What does Centifolia Rose smell like?
Centifolia smells of honey and crushed petals. Less lemony than Damask rose, it feels softer and fleshier. There is a hint of pepper and a waxy base, sometimes a touch of lychee. The absolute also has a green side, like a snapped stem. On skin it stays bright. This is a daylight rose rather than a boudoir one.
Origin and production
Rosa × centifolia is an old hybrid with very full blooms, hence the name hundred-leaved rose. It is grown around Grasse and in Morocco. Flowering lasts about a month, in May. Blooms are picked early in the morning and rushed to the factory. Distillation yields little, so the rose is mostly solvent-extracted into a concrete and then an absolute. Several houses, Dior among them, have partnerships with Grasse growers.
How perfumers use it
Centifolia carries Dior's big florals. Miss Dior Absolutely Blooming pairs it with red berries. J'adore Infinissime pushes it towards tuberose. La Colle Noire, named after Christian Dior's house in the Var, is an almost bare soliflore. Tom Ford darkens it in Café Rose with coffee and incense. Givenchy Very Irrésistible, older, sets it next to star anise.
How to wear it
Wear centifolia in spring, by day, on a cotton shirt. Two sprays of La Colle Noire are enough. Café Rose is denser and better saved for winter.