Roja Parfums
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The citrus duo of bergamot and mandarin arrives with crisp clarity, almost bergamot-forward in its sharpness, but within minutes the spice cabinet door swings wide—coriander and cardamom muscling through with peppery warmth, creating an almost savoury opening that's genuinely unexpected.
The florals bloom into full voice now, the May rose and jasmine intertwining with that persistent spice base, creating a dusky, almost incense-laden middle phase where frankincense becomes increasingly apparent. The ylang ylang adds a faintly indolic sweetness that prevents the whole composition from feeling austere, instead creating something almost perfumed and creamy.
The base woods and musk emerge fully, with vetiver providing a dry, slightly smoky undertone whilst patchouli and cedarwood create a woody-earthy foundation. The spices soften into the background but never fully fade, lingering as a warm, almost slightly sweet whisper alongside skin scent and musk.
Goodman's arrives as a masterclass in controlled excess—a fragrance that treats spice not as decoration but as architecture. Roja Dove has constructed something genuinely unusual here: a chypre that doesn't trade on floral softness but instead channels warmth through a densely spiced lens. The bergamot and mandarin open the door, yes, but they're immediately jostled aside by what emerges from the heart—a deliberate collision between May rose and Grasse jasmine (the good stuff, heady and indolic) against a backbone of cardamom, cinnamon, and coriander that refuses to whisper.
This is spice as sensuality, not aggression. The ylang ylang and neroli prevent the composition from tipping into fragrant Christmas pudding territory, instead creating a quasi-animalic floral that feels almost creamy. There's an almost perfume-y quality to it—you sense Dove's hand as a craftsperson rather than a trend-chaser. The frankincense rises like incense smoke through it all, lending an almost liturgical gravitas, whilst the vetiver, cedarwood, and patchouli base creates soil-like depth that keeps the whole thing grounded rather than floating as a polished fantasy.
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3.6/5 (108)