Femme Rochas

Breathtaking! I just received my vintage bottle and it is beautiful, cinnamon, plum and cumin are equally there. I don't usually enjoy cumin so much but here it makes perfect sense. Sensual, sophisticated and sexy, Femme is more than I hoped it would be. A piece of history in a bottle.

I'm still stunned how wonderful Femme is. Then, I wear it in summer and it's incredible. It shouldn't work, it should be too warm, animalistic and suffocating, but it isn't. I feels right every time I wear it. I grew up on '90 florientals, peach and plum on sandalwood base were everywhere. First perfume I felt crazy in love with was Dolce Vita. Happy, sunny and woody. Feminité du Bois was her older moody sister. Mitsouko is their great aunt or something. By that logic, Femme is their mother. And I love and wear them all. I should wear them more often.

On the opening the plum note is absolutely glorious! Fresh, juicy and delicious. Unfortunately this begins to fade quite quickly and it transforms into a blend of spicy fruits before turning into a dirty spicy carnation base. The transformation reminds me of Cinnabar by Estee Lauder. You lose the sumptiousness and it devolves into a dirty and for lack of a better word "skanky" fragrance. Of course this is only my own interpretation. I can't spray this on skin, only clothes and even then it is only a matter of time before it starts to bother me. This perfume also seems to cause a strange respiratory irritation that I haven't experienced with any other perfume to date. I still keep it to enjoy a brief hit of that glorious plum, and to evoke the aura of one of my favourite old Hollywood movie stars Linda Darnell who was said to wear this back in the day. I do recommend trying if you like vintage fragrances. It is very affordable and the bottle is a beautiful shape!

smells like a church in the best way possible

Rochas Femme: Sexy Mitsouko. Mine is a 2012 bottle. Black lacquered cap, black box with black lace emboss, darker amber liquid. I bought Femme because my bottle of Mitsouko EDP is nearly depleted (it's a pre-2010 vintage), and while I really like its autumnal glow, I don't feel like spending $170 for a similar vintage EDP. Guerlains are grossly overpriced. Femme has a long and storied reputation as being Roudnitska's breakthrough feminine, with tales that he crafted it in a dusty old warehouse that doubled as a lab in war-torn Paris, 1943. One imagines perfumer's alcohol being kept in used bottles of Vichy Water, but I digress—one spray of this 83 year-old fragrance, and the first thought is, Mitsouko! Except it's Mitsouko with warmth and sexuality. Instead of laser-focused and utterly frigid bergamot, ala Guerlain, I get a piquant citrus blended with cinnamon, eugenol, and an intense blast of cumin. The cumin is thanks to Olivier Cresp, who, in 1989, worked with Roudnitska to restore his fabled masterpiece and did some recalibrating of his own to capture the human-skin funk of intimate femininity that Femme was apparently meant to convey. Roudnitska himself utilized a similar citrus-cumin structure in his later Eau d'Hermès (1951), so Cresp wasn't exactly innovating, he was merely accentuating, perhaps to distract from the removal of other materials that were too far afield of late '80s fashion. In any case, it smells, for lack of a better vocabulary, like a woman's nether-bits. For about two minutes. Once the top note cumin begins to evaporate and melt into the aldehyde c-14, c-18, and prunol base, Femme gets very early 20th century chypre in vibe, and the familiar (and rather basic) chypre accord never lets go. Yet where Mitsouko feels cold and aloof, Femme feels attractive and radiant. Mitsouko is like a marble mausoleum in the misty woods of a forgotten cemetery; Femme is a hunter's makeshift lodge in those same woods, with friends for supper and a fire illuminating a russet chiaroscuro of reds and browns and burnt greens. The chypre forest of Guerlain is haunted and silent, save for a nymph's glow of subdued peach light from somewhere deep in the gloaming; the same woods of Femme are creamy and sweet, still redolent of a bountiful post-summer harvest. Instead of spending your evening in Mitsouko, waiting alone for the deer, you could be in Femme, with a female hunting partner who, like you, hasn't bathed in four days, yet smells perversely delicious. All of this is to say that Femme easily replaces Mitsouko, and quite frankly, smells more wearable. If you're a youngster born during or after 2000, and you're new to the fragrance game and interested in vintage scents, be aware of a few things: 1. Femme is unlike anything you've smelled before. This isn't "Candy-Cane Sugar" from the local Bath & Body mall outlet, with its 300 "body mists" that smell like Windex and maltol. This will be 100% new to you. Be aware of that. 2. This is what a real "fruity" perfume should smell like. Prunol is complex, with a deep umber pitch to a stone fruit mélange, nuanced with hints of raisin and honeyed medjool. The sugars here are floral and layered, not gourmand. 3. Femme is a history lesson in a bottle. You're in your mid twenties? Parents never owned a landline at any stage of your life? Get all your info from Wikipedia, ChatGPT, and Reddit? Buckle up, buttercup. Your nose is about to explain to you in detail what 1943 smelled like. 4. Rochas continues production on this fragrance (at least at last check) because it's sexual in a way many people have forgotten. This isn't "Hey, I'm a perfectly preened beautiful person" sexual. This is, "We're in the wilderness and every hour is a fight to stay alive, so get over here and lose the clothes." Apologies to all virgins. For the rest of us, this should be in your collection. If it's not to be worn, at least to be used as reference for what virile chypre once was, as it wafted from the collar of many a woman. Femme is required reading to pass the bar. Don't waste time, just buy a bottle before it's discontinued.

