Velvet Rose (2023) • CLAUDIO ZUCCA🔺 • ScentAdvice

Velvet Rose is my first time trying the brand of Claudio Zucca and unfortunately, it was the perfect demonstration on why you have to give fragrances a wearing before making up your mind (or buying them).

See, in the first couple of hours, I loved Velvet Rose. I almost texted someone to rave about discovering it. It opens as an animalic rose, with a lot of acidity, and acidic rose is right up my alley. It opens juicy, syrupy, vibrant, but also a tad green, mossy, vintage; I was reminded of my Roja Rose Parfum, Guerlain Nahema, but definitely also Roja’s aoud accord, especially Taif Aoud.

And then it turned.

The base that overtakes the composition after a while is a typical sweet-nutty-grating amberwoody vibe. I’ve smelled it dozens of times before and I dislike it every time. I’m not sure what ingredient exactly causes this mix, but it’s a mix of scorched, charred woods and an ambrette-like nuttiness. Powerful, long-lasting, but I find it by no means pleasant.