ANOMALIA
ROCK ROSE
2022
incense
white flowers
cedarwood
patchouli
yellow amber
musk
cistus
‘That is about a fighter. We are won over by a daring feeling of immortality and nothing and no one can stop us. Rock Rose is the other name for cistus, a small tenacious shrub that grows in the scrubland, remarkable for its ability to survive forest fires and its heady amber and woody aroma. Here accompanied by a bouquet of white flowers and a hint of patchouli, this eau de parfum envelops us in a protective cocoon, both tender and warm.’ – Anomalia
Rock Rose is often a misunderstood naming for those of us without prior knowledge to the flora and fauna of the perfume world. Not to be confused with a rose scent, rock rose is simply the English name for cistus (labdanum) that produces the resin, you guessed it, labdanum.
Labdanum being a key facet of an amber accord. Sweet, sometimes slightly animalic or smoky, leathery. And that’s what you get here. Maybe more a dry rubbery than leathery side, mixed with some florals (gardenia mostly came to mind for me).
I come back to it at the end, but I want to mention that, while labdanum is prominent for a good chunk of the wear, I find the drydown very heavy on patchouli as well.
The opening scent of Rock Rose reminds me in a weird way an awful lot of rubber bands. Sort of cardboard or plaster, maybe even band-aids, but with a sweet edge. This may not sound great, but it works pretty well.
That band-aid vibe is not as strong here as in for example Papillon Anubis and it quickly becomes more woody.
When paying less attention to Rock Rose and letting it breathe for a while, perhaps it’s closer to a vanillic cedarwood. Very dry, but not too shabby.
However, as mentioned, give it a couple of hours and the earthiness for patchouli is prominent to me side by side with the amber accord. At this stage the labdanum has gone into the familar, custardy, Guerlain Shalimar or Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur territory, but with the patchouli making it more earthy than I’d love to wear.
Solid release, but not one of my favorites from the brand.