A composition built around Rose de Mai against black cherry, Creed's Carmina opens on saffron and pink pepper before the hand-harvested Grasse rose develops over cashmere wood and ambroxan, for women.
Carmina, released in 2023, takes one of perfumery's most expensive materials, Rose de Mai (hand-harvested in Grasse during a brief spring window), and frames it within a spiced-fruit opening. Black cherry adds dark fruit against saffron warmth and pink pepper sharpness, creating a layered introduction before the rose emerges.
Rose de Mai in the heart is deeper and more complex than most rose materials: it carries stone fruit and honey facets alongside the floral register. Peony adds fresh floral brightness; violet contributes a powdery, slightly cool note. The base of cashmere wood, musk, and ambroxan provides a smooth, skin-close landing; ambroxan is an ambergris-derived material with clean, mineral-musky warmth. Eight to ten hours on skin.
Carmina suits spring and autumn from daytime through evening. The Rose de Mai accord reads most clearly in moderate temperatures. A fragrance suited to formal occasions and evening wear.
