Rancé 1795 Tubéreuse Amour – An Erotic Paradox

by: Miguel Matos

Rancé 1795 is a brand I am very fond of. And even if the majority of their fragrances are a bit too well mannered for me, there are some outcasts that break all the rules. For example, there's the scandalous animalic powerhouse Aigle de la Victoire, an explosion of oud, labdanum and vetiver (I bet there's civet in there hiding too). The counterpart of this green/woody male scent is the feminine Tubéreuse Amour. A piercingly sugared tuberose for the lovers of the erotic flower and not only—I've seen tuberose-haters enjoying this one around me. To me it is like Bandit in reverse, if you can imagine it. Instead of green, it's pink. Instead of bitter, it's intoxicatingly sweet. However the shocking element is a common thing between the two. Be prepared.

When I was visiting the Rancé booth at TFWA expo in Cannes, as I was being shown the latest editions, I started to miss one specific smell from this brand. I asked for their tuberose perfume again. And the wonderful Manuela at Rancé opened her eyes and said: “Well, it makes sense that you like Tubéreuse Amour, if you like Aigle de la Victoire. They are our strongest fragrances and they are not for everyone's tastes." As I tested it again I was sure I had found the perfect tuberose to follow the steps ofFracas, Poison and Loulou. Yes, it's THAT strong and intoxicating.

Tubéreuse Amour comes in a frosted grass bottle with a round shape and a flower made out of yellow Swarovski crystals which in fact is a pendant you can detach and wear in a necklace. The cap also comes adorned in crystals of the same color. The fragrance was launched in 2012 within the line “Les Etoiles” (The Stars) and was created by Jeanne Sandra Rancé. The official olfactive pyramid of this composition is complex, but I can't seem to identify most of the ingredients.

Top notes: lily of the valley, neroli, violet leaves and bergamot Middle notes: Indian tuberose, Chinese osmanthus and Turkish rose Base notes: Mysore sandalwood, iris, patchouli and musk

To tell you the truth, I can only smell the best tuberose there is to smell in this world, some sandalwood, musk and a lot of camphor, which isn't listed. I know that some tuberoses can have this balsamic aspect, but I don't think it's just that. There's a very strong, almost nose-clearing Vicks Vapo Rub thing in here. But in a good way, if you can imagine that. The combination is genius! And another thing I smell here is candy. A mix between candyfloss and strawberry chewing gum. And again, in a good way. This is a fragrance that smells like a paradox. Even when I read what I've just written I think that this shouldn't work. But it actually does! And it results in a sexy, sweet, outrageously erotic and joyful tuberose. By the end of the day you are left with whiffs of sweetness, an indolic whisper (yes, I smell jasmine which again is not listed) and a creamy dose of musk.

I've never smelled a tuberose perfume like this before and I even recommend this to all the tuberose-induced-migraine-sufferers for I witnessed one of them wearing this one. Yes, trust me. It's great and a one-of-a-kind fragrance. But some of you already know that I am the same kind of people as Christos, from the perfume blogMemoryofscent.com. Like him “I like excess to the point of not being able to recognize it.” And this is an excessive perfume. Use it wisely and you'll lust over it. Overspray it and you'll die.