White Rose
Floris (2002)

Floris – WHITE ROSE (1933)

Perfume Intelligence tells us that Floris' White Rose premiered in 1933. The scent must have been reformulated in 2002, according to the date on the Basenotes page.

The scent first appeared in the 1840s, when Caswell-Massey introduced its second male cologne, Jockey Club, and decided to entice the ladies with their own feminine scent. C-M's White Rose became the favorite of Dolley Madison, wife of the USA's fourth president, James Monroe.

I secured a bottle of the original formulation in the 1980s and my notes tell me that I was quite overwhelmed by it. It was a very strong, intense, very feminine white rose with nothing much supporting it, just a soliflore, but what a power-house. I was seeking a masculine rose scent at the time (I settled on Penhaligon's Hammam Bouquet), but blind bought the Floris White Rose, during my search. I subsequently gave it to my aunt, as it was just too feminine and too strong for me.

However, it certainly was a superb floral. Perhaps its original formula strength hailed from the days when cologne was sponged on to hide bodily odors in a world which did not take bathing seriously.

The new 2002 formulation seems to have softened the effect by adding a number of other supporting florals to the mix. If you ever get the chance to secure a vintage bottle, and are a lover of rose scents, it will be to your olfactory advantage.

I really did like White Rose in the way a person who's normally not super into florals likes a floral sometimes. It's probably because it's old fashioned and I am more I may end up purchasing it just because some days I feel like a floral for a change and I don't want anything fruity or watery like the mainstream stuff these days. Something tells me I should hold out for my special floral. Wait for "the one", you know. Until then, this is a very nice perfume that tempts me to get a bottle every once in a while...

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As a fragrance enthusiast, I tried out a lot of Floris' offerings between 2006-2009 when I lived in London. I can't remember exactly how, but eventually I was sent by a large set of samples and was able to test most them. This review is from my notes back then so may not be what I think now, or take into account reformulations etc.

A sweet and pretty floral. Good rose note combines with jasmine and a hint of violet. Simple, young and charming.

My mother was once given a can of industrial air freshener that smelled better than this.
This is absolutely appalling, like No.5 done on the budget of glass cleaner.
Avoid at all costs!

White Rose was one of the favorite scents of Alexandra, the last empress of Russia. I hope that now this lovely scent has been re-issued, it will be around for a long time. I find it a deeply satisfying rose that is never cloying, and one that even those who don't particularly like rose scents appreciate.

Jax-it was only created in 2002 so couldn't have been Emma Hamilton's scent but perhaps this is based on one she used to wear?It's clever because whether there are any white roses in it or not, it makes you think 'ooh it's rosey bit a bit different so maybe it's because it's white'. To me it's more of a damask rose, older somehow.

I stumbled upon this frangrance by accident in a dusty old department store in the city of Bath (England) last year. What a find!The smell when you first open the bottle is one of an intense and spicy rose. Not too strong, but deep and satisfyingly rose with just a hint of violet. It smelled so good, that I just wanted to keep breathing it in!When first applied, it is slightly sweet and actually not all that rose to smell. It actually smells more violet with a hint of orange. But over half an hour or so , the smell deepens to less sweet and much spicier rose scent. The jasmine seems to set off the scent somehow, although (fortunately) you can't really smell the jasmine itself. I find a lot of jasmine can get a bit sickly. The violet is fairly noticeable for the first hour or so, and is a dry violet rather than a sweet violet. After a couple of hours you are left with a slightly musky, complex and intense spicy rose scent.While it is an intense fragrance, it isn't overpowering. On me, it lasts around 4-5 hours.I love rose, and haven't found anything that smells even half as good as this, and plan to wear it for a good long time! Most other 'rose' perfume, in my opinion, are either too fruity or too powdery.I believe White Rose was the favourite perfume of Lady Hamilton (Nelson's mistress), so it has been around for a long time.