Une Rose 1908

Une Rose by Guerlain was launched in 1908, during an era when perfumery was undergoing one of its most profound transformations — a bridge between 19th-century romanticism and the dawn of modern fragrance chemistry. The name “Une Rose” translates from French as “A Rose,” pronounced  “oon rose”. The simplicity of the title belies the sophistication of its intent. Guerlain’s choice of such a direct name speaks to the timeless allure of the rose — the eternal flower of love, beauty, and femininity. At the same time, it reflects the house’s confidence: there was no need for embellishment, only the quiet assertion that this was not any rose, but Guerlain’s interpretation of the rose. The phrase Une Rose evokes an image of soft morning petals, glistening with dew, and the tender blush of first love — yet beneath that delicate exterior lies a fragrance layered with complexity and depth.

When Jacques Guerlain composed Une Rose, the year was 1908 — the Belle Époque, a golden age in France marked by prosperity, elegance, and optimism before the First World War. Paris was the cultural capital of the world, and women’s fashion was evolving rapidly. Corsets were giving way to the softer, more fluid silhouettes of the Edwardian era; fabrics were lighter, and pastel hues dominated wardrobes. In perfumery, rose fragrances had long been a symbol of refinement and purity, but they were also evolving — no longer confined to the simple soliflores of earlier decades. Chemists had begun to isolate and synthesize aroma molecules that could mimic or enhance the natural scent of flowers. Guerlain, ever the innovator, would have embraced this scientific revolution, using both natural and synthetic materials to recreate the living scent of a freshly opened rose.

The composition of Une Rose likely rested on the finest natural materials of the time: rose de mai absolute from Grasse, prized for its soft, honeyed sweetness and its creamy, slightly waxy undertone; and Bulgarian rose otto, known for its deep, spicy, and voluptuous body. These would have been balanced with heliotropin, a newly popular compound lending a powdery, almond-like nuance that softened the floral intensity. Notes of methyl ionones, discovered in the late 19th century, would have added a subtle violet facet, rounding the rose with an airy, modern smoothness. A touch of musk xylene, one of the earliest synthetic musks, likely grounded the bouquet, lending warmth and sensuality that echoed softly against the skin.

Later versions of Une Rose would introduce sparkling aldehydes and a delicate green accord, modernizing the fragrance and giving it an effervescent lift — as if the rose had been kissed by sunlight and spring air. To women of the early 20th century, this fragrance represented both tradition and innovation: the rose they had always known, now seen through a new, luminous prism.

In the context of the time, Une Rose stood at a crossroads — not radically avant-garde, yet distinct in its refinement and technical mastery. While many perfumeries offered their own “rose” perfumes, Guerlain’s version was unmistakably elevated, polished, and harmoniously constructed. It reflected the sophistication of its era — poised between romantic nostalgia and the daring promise of modernity — embodying the eternal spirit of Guerlain’s art: to take the familiar and make it feel entirely new.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? The fragrance is classified as a floral oriental. 

• Top notes: wild berries, hyacinth, verbena, Bourbon geranium, lilac, cassie, neroli, petitgrain, sweet orange
• Middle notes: Ceylon tea, pepper, cinnamon, Grasse rose de mai absolute, clove, carnation, heliotrope, rose oil, violet, jasmine, ylang ylang, tuberose
• Base notes: m-cresol, musk, orris, oakmoss, patchouli, sandalwood, benzoin, cedar, ambergris, tolu, civet

Recently, I was able to obtain another sample from my good friend Alexandra Star, who has lots of rare antique Guerlain treasures in her etsy shop, Parfums de Paris. If you are interested in experiencing the spicy herbs and florals of Guerlain's Une Rose, stroll on over to her shop and take a look around. I will do a proper review on this sample soon. My first impression is fresh cut green roses and a distinctive note that reminds me of a band-aid, this is indicative of the usage of cresol, specifically, m-cresol, then I can smell a latex rubber odor, probably from the tuberose, which smells faintly sweet.

Scent Profile:

Une Rose unfolds like a living bouquet—complex, luminous, and deeply evocative. It belongs to the floral oriental family, a genre that marries the freshness of flowers with the warmth and sensuality of resins, woods, and animalic notes. From the first breath, it reveals a luxurious tapestry of natural essences and the refined use of early synthetics, creating the illusion of a freshly plucked rose blooming in warm sunlight, its petals glistening with dew, surrounded by spice, warmth, and soft musk.

The fragrance opens with a sparkling aldehydic burst, bright and effervescent, like light refracted through a crystal vase filled with flowers. Aldehydes—fatty molecules derived from natural sources—add a champagne-like effervescence that lifts the composition, amplifying every floral note to follow. Interwoven with them are wild berries, tart and sweet, providing a juicy tang that dances atop the bouquet. Hyacinth adds a fresh, dewy greenness tinged with mild indolic sweetness, while verbena introduces a lemony crispness, balancing the richer floral tones. The Bourbon geranium from Réunion (formerly Île Bourbon) contributes its signature rosy-minty brightness, sharper and more complex than its African counterpart. Lilac and cassie (acacia farnesiana) lend a delicate powdery nuance, while neroli and petitgrain—both derived from the bitter orange tree—add sparkling citrus and leafy undertones. The touch of sweet orange rounds this introduction with a sunny, honeyed warmth. Together, these top notes feel like the cool morning air in a rose garden at first light: brisk, crisp, and alive with color.

