L'Homme Rochas Rochas 2020

Rochas have been stepping up their male fragrance game recently, Moustache EdP was a fine example and they continue down the same excellent path with this release.

The virtue of L’Homme lies in the basics of it’s simplicity. It comes across like a classic barbershop fougère up-dated for the 2020s : The fresh citrus opening and the green notes from geranium and basil with a slightly soapy powderiness, the twist comes from the tonka in the base which makes it more contemporary. I find the fruitiness of the opening to have a bit of comparison to K by D&G EdT, with the blood orange and citrus only without the signature pimento that K has, which is instead replaced by cardamom. This opening ascends to a heart of geranium, basil and juniper (and I seem to detect some sage as well?) with just a touch of ambroxan. Finally, the base of patchouli and the sweet tonka come through – in the listed notes it also says moss, but I get more of an amberwood impression?

If you’re a fan of Bois de Vetiver by Karl Lagerfeld, this is somewhere in the same ballpark but more dense and concentrated. You can use it in most settings, but this would fit perfectly on a medium cool spring night, and it would be natural to put it in same category as the original D&G Pour Homme. Longevity and projection are both satisfying without being a beastly in any way. Very well composed by Bruno Jovanovic and job well done Rochas!