The Scented Hound

Perfume blog with abbreviated perfume reviews & fragrance reviews.

Category Archives: Roja Parfums


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Roja Parfums APEX

WHAT I SMELL:  APEX opens with a combination of muted bergamot and citrus…it’s fresh and not sweet and it’s as if it’s wrapped in a pineapple and amber cocoon of warmth.  After this wonderful introduction, this masculine leaning perfume moves quickly to the sensual with a mix of amber tinged green notes.  There’s no way to distinguish one note from another and instead the perfume invokes more of a sense of feeling and being.  The greenish amber feels secure and with the addition of some incense creates for a sensation of being centered and right with the world.   As APEX settles further, you are met with a vetivered sandalwood as the perfume becomes ever so slightly soapy.  But in the end, APEX is less about the notes and instead is like an aura that surrounds you with a warmed leather-lite amber that seems to mix with your own persona to create a one-of-a kind perfume that’s just for you.

From the Roja Parfums website:

“Harnessing the infinite power of nature, Apex connects us to Earth and its spiritual energies, unleashing instincts and abilities that lay dormant within each of us. Grounded in inspiration from the world’s Apex animals, this creation was designed to unearth your connection to nature’s most powerful creatures, pushing you to challenge your limits and open your eyes to new opportunities. Only when we embrace our connection to nature and our innermost instincts can we reach the Apex of our potential, becoming the best version of ourselves.” – Roja Dove.

Top Notes: Lemon, Bergamot, Red Mandarin, Orange

Heart Notes: Jasmine, Cistus, Pineapple

Base Notes: Galbanum, Elemi, Patchouli, Oakmoss, Rum, Tobacco, Cypress, Fir Balsam, Juniper Berry, Casmir Wood, Sandalwood, Benzoin, Amber, Frankincense, Labdanum, Leather, Ambergris, Musk

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  meditation

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE APEX:  contented, introspective, confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT APEX:  I Fragrance, CaFleureBon, Fashion for Lunch

BOTTOM LINE:  APEX is gorgeous with a small application which makes it beautifully warm and masculine in a very personal way.  However, too much of a good thing is really true here.  With a heavy hand, APEX can take the meditative to a sledgehammered scream.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Chypre
  • Nose:  Roja Dove
  • Classification: Masculine
  • Expense:  $345 for 100 ml eau de parfum

Review based on the eau de parfum version.  Also available in parfum extrait.


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Roja Parfums Burlington 1819

With the Queen’s Jubilee celebration this past weekend and with Father’s Day in a couple of weeks, I thought that this would be a perfect time to head to England…and who better to represent these grand and intimate affairs, but Roja Dove!

WHAT I SMELL:  Burlington 1819 opens with a bright and juicy combination of grapefruit and lime that’s quickly met with a minty freshness making it light with a subdued brilliance.  Soon after, a ginger note enters along with touch of rum making the perfume slightly soured and it’s here that the perfume begins to flatten and anchor itself to a more woody persona as it stays rather close to the skin making it more of a whisper than a shout.  As it continues to develop, the mint seems to make a return along with a lightly sweetened tobacco which helps to dissipate any remnants of the earlier sourness.  After some time, Burlington 1819 begins to take on an ambered warmth and this is where it unfolds and radiates.  An added patchouli brightens the tobacco and makes for a beautiful finish.  Burlington 1819 is a wonderfully muted perfume that creates for an easy masculinity.

From the Roja Parfums website:

“1819 celebrates 5 years of London’s Burlington Arcade being home to the flagship Roja Parfums boutique. An iconic British institution for over 200 years, the Burlington Arcade is an unparalleled destination for the discovery of opulence. Every step down the Arcade is a chance to discover something new. 1819 – the year it opened to the public – pays homage The Burlington Arcade being the perfect home for our award-winning perfumery, where the finest fragrances in the world wait to be discovered.” – ROJA DOVE.

KEY INGREDIENTS: Grapefruit, Lime, Mint, Ginger, Saffron, Oakmoss, Rum, Tobacco, Casmir Wood, Benzoin

Burlington Arcade linking Piccadilly with Bond Street showing fashionable society about to sample the delights of the arcade’s shops. Date: 1828.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  I won’t argue with Roja Dove’s inspiration as I can imagine the sights and sounds of the Burlington Arcade from days gone by.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BURLINGTON 1819:  inviting, warm, quietly-confident

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BURLINGTON 1819:  No written reviews found.

BOTTOM LINE:  Burlington 1819 is a masculine perfume that is subtle and classic and very easy to wear and I love that it’s rather quiet and unassuming.  And as a Father’s Day gift, you can’t go wrong.  A couple of sprays and dad will smell like a million bucks.  Oh, and that bottle…fantastic!

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Amber
  • Nose:  Roja Dove
  • Classification: Masculine
  • Expense:  $380 for 100 ml eau de parfum


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Roja Parfums Oceania

Hard to believe that it’s already 2022.  The past two years have been challenging at best, but with the beginning of a new year there’s a promise of rebirth with positive energy.  So I wanted to start off this new year with a perfume that beckons of adventures to come.   Hopefully the world will reopen this year and travel and exploration will once again be part of our collective.  We have to believe that there are some exciting new adventures on the horizon!

WHAT I SMELL:   Oceania opens with a sparkling bergamot and a clean and fresh lemon that quickly moves to the more herbal highlighted with a tinge of lime.  It’s soft, unassuming and very easy on the nose as it resides quietly on the skin with the lightest of a whisper as if a lovely breeze brushes it off of your skin.  The perfume soon begins to quietly grow with a very subdued geranium and a soft jasmine creating a pretty heart within the lightly salted citrus.  Here, the florals begin to round out and push out the citrus from the center.  Oceania isn’t a perfume with twists and turns, instead it slowly melds into it’s finish which is not far off from first spritz.  As such, in the end, Oceania lives in a gentle cocoon of light moss with the whisper of florals resting on top of a lightly salted sandalwood.  Oceania is quietly beautiful.

From the Roja Parfums website:

“Deeply concerned by the vulnerability at the heart of our fragile oceans, a donation from every sale of Oceania Eau De Parfum will be made to charities dedicated to protecting our precious seas. Echoing the infinity of our oceans, this fragrance opens with a wave of invigorating freshness from Bergamot, Lime and Mandarin. Geranium and Jasmine drift in on the breeze from a nearby island, whilst Moss, Sandalwood and Orris offer a warm caress as if kissed by the sun, whose light reflects on the waves.” – ROJA DOVE.

A Citrus cocktail opens this creation and runs throughout, as Lemon and Grapefruit mingle with Bergamot, Mandarin and Lime. Fresh, aromatic Herb notes extend the distinct freshness of this accord and mingle beautifully down into a floral heart based around the fresh sweetness of Geranium and the creamy, exotic tones of Jasmine. A bold base acts like velcro, enabling this resolutely fresh composition to stay close to the skin and permeate throughout the day, mingled around a dry, natural base of Moss notes and the skin-like combination of Sandalwood and Orris.

KEY INGREDIENTS: Bergamot, Lime, Mandarin, Geranium, Jasmine Sambac, Moss Notes, Sandalwood, Orris

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  The free flying seagull; one with the ocean below and the sky above.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE OCEANIA:  soft, contemplative, serene

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT OCEANIA:  Fashion for Lunch

BOTTOM LINE:  Oceania is probably the quietest of any Roja Parfums perfume that I have experienced.  While quiet, it is amazingly beautiful and when you wear it it feels like it’s just meant for you.  And the fact that a portion of each sale goes to helping preserve our oceans, makes it just that much more special of a perfume.  And for those of you who think the bottle is as important as the perfume, the Oceania bottle and cap are exquisite.

  • Bone Rating: 3.5 out of possible 5 bones
  • Scent: Woody Aromatic
  • Nose:  Roja Dove
  • Classification: Masculine, but easily unisex
  • Expense:  $380 for 100 ml eau de parfum