The heart reveals Une Rose’s soul—lush, sensual, and romantic. Here, Ceylon tea provides a subtle tannic dryness that anchors the florals, adding refinement and depth. A whisper of pepper and cinnamon introduces a warm, piquant edge, awakening the composition much like sunlight deepens the hues of rose petals. The Grasse rose de mai absolute—the heart of this perfume—radiates its signature creamy, honeyed softness. Cultivated in the fields of Grasse, France, this rose is known for its rich complexity, blending citrus brightness with a tender, almost waxy floral depth. It is enhanced by rose oil, extracted through steam distillation, lending sharper, greener facets. Clove and carnation, both containing eugenol, amplify the spiciness and hint at the old-world warmth characteristic of early Guerlain florals. Heliotrope, with its almond-vanilla sweetness, softens the blend, while violet adds a powdery, nostalgic tone. Jasmine and ylang ylang infuse sensuality—jasmine lending its narcotic white-flower depth, ylang ylang contributing a creamy, almost buttery opulence. Tuberose, in small measure, rounds the heart with its narcotic, heady sweetness, adding a sense of luxury and extravagance.

The base of Une Rose is a rich, velvety foundation that transforms the floral heart into something warm, resinous, and enveloping. m-Cresol, a phenolic compound, imparts a faintly leathery, smoky nuance that grounds the sweetness of the rose, evoking antique woods and polished leather. Natural musk—then obtained through tincturing—adds animalic warmth, while its later synthetic counterparts (such as musk ketone or xylene) replicated the sensual texture without cruelty, lending a soft, lingering glow. Orris root, derived from aged rhizomes of the Florentine iris, brings a buttery, violet-powder softness enhanced by ionones, which naturally bridge the floral and woody accords. Oakmoss provides a deep, earthy greenness, while patchouli from Malaysia contributes a damp, woody-spicy richness that ties seamlessly into the Mysore sandalwood’s creamy, lactonic depth. Benzoin and tolu balsam infuse the composition with resinous warmth and vanilla-like sweetness; ambergris tincture adds marine smoothness and remarkable fixative power. A trace of civet and castoreum (in minute amounts) bring the faint purr of animal sensuality, while cedarwood lends dry structure and contrast.

Each natural material in Une Rose is subtly illuminated by the hand of chemistry—aldehydes magnify light and movement; heliotropin smooths transitions; and ionones bridge natural floral notes with the powdered, woody base. Together, they create not a literal rose, but a memory of one—alive, textural, and multidimensional.

The final impression is sumptuous yet refined: a rose wrapped in silk and shadow, its petals dusted with spice and kissed by amber. Une Rose does not simply smell like a flower—it captures the entire experience of standing in a garden at dusk, when warmth, fragrance, and the faint breath of earth merge into an intoxicating harmony that lingers long after the sun has set.

Bottles:

Presented in the quadrilobe flacon (parfum) starting in 1908, the Capsule flacon starting in 1920, the Goutte flacon (eau de toilette) starting in 1923, and the Amphore facon (parfum), starting in 1955.

 

Fate of the Fragrance:

Une Rose held a long and graceful presence within the Guerlain portfolio, a fragrance whose beauty evolved with the decades yet never lost the soul of its original composition. When it first appeared, it embodied the Belle Époque ideal of perfumery—sumptuous, romantic, and resolutely natural in character. Its initial version remained in circulation for decades, treasured by those who appreciated its floral oriental structure, until it quietly faded from Guerlain’s official offerings sometime after 1936. The precise date of discontinuation remains uncertain, but period advertisements confirm that Une Rose could still be purchased in that year, suggesting it lingered just long enough to bridge the refined opulence of prewar perfumery and the shifting sensibilities that followed.

In 1947, Jacques Guerlain revisited Une Rose, reimagining it for a new generation yet retaining its recognizable identity. The reformulation reflected both the constraints and innovations of the postwar period: certain natural materials had become scarce or restricted, while modern synthetics offered new ways to replicate and enhance natural beauty. The 1947 version opened with a cleaner, brighter aldehydic sparkle, emphasizing transparency and lift. The heart still revolved around the velvety rose de mai of Grasse, but it was now paired with a more defined accord of ylang ylang, heliotrope, and orris, softening the once-spiced warmth of the original and giving it a more polished, luminous quality.

This iteration leaned toward refinement rather than richness, its oriental warmth now tempered by a silkier base of musk, sandalwood, and benzoin, revealing the mid-century Guerlain style that favored smoother transitions and powdery sophistication. Where the early Une Rose suggested the sensual intimacy of a rose blooming at dusk, the reformulated version of 1947 felt more like daylight—radiant, harmonious, and tailored. It carried the same emotional thread of romance but expressed it with restraint, echoing the changing tastes of the postwar world, when perfumes grew more elegant and understated.

The 1947 Une Rose endured into the 1960s, by which time its lineage had begun to influence other Guerlain creations that explored similar floral-oriental harmonies. Ultimately, it was discontinued once again, quietly leaving the market as the house moved toward newer expressions of femininity such as Chamade and Nahéma. Yet both incarnations of Une Rose—the opulent prewar original and the gracefully modernized postwar version—remain important in understanding Guerlain’s enduring fascination with the rose: not as a single flower, but as a symbol of timeless beauty, shaped and reshaped to mirror the changing face of desire through the decades.