Lyric82's Review of Byzance (2019) by Rochas

The new Byzance has virtually nothing to do with the original version, except maybe a similar looking, and striking bottle design.

On me this fragrance is a powdery vanilla, with a similar vibe as Dior addict. I do not mean that they smell the same… at all. They don’t, they just sort of transport you to the same place.

There is a depth to this vanilla scent, it doesn’t ever get too sweet, and there is a lovely masculine edge in the dry down. Enough to make this feel like a unisex offering in this day and age. It’s this dry, airy quality in the background that makes me feel this.

I like this very much, it’s warm and classy, and a little bit on the different side for today’s fragrances. But unfortunately, I’m pretty sure this will alienate all the fans of the original, as it’s just simply not that. And entirely different fragrance, for an entirely different audience. And I’m not sure that the awesome looking bottle will be enough to attract the horde of vanilla lovers away from the perfume counters. So sadly, I think this will go largely unnoticed, but it’s lovely if you want an interesting vanilla that leans more dry than sweet.