# The Body Shop — White Musk Smoky Rose

> White Musk Smoky Rose is the grown-up, evening spin-off of The Body Shop's iconic White Musk, but built around an invented "black smoky rose" accord rather than the powdery clean musk that made the or

## Essence
White Musk Smoky Rose is the grown-up, evening spin-off of The Body Shop's iconic White Musk, but built around an invented "black smoky rose" accord rather than the powdery clean musk that made the original a school-bag staple. Despite the shared name it has almost none of the original's DNA: a jammy, candied rose laced with bittersweet tobacco flower and immortelle over a soft frankincense-and-musk base. Created by perfumer Sophie Labbé using The Body Shop's cruelty-free musk and sugar-cane alcohol, it is now discontinued and quietly mourned by a small, devoted following.
## Scent Profile
The opening is sweet and fruity-tart — blackcurrant, a pink-pepper sparkle to cut the sugar, and bergamot — before the heart settles into the signature accord: a plush, candied, jammy rose, all sweetness rather than green freshness, threaded with smoke.
How smoky that smoke reads is genuinely debated. Many get a soft, non-ashy curl that simply lends depth, while others find a clearer pipe-tobacco darkness. The real work is done by the tobacco flower and immortelle, the latter contributing a maple-syrup, caramