51 pour Homme Roja Parfums 2017 Parfum

Uncommented Fragrances No. 97

Another Roja: yet another new fragrance from Roja Dove and once again a comment from me about it. However, No. 51 is not all that new, as it has already existed as an Eau de Parfum. And now, therefore, as a perfume in the stricter sense. An in-house trend that can be observed with many Roja fragrances: the concentration is raised, from Eau de Parfum to perfume, for whatever reason this is deemed necessary for these strong, clingy scents. It certainly brings in more money, as long as the followers are willing to pay.

I too was tempted to order a mini bottle in England, which promptly arrived within three days. At least that’s already good service.

Since I do not know the Eau de Parfum in this case and the (old) fragrance seems to be quite rare, I have to rely on what I can perceive from No. 51 (perfume). So much for now: I don’t find it to be overly animalistic, as partially described in the EdP. I also cannot perceive a noticeable rose-oud-saffron combination. Was the fragrance reformulated more distinctly than with Fetish, Enigma, Danger, Reckless, Scandal, Vetiver, etc., and not just concentrated and intensified? I cannot judge this and must leave this comparison to connoisseurs of the old material (No. 51 EdP).

However, there are also clear parallels: Like all Rojas, the fragrance initially seems somewhat overloaded and more than in all other fragrances of this brand, the ingredients blend so harmoniously that at first, a sense of boredom almost arises.
Fortunately, this changes in the base note, as more and more ingredients can be differentiated because the similarly opulent top and/or heart note (I cannot discern a difference) has faded away. After the brighter tones have departed (especially bergamot is recognizable, less lavender or other light, citrus tones) and after the floral notes, which were only dabbed, increasingly sink into the drydown, the fragrance becomes a beautiful leather chypre (which is quite rare today), becomes spicy, subtly oriental (oud is not very present, but rather subtle by today’s standards) and unfolds a bouquet of spices that never appears overloaded or peppery bitter, but rather radiates warmth. That is certainly successful. Everything then ends with woody and aromatic notes, which ultimately give the fragrance a more masculine touch. However, it is also wearable by women at any time.

And now the obligatory question that arises (for me) with all Rojas, which are indeed priced ambitiously, even if one might be willing to pay more for a Guerlain perfume (same concentration): Is this an outstandingly good and beautiful fragrance?

YES and NO: I waver between 8.5 and 9.0, because the fragrance takes quite a long time to unfold in a way that seems completely successful to me. This is not a plea for synthetic blends, whose top note is identical to the base note and which only want to be purchased based on first impressions. However, it is the desire for a top note that at least captivates me similarly to the further development (think of many great classics of perfume history - including those from Guerlain - up until the end of the 1980s, which Roja apparently strongly orients itself towards in all respects).
NO also because the fragrance, precisely because of this orientation towards older traditions, has little originality to offer. But it does have one thing: charm and British understatement. This is not a snob (as one might expect from such an expensive fragrance); No. 51 is rather distinguished - and that is perhaps the greatest compliment one can give (to a fragrance) for Anglophiles.
So probably rather YES, to finally answer my question above.