Byzance

Divain 504 is an almost perfect dupe of this.

A sultry sanctimoniously gobsmacking cult leader wrapped in precious smoky woods and incense silently preaching its speechless sermon. Words are useless, it's not just a nose communication it is a nose communion indeed sealed with a purplish blue heliotrope and and old pot-pourri of aldehydic white flowers death-kissed by the opulently asphyxiating warm sandal wood and amber breath. The sacrificed offering is ready to be burned on the altar of love and fear... One of those dusky crimson dim-lighted twilights in Temples and Monasteries fraught Constantinopolis =Byzance

No Kool-aid here.

A lot of people hate on the reformulation and unfortunately I've never had a chance to smell the old one so I can't know how it compares, but the new one is very lovely to wear day-to-day and feels different from a lot of other perfumes I have tried!

nothing and i repeat nothing can ever beat the original Byzance! I used to wear it in the evening and it stayed with me (while my nose is an olfactory medium that easily gets bored or forgetful) till the next shower. I miss the nostalgia of my youth in that bottle and i find it so disheartening that is has long been discontinued.

First, be sure that you are smelling the original Byzance, This and that unrelated replacement with same name and similar bottle seem too often confused. The more that happens, the more the error becomes cemented as fact. What desperate and misleadingly marketed expedience inspired such a deception? A brand that values its legacy would never have done that. Rochas should learn that all respect starts with self-respect. Anyway, off my soapbox about perfume marketing disasters. So what does the original Byzance smell like? Well, ...it's complicated, as the note pyramid should readily reveal. Indeed, it's even more complicated than the listed notes suggest. For there is a richly bitter aspect to Byzance, now suggestive of a past that shall not return. However, such likely suspects as oakmoss and civet are not listed, If that be true, then perhaps the vague 'spices' note is more complex than usual. Besides that mystery, there is, of course, the always classic, yet always different, flurry of flowers, spices, woods, and amber that will for evermore announce the grandiosity of such perfumes from times past, ...sigh. I shall stop. Such maudlin mooning for lost scents must be curtailed. Life goes on, ... and besides there are others similar enough, ....though all seem to get reformulated. Ysatis, as mentioned by others, does seem reasonably close, less so in the deeper drydown. I compare here vintage to vintage.

I sprayed the imposter yesterday. Bleurgh - compared to this absolutely fabulous gem. I bought this frequently in the 90s. I was on a very strict Uni student budget and managed to happenstance upon a party plan makeup/fragrance/handbag seller. We'd have wine and cheese and purchase Lancaster skincare and other brands not readily available in Australia then, at great prices, and I fell head over heels in love with Rochas Byzance. I felt sophisticated, alluring, and unique. It's another case of needing a crystal ball capable of predicting the discontinuation/destruction of the essential luxuries, and now, of needing strong recommendations of available alternatives to fill what is likely an unfillable gap.

Ah Byzance! No seriously they don't make them like this anymore! And no I'm not 70, I'm in my mid 20s haha Love my vintages ❤, a classic gorgeous spicy tuberose to die for!

Byzance opens with a golden aldehyde-and-civet note that’s almost winy, and then softens to floral powder There’s a fluffy iris-vanilla in the heart, and a gentle, ruddy spiciness from carnation. The tuberose gets a little solo where it rings out clear and golden, and sort of buttery-tropical, enhanced by the salicylate aspects of the ylang-ylang and the creaminess of the iris. I get a bit of a suntan-lotion vibe. But it’s far smoother, richer, and less harshly synthetic than most “beachy sunscreen” type scents. This is top-quality tropical-beach stuff. The sweet-tart golden wine comes back and plays against the creamy-gold tropical lotion. It’s an odd, throbbing, intense effect, a bit like the “binaural beat” resonances I get in some Lutens perfumes. I think it happens when you have two scent chords that are distinctly different, but are close enough in tonality that they don’t naturally seem to “separate” into a lighter top note and a darker base note. Lutens will do it with two dark sweet notes with analogous “colors”, like “licorice and clove” or “candied orange and castoreum”. Byzance does it with this “Moscato and suntan lotion” gold-on-gold contrast. The “vibration” is impossible to ignore, and hovers on that boundary between annoying and intriguing which always indicates the potential to be someone’s “signature scent”. Overall Byzance isn’t a scent I’d choose to wear most days — it’s meant for a tanned bombshell trying to make a dramatic entrance. But it’s unmistakably creative and well-executed.