Bought a 2022 batch and did not understand this fragrance at the beginning. After wearing it every day for a bit over a week in cool spring weather, I finally figured out what this fragrance is about, TO ME. First, like many people have said many times, fragrance needs to be appreciated on skin. This one, in particular, shows its true colours when sprayed on well-moisturised skin. To my amateur nose, it opens as a slightly unripe waxy peach/apricot. This opening fades away almost immediately, and within minutes turns into a salty goat milk/cream. I find myself transposed to a Mongolian yurt, sitting on layers of goat shearling mats in front of a pot of salty milk stewed on the fire. A gust of wind blows open the heavy door curtain, bringing the smell of dry soil, hardy wild flowers, spices, and sheep/goat. My association of this fragrance is very specific but I did not understand this fragrance at the beginning. I did not hate it but I was not sure whether I liked it or not, and I had a hard time figuring out what I was smelling. The weather was a bit cool so I was wearing a maroon-coloured leather jacket I got second-hand. The jacket was very well loved by its previous owner and full of character after a bit of care and polish. And most importantly, as it matters to my story here, this jacket had a strong smell of animal hide. When I was wearing this fragrance, the smell of the fragrance mixed together with the smell of the leather jacket and the result was, to me, over-powering, specially in the lovely and fresh cool spring weather... It smelt like a heavy slug of salty creamy balm rubbed on a well-worn leather jacket in which someone spent years herding sheep and goats on the Mongolian-Manchurian grassland under the deep blue sky and the blinding scorching sun... I think someone might enjoy this immensely but it was too much stimulation to my nose. As the temperature rose, I put away my leather jacket and walked about in linen shirts and cotton cardigans. The imageries of dry heat, salty cream, and goat leather continued to linger about me every time I wore this fragrance. In my eyes, I saw damp soil and young buds after a cool spring rain, but my nose was telling me I was walking on the Mongolian-Manchurian grassland herding sheep. My senses were very confused. Today, I sat down and took some time to smell it closely from skin. It finally calmed down. The creamy (and floral, though very delicate) aspect is more prominent on skin, TO ME, than on clothing. It continues to be spicy, salty, and leathery but not deafening. As someone who is generally a light-sprayer, its projection is not obnoxious. I can't say I love this fragrance but it is certainly very interesting. Given its scent profile the logical associations suggest it would perform better in fall and winter. However, I actually think it will be SPECTACULAR in the summer. The reason is the same as why one would want to listen to heavy rock at maximum volume, or eat red chili peppers in scorching heat... It will be fun. I need to wear and test this fragrance more. With a 100ml bottle, I will have plenty of opportunities to experience it under all kinds of contexts. I have no idea what earlier formulations smell like but this one is already quite complex to my nose (maybe not so much the notes but the imageries). And it's cheap :) Give it a try.

