Matière Premiere Radical Rose by Olya Bar©
Once considered old-fashioned, roses have experienced a remarkable renaissance, shedding their dated image. Today, roses are celebrated in the perfume world and loved by consumers of all ages for their versatility, presenting lush, gourmand, mineral, metallic, and even cosmic interpretations. This newfound appreciation and often even borderline obsession of the brands with it has revealed roses to be multifaceted, gender-neutral, and highly addictive, especially when a brand like Matière Premiere takes on a project.
Since its launch, Matière Premiere, which translates to “top-quality ingredient,” has established itself as a key player in the niche fragrance sector. The brand’s commitment to quality is evident in its meticulously crafted perfumes, all under the expert guidance of master perfumer Aurelien Guichard, whose extensive and successful olfactive portfolio speaks for itself.
Aurelien Guichard via the brand.
Matière Premiere Radical Rose is a fragrance that embodies the brand’s innovative spirit. The original concept behind Radical Rose was to create “An Overdose of Rose Absolute,” using Rose Centifolia Absolute from roses organically grown in their fields. The goal was to achieve the highest concentration of Rose Centifolia Absolute worldwide. This fragrance accentuates the bright, spicy facets of the rose with a burnished saffron and pepper berries essence from Jamaica while highlighting its dark, woody facets with patchouli essence from Indonesia and labdanum absolute from Andalusia.
Roses Centifolia via Matière Premiere Instagram
The challenge was to make Radical Rose stand out amidst hundreds of other rose-centric fragrances on the market. Aurelien Guichard executed this flawlessly, resulting in a fragrance that commands attention. Radical Rose is bold and unapologetic, with a solid backbone that showcases the rose’s natural facets to their fullest potential. The scent opens with a glorious rose, accompanied by pepper walking beside her. As the fragrance settles into the dry down, it becomes dark, earthy, and slightly humid, evoking a moody vibe. Some describe it as reminiscent of a wet basement. It smells like warm earth, lit by sunlight right after a thunderstorm—slightly mineral, a bit smoky, and with a touch of balsamic snugness. It’s an olfactory snapshot of walking through the woods and stumbling upon a forgotten church, where the remnants of the incense imprinted in the interior walls are mingling with the fleshy scent of the wild roses thriving among the stone ruins, their jammy fragrance glowing like a halo above it. It’s both poetic and photorealistic.
I find all Matière Premiere fragrances wearable, modern, and versatile. Aurelien Guichard masterfully translates the texture of each featured ingredient in his compositions. Radical Rose, for instance, is velvety, oily, and slightly wet—a true olfactive snapshot of Rose Centifolia. It is perfect for heading out after work and enjoying a night on the town. It exudes confidence and pure, untainted sensuality. It’s undeniably carnal, yet it plays the game perfectly, drawing you in and making you lose yourself in the moment.
Notes include: rose, pepper, saffron, patchouli, labdanum.
Disclaimer: I was gifted a bottle of Matière Premiere Radical Rose, but my opinions are always my own.
-Olya Bar, Editor.
Matière Premiere Radical Rose by Olya Bar
Thanks to Matière Premiere we have a 100 ml bottle of Radical Rose for one registered reader USA or EU. You must register. To be eligible, please leave a quality comment about what sparked your interest in Olya’s review of Matière Premiere Radical Rose, and where you live. Do you have a favorite from the brand? Draw closes 07/21/24.
Matière Premiere was awarded The U.K. Fragrance Foundation Perfume Extraordinaire for Radical Rose in 2021 and Crystal Saffron was a Fragrance Foundation Finalist for “Indie Fragrance of The Year” 2023
Please read Michelyn’s exclusive interview with Aurelien Guichard and use a quote from that interview and your comment will count twice here.
Watch Steven’s video of Crystal Saffron. Please read Karl’s Review of Matière Premiere Vanilla Powder here. Vanilla Powder was named Best of 2023 by Michelyn.
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