A rose by any other name. We're falling in love with the scent of rose all over again.

We’re falling in love with rose all over again with Dolce Rosa Excelsa

The humble rose is one of the most integral – and intoxicating – ingredients in the fragrance industry but its olfactory uses were acknowledged long before perfumers got their hands on it.

It’s said that Cleopatra filled her rooms with rose petals to entice the Roman politician Marc Anthony to her bed. The vixen. And long before modern medicine, rose was used to treat all kinds of illnesses and ailments for it was believed that the floral, sweet scent was a cure-all – though it most likely only covered the stench of death.

Empress Josephine Bonaparte is maybe the most notable fan of the rose. From 1804 until 1814 she collected and nurtured around 250 varieties of rose in her gardens at Malmaison, with Napoleon evening permitting the French Navy to confiscate any rose plants or seeds found on ships at seas. And so began the world’s obsession with the scent of rose.

Today still, rose is prevalent in many perfumes and one of our favourite examples can be found in the new Dolce & Gabbana Dolce Rosa Excelsa, £77 for 75ML EDP. Here, Dolce use African Dog Rose (so-called for its whisker-esq yellow anthers) from South Africa for the first time in perfumery and, in a rose double wammy, combine it with Turkish Rose Absolute from perhaps the most famous rose in the world. African Dog Rose has a long association with love and romance with it being used in the mixing of love potions in Africa making it an alluring anchor for the fragrance.

Around this floral heart, Dolce have woven white amaryllis, neroli, papaya flower, white water lily and white daffodil. It’s the olfactory equivalent of the sweetest and most seductive floral bouquet. A rich base of musky notes with cashmeran and sandlewood round out the flowers.

Model Kate King returns for her second campaign with Dolce & Gabbana for Dolce Rosa Excelsa. The campaign is everything you would expect from the brand; beautifully romantic and just as striking as the scent itself plus, spot the Sophia Loren cameo. On set, King told us; 'When I learned I was going to be part of a commercial with Sophia Loren I was over the moon. There is such a small group of people that have had an opportunity to work with her, and to think that I'm one of them is pretty mind blowing and an absolute honour. I was very excited to tell my Dad because he has been her fan for a long time.' Look out for our shoot with Dolce & Gabbana and Kate King in our June issue.