Fragrance spotlight: Roja Dove Burlington 1819

An elegant fresh fragrance with impressively strong lasting power.

I’ve recently found myself reaching frequently for my little sample of Roja Dove’s Burlington 1819, a fresh scent released two years ago in celebration of the Burlington Arcade in which the brand’s flagship store resides. At the time of launch I remember most commentators showing little interest in it, branding it as just another expensive entry into the pool of citric fragrances, however I’ve been finding it increasingly favourable as I’ve worn it – and continue to do so – over the last couple of weeks.

The overall blend gives off a very British-inspired character for a fresh and clean scent; it’s dignified, well composed and sparkles with hints of summer cocktails (Tom Collins and gin martinis come to mind), and a delightful accord reminiscent of the steam accord used by Bertrand Duchaufour in Penhaligon’s Sartorial. Top notes of bergamot, lime, mandarin and mint shine through and remain for a considerably long time; while most scents lose their top notes within ten minutes, those contained within Burlington 1819 are present for many hours.

Drying down, the greenness characterising the initial spritz is dialled back and the blend evolves, beginning to showcase a myriad of different base notes which add some interesting personality to what could otherwise be mistaken for another brick in the wall. Cumin spice quickly shows through, though thankfully not too powerfully, and its presence – alongside an oakmoss accord which grows in strength as the cumin does – gives the green citric top notes their platform upon which they shine for a good six hours. A trio of rum, tobacco and cashmeran begins to bloom after a couple of hours, giving the overall scent a notable evolution from the beginning yet retaining the overall character of refined freshness*.

An incredible staying power begins to really sink in when passing the eight hour mark, with lingering resinous accords of labdanum and benzoin that soak up the character of the aforementioned notes and accords and continue to subtly broadcast the presence of the entire blend. On several occasions I’ve applied Burlington 1819 around 10am on a given day, noticed it all throughout the day and evening, and have awoken to its presence still remaining the next morning. This is a seriously impressive feat for a fragrance of fresh character, made all the more impressive to me in particular as my skin usually devours fragrances in half of the claimed staying time.

Roja Dove parfums Burlington 1819 fragrance review — *Image courtesy of Roja Parfums*

When looking at fragrances in the fresh category, I like to have one for the beach and one for general wear. While Burlington 1819 isn’t a candidate for the beach – nor was it designed to be – I’m hard pressed to recommend even absolute favourites of mine over this particular option, as it passes the one test which most options fail. It stands the test of time, and passes with flying colours; for me, this makes it well worth paying the premium for.

Special thanks to my friend Lee Logins @leeroys_niche for getting my nose onto this fragrance.

For fans of: Penhaligon’s Sartorial, Naughton & Wilson Bon Viveur.

*See full notes list on Fragrantica.