Absolue Forbidden Rose
Absolue Forbidden Rose: the audacity of a rose that should not exist In 2025, Lancôme radically breaks with the powdery rose delicacy of its universe by unveiling Absolue Forbidden Rose. Conceived as the nocturnal counterpart to Idôle, this new olfactory chapter is signed by the trio of perfumers Shyamala Maisondieu, Nadine Le Garlantezec and Nicolas Beaulieu. At its heart: an absolute black rose extracted under high pressure, nestled in a saffron-praline setting and encircled by an oud-velvet sillage. Imagine a rose picked at midnight in a forbidden garden, flanked by embers of spice and a shower of strobe lights—a fragrance for those who fully embrace the forbidden.
- Brand
- Lancôme
- Launch year
- 2025
- Perfumers
- Shyamala Maisondieu
- Nadège Le Garlantezec
- Nicolas Beaulieu
- Gender
- Women
- Olfactory family
- Floral
- Concentration
- Eau de Parfum
Where to buy
Fact sheet
- Full name: Absolue Forbidden Rose Eau de Parfum Intense
- Brand: Lancôme
- Olfactory family: Floral – Amber – Spicy
- Concentration: Parfum (Eau de Parfum Intense)
- Launch date: 2025
- Perfumers: Shyamala Maisondieu, Nadine Le Garlantezec & Nicolas Beaulieu
- Available sizes: 30 ml, 50 ml, 100 ml & 150 ml refill
- Commitment: 89% ingredients of natural origin; refillable bottle
Composition: the olfactory pyramid
Top: incandescent saffron & pink pepper
A sparkling opening of Iranian saffron, at once leathery and metallic, meets a fizzy pink pepper. A thread of Calabrian bergamot maintains a citrus brightness before night falls.
Heart: absolute black rose & sambac jasmine
The heart pulses around a Damask rose “absolute black” extracted under CO2, revealing cherry-liqueur facets. A creamy sambac jasmine broadens the bouquet and lends it an unexpected luminosity.
Base: velvet oud, cocoa praline & heart patchouli
The base unfolds a polished Laotian oud – more velvet than smoky – joined by a subtle cocoa praline and a filtered heart patchouli. A resinous amber sillage lingers for more than twelve hours, like a whisper on black silk.
Bottle: purple lacquer & chrome petal
A crystalline rectangle plunged into a dark purple bath, adorned with a chrome petal styled like a razor blade; unscrewable pump.
The clean-lined block—a legacy of the Absolue line—is dressed in a blackened purple lacquer that fades toward transparency at the base. A mirror-finish metallic petal, engraved with the Lancôme logo, cuts across the front face like a slender blade. Thanks to a screw-on pump, the bottle accepts the 150 ml refill, saving roughly 45% of glass after two refills.
Advertising campaign
Directed by Matthias Schweighöfer, the film follows Zendaya through a deserted Versailles garden at midnight. With each step, the pale roses turn velvet black, igniting with a purple halo. Soundtrack: dark-pop Midnight Blossom. Handwritten tagline: “Dare the Forbidden”.
Reviews & verdict
Absolue Forbidden Rose combines rose-praline gourmand character with an unexpected velvet oud: mysterious enough for the night, elegant enough for a black blazer on a winter day. On warm skin, the saffron blooms into suede leather; in cool weather, the liqueur rose surges forth, deep and syrupy. Generous projection for two hours, followed by a long-lasting sensual halo—ideal for a cocktail bar evening, shadow theater or electro-jazz concert.
Recommended wearing momentsMomentOccasionSillageApplication tip
Misty morning
Creative meeting
Light
Mist on scarf
Afternoon
Art gallery
Moderate
Two sprays on nape and wrists
Dusk
Rooftop cocktail
Strong
Cloud crossed over shoulders
Dead of night
Speakeasy club
Enveloping
Layering with vanilla-rose milk
Olfactory pyramid
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