Top Notes 
Bergamot
Blackcurrant
Clary sage
Saffron
Ginger
Star anise
Heart Notes 
Caramel
Lavender
Rosemary
Cherry
Freesia
Raspberry
Base Notes 
Vanilla
Orcanox
Cedarwood
Patchouli
Tonka bean
Vetiver08/30/2025
Hroptatyr54
6 Reviews
Translated
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Hroptatyr54
2
The forbidden and the red
The symbol of the color red was long considered ambivalent in 19th century Central Europe. On the one hand, it was associated with vitality, love and warmth; on the other hand, it was considered a stigma of wickedness. Cardinals wore it as a sign of divine authority, prostitutes as a signal of profane availability. Red velvet in the salons was both a promise and a threat - anyone who pushed aside the curtain entered a world that was not accessible to everyone.
This ambivalence between "attraction and danger" extends culturally and historically from ecclesiastical symbolism to political flags and the literary motif of the "femme fatale". Red has always been more than just a color and is still regarded today as an interface between a promise and a warning.
Forbidden Rouge initially sounds like make-up, like a frivolous gesture in front of the mirror. But there is much more going on here than just harmless powder. An illicit act. And here we are with perfume: a means of evading social sanctions since time immemorial. Unlike an item of clothing, a fragrance cannot tame the constraints of a uniform; it crosses borders unnoticed, creeps into the nose, evokes both associations and memories that the wearer can no longer recall.
The seductress, who for me is loud and vociferous, opens up to me warmly, almost balsamically, rising with an aura of a secret salon in which cigar smoke still hangs and heavy fabrics adorn the walls, completely swallowing up the sound of the outside world. I wasn't expecting much in the way of sweet and fruity explosions. I was overcome by the candy red fog, almost like the dim soft red light of an old theater.
Over time, a subtle bitterness was added, a moment of dryness that prevents the composition from lapsing into plush coziness. It is reminiscent of a liqueur whose sweetness is always countered by a tart, almost woody base. Syrupy and herbaceous a la Amaro or the sweetness in the resistance in a complex green Chartreuse.
This makes this fragrance one of those that hint more than it reveals. No open zipper, more like a half-buttoned shirt.
Forbidden here is just not winking at the allure of flashiness.
This ambivalence between "attraction and danger" extends culturally and historically from ecclesiastical symbolism to political flags and the literary motif of the "femme fatale". Red has always been more than just a color and is still regarded today as an interface between a promise and a warning.
Forbidden Rouge initially sounds like make-up, like a frivolous gesture in front of the mirror. But there is much more going on here than just harmless powder. An illicit act. And here we are with perfume: a means of evading social sanctions since time immemorial. Unlike an item of clothing, a fragrance cannot tame the constraints of a uniform; it crosses borders unnoticed, creeps into the nose, evokes both associations and memories that the wearer can no longer recall.
The seductress, who for me is loud and vociferous, opens up to me warmly, almost balsamically, rising with an aura of a secret salon in which cigar smoke still hangs and heavy fabrics adorn the walls, completely swallowing up the sound of the outside world. I wasn't expecting much in the way of sweet and fruity explosions. I was overcome by the candy red fog, almost like the dim soft red light of an old theater.
Over time, a subtle bitterness was added, a moment of dryness that prevents the composition from lapsing into plush coziness. It is reminiscent of a liqueur whose sweetness is always countered by a tart, almost woody base. Syrupy and herbaceous a la Amaro or the sweetness in the resistance in a complex green Chartreuse.
This makes this fragrance one of those that hint more than it reveals. No open zipper, more like a half-buttoned shirt.
Forbidden here is just not winking at the allure of flashiness.
