Atomic Rose
Initio (2019)

Atomic Rose seems like Initio’s take on Delina. Since the brands are connected, I wouldn’t be surprised if they used a similar base. They just slap rose onto Initio’s amber base—it’s not as screechy or sickly sweet as some of their other offerings.

The thing is, if you want an authentic rose scent, you’d go with Delina, and if you want something photorealistic, L’Ombre Dans L’Eau from Diptyque is the way to go. If you want something sweeter, maybe you’d try Psychedelic Love, but if the florals in that one didn’t work for you, you might end up here.

To me, this one feels like it’s having an identity crisis—maybe for those who want a sweeter rose with an Ambroxan base, as Varanis points out. The opening with the florals is decent, but I agree with Varanis that the scratchy base detracts from the rose.

I don’t think I can recommend this to anyone.

So, I recently received a sizable sample of Ex Nihilo "Spiky Muse," which is one of the newest rose perfume releases from the house. The fragrance is beguiling and piqued my interest to explore (a few) rose-centric fragrances once again. I'm not a fan of big, lush, juicy, jammy rose soliflore perfumes. I prefer drier rose fragrances with additional notes and elements added in...adds some interest and depth to the fragrance, IMHO.

Atomic Rose is very very nice. The fragrance truly is a pleasant surprise.

Not much to say that hasn't already been stated. The star of the show is rose. The rose feels young, a bit dewy but not juicy. The fragrance wears in an arid, or "dry" way, which I like a lot. There is some development with mixed floral mid-notes. The dry down is vanilla amber. The notes seemlessly blend. Pretty simplistic & straight-forward.

The amber-vanilla-rose base adds some interest and complexity to what is an otherwise pretty linear fragrance.

The fragrance is really pretty. Just not sure I like rose soliflore perfumes enough to invest in a full bottle. I have the following "rose" perfumes en route, as I explore rose fragrances once again, those with "a little something" added:
~African Rose, Memo Paris
~Cafe Rose, Tom Ford
~Delox, Tiziana Terenzi
~Intoxicated, By Kilian
~Coffee Break, Maison Martin Margiela

I've owned and/or tried a number of rose fragrances including Portrait of a Lady (Frederic Malle), Rose Gold Oudh (Tiziana Terenzi), Passion Rose (Lorenzo Pazzaglia), Radical Rose (Matire Premiere), Ristretto Intense Cafe (Montale), Intense Cafe (Montale), Aoud Rose Petals (Montale), Spiky Muse (Ex Nihilo), Coromandel (Chanel), Black Opium Le Parfum (YSL), Delina (PdM), Incense Rose (Tauer), Evening Rose (Aerin), Rose de Grasse (Aerin) and several others.

With all this said, Atomic Rose is really very nice.

Initio Atomic Rose (2019) is every bit the bomb you'd expect it to be. This is loud, brash, shamelessly artificial, yet somehow still stunning rose that's been candied in a way similar to Parfums de Marly Delina (2017) or Tom Ford Rose Prick (2020), but also sharpened with lethal intent. Since Parfums de Marly and Initio are sister companies, it makes perfect sense that the formula for Delina and Atomic Rose are so close, and perhaps the latter is built in part from the former. No perfumer is attached to Atomic Rose, so I don't know if Quentin Bisch reprized his role with Delina here in Atomic Rose, but the shared DNA is clear. Overall, I think the point of Atomic Rose was to give this modern candied style of rose perfume a serious BDSM streak, since perfumes like this tend to come in light pink bottles and appear dainty to the point that they feel appropriate only when worn by a teenage girl. In stark contrast to that, Atomic Rose is for the mature femme fatale, or man that is strong enough to confidently rock a candy rose perfume, but wants something with at least a bit of fight in it. Whatever the reason for this existing, it's pretty amusing stuff, and serves a similar shock and awe role to Montale Black Aoud (2006). Amusing alone is seldom enough to warrant a full bottle purchase at niche price points though, but I'll save that for later.

The opening of Atomic Rose is what you'd expect: a ton of rose. Turkish and Bulgarian roses are listed, but what I really get is that massive sweet tart candy rose bolstered with sharp metallic aldehydes and uplifting hedione. Bergamot and pink pepper exist in the heart with the rose, which is an usual swapperoo for me because citrus is typically volatile, but I can say I do feel the bergamot longer than I do the aromachemical opening. The base is musk, vanilla, cashmeran, and vetiver seemingly lifted straight from Delina, but there's also a bit of that Dior Sauvage (2015) overdosed ambroxan buzz and woody scratch. The last part is the scent's undoing in my eyes, because it distracts from the rose, which is supposed to be the thing being emphasized here. The scent is very powerful, and two sprays will blow you away, with sillage border-lining on disgusting in power, and longevity that will survive a nuclear winter. One thing is for sure, your name is signed in Satan's book of blood quicker than Sabrina Spellman, but nobody smelling this on you will fail to notice. I like Atomic Rose but it is just a bit "extra" even for someone like me who enjoys over-the-top fragrances. Best use I think is in winter where cold air can take the harsh edge off the dry down. Also, a proper seance or Bauhaus concert might also be good times to wear Atomic Rose.

There is untold strength in Atomic Rose, and some modicum of beauty, but the price tag Initio fragrances command quickly snap into focus when smelling this rose-flavored chemistry set on fire that house is passing off as a niche perfume. Over $300 for something with less finesse than even the aforementioned Sauvage seems a pretty bold thing to ask, but I guess this is a bold perfume afterall. I find the mere shock value of Atomic Rose to not quite be enough to overcome this extreme price, and because that shock value is inevitably what you're left with after the best parts of the scent fade into an ocean of chemical static, I also cannot endorse a purchase of Initio Atomic Rose unless you are a collector of the house. Scents like Delina may be a bit too girly or young-smelling to fans of big and stiff serious rose perfumes, the old rose chypre dames of the mid 20th century or any number of dark and esoteric Middle Eastern roses, but adding dump truck full of top and base notes better at home in a masculine "blue" fragrance is not the best way to age up the style either. Still, I appreciate taking the wild ride that is Initio Atomic Rose, but one go around the rose-scented nuclear wasteland is enough for me. This small sample I have to work with is enough pleasure and pain mixed together for a life time. Neutral

It's a good, strong, intoxicating rosy scent. Strength is atomic indeed - 1 spray radiates like crazy and lasts forever. I know because they sprayed people in the mall during the launch week - and I could smell ladies going about with that one spray from AFAR. I also smelled a lady who had apparently bought it in the museum - and she filled the museum hall (smelled like heaven to me though). When I tried it myself, that one spray on my wrist overpowered everything that evening - including my supper and my toothpaste before bed.

The scent itself is very similar to Gucci Guilty Absolute pour femme to my nose though - just more ambery and less leathery, also more rose, less woods - basically, a bit more traditionally feminine - and muuuuch stronger. I personally choose Guilty Absolute which came first and is also strong and long lasting - just not nuclear. But this is a very beautiful scent, too.

An initially addictive combo crossing the sweet-natured intensity of a good rose otto backed by mellow vanilla with an almost electric buzz that reminded me of hair salons of my childhood, the smell of hair dryers and those domes heating up under which willing heads were placed, an edge of almost clinical sterility. The mix is oddly compelling and hints of cool-warm cardamom and the whisper of refined woods in the base all help convey the impression of managed luxury and ease. The perfume begins to live up to its name in the later stages where that rose gets much louder and stickier and up your nose – and consequently less interesting.