Why rose and white musk smells like baby powder to Americans, and not to Europeans - an explanation
The scent opens with booziness for me, which is very nice. After the opening, it settles into a dusty, earthy rose. There is a slight cooling sensation on the nose.
There is something very baby powder about this once we get into the drydown, and I cannot trick my brain into thinking of marzipan.
Reading online, the scent of the classic North American Johnson & Johnson baby powder is: "a trio of Rose, Jasmine and Creamy Iris. The floral notes also work to compliment the oriental, powdery and classic musky notes." etc.
Johnson & Johnson has made the most popular baby powder in the USA for many decades. Therefore, the smell of sweet rose and jasmine, powdery iris, and white musk are associated with baby powder for me.
The smell of the almond listed in the notes list is powdery, similar to heliotropin - one way that perfumers often make a powder accord. And the musk, rose and vanilla only add to this impression of powderiness. I just can't get over the mental connection to baby powder, and so cannot enjoy this scent. At least the longevity is good.
A reason why Europeans would not have this association is that European-made baby products have different scents. In Spain, there are products like Nenuco Agua de colonia - a cologne for babies, with a light and fresh, citrusy scent. I have also seen it said that baby products in cologne-loving countries like France, Italy and Spain use orange flower in abundance.
Overall, this is either a powdery rose gourmand or a baby powder scent, depending what you associate with baby powder. Be careful when buying.
