Rose De Mai

Perfumer: Jean Claude Ellena One of the two fragrances created by Jean Claude Ellena to celebrate the history and craftsmanship of Grasse, the cradle of modern perfume aesthetics and the royal floral couple of the region: jasmine grandiflorum and rosa centifolia. Rose de Mai is a term perfumers’ use exclusively for roses harvested in May in the Grasse region in the South of France. The flowers need the unique combination of the rich soil of the French Riviera and the aquatic breath of the Mediterranean to become ‘rose de Mai’. The eponymous perfume is built around the most refined extract one can obtain: absolute. It is available on a very limited scale from the rose plantations in the region. Rose de Mai is a beautiful rose perfume, voluminous and richly nuanced but also it’s a story the perfumer wanted to tell with the physical aroma. "A rose is a rose is a rose..." this famous saying written by Gertrude Stein, one of the most prominent artists of the 20th century. This phrase simply states that among all flowers the rose is truly unique and today we have more than 50 varieties. Roses can be light, sublime, fresh, seductive, soft and also erotic when blended with patchouli and musk. I answered this delicate flower’s provocative calling with soft and voluptuous notes, and among all I have chosen the May Rose as it is the most cultivated flower in Grasse. For me Rose de Mai smells the brightest and most cheerful. “ Jean Claude Ellena