Our take
What does Rose Kabuki smell like?
Dior presented Rose Kabuki in November 2018 as part of La Collection Privée, launching it first in Japan. François Demachy drew on the white make-up of Kabuki actors and on a 1955 visit by a Japanese troupe to Dior in Paris. The unisex eau de parfum uses very few notes. Damask rose, as essence and absolute, fills the whole space. A touch of cassis makes it juicier at first, and a green accent keeps a freshly cut stem feel. Then the powdery musks arrive and wrap it like cotton. The rose loses its edges and gains a pearly softness. There is no spice and no dark wood. Next to Frédéric Malle's Portrait of a Lady, Rose Kabuki is the exact opposite, with no incense or patchouli and only light. That restraint is deliberate but it comes at a cost, because the perfume soon sits very close to the skin.
When to wear it
A daytime rose for spring or the office, best on freshly washed skin. Four sprays are fine since it stays quiet.
It belongs to the Floral, Musky family. Rose Kabuki is one of 56 creations by Dior in our encyclopedia.
