106 Rose Damascena Davana Vanille Bon Parfumeur 2022

This review is based on a sample I received from Bon Parfumeur, in a tiny screw-top bottle. 106 is a nice Damask rose perfume with minimal complications. It offers good value if you can get it on discount.

The olfactory pyramid that I perceive is very close to what is reported on the Bon Parfumueur website. No pleasant or nasty surprises here. The opening tells you everything you want to know about 106. It is blast of damascene rose, darkened a little by the supporting actors. The perfumer says that these ancillary opening notes are amber seeds and pink pepper. I don’t know how amber seeds smell, but I do not get pink pepper. However, there is something distracting in the opening. But I am more likely to finger the papyrus notes bleeding up from the heart section as the culprit. The heart section also includes davana, according to the website, though I don’t see much development. The base notes are vanilla, balsam and sandalwood, all of which I can smell as a soft but nice homogenous blend. The damascene rose is clearly present in the base notes. Are all these other accords helping or hurting the rose in 106?

I like the longevity of 106, particularly as this has been a problem with some of the Bon Parfumeur fragrances. The basenotes are alive and kicking even after 10-12 hours. Sillage is good enough for a perfume of this personality. I would recommend this one if you are looking for a damascene rose perfume.

Let us talk about value. As Elie Saab Essence No. 1 Rose is available with US grey market sellers for $65 for a full bottle, I hesitate to pay $120 for a full bottle of Bon Parfumeur 106. For all practical purposes, Essence No. 1 and 106 are essentially interchangeable. Francis Kurkdjian’s rose in Essence No. 1 is brighter, but 106 has its own merits.

In summary, Bon Parfumeur 106 is a wonderful single-minded damascene rose perfume. It is worth the money if you can get it around $65-70.