初代のを持ってて気に入っていつも使っていました。初代の物は天才でした。今の物は知らん。

Oh how I wish she was still with us. She has passed on and I miss her. If she was still with us I would have her in my life, she was magical and ethereal and literally other worldly. She is one of the best from the 80s. I remember her fleeting, she captured my heart and kept it. If I could turn back time I would seek her out and make her mine again.

I have always been drawn the the vintage Byzance with the gold disc because it stood out and was exceptional. I wore it when I was 15 years old. Back then I thought it was too mature for me and only wished for a sweeter fruity scent but it grew on me and I appreciated it. Now I am grown and my nose is more refined to truly appreciate the vintage version. The 2019 version also comes in a beautiful bottle and is a scent I would have preferred as a teenager because of the fruity sweet notes. However, it is nothing compared to the original vintage masterpiece.

Very closely aligned with my all time favourite; Dali Extrait by Salvador Dali. While it is very close to the Parfum de Toilette too. I won't go into too much detail as so many others have described Byzance with affluent words and exquisite metaphors; quite deservedly too. I will just say this, if you love this old formula, track down the original Dali. Either the Extrait in Black or the PDT. It's much cheaper and easier to obtain.

1987 seemed to be the apex of the potent, concentrated floral ambers that were in demand, and Byzance has been argued to be the high water mark of this trend. Starting with a flurry of aldehydes, mandarin and spices, Byzance EDT invites its wearer to enter its dark and effervescent interior from which emerges all manner of splashy, somewhat soapy florals. This is where the fun really happens—dripping wet, oozing tuberose and ylang-ylang dominant among the flowers. However, this is no foghorn; Byzance flirts but doesn't come on too strong. The second half of its development is its own flavor of intrigue, because this is where Byzance really starts to feel like incense to my nose: imagine, if you will, a heliotrope incense, with lingering traces of tuberose. It is ensconced in a purple snuffed candle musk, laden with a warm wood powder, swirling with sweet amber sensuality. Byzance is opulence with a capital O, a raspy rapscallion of a fragrance with a devotional side, a velvet cloak, an amethyst-hued dazzler. I agree with Tania Sanchez that it is also fantastic masculine. My EDP mini wears more dense, almost syrupy, but just as impressive.

Please bring this back to its original form!!

I absolutely loved this perfume, and so did my friend. Love to find a match. Any help appreciated

This scent can be said to be a scent depicting Byzantine fantasy from the 80s. In fact, it is much more beautiful and sophisticated than the 'Taste of the Middle East' perfumes released recently (after 2010). I know that many of the 'oriental spicy' perfumes of the time share these notes, but Byzance is special. It is different from Yves Saint Laurent's Opium, and it is also different from Nina Ricci's L'air du temps. Byzance starts with aldehydic spicy notes, but overall there is a round, voluptuous, and sweet balsam nuance. I think it should be seen as an interpretation of the ‘unknown Byzantine’ as interpreted by pre-PC Europeans. I don't hate it. In fact, there is no denying that this scent is beautiful.

@PLUMPIE it sounds to me as though you are actually reviewing Byzance (2019) which bears no relation to the masterpiece that is Byzance (1987). Byzance 2019 is very vanilla/powdery with a little spice. I hope you get to try the original which is very deserving of the beautiful blue bottle.

Byzance is an odd scent that doesn't quite capture the mystique of what that beautiful relic bottle is trying to project. The bottle is incredible and I vividly remember them in my Grandmother's bathroom as a child. To me this smells like the pink iced raspberry jam spiced cookies she made with me in the kitchen. It smells like spiced tea and biscuits to me with some jasmine and aquanet, not the spicy elixir that you would expect to be found within that beautifully ancient looking piece of art.

