Alchimie by Rochas

It is an olfactory alchemy wrapped in pure sensuality 🐱.

Perfect alchemy, perfect name. I detect a fruity, tart note of peach and plums wrapped in powdery heliotrope, with a touch of cucumber and violet that gives it personality and transports me to flashes of YSL’s Paris, although these are just small nuances. A beautiful vanilla base, caramelised by tonka beans. What a pity its discontinuation. Beautiful bottle, by the way.

Alchimie to me is my youth, my freedom, my illusions, my happy days, all of life ahead… everything that evokes that memory for me. As a perfume, it is unparalleled. I have never smelled anything so magical, fascinating, sensual, feminine, cosy and warm. Another great perfume by Rochas that they saw fit to discontinue. I no longer buy anything from Rochas. They have disappointed me too much as a company.

Alchimie is a beauty of gigantic proportions, a mercifully gourmand-powdery masterpiece. In 1998 Rochas released one of the best works, if not of perfumery itself; today extinct, it is one of the greatest regrets of this house. The grandeur of Rochas cannot be restored unless this jewel is reissued; today it could be a sweet beast with class that would effortlessly outshine the thousands that come out. It opens with a tremendously rich, nuanced juicy citrus fruitiness, showing body the moment it is presented but always remaining light. This piece is one of those beauties I would call “dragon scales”: it is not heavy but powerfully fierce. There is indeed alchemy: the perfect blend of peach, caramel, heliotrope and glicine making the dry-down melty yet brilliant and supremely satin. The synthesis of what it feels like is magic. I imagine a Biagiotti Venezia with wings due to its powdery nature, a very calibrated sweetness and nothing cloying. With the brutal amalgamation of fruits and flowers without boosters, it is perfumery perfection and Cavallier left his mark. It is the alchemy of love for things well-made to be enjoyed with passion. It has the absolute shine of a magical winter and Christmas at the start of the millennium; everything is possible and everything is to be seen.

I hunted for this gem after reading reviews, and the spell was immediate: lucky me, I swapped a used DKNY for 70ml of the 1998 version. Don’t trust the listed notes because they smell different to how we know them today; the peach, vanilla and powdery aspects are quite distinct. It is special and painful that it is discontinued; if it were available now, it would rival Mugler’s Alien. It is not vintage, for after 22 years it has not aged a day. Its evolution from a sparkling opening to an elegant finish makes it ideal for day and night. The longevity is not beastly but does the job. In Argentina it is spring and I feel it is perfect, though I will wear it in summer out of fanaticism; recommended for cooler climates. Only for special occasions, not to be squandered, because it may never return. The trail is heavy but pleasant. It is now my treasure and has raised my standards; I have returned to smelling my perfumes and may well get rid of some. I am now an Alchimie girl.

I still have a full bottle and I do not want to wear it anymore as it is hardly obtainable and if I finish it, I do not know how to get another. I bought it in 2000 and it is still in my dressing table. It is overwhelmingly exquisite, enveloping, enchanting and magical; a sensual elixir that transports, as its name says, to a bewitching and captivating potion. I adore and venerate it. Here in Mexico there is a brand that makes imitations, FRAICHE. I know I will be told I should not compare, but believe me, they make them very similar to the originals and in that line they had Alchimie which smelled identical and now it is gone, discontinued. For those who love something sweet, powdery, seductive and elegant without being annoying and very delicious, this would be a wonderful option.

Once I read that there is no great perfume that does not carry vanilla; this is one of them and of course it does. I was given my first kiss while wearing it one Halloween night, which is why, along with its name, it had something magical for me.

It happened to me exactly as it did for Nadiac; I’m sure it was the same magazine. My mum used to receive a fashion magazine, and on a dark page there was that little paper bottle that peeled off and released the liquid lotion. I was absolutely wow, as if I’d been transported to another dimension; from that moment I understood the true value of a perfume. I don’t own one and haven’t bought one, but if I ever find it, it will be mine… I never forgot its name, even though nearly 20 years have passed.

Why do they take away the good perfumes and leave the generic ones that sell the most????? What I remember most about this is the coconut and jasmine note… a sweet, floral scent like a bronzer… wonderful.

I love this perfume, but I can’t find it anymore. I still have half a bottle that I look after very carefully.

The opening is exceptionally luminous and sparkling; afterwards, it settles into vanilla and caramel. I want a perfume that smells like the opening of Alchimie all the time 🙂 Edited: 4 out of 5.

The bottle’s design is a genuine work of art; in a fairy tale, it would be our friend Cinderella carrying it to the ball (hence the pumpkin carriage). Any prince would be utterly smitten by this essence. I last used this exquisite, distinctly feminine fragrance about twenty years ago. I cannot fathom how they could have pulled it from the shelves.