at first, I was a bit bored by this one. the notes were almost too well balanced, in a way that made me think it was nice, but nothing special. but as it dried down, it settled into something warmer, spicier, & more primal on my skin. I came to really love this perfume over the course of my wear. it's dirty & flirty & demanding - great for night time wear, but I wouldn't use this on a hot summer day

I came in from having a truly bad day to open this beautiful 3.4 oz vintage and everything was made right by the first spray. What a lovely, lovely bottle, old school class all the way, from the elegant golden script to the fluting on the cap to the glowing amber of the liquid within. Just holding it in my hand put a huge smile on my face. It’s oh so pretty! Then I sprayed it and could not stop sniffing. Quite complex. The fruits dance in a lovely balance with the spices, and float above a bed of incense, leather and ambery wood. In the top, you can distinguish and pick out cinnamon, cloves, peach, plum, patchouli, apricot, benzoin. The florals take a backseat to the spicy fruit. As it dries, iris and oakmoss cast their powdery veil, softening and blurring the edges together, combining individual notes into a uniformity. The carnation takes center stage here in the heart, asserting itself, and together with the leather, turn things more animalic, playing against the almost over ripeness of the fruit—heavy, dense and fruity in the best way. Bold as she dries, never fading. She’s not gourmand, but rather a fruity cyphre, and further into the drydown, the green honey of the oakmoss intensifies, blending with sandalwood and benzoin. So classic! This is a beautiful, sophisticated scent fit for a dynamic wearer—easily unisex. Yes, this darling old gal put a big grin on my face today—a beauty for the eyes and the nose! There aren’t many like this around any more. I’m so happy I took a chance on this one!

I was hesitant to try the present-day version of Femme because so many people say it's a ghost of its former glory. I'm happy to say that it more than stands on its own! I'm reviewing a fresh-from-Jomashop bottle. The cumin and clove notes are undoubtedly present, but they don't screech or yell. The are all bound up in a warm skanky haze that hints at slightly rotted fruit. In a good way! The sweetness is carnal rather than gourmand or floral. This perfume reminds you that you have a real body, a body that sweats and takes up space. It's the opposite of ethereal. I love it.

What a spice bomb! I'm new to chypre fragrances, but I decided to blind-buy since this one was easy to pick up. It seemed like an interesting one to try as we make way into spring, with weather still a bit chilly. Right off the bat, something in this makes me sneeze uncontrollably. Getting past that, I saw a note that there's cumin in this. Its pairing with plum and florals like rose is bold, yet strangely powdery on the opening. I eventually thought of Dior's Dune and Estee Lauder's Sensuous after several sniffs. Comparing all three to each other, Femme Rochas is by far the spiciest, which is a brow-raiser when it comes to Dune. I wasn't expecting to own something stronger than that one, yet here I am. Aside from the spice, the fruit is there, but I feel as though I have to search for it when I'm smelling. It's most definitely apparent when comparing to other scents. On its own, it reminds me of a spice-infused syrup used for a lavish dessert from an upscale restaurant. With a little time, the patchouli becomes more apparent, but it's not unpleasant here-- rather warm and subdued by the plum. It's chilly today as I wear this, and I agree that cooler evenings are better for this one's potency. Wearing it in the heat or in the day would likely send others running. Romantic? I don't see it. For me, this one has such an assertive impression-- whoever wears this is not afraid to confront you, knows what they want and doesn't waste their time. Easily unisex. Not office-friendly by any means, but most definitely for a night out, and for standing out in the crowd. Spectacular price for that kind of payoff, all said.