Rochas byzance So I have the vintage and the 2019 remake. They are NOTHING alike. I’m not talking just typical failed reformulation whatever, no. These are two COMPLETELY different scents, they have NOTHING to do with eachother. The vintage is a spicy aldehydic carnation that to me smells of a very specific type of incense that I can not currently recall, but it makes me think of ancient places, tombs, pharaohs, old Byzantine (appropriately lol) churches, and even curiosity shops, but the nice ones with real old curiosities, not your run-of-the-mill headshop filled with cheap trinkets that are probably made in China. It is DIVINE. The new one, however, smells like your typical 2000s/early 2010s vanilla-heliotrope-ginger sweet but “young” (but not childish or teen-like) a la Hugo Boss Deep Red, Dsquared2 want, Dior Poison Girl Unexpected, etc. Except it’s even sweeter and much thinner and cheaper smelling than and not nearly as good as any of those, not that I’d consider any of those to be “expensive” smelling in the first place. It smells much more like an impression of vanilla, heliotrope, and almond, without actually using ANY of those real notes and just using the cheapest aromachemicals around to vaguely approximate the smell of them, hence the impression of ginger without an actual ginger note, or without smelling solidly of ginger. I’ve noticed that can be quite a good tell-tale sign of really cheap aromachemicals used in place of vanilla-they have this very slightly tingly almost ginger-like scent but it *doesn’t* smell like real solid ginger but rather like a vague impression of ginger. I don’t think this is even always intentional as I smell this “gingery” edge in a lot of really cheap sweet vanilla based scents, especially from the 2000s and early 2010s. 2019 Byzance is clearly another victim/result of that. No wonder a 2oz bottle can be had BNIB/SIB for $20. Believe me it is no steal, you’re getting exactly your moneys worth. In fact, most of the money must be going towards the bottle, which for the price is very pretty. But even with THAT said, the vintage bottle is MUCH more beautiful! The new bottle even LOOKS cheap compared to the vintage bottle, which is gorgeous and looks like a museum artifact. It feels like a gorgeous glass antique, which I suppose now it actually is too lol! Whether you are new to Byzance, or true to Byzance, do NOT even BOTHER with the 2019 version!! I’m a collector so I figured I wanted both for collections sake anyway, but it’s honestly such a tragedy (especially after smelling the vintage, but even before that it wasn’t something I’d ever wear and would’ve/will served strictly as a decorative piece in my collection lol) that even though I only paid a measly $21 for it, and I can’t even think of another perfume that can be had for that price that I even want, I wish I’d put that $21 towards the purchase of another more expensive perfume than wasting it on this. But the VINTAGE Byzance, I am THRILLED to have in my collection. It is utterly GORGEOUS, and not just the bottle but the scent too! Seriously. It is STUNNING. And I’m not even an incense-freak nor a massive aldehyde fan. I like incense, love it irl, but can be picky about it in perfumes, especially as a central note/accord. As for aldehydes, take that and double it-I love a good aldehyde but am even more picky about them than I am about incense. So by no means is any incense-aldehyde a guaranteed like for me, even if I can appreciate as a perfume otherwise. But this is both something I can appreciate as a perfume/work or art AND that just plain smells GREAT. It’s one of those perfumes that has me huffing my wrist repeatedly, it’s addictive and intoxicating and I just can’t get enough! It also reminds me a bit of Catholic Church incense, not a literal interpretation but the nod is definitely there. I went to a Polish Catholic Church (in America) so maybe the type of incense they used was different than your typical western Catholic Church, because while this certainly does NOT smell like your typical “Catholic church incense” perfumes such as CdG Avignon, it totally does remind me of my church that I attended as a child. Sorry this is sort of a double review for both, but it felt important and also, kind of impossible NOT to review one without contrasting with the other, especially since I have both side by side so I’m in a perfect position to compare the two. But if you are thinking about going with the 2019 to save a buck, just don’t, ESPECIALLY if you’re familiar with the smell of the vintage trust me you will be SO DISAPPOINTED they’re not even in the same genre! Sad they’re clearly just trying to ride the Byzance name and bottle and its popularity because they clearly did not even TRY to make the 2019 version an actual reformulation. It’s not even a SEMBLANCE of a reformulation. Even the WORST reformulation (that is an actual reformulation attempt and not just a blatant rip off of the name like this) is a better reformulation than this. 2019 “Byzance” could’ve and should’ve been a completely different perfume under a different name if it had to be released at all (though I suspect it never would’ve been if not for the Byzance name because this juice is clearly NOT an attempt at any sort of actual composition but rather just total worthless filler that they created quickly and cheaply so that they could sell the CONCEPT aka name). But even if you’ve NEVER smelled the vintage, still don’t get the 2019. Because even aside from the COMPLETE lack of ANY sort of resemblance to the vintage/original, the 2019 version is also just a bad scent in its own right. Cheap, generic, and THIN-like it doesn’t have any real notes, just a dirty dishwater blend of the CHEAPEST aromachemicals there are (we’re talking like cheap Walmart/dollar store body spray level) that are then drowned in some sickeningly sweet aroma chemical that ALSO doesn’t smell/feel like REAL sugar, but rather like a nasty chemical artificial sweetener that is simultaneously TOO sweet and lacks the depth of real sugar making it feel too sweet and not sweet enough at the same time. I don’t like to leave scathing reviews, especially since most scents I dislike are down to simple personal preference, but in this case the 2019 Byzance is actually BAD. Not just not to my taste. It’s simply bad, very poor in quality. I actually love vanilla and almond and heliotrope, a LOT! Many of my favorite scents contain these. In fact, I’d say these are some of my all time favorite notes, especially almond. If the scent was well done, I could’ve and would’ve definitely enjoyed it as a scent in its own right, even if I considered it a terrible reformulation, or NOT a reformulation at all. But that’s exactly the point here-it’s NOT well done, it’s just as bad of a scent in its own right as it is a reformulation. But since I don’t want to end this review on a negative note; you simply MUST try the original/vintage Byzance! This stuff is MAGICAL. A true magic potion! And with a bottle to match! The name, the scent, everything fits PERFECTLY. This is one of those perfumes that is not a mere perfume but an *experience*. This is one of those perfumes that has the power to whisk and transport you away to an ancient Byzantine palace (back in its actual time too!) every time you pick up the bottle and/or sniff or catch a whiff of the juice. Wow wow wow! And it looks like a stunning ancient artifact on my perfume table! Although I bought a rather sizable bottle, this is a perfume I will DEFINITELY be obtaining backups of-MANY of them! And it will be a lot of fun as the vintage Byzance has been sold in many different bottles over the years, all beautiful, so it will be great fun to collect different ones! I can’t believe I waited this many years to try it, and, despite the fact that it actually *does* get a decent bit of hype on here at least, I can’t believe this doesn’t get a lot MORE hype! I mean imo this is every bit as c

