Annick Goutal, Rose Absolue, 100 ml. or 3.5 oz. Flacon, Eau de Parfum, Spray, 1984, Paris, France ..

Annick Goutal’s career as a perfumer was never presumed. She blossomed late, coming to perfume making after a career as a prizewinning pianist and model. She then met a man, separated from him, and found herself alone with a baby .. her daughter Camille. She was then diagnosed with breast cancer and married her childhood sweetheart. She went into the skin cream business with a friend and instinctively felt they were missing two things, fragrance and packaging.

Then, in 1977, she met perfumer Henri Sorsana, a Grasse perfumeur, and spent the next seven years memorising ingredients and honing her talent as an extraordinary nose. The words were the same .. note, harmony, key... "I was back with music again, with that part of myself I had been sadly cut off from". Her first three fragrances, Folavril, Passion .. her own personal perfume .. and Eau d'Hadrien set her apart. She later opened a small-scale perfumery in Rue de Bellechasse, Paris in 1980 in Saint Germain. Each fragrance is a touchstone, a reminder of someone or something important in Goutal's life. "Like precious bouquets, gathering the rarest and most noble of natural essences, they are composed as a symphony, note by note, in an eternal quest for balance, quality and perfect harmony". Her fragrance following is cult - once you have sampled the fruits of Annick Goutal you'll be a devotee. The impalpable Eau d'Hadrien is a favourite of fashionable stars such as Madonna and Prince ... even the Guerlain family comes to Annick Goutal.

Five years later she had a dedicated clientele and signed an agreement with the Tattinger group putting her name along side the famed champagne house and Baccarat Crystal. During the 1980s her success was immediate amongst niche European perfume circles as well as America where she was stocked by luxury department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks.

Sadly Annick lost her battle with breast cancer in 1999 at the age of 53. Her daughter Camille Goutal now continues her legacy. She is joined by house nose Isabelle Doyen. Together the pair has released a series of fragrances to honour Camille’s mother in the same way Annick had honored her daughter with creations Petite Cherie and Eau De Camille, two perfumes Annick created for her daughter as she progressed towards adulthood. Eau D’Hadrien was one of Annick’s first creations.

Annick Goutal Rose Absolue was launched 1984 and is a luxurious, intense floral fragrance designed as a tribute to the "queen of flowers". It features a rich, powdery blend of six distinct roses .. May, Turkish, Bulgarian, Damask, Egyptian, and Moroccan .. designed to evoke the scent of a lush, blooming rose garden.

Known for being a pure, timeless rose scent, it has been described as a "soliflore" .. single flower .. scent that highlights the different facets of rose petals, often with a slightly warm, woody undertone. It was created by Annick Goutal to embody ultimate femininity and her love for roses. It is considered ideal for daytime and evening wear, particularly in spring, for those seeking a highly natural rose fragrance.

I find this to be a beautiful rendition of rose perfume .. timeless and feminine .. something so lovely for every woman's perfume wardrobe .. Offered here is a pristine 100 ml. spray flacon of this beautiful fragrance .. so lovely ..