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Absolu 2002

8.0 / 10 215 Ratings
A popular perfume by Rochas for women, released in 2002. The scent is spicy-oriental. The production was apparently discontinued.
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Main accords

Spicy
Oriental
Floral
Sweet
Resinous

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes Top Notes
Mandarin orangeMandarin orange Fig leafFig leaf
Heart Notes Heart Notes
Orange blossomOrange blossom LilyLily RoseRose PepperPepper
Base Notes Base Notes
Tolu balmTolu balm BenzoinBenzoin LabdanumLabdanum CedarCedar

Perfumer

Ratings
Scent
8.0215 Ratings
Longevity
7.6160 Ratings
Sillage
6.8156 Ratings
Bottle
7.5151 Ratings
Value for money
7.929 Ratings
Submitted by DonVanVliet, last update on 07/08/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to
Tolu (Eau de Parfum) by Ormonde Jayne
Tolu Eau de Parfum
Trouble by Boucheron
Trouble
Theorema (Eau de Parfum) by Fendi
Theorema Eau de Parfum
The Lovely Collection - Twilight by Sarah Jessica Parker
The Lovely Collection - Twilight
19 Louanges Profanes by Pierre Guillaume
19 Louanges Profanes
Elle (Eau de Parfum) by Yves Saint Laurent
Elle Eau de Parfum

Reviews

19 in-depth fragrance descriptions
Missk

1357 Reviews
Missk
Missk
Very helpful Review 8  
Sexy orange blossom oriental
Rochas Absolu is an orange blossom infused oriental. It has a rather demanding presence, however it also has a sweet, feminine side that I can't help but admire.

This is one of those fragrances that start soft, then increasingly become stronger the more it has a chance to develop. You'd be forgiven for going overboard when you first apply, assuming that this fragrance is just a whisper on the skin. By the heart, this fragrance definitely has projection.

It's an oriental without the spice. I smell mostly orange blossom, citrus, vanillary benzoin and green, fresh lilies. The composition itself is quite smooth and sensual, and I believe it's the alluring nature of this fragrance that makes it so popular.

Although sexy, it can be seen as elegant and sophisticated too. It strikes me as being something that most women would to love wear, or even own. I don't doubt that Rochas Absolu would make a wonderful signature fragrance.

Thankfully Rochas Absolu is not cloying like some other orientals tend to be. It's pleasant and inoffensive rather than suffocating. While wearing it around my man, I was given the opinion that he found the scent rather approachable and pleasant in confined spaces.

I like Rochas Absolu for its unique take on one of my favourite notes, orange blossom. It's nice to see this floral note in another light, jazzed up and intensified with benzoin, labdanum and other resins. I am more than pleased with my sample, but I will have to wear it a few times more before I decide to buy a full-sized bottle.
1 Comment
6Scent
Sherapop

1240 Reviews
Sherapop
Sherapop
Very helpful Review 7  
L'essence de Jacques Cavallier
Another smooth oriental creation in the same olfactory neighborhood as Boucheron TROUBLE, albeit quite a bit simpler, Rochas ABSOLU is so benzoin and tolu balsam and labdanum-rich that the flowers (lily and neroli?)—and whatever else is supposed to be here—lie below my threshold detection capacity. What is most salient to me about this creation is its creator, Jacques Cavallier, who seems to use some mystery component which marks many perfumes as his own. I've smelled it in not only TROUBLE and ABSOLU, but also Calvin TRUTH (the original—I am not familiar with the reformulation...), and the perfumes which he designed both for Yves Rocher and for Salvatore Ferragamo.

Of all of the many perfumes by Jacques Cavallier with which I am familiar, ABSOLU strikes me as the most streamlined and the most obviously Cavallieresque, devoid as it is of loud distractions—whether of the spicy or the floral variety. In fact, this one might have been named L'ESSENCE DE JACQUES CAVALLIER. To my nose this composition really is minimalist—I would not have thought to compare it to Moschino COUTURE, for example, since the spices are so much more dominant in that composition than in this one, which to my nose is essentially an oriental perfume base. Very understated and totally unisex, ABSOLU would be perfect for those who find hard-hitting orientals to be a bit overwhelming.

I myself like but do not love and could certainly forgo ABSOLU without undue strife, but I really do love the sleek vessel in which it is housed!
0 Comments
EvaK

31 Reviews
EvaK
EvaK
Helpful Review 7  
Ladylike Discretion
Absolu seems to have 2 openings to me, or is it 2 hearts? Anyway: to me it opens fresh and sweet, but very soon after it dries on my skin, a strange "fat" and cloying note comes out. I have no idea what it is, but I've met it in various forms in other perfumes.
In Absolu this is not a problem as it's only a very brief visit of the strangler.

Absolu in its soul is very soft, very ladylike. Smooth, tender, understated, but not excactly shy. The woody undertone is extremely feminine.
Had it been sweeter, it would have been a disaster - but as it is, it's adorable.
Not quite bold and loud enough to be in my top 10, but still one I reach for when I need something discreet, elegant and warm.
0 Comments
Nicky

31 Reviews
Nicky
Nicky
Helpful Review 6  
Beauty
A rich, ambery and gorgeous oriental fragrance with woody undertones that I know will go with me many years to come. It was a blind purchase, but o´boy what a fantastic blind purchase! I spray a little behind the ears and on wrists in the morning and can still smell the fragrance in the late afternoon. LOVE!
0 Comments
8Scent
Lola82

361 Reviews
Lola82
Lola82
Helpful Review 2  
Absolu
Tolu Balsam Benzoin and i think there's
a note missing Myrrh gives it a dark woodsy scent and it dries down to a powdery texture

this can be weared by Men and Women
i love the color the color of Yellow Topaz Liquid and i love the Bottle
design it's shaped like a top or
the Top looks Like a old record Vinyl.

the Reason i like this then loving it
because of it's powdery drydown which
i'm not crazy about.

I give this a 4
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Statements

23 short views on the fragrance
14
hello, mysterious beauty! soft yet wild, spicy yet balsamic sweet, tender and sensual....I find you enchanting!
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13
3
It deserves admiration! Delicate melting orange blossom, soft and warm. With a very subtle oriental spice. Beautifully balsamic.
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3 Comments
12
8
A simple scent pyramid, but it doesn't feel basic.
Spicy Oriental
Unsweet beauty
Worn with pride by women.
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8 Comments
12
Balm for the soul! Golden medicine for heartache. Warm, spicy, delightful! My protective cloak. Noble sweetness! Close your eyes! Fantasy journeys!
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0 Comments
11
You are sweet and resinous, warmly comforting, with a citrusy vibrance. I want to sink into you, to merge, you give me a sense of security.
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10
Deeply feminine, warm & embracing. Orange blossom (the one without gum!) & a splash of mandarin on cozy resins. Sunbeams!
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0 Comments
9
5
Unfortunately, orange blossom and other airy components I appreciate in the pyramid get lost in an overly sweet and thick herbal liqueur.
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5 Comments
9
Wonderful fine oriental, subtle fruit, beautifully warm and soft, not intrusive, suitable for everyday use in autumn/winter - lightly dosed -
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8
4
Wonderful spicy oriental. Balsamic, with a magical aura :) too bad it was discontinued :(
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4 Comments
8
1. Green-herb-lightly herbal
2. Balsamic-creamy-nutty-green slightly bitter, enchanting most beautiful white flowers, lily
3. Honey-resinous, simply beautiful!
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