Rocabar Hermès 1998 Eau de Toilette

7.9 / 10 392 Ratings

A popular perfume by Hermès for men, released in 1998. The scent is spicy-woody. It is still in production.
Pronunciation Compare

Main accords

Spicy

Woody

Green

Fresh

Citrus

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Juniper

Coriander

Lemon

Bergamot

Heart Notes

Cedar

Cypress

Cardamom

Carnation

Violet

Base Notes

Fir

Benzoin

Patchouli

Vanilla

Oakmoss

Perfumers

Gilles Romey, Jean-Claude Ellena, Bernard Bourgeois

Ratings

Scent

7.9392 Ratings

Longevity

7.3295 Ratings

Sillage

6.5285 Ratings

Bottle

7.7276 Ratings

Value for money

7.188 Ratings

Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 09/12/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Rocabar After-Shave Lotion

Janine D. Eau de Toilette

Brindille Eau de Parfum

Héritage Eau de Toilette

Venezia Uomo Eau de Toilette

Quartz pour Homme Eau de Toilette

Reviews

10 in-depth fragrance descriptions

09/23/2022

9
Bottle 7
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

HugoMontez
80 Reviews

HugoMontez

Helpful Review 9

Fall in a forest

Rocabar is so good and unique that i can't put my finger on any note in particular.

There's a woody and sweet resinous thing going on (definitely Benzoin mixed with cedar) but the opening adds fresh citrus and herbs, and the coniferous aspect is always present with probably the fir and cypress helping it out.

What a ride. Although it seems weird, the dry woodiness, the herbal and fresh opening, and the coniferous heart are masterfully blended with the sweet amber base making this fragrance one of the best fall and early spring scents ou there.

Gilles Romey, who had created Eau de Rochas Homme (1993) Eau de Toilette , was capable of making another interesting creation with classic elements put in a different way. The coniferous smell is present in may classic men's fragrances but mixed in a woody amber/oriental base is pretty new and unique for the époque.

Somewhere in between the greens, woods and resins, i find ionones from violets but in a way that it seems like iris to me. Buttery, creamy, lighlty floral. So delicate that between these powerful materials is quite easy to get unnoticed. But it makes the difference. It's like the incense in "Un Jardin sur le Nil | Hermès" . Which is always there but under the green mango and the plastic grapefruit.

Hermès pre-Éllena has some special and timeless aura around. BelAmi, Eau de Hermès, Equipage and Rocabar are quintessential fragrances that need to be discovered and experienced. BelAmi is one of the best leather based scents, Eau de Hermès is a classic spicy leather that inspired Éllena work, and Equipage screams gentleman.

But Rocabar is probably the one that links the past with the present best, and represents a beautiful time of the year which is autumn. The performance is good. Lasts all day, creates a bubble around you, is not a strong projector but is always present. Everytime i get a whiff, i feel at home, in a fall day, around lumber and a forest. Peaceful.

4/5

07/24/2016

9
Bottle 8
Sillage 8
Longevity 8
Scent

Rickbr
190 Reviews

Rickbr

Very helpful Review

Sophisticated restrained fragrance

Hermès is an interesting designer in comparison to the other ones when it comes to the world of perfumery. While even the most classic bend toward the latest trends and trying to get the easy money from the young audience, the traditional brand of leather goods maintains a consistent line which is refined, more mature and with almost no perfume out of production. Even creations of little attention like Rocabar remains in production showing how refined is the offer of Hermès for both the male and female audience.

It is interesting how the perfume is constructed, a mixture of chypre with a dry resinous and spicy oriental feeling, something able to transmit a rough and at the same time velvety, texture something that seems to marry well with the inspiration of the tissue. If you watch the close aroma skin you notice a smell that brings to the mind a semisweet chocolate aroma, product of a very sophisticated patchouli. What projects, however, it is an aroma that mixes a smell of dry, cold and fresh spices, resins, citrus and an astringent smell of classic herbs.

Rocabar may seem at first a scent that disappears quickly into the skin, but if applied with greater generosity is possible to notice its sleek smell forming a sophisticated aura with shades of moss, wood, spices and resins. It's the kind of perfume that does not seek to attract attention, that exudes confidence, security and good taste. Not for many, but matches very well with those who seek this kind of more mature and sophisticated elegance.

07/04/2014

MasterLi
375 Reviews

MasterLi

Very helpful Review 2

Definitely an interesting one... sophisticated!

Rocabar is a sophisticated, grown-up gentleman's scent. It has a woody, almost pine-like opening, but dries down to a deep, sweet, resinous, almost vanilla-like aroma. It is (incredibly) well blended, so making out the notes isn't easy... but what it does come across as, is quality. Quality is something which is characteristic of Hermès, and it certainly won't disappoint here. Would highly recommend this for any well-dressed, confidant man who is looking to make an impression. Lots of class and unmistakable quality!

06/07/2024

6
Pricing 4
Sillage 4
Longevity 4
Scent

Smirky
483 Reviews

Smirky

2

My First Hermes Fail

Rocabar is my first dud from Hermes. It's a very weak fragrance; I've read it described as "expensive water in a bottle." Turned into a mild skin scent after about 2 hours. I did not care for the scent - it's very vanilla top heavy with subtle whiffs of citrus and wood. Putting aside my dislike of strong vanilla scents, to me the fragrance itself is nothing special.

02/03/2025

10
Pricing 9
Bottle 4
Sillage 7
Longevity 9.5
Scent

Godfreywilde
9 Reviews

Godfreywilde

1

a suit, or a linen shirt?

rocabar is intriguing. it is multi-faceted, with many faces and personalities.

at once a suit, worn to a dinner in a stately home in the country. tobacco and drink mingle in the air, dancing, intertwined; lovers. the window is open, and the cypress trees sway in the breeze, their fragrance drifting on the wind. wild flowers, deep resins. brisk, and comfortable. there's a stable nearby, and as you sit, whisky in hand, you wistfully think of the ride you'll take at daybreak. rocabar, rocabar, rocabar.

or perhaps, at once a linen shirt, with small shorts, and slip-on trainers or battered loafers. you're by the coast, a coastline hugged by a forest. trees, bark, trails, and breezes. flowers and shrubs, sea air and gin. you walk past villas on your way to a cafe for breakfast. small coffee, a vanilla pastry. you'll take a mid-afternoon nap in the apartment you're staying in, and the crisp forest air will waft in. heaven. rocabar, rocabar, rocabar.

either way, you'll shower, you'll shave - badger brush, doubled-edged razor, soft sandalwood shaving cream. and there it is, on the counter: rocabar.

there is a spiciness, a freshness, a tranquility, and a lust for life.

rocabar is the height of hermès elegance.

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