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Yes Miranda Priestly, it might be obvious that people want to smell like a garden in bloom right when spring sets in to shake off any lingering winter gloom. Still, Portland perfumers have worked their weird wonders with gourmands, clean greens and warm, late summer resins, so why wouldn’t they know how to make a rose, called by any other name, smell as sweet?
Before peak flower season passes, check out what local noses have sniffed out for fans of lavender, violet, white florals and—you guessed it—Rose City’s namesake.
Rosa by Delas Botanicals
Jasmine, rose
Delas Botanicals’ most openly floral two-note blend frequently sells out, but as of press time is currently available as a mini roller ball. Rosa uses jasmine as a way to boost rose’s profile, steering it far from grandma territory into something vibrant and alive. A real rose petal is found in every roller ball, making each formulation one of a kind. Mini rollers ($12, 6 ml) available at Altar PDX and at delasbotanicals.com.
Vamp by Euphoric Blends
Violet, rose
Euphoric Blends’ two-note oil is still rose forward, but conjures something deeper and darker than some of the other rose interpretations on our list. This could be a deep blood-red rose, or maybe something more mystical like a black rose. Rollers ($32, 10 ml) available at Presents of Mind and Red Fox Vintage and on Etsy.
Bridgetown by Roman Ruby Botanicals
Sandalwood, clove, rose
Though Roman Ruby Botanicals’ Rose City oil brings to mind dewdrops still fresh on a pink-yellow rose’s velvety petals during peak bloom season, Bridgetown is a more affordable, ready-to-wear formulation of mixing Rose City with the woody Gorge roller. Though you could mix and match your rose-to-wood ratio that way, Bridgetown evenly brings you the best of both worlds already hot to go. Rollers ($25, 9 ml) available at Presents of Mind, as lotion, soap and candles through McMenamins’ online gift shop. All products available at romanruby.storeenvy.com.
Dafne by Olo Fragrance
Orange, sampaguita, ylang-ylang
Daphne is one of Oregon’s most fragrant flowers and, frustratingly, one of the most difficult to create fragrance oils from due to the high toxicity of its parts. Dafne is inspired by the daphne variety grown by Olo and Siela Fragrance founder Heather Sielaff, which must be something clean and citrusy. Given that Dafne isn’t always available, it’s well worth the investment, as there’s next to nothing else like it on the market. Samples ($6, 1 ml) and rollers ($45, 9 ml) are available from Olo Fragrance’s online store and at the Kerns neighborhood brick-and-mortar.
Kuta by Running Late Apothecary
Jasmine, ylang-ylang, tuberose, cedarwood
Inspired by founder Sita Waters’ travels to the Bali coastline, Kuta takes the holy trinity of exotic white florals (sorry gardenia and lily) and grounds them with warm cedarwood to create something ready for Portland’s sunniest days. Mist ($22, 60 ml), roller oil ($36, 10 ml) and botanical hand and face oil ($48, 60 ml) available at Cargo and runninglateshop.com.
Yasameen by Siela Fragrance
Blood orange, elemi, jasmine absolute, sandalwood, white musk
Should Dafne not be available when you read this, Yasameen is a worthy alternative should you find yourself at the Kerns neighborhood perfumery. Blood orange grabs the nose, but the way jasmine opens up and burns off into sensual sandalwood and white musk is worth basking in for most occasions. Samples ($6, 1 ml) and rollers ($55, 9 ml) are available from Olo Fragrance’s online store and at the Kerns neighborhood brick-and-mortar.
Violet Femme by Nightwork Candle Co.
Violet, honey, lily of the valley, sandalwood, musk
I snagged a bottle of Violet Femme when Nightwork Candle Co. appeared at Portland Night Market in April. Those who have experienced Alexander McQueen’s Eau Blanche will recognize the same ethereal, otherworldly way violet comes out crisp white and lightly powdered in Violet Femme, not candied like how Kim Kardashian’s violets grow and definitely not as leathery-smoky as how Heretic Parfum and Boy Smells use them. Should Haeley Gjesvold bring this one back, you’d be wise to pick it up in either wearable or burnable form. Sold out; other scents available at Portland Night Market and nightworkcandle.com.
The Rose & The Bush by Treading Water Perfume
Rose, stems, cetalox, ambrette, patchouli
The Rose & The Bush smells like something you’d wear to a goth club. The roses conjured here are sweet pink, with thorny green notes, but the synthetic molecule cetalox makes for a personalized effect that smells like the aftermath of you, specifically, falling into a rose bush. Available at Portland Saturday Market and treadingwaterperfume.com.
Noémie by Sweet Anthem
Hyacinth, lily, wild rose, ylang-ylang, red amber, fern
Noémie smells like a sun-warmed bouquet now cooling in natural shade. It’s humble but by no means simple, a symphony of strong flowers singing together without overpowering one another to create something greater than their parts. Spritzing a sprayer or melting the dry perfume at the start of spring will still carry wearers well into late summer. Samples ($3, 1 ml), solid perfumes ($18) and spritzers ($26, 10 ml, or $68, 50 ml) available at Psychic Sister and sweetanthem.com.
O, Unknown! by Imaginary Authors
Black tea, lapsang souchong tincture, orris butter, Kyoto moss, musk balsam, sandalwood
The Fox in the Flowerbed might be Imaginary Authors’ most obvious choice for this category for its clean yellow bouquet, but if we want to talk about groundbreaking florals, we have to look deeper in the library. With several worthy titles to choose from, we give one last nod to O, Unknown!, which will be discontinued at the end of the month. Orris butter is one of global perfumery’s oldest and most luxurious ingredients, mashed together from iris roots grown for three to five years. Mixing it with tea compounds gives it a more calming effect than more might anticipate, a welcome effect in this economy. Samples ($7, 2 ml), travelers ($46, 14 ml) and full-size bottles ($115, 50 ml) available at Fumerie Parfumerie, Made Here and imaginaryauthors.com.