de Damas. It was largely due in part to the exquisite packaging. Staying true to its apothecary roots, Buly, founded in 1803, bottles all its perfumes in milk glass. It’s finished with embossed gold foil, romantic Spencerian script and an opulent, engraved brass cap. Of all the perfumes I’ve tried, I also think the atomizer is the best, as it delivers an ultra-fine mist that prevents the perfume from pooling on your wrists and neck. Eau Triple Rose de Damas is a powerful perfume, spicy thanks to the ginger, yet earthy because of the vetiver notes that taper the delicate rose.

Fast Facts

• Notes: ginger, vetiver, Damascus rose
• Formula: water-based, perfume
• Size: 2.5 ounces