Japanese Rose Otto (R.rugosa)

Adam Michael has this to say “Applied to the smell strip the aroma of this Japanese rose otto is initially messy, showcasing a crisp rose freshness in the top, somewhat green weedy, sparkling and musty all at the same time with a pear and apple tartness. As time progresses on the strip, I’d describe the aroma as having a rose and fruit character, this eventually and perhaps bizarrely transitions into a dewy early morning rose profile with slight rose powdery undertones and again finishing with this crisp fruit nuance albeit more fleeting at this stage. This is a rather simple experience and as we go into the dry-down I would describe the aroma profile as full on rose powdery with some aspects of musk roses.

On my skin the experience also takes time to get going I find, almost vanishing inside the first 10 minutes actually before jumping into life. This said whilst the experience is ok, lasting just over 1 hour on my skin-type, it is also an intimate affair, too much so for my liking. On the strip the material lasts for just over 5 hours and honestly is nothing to overly rejoice over.

For me, overall, my apologies but there is nothing remotely special here, albeit we also grow Rosa rugosa (photo taken in our gardens) and I also don’t particularly care for the aroma of the living flower either so maybe I am a little biased. I find both this Japanese aromatic, and that of the living flowers to be a truly overhyped, super overpriced and yawn-inducing experience.

My opinions are that if you want the most beautiful rose otto in the world you buy Persian aka Iranian or Taif aka Saudi Arabian, both R. damascena and as good as it comes. Japanese rose does not even get a consideration by me as being a world class rose otto. What I find concerning here is that this otto is from one of the most highly rated producers in Japan and costs crazy money, yet I really don’t understand why.

My rating is 2.6 out of 10 and as such, I cant release this. If I did, I would be lambasted by my clients as it is meant to retail for 399 euros per 10ml.

Botanical Name : Rosa rugosa

Origin: Japan

Alcohol Soluble: Partially (requires filtration due to the natural stearoptene content)

Oil Soluble: Yes