Designer Perfume Review: Balenciaga Rosabotanica – When the Sequel is Better Than the Original

rosabotanica kristen stewart ad cafleurebon

I have to admit that sometimes I am swayed by an ad campaign for a perfume. When Balenciaga released Florabotanica in 2012 I was attracted to the cool graphic bottle and colorful advertising featuring actress Kristen Stewart. Despite the last few releases by Balenciaga being quite well-done, I am sorry to say I found the perfume disappointing. Recently, when I saw the flanker, Rosabotanica, on the counter in an even prettier bottle, I called up my strict “no snobbery/no preconceptions” rule and gave it a try.  I was delighted to find that Rosabotanica, released in 2013, is a much better perfume.

rosabotanica picnic cafleurebon

"A Picnic in the Pink Garden" by Vladimir Pervunensky


Pink pepper, hyacinth, and a vegetal fig all play a part in making Rosabotanica the kind of rose scent where rose actually takes a back seat. I have found references to a note called "experimental rose", which could explain it. I feel like the perfumers, Olivier Polge and Jean-Christophe Herault, wanted to create a less photorealistic and more experiential rose perfume. This is a hot summer picnic, a vase of garden roses starting to wilt, with bees buzzing around a honey-laced compote of berries and figs. There are fragments of leaf and stem aromas coming through. The scent of the sun-warmed roses just shimmers above the surface of my skin.

 

rosabotanica kristen stewart outtake cafleurebon

Kristen Stewart

Had someone just handed me a card sprayed with this without telling me what it was I would have pegged it as a fragrance by a niche house. The peppery opening is compelling, and makes me want to spray and sniff repeatedly. The perfume as a whole has enough complexity to make it interesting without becoming confusing, and thankfully, the drydown is not just wan musks or chemical stew, but retains a bit of rosy pepperiness that makes it fun. I wouldn’t mind having a bottle of this at all; aside from the bottle being even prettier than the original, I would definitely get good wear out of the fragrance.

Notes (extrapolated from several sources since this is not on the Balenciaga website yet): Hyacinth, fig leaf, petitgrain, rose accord (with grapefruit, pink pepper and cardamom), amber, cedarwood, vetiver, patchouli, clean wood notes

I obtained my sample from Neiman Marcus in San Francisco. Balenciaga Rosabotanica is available at fine department stores and Sephora.

-Tama Blough, Deputy Editor

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10 comments

  • Liz K says:

    I hope I like it. The bottle is gorgeous and I was so underwhelmed by the original, which I had expected to be very good.

  • ringthing says:

    I think the bottle is gorgeous. If it ever thaws enough to go shopping, it’s on my to try list. Thanks for the review.

  • Perfumekev says:

    I actually loved the original and still do. Being a perfumer it is one of those perfume that lends it’s self to many other fragrance concepts.

    I cant’ wait to try the new one I love the Idea of rose with this.

    Last year I was in Paris and attended a tour with a group of perfumers of Balenciaga’s design’s.

    It was truly amazing, of course :o) The odd thing I learned about M. Balenciaga was that he quit being a couturier in 1967. He said he no longer understood modern fashion. The crazy thing was that the 1967 collection was so ahead of it’s time and so fabulous it still astounds people today.

    My fave Balenciaga perfume is vintage Quadrille it is such a perfectly proportioned Chypres.

    I’m gonna have to try this one.
    thank you!

  • AubreyZ says:

    I’ve been hearing good things about this one, but it’s the first time that I’ve heard that it has fig in it. That intrigues me. I’m hoping for a 2nd wave of fig perfumes. Love those!

  • Jeannie V says:

    Dear Tama I hold the very same opinion concerning the original Rosabotanica meaning that I loved the whole marketing campaign the graphic bottle and the fact that Kristen Stewart was the featuring actress to promote it. However the perfume itself did not satisfy my senses at all.
    I do hope that the sequel will be just as you describe it meaning much better from the original especially the smell that leaves on one’s skin since I liked the whole promoting campaign and wanted to have one of these beautiful bottles.
    Tama thank you for this review and for the whole information you provided for us. I am definitely going to try the sequel of Rosabotanica when it arrives in Greece.

  • Alissa says:

    I want to weigh in on this, because Rosabotanica is one of the very few actual bottles of perfume I currently own. My financial resources are nil, so as much as I would LOVE to stock up on so many lovey fragrances (as I was able to do, once upon a time), I needed a perfume I could wear everywhere, on all occasions. The days of having an array to choose from (this one for wearing all black, that one for Spring colors, another for snowy weather and wool clothing, etc., etc.) are long gone. I was at a Sephora in NYC, and had a gift certificate to spend. The Sephora I was at had a slim selection, and I wasn’t about to buy something by Juicy Couture, Brittney Spears, or another department store mainstay. Rosabotanica was the most niche-like (I agree with you on that, Tama) of all the ones offered, and by far the most versitile, while remaining inoffensive enough for practically any occasion. Since I bought it, I’ve alternated between love and indifference towards it. It’s not soul-stirring for me, but it was definitely a good choice for my needs. And, yes, seeing the bottle decorating my dresser is always a pleasure as well. I was happy to read your review, especially since I couldn’t really identify most of the notes. Some of my guesses were correct, which is nice, but other were surprising (fig, for one). Learning more about a fragrance lends greater depth and appreciation of it, but if it can’t stand on its own without the backstory, it’s not worth having, especially if you’re on a tight budget. Ultimately, I’m very happy with this perfume, and while not sure I’d repurchase it once it’s finished, I’m definitely going to be sad to see it go. Only a few other fragrances have fit the bill of all-purpose wearability in my experience: Coco Mademoiselle (in Spring and Summer), L’Artisan’s Tea for Two and Etro’s Etra (for Fall), Dior’s Dolce Vita (in Winter), and Sarah Schwartz’s Lucid/Agony, which I loved in all seasons. Rosabotanica seems to be an all-seasoner for me. Thank you for writing this review!

  • Lean S says:

    I really liked Florabotanica when I first wore it and the next couple of times after that. However, after a while I stopped getting much of an impression from it, and at this point, I have trouble recalling the scent even if I’ve worn it recently. I do have good expectations for Rosabotanica.