One of the first perfumes l ever fell in love with that wasnt handed down to me by a family member or recommended to buy from anyone, l stumbled across it on my own. I've not had a bottle for about 20 years now so I'm going off memory of what it smelled like. I used to get this in a chemist by the local Asda when l was waiting for a prescription and it was quite cheap, l never had any money in those days so l splashed out on a bottle for myself and that started the love affair. It was creamy and spicy had an almondy marzipan smell, the flowers danced from one to the other singing about their beauty, in a powdery dreamy phase, then all the major sweet notes amber, vanilla, and soapy musk would come in to the fragrance it was beautiful. It was the one to have before Hypnotic Poison became the desired fragrance of the time, it was one of those fragrances that wrapped you in a blanket of sweet creamy powdery spicy heaven that made you feel cosy and warm a thing of beauty and serenity in a foul and dirty noisy world. I miss this fragrance so much, l would do anything for another bottle. I could of had a 100mls of it around Sept last year for a silly price of £38 but was put off by the £40 postage and didn't get it. But if l think about the money I've spent on fragrance since l feel like punching myself in the face for not getting it. Why oh why did l let it slip away? I'm so gutted. I've half considered buying the modern version but don't know which one to get the gold bottle or the blue bottle with the gold face which one is closest to what the original byzance was? I'm sure they've murdered the fragrance by now either way, and it's probably an empty ghost of what it once was. It is a gorgeous beast mode perfume. If you get the chance to have a bottle don't hesitate like l did get it.

Byzance perfectly balances the creamy and vegetal facets of tuberose. Yes, this is a “soapy” fragrance but only in the best possible sense, like emerging from an enormously satisfying shower. Yes, it’s also an 80s powerhouse fragrance, but in true Rochas style it avoids discordance or heaviness by marrying the floral aldehyde and woody aldehyde genres of the preceding several decades with just a hint of spice, foreshadowing scores of florientals to come. To my nose this is not dated at all, but rather eludes categorization, feeling both timeless and unisex. To me this scent exudes a sense of calm confidence, and though it is a clean interpretation of tuberose it avoids feeling prudish or austere. As far as notes go, I mainly get a sprinkling of soapy aldehydes gilding a cloud of tuberose and heliotrope, supported by creamy sandalwood and vanilla. But the rest of the listed notes emerge from time to time and lend complexity without distracting from the stars of the show.

I loved the 80s, but don't like this perfume. Way too retro-smelling for my taste. Slightly pissy white florals. I don't smell vanilla at all. Maybe this miniature bottle has turned. Smells like every other women's and men's fragrance from that era...a thousand notes that don't make sense to me.

Byzance appartiene a quei profumi degli anni d'oro in cui usare ingredienti naturali e di buona qualità era la normalità ed era anche in voga creare profumi che non potevano essere classificati ed etichettati come "una vaniglia", Una rosa, una tuberosa o un incenso,come invece fanno adesso usando questa semplificazione infantile di una fragranza che non corrisponde nemmeno alla verità. Qui si percepisce un calore bianco e piccante, radioso, non c'è incenso e non è una vaniglia ma un profumo adulto e signorile,che difficilmente si riesce a scomporre e sentire i singoli ingredienti. Molto intenso,radioso ed ipnotico,forse troppo stordente,questo è veramente narcotico. Credo spesso che alcuni recensiscano i profumi nella versione attuale anche se questo è la versione vintage.

This was one of my first vanilla-addictions. I was 17 years old and I found this beautiful precious bottle in the bathroom -cupboard at a friend's house. It was his mother's. And every time I secretly sprayed her fragrance. I remember it as a spicy,, white floral vanilla scent. But I'm sure I can remember it was quite complex. Very bouchy and very 80s. I remember the vanilla got me. I was hooked. Even if the vanillas now, are much more vanilla prominent. This was a spicy complex and opulent perfume attack. And I loved it!

I must admit that I never liked this little gem when it was readily available (even at a discounted price) Having read all the reviews on the new formulation vs the original, I dug out a little sample of the original from my collection and gave it a try.... Wow! What a little beauty! Warm and spicy and yummy ! Where was I hiding ? What was I thinking?! I also got my hands on a sample of the new formulation which is nice enough but has very little in common with the original. Alas! I missed the opportunity to own this way back when it was still available. Should I venture onto E-bay, Etsy or Amazon where bottles of this liquid Gold sell for eye-popping prices?

It's spicy, warm, and comforting. It makes me joyful and powerful. Byzance begins with a highly loud aldehyde and tuberose that can be overwhelming in the first few minutes. Then a sensuous rose and jasmine note grabs you and won't let go. It meanders into a warm, spiritual spot that your heart will keep after a few hours. It's more of a floral, spicy, Middle Eastern aroma.

This was one of my staples back in the late 80s early 90s. Feeling nostalgic I found a vintage on eBay and here she is again in all her glory. It never was the same kind of 80s beast like Lou Lou or Poison, Byzance is much more restrained and dry in comparison - but she is still a rich, velvety, incensy 1001 Nights, stars in the desert sky, black kohl eyeliner, lapis lazuli gold specs glimmering in the night kind of a creation. There is no one note dominating here, there is some sweetness but nothing gourmandy - more soft spices and incense. There is a level of sophistication and allure instead of a direct come on, its seductive in an indirect way, with a leaning to mystery and mysticism. Yes I still like it very much. Not tested the reissue so unsure how compares but if you find the vintage, get it.

This must be what a rich lady's neck dressed in gold and black velvet smells like, as she reapplies her makeup in the ladies room of an estate hosting a formal evening party in 1985 for the powerful and famous, while the rest of the world starves.

Review for the EDT, vintage with pink ribbon on the neck. Best tuberose I've tried. Tuberose can be a dud for me. But this is great. Reminds me of Elizabeth Taylor Passion minus the civet. The aldehydes in the opening were very high-pitched, reminding me a lot of Rochas Lumiere. But that "hairspray" note did quickly transition to a musky tuberose with clove weaving in and out. Small test of two sprays was plenty intense. I could see this being headache and nausea inducing if not applied sparingly. Overall a like! Could become a love. Update: this tests much better for me in the cool weather. Definitely a fall/winter perfume. I'm quite pleased to have my vintage bottle, might buy the modern version so I can spray to my heart's content and save the special juice for special times. (edit to add, modern is nothing like this, except in mood--rich and femme. Different notes!)