ROOM 1015
Hollyrose

2017

PERFUMER
Jerome Epinette

black pepper
blackcurrant

rose absolute
orchid

leather
patchouli

Unfortunately, Hollyrose was a clear miss for me. I’d only tried the brand’s Wavechild, which on first impression seemed nice to me. I picked Hollyrose as a random sample, but neither scent profile, nor execution was working out for my taste.

Hollyrose opens quite fruity to me. Only blackcurrant is listed, but I find it has a sweet, (over)ripe fruitiness akin to a roasted pineapple to my nose. It’s a bit sour, a bit rancid perhaps even? And this is amplified by a very sharp, harsh, but airy texture.

After a moment of settling down, Hollyrose reveals itself to be a plasticy, faux-leather fragrance. You do get rose, but to my nose, it’s overpowered and not as prominent as others seem to perceive it. I’ve seen Hollyrose compared to Rose & Cuir by Frederic Malle for example, but I couldn’t recommend it as an alternative.

The way Hollyrose feels and wears reminds me of some of the older/harsher Montale fragrances. The combination of sweetness, acidity and leather almost made it a scrubber on my skin.