The short answer is Femme Rochas is a deliciously luxuriant, spicy peach perfume. Yes, summer fruits and warm spices do bring the opening close to a peach syrup ...but then the oakmoss and leather pull it back to the semi-gourmand state of traditional perfume. Indeed for me, this perfume sits at a comfortably balanced point near the very center of the classical peach subgenre, encircled by more eccentric colleagues, ...but each with its own intriguing charms, to be sure. I am using from a bottle that is at least somewhat vintage, but I would expect the most recent iteration to be mostly similar, except for the oakmoss. Also, for some reason, Femme Rochas is often compared to Mitsouko. Probably because, long ago, they were the only two peach perfumes of note, (...before Tresor changed everything). But Mitsouko is a greener and more abstracted peach, ...while Femme Rochas is much more fully ripe. No need to take sides in that fray. Each wearer can easily decide when one or the other might be preferred. Let me also now stand against the full force of tyrannic marketing to claim that a fragrance named Femme Rochas can indeed be worn very well by all sexes.

Fresh floral lotion scent covered in a syrup of sticky spiced fruits. The sticky glamour of it all.

bravissimaaaa <3 i’m a youngster so i can only afford the reformulated version, but still, this scent has made an impression. my nose is only adept enough to describe the images and sounds it evokes, which are: a lady removing a crisp pair of burgundy leather gloves to reveal her glossy french tips. “a child with the blues” by erykah badu. the syrup of the grilled peaches i would enjoy during my youth in alabama. watching vhs collections of “dynasty” at my grandmother’s house. it’s christmastime in 1940s louisiana and your aunt who eloped in new york has returned to celebrate, this is what her fur coat smells like.

Cumin note is so strong that it becomes similar to BO then after a couple of hours becomes no longer sweaty but still a headache-inducing level…it’s a no from me, sorry. I would try the vintage formula, but I don’t like the underlying scent beneath the BO cumin enough to…

I own a miniature of Femme, most likely dating from the 1970s or early 1980s. I was fortunate enough to acquire a small collection of vintage perfume miniatures, and this one immediately stood apart. The moment I applied a tiny drop to my wrists, I knew I had stepped into another time. It is unmistakably a journey into the past - a true olfactory time capsule. I would not describe it as love at first sight. For the first twenty minutes, I was simply overwhelmed by the privilege of experiencing such a living testimony of another era. As the minutes passed, the perfume unfolded in a way I can hardly put into words. It became evident that this fragrance is profoundly intelligent. There is exceptional finesse here - yet never anything polite or meek. The plum note is absolutely to die for, and there is no perceptible cumin note whatsoever. I cannot stop smelling my wrists. I am wearing it as I write this. There is something undeniably addictive about it. It radiates quietly, confidently. I find myself wondering whether I should purchase the current version still available online, and whether any of these sensations would still be present. For now, this encounter has been a remarkable experience - intimate and humbling, like listening to a voice from another century that still knows exactly how to speak to the present.

The apricot in the opening is a dead ringer for the discontinued Flora and Fauna by rogue perfumery. What is missing from this formula that is in the "Flora and Fauna" is the animalic civit note. I see this fragrance as unisex and not a female only fragrance and I do not take to overly feminine fragrances. Maybe earlier formulations and of course the name on the bottle are what directed this strictly as a woman's fragrance but if you are a man and are reading this trust me, you can rock this one with confidence and it is so affordable for such a large bottle of perfume.

It’s a gem for chypre aficionados. I never had the chance to smell the vintage version, but I must say that the modern one is a solid, expensive-smelling fragrance. I’ve seen it compared to other chypres, and here’s my take: it is less spicy than Jubilation XXV Woman, and a lot more fruity thanks to the presence of a lovely plum note. It has some resemblance to Francesca Bianchi’s Lost in Heaven, though it’s a bit less skanky in the background (even if that facet is still present) and noticeably less syrupy. All in all, it has its own distinctive character. The combination of plum and cumin is both beautiful and elegant. And its price, when compared to some niche offerings, is truly brilliant.

smells like oscar or the old recipe for chanel5

While I've been a fragrance enthusiast for years, Femme is one of my first vintage scents. When I opened the bottle it was very much what I feared I'd get from vintage: intense, loud, perfumey and slightly pissy. I absolutely HATED it on paper but I had a feeling there was something in there that might soften up on skin. She's truly challenging on the first spritz! It's takes a very long time to dry down and I wouldn't spray this less than half an hour before leaving the house. I started to get jasmine and spicy carnation and cloves after a while, but it was still quite harsh and pungent, almost like biting into a chunk of ginger and feeling the urge to cough. In the end, Femme became a powdery, leathery, spicy unisex scent with an elusive touch of floral sweetness. Despite its challenging nature, I really like this one and I see myself wearing it when the weather is cooler, but it's so intense and strange that it's probably not an everyday wear! 3 month update: I've been reaching for this WAY more than I expected. It smells so good under a thick wool sweater on a 0⁰F day when you're sipping a big cup of super strong tea. One of my fave vintage fragrances so far

This is my third review of Femme, for the third bottle I have owned of this utter magic. I have long since enjoyed the parfum version of the original Roudnitska formulation, shared my brutally honest opinion about the current post-2013 formulation, and now revisiting with my new 2003 bottle of the Cresp formulation: which I adore. This stuff is to die for; redolent of fat, sticky prunes left in an old oak barrel, stirred through with thick peach jam and warm cloves. The dark leather and oakmoss lend a comforting creamy facet, however the main difference with Cresp’s formulation is the strong presence of cumin, which is dense and sweaty yet works brilliantly. I must say I hated on the current formulation when I tried it, as it in no way compares to the original. And whilst Cresp certainly left his mark, he also did a wonderful job of staying true to the core of what Roudnitska created. I absolutely adore this, and will spray myself liberally with it.

****Update 9/20/25**** So Ive had Rochas Femme for just over two weeks now and the over all performance and scent profile are improving after having introduced air into the bottle (Thankfully!) Its lasting a good 6 hours on skin and its still (Faintly) detectable on clothes the following day, whereas initially it was pretty much COMPLETELY GONE off my skin within 2 hours! The spices have become a bit more pronounced along with the "Chewy Florals/Fruitiness" which are TO DIE FOR! Also, Im NOT getting that "Sweaty Cumin" people warn against, but I do love a good cumin note so I may be impervious to the "Funky side" of Cumin. All in all Im (now) glad and happy with my blind-buy bc my bottle of Rochas Femme is starting to smell like what all the YouTube and Fragrantica reviews are boasting of. Those "Chewy Florals/Fruits" are what makes this scent smell truley devine and Im sure that the performance will only improve even more with time. I give this scent a 7.5 outta 10 pending any performance improvement. Quite beautiful and YES! Unisex with a slight Feminine lean. Still woth a pick up at under $40. Ya just gatta have a bit of patience while letting your bottle "Maturate" for a bit😉 ----------------------------------------------------- **Initial thoughts (new bottle)*** Just got the Gold cap-latest formulation edt bottle a week ago. Ive been listening to so many YouTube reviewers singing its praises and it does smell very nice, soft spices, beautiful-almost "Chewy" floral/fruitiness, but the performance is preeeetty weak at the moment! Im getting no more than 3 hours on skin with it becoming a skin-scent after hour one ( and thats with heavy sprays) PLUS pre-moisturizing with a touch of vaseline!. Thereafter its pretty much COMPLETELY GONE! Im hoping that "Maturation" will help the performance improve, but I donno ya'll.. seems pretty watered-down to me. Im feeling like I've wasted over $30 on this fragrance bc there's NOTHING I dislike more that having something taking up space on my shelf that I wont even wanna bother with bc of the ATROCIOUS longevity! And tbh, again, it smells "Nice", but not SOO NICE that Im willing to wear a 3 hour fragrance that Id have to often refresh (IF) I wanted to wear it ad my sotd for instance. Its just not THAT good! Sucks bc I was so intrigued and curious about Rochas Femme after this being on numerous "Top ten chypres" YouTube videos, but this performance just RRREALLY SUX!! I mean I just put like 4 spritzes on my right arm at around 10 pm tonight after I got home from work, its now 12:30 am and its like GONE-gone, practically undetectable on my arm! And Im not nose-blind bc I didnt spray anywhere near my face! So yeah, lemme STRIKE that 3 hr longevity, its more like 2 1/2 hours if that!! WTH?! 🤣 Big ol' Waste of funds in my book! GRRR!! If "Maturation" doesn't help the performance here, its going in the trash bin! Ill be back with any updates with fingers Crossed because again, It really does smell pretty good! Such a shame!

Mitsouko? No. Feminite du Bois? Yes. I’m wearing the PdT concentration today, originally purchased as I read theres less cumin, and it’s very reminiscent to the early Serge Lutens sensuous spice merchant DNA (Arabie, og Feminite du Bois). I can tell this was an inspiration for Christopher Sheldrake. It’s a rough first hour, patience is a virtue, then it settles in harmoniously. Sepia toned voluptuousness. As someone who wears vintage Mitsouko EDP daily, I would never mistake the two. They are so vastly different that one could never supplement the other. Thank you Roudnitska.

My mini bottle is a vintage, and I am fairly certain it is a pre-reformulation bottle. Fantastic opening. The first gust has me thinking of a baked fruit pie filling. Deep, dark, juicy berries, and a ton of cinnamon and clove. As it progresses, it smells more floral, mossy, and peachy. The base is very much like Mitsouko. I'm inclined to class it as a more modern spin on Mitsouko, with gourmand touches. Ultimately I prefer Mitsouko, but this is a unique and worthy spin on the DNA. Important to note: it's a lot less expensive than Guerlain, thus a fantastic alternative.

Reviewed this before. I have grown to love this scent, where I initially thought it as "a mess", but it's really got something going on. I do not get that bo odor, but one can't say this is a clean scent. It's dirty! Like opening a an old dusty wood steampunk trunk, that was scented with cloves and roses, getting that sweet vanilla scent from the breakdown of old love letters, filled with items of years past ......mysterious. A threshhold into the past, that you can smell. It's bewitching, mysterious, strong,.....interesting, but feminine. Yes I am sure a guy can wear this, to, but I am sure there is something similar. I love it, for cooler weather. I can see it being cloying and 'sticky' in the heat I spray just a small amount on a q tip, and side of my neck. It's a strong scent with massive sillage.

It's 13th July 2025 the day of the Wimbledon Men's Final, I'm sat in the garden under the patio umbrella in the shade wearing Rochas Femme with Silver/Gold cap and the fragrance is divine! The heat of the sun has caused the fragrance to dry down very quickly and it's all plum, Musk, cinnamon, and just fabulous! I'm 58 years old in 2 weeks, & I feel Femme is perfect, maybe not for the more youthful fragrance lovers as Femme is very robust, strong, a real perfume made of quality ingredients. Oliver Cresp has done an amazing job! But, I need Femme in my life. It is how a real woman should smell and it makes me feel incredibly feminine & sexy. Try it for yourself. Ideal in the Autumn/Winter as a very spicy drydown so a perfect gift for the loved ones in your life, particularly at Christmas & the Holidays. Can be purchased for a very reasonable price 100ml bottle for around £35. So fantastic value for money. Always in my collection and used regularly throughout the year. Femme is to love and be loved ❤️ Highly recommended ❤️🙏

The parfum/extrait needs its own page! (please)

The top note is really wonderful. It progresses to just smelling like all the other vintage perfumes, and then after a couple of hours the deep dry down starts to have an off note that I don't care for.

This is a disgusting scrubber! 0/10

I haven't sampled Mitsouko, but this offering is fantastic. The kitchen sink list of ingredients. But altogether, I find this comfortable. Great value for the price. It is a favorite for me. Unfortunately, not for my wife. So if I want to experience it further, I will need to wear it. 😅 There is some type of a musty feel and I can see how that could be off-putting. Great blind buy for me.

This is DIVINE! I wish I could drink it, it smells utterly delicious. There's almost an element of the OG Shalimar in the opening, but as Femme dries down, it takes on a warmth and sweetness which is so seductive....I want to devour my own wrist! I see the comparisons to Mitsouko, I believe Femme is far more appealing. I refuse to dissect Femme Rochas into particular notes as I more often do, I would rather enjoy the ride x