Audace Eau de Parfum

Raspberry against tuberose is the idea behind Rochas Audace Eau de Parfum, and the two of them pull in opposite directions for most of a wearing.

It starts sharp and bright. Pink pepper gives a dry crackle, mandarin orange a sweeter and rounder citrus, and raspberry arrives almost immediately with a tart red juiciness that is the first thing anybody notices. None of that is unusual on its own. What is unusual is where it goes next.

The heart is a full white floral. Tuberose is the big one, creamy and almost waxy with a presence that fills a room if you let it, orange blossom is cleaner and gentler beside it, and rose adds depth and a slight jamminess underneath them both. Set against the fruit above, the effect is rich rather than girlish.

The base is soft. Musk gives a warm skin-close quality, sandalwood a smooth creaminess, and tonka bean sits between them, powdery and sweet with a faint bitterness underneath that stops the finish from going flat. It holds close to the skin for hours after the opening has gone. Nine materials, arranged conventionally but with an opening sharp enough to keep it from being predictable. Two sprays are enough to be noticed without taking over a table. At eau de parfum strength it lasts through an evening comfortably, and it suits autumn, winter and the hours after dark.

Rochas was founded in Paris in 1925 by Marcel Rochas, a couturier known for dressing the young, and it moved into perfume in 1936. After his death in 1955 his wife Helene took over and built the perfume side of the business considerably. Interparfums bought the brand and its trademarks from Procter and Gamble in 2015.