Eau de Rochas, the quintessential Rochas fragrance The story of the house of Rochas began in 1925 when Marcel Rochas, aged 23, founded his couture house. He envisioned a fashion inspired by audacity, joie de vivre and elegance. His vision of femininity, at once comfortable and highly elegant, quickly won over the whole world.
At the beginning of the last century, men and women made do with eau de Cologne to complete their daily grooming. It was only over the following decades that the trend evolved and that perfumes as we know them today gradually appeared. This transformation was made possible above all thanks to the visionary spirit of a few creators. Thus, in 1948, Marcel Rochas asked perfumer Edmond Roudnitska to create a more modern version of the traditional eau de Cologne. This is how the iconic Eau de Rochas came about. Today, it is one of the most memorable perfumes in the history of perfumery. Its Eau de Toilette edition, meanwhile, only appeared later, in 1970. Here is our review of it.
Olfastory’s review
Eau de Rochas, a perfume as refreshing as waterfall water
First of all, if Eau de Rochas is so famous, it is because it is a very fresh and aromatic essence, providing instant energy. Now, it is precisely this vitality that once made eau de Cologne so successful. The only difference: eaux de Cologne lacked a certain tenacity and persistence, which can now be found in Eau de Rochas. Like a sensory waterfall, this composition is like an icy, invigorating spring water. Timeless, elegant and highly feminine, Eau de Rochas releases a breath of fresh air onto the body, particularly welcome in daily life, in any season and on any occasion.
An Eau de Toilette signed Nicolas Mamounas
To create the Eau de Toilette edition of the iconic Eau de Rochas, the house of Rochas called on Nicolas Mamounas. The challenge? To transform one of the most iconic perfumes of all time, whose scent was by then firmly rooted in the collective imagination. To do this, he chose to open the composition with citrus top notes of bergamot, lemon, mandarin and verbena. Then, this aromatic, fresh breath gives way to a tangier, sweeter heart of citrus, combined with a floral bouquet of narcissus, rose and jasmine. Gradually, Eau de Rochas expresses its darker, woodier character, in a surge of oakmoss, vetiver and sandalwood. The result is a new cult essence, now unchanged for 50 years.
The historic bottle of Eau de Rochas
Whether in its 1948 Eau de Parfum edition or in its 1970 Eau de Toilette, the bottle of Eau de Rochas remains exactly the same. As a matter of interest, this essence was initially named Eau de Roche, and it is precisely rock that inspired its visual. The walls of its bottle evoke water trapped within rocks, and this bottle seems carved directly from the material itself. Transparent and ridged, the glass of Eau de Rochas lets us glimpse a lemon-colored juice, characteristic of eaux de Cologne. At the top also sits a ball-shaped cap, sculpted like a genuine gemstone.