More than roses from Cartier High Perfumery

Roses in perfumes are aplenty and so are stories surrounding the beautifully fragrant rose water, but none touches on its daring nature. Mathilde Laurent is here to change that.

As the nose behind Cartier’s fragrances, she rejects the archetype of the rose—an emblem of femininity that withers before it blooms—and seeks to sever it from its stereotypical associations with a bold high perfumery capsule titled I Only Love Wild Roses to commemorate its true beauty and freedom.

Through three different eau de parfums, the Cartier roses are portrayed as neither meek nor submissive as they proudly flaunt their thorns and defy expectations. They include the fully naked Pure Rose and the punkish L’Heure Osée.

The unexpected star scent here, however, is the Oud and Pink. Described as “a rose for women who wear men’s fragrance”, its audacious bouquet is ideal for unconventional wearers as it toys with gender by fusing the floral and the masculine, the feminine and the rugged.