Notes: Lime, Mandarin, Bergamot, Orange, Grapefruit, Verbena, Coriander, Carnation, Jasmine, Narcissus, Patchouli, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Amber and Musk
I picked up Eau de Rochas in the Perfume Lovers London annual swap event last December. The bottle was full and although I had never tried it before, I vaguely remembered reading good things about it.
I first wore it when summer finally rolled around and I’ve hardly wanted to wear anything else since.
I favour citrus fragrances with an aromatic facet because they have that bit of extra omph and complexity. When I began wearing Eau de Rochas my thoughts kept coming back to Diorella – released 2 years later. It’s similar in structure with citrus, herbs, flowers and a resinous base. Eau de Rochas may be in the cologne category but it reads more like an effervescent fruity chypre.
Most of the citrus burns off over time leaving a musty, mineral underlay. It’s that patchouli/vetiver backdrop which gives this summer Eau some weight and sex appeal. It may be buried in the midst of the notes list but the patch is the first thing I notice on spraying, just underneath the sparkling citrus tonic. It gives Eau de Rochas the slinky, lived-in feel that Diorella lacks.
The contrast between the prominent bright lime and subdued dry patchouli is enticing. I’m always looking out for summer fragrances with some sensuality and this has just the right amount of dirt under its polished fingernails. I’m drawn to fragrances which walk the line between clean and earthy (most recently exemplified by Superstitious). This combination gives a hint of something unwholesome and intriguing under a shiny surface.
Don’t be put off if you prefer coriander and basil in food to perfume. I’m not fond of those notes but I can’t pick them out here. The aromatic effect is that of a bouquet garni adding the background flavour of leafy herbs.
Eau de Rochas is not a vapid cologne but a fragrance with a languorous, old school feel that matches its pretty bottle perfectly. It’s well worth a try if you’re a fan of patchouli, retro perfumery and/or light fragrances with hidden depth. I don’t like paying a lot for summer spritzes and you can grab this online for a great price.
I find it lasts well for an EdT and can still notice it on my skin in the late afternoon, although it’s doubtful anyone else can. It’s completely gender neutral.
Eau de Rochas has the relaxed yet sexy vibe you’d expect from a French cologne-style fragrance released in 1970. It doesn’t have to try too hard.
Was there a perfume you couldn’t get enough of over the summer?
A Bottled Rose 
I feel sure I must have tried this at some point, but boy do I want to do so again now! I completely agree with you about colognes with extra depth and earthiness being more appealing, and from your mouthwatering description this seems to walk that line beautifully. I like all the Guerlain colognes in this vein – including Eau de Guerlain (which I see also has patchouli and herbs in it) and Eau Imperiale Eau de Cologne – so I am imagining that the Rochas might be a bit similar, and maybe even nicer?
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I love it and even more so because it has an old school feel and isn’t a rip-off. I think you’d really like it seeing as you are also partial to lime and patchouli.
I remember trying the Guerlain colognes years ago and giving up based on their fleeting nature, as lovely as they were. I know that’s the nature of colognes but I can’t be doing with it. .
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I love Eau de Rochas Pour Homme. Must sniff this one out. Sounds superb! R
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It’s completely unisex so you definitely should!
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Thanks Tara. Will do! R
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Great 🙂
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Hi Tara, I will be travelling to Spain for a holiday soon, and Eau de Rochas is very popular there, I saw it in all the perfumeries. I just may spring a bottle when I am there!
I have been wearing a lot of April Aromatics, Agartha and Rosenlust, and Violette Noyee, a Sultan Pasha attar. It hasn´t been a warm summer, so my summer favourites (Eau de Sud, Songes) have been neglected…
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Hi Hamamelis,
One of the many sad things about a disappointing summer is not being able to wear perfumes that are best suited to the heat. Annoying. Thanks for sharing what you’ve been enjoying otherwise. I love April Aromatics.
Have a wonderful time in Spain and see if you can get Eau de Rochas for a knock down price!
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I haven’t touched my heavy orientals for a while now – recently I was all for fresh and transparent. I got the Vetiver by Parfumeur H – it’s really nice, but it’s so fleeting on me that I have to dremch myself in it several times a day… Your Eau de Rochas sounds like fully matching my recent mood – I’ll have to find it somewhere !
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I was really impressed with Perfumer H. I bet the Vetiver is great. Too bad it doesn’t last on you but some perfumes are worth reapplication.
The summers are so short I guess you’ll be in your heavy orientals again before long. It’s properly cold in London today.
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I don’t think I have ever tried this, but it sounds delicious. I’ve been dancing through pretty much all of my collection, depending on mood and the every-changing weather, but there seem to have been a few that were more frequent wears this summer: Heeley’s Chypre 21, Mitsouko (an all year love), the new Damn Rebel Witches from Reek in the past few weeks, and Fleurs de Sel.
But now the warmth is dropping, I’m starting to eye up the warmer and richer scents again, the ones that work well with the cooler damper days.
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Thanks for sharing some of the perfumes you’ve been wearing this up-and -downer of a summer. They are really interesting and quality choices.
Warm weather makes me happy but I wonder how I’d feel if I lived somewhere where I never got to wear my incenses and leathers.
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I have not tried this perfume… I’m not sure I’ve ever tried anything from the brand at all though I know the name. I’m not really interested in colognes but if I were, I would love to try this one – based on your description.
This summer wasn’t much different from any other seasons: I do not wear the same perfume more than a couple of times within any given month so there are no perfumes that I favored over other. But most of the perfumes I was wearing were lighter scents – so I look forward to the Fall/Winter season to wear my heavy-hitters (ambers, orientals and dark roses).
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I hadn’t tried anything from Rochas before either. This is just my kind of cologne-style fragrance. I love lime and the darker, contrasting base. It also has that retro feel that I gravitate towards.
I hope you do a post about your favourite dark roses one day. I’m very curious about them.
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Hello Tara-
I’ve been enjoying your blog for some time and at last I am delurking and posting a comment. I always enjoy your beautifully written posts. I don’t have Eau de Rochas, but I certainly have been eyeing it for a long time. I should do something about it. I generally go “big” with my perfumes, and I like them to last through a full day of work without touch-ups so I wear vintage Diorella in the summer. Diorella is related to citrus, herbal cologne compositions such as Eau de Rochas, but with everything turned up to 11, as Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel advises. Other summer staples for me are vintage No.19 EDT, Metal, Eau du Campagne, and Bandit. I’ve enjoyed Ostara as well. I’m looking forward to the long, end of summer, Labor Day weekend here in the US. Hope you enjoy yours as well!
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Hi Grayspoole,
Thanks so much for your lovely comment. I love it when someone delurks.
Your Spinal Tap analogy is fantastic! Vintage Diorella is a long-time favourite of mine too.
Bandit is ideally suited to hot weather in my opinion. It’s the green aspect that does it. Eau de Campagne is also wonderful for cutting through hot weather. Vintage No.19 edt must be fabulous. I’m still weighing up which formulation to buy. It’s sad Ostara was discontinued.
I hope you have a great time over the Labor Day weekend. We had our long weekend last week and it was blissful weather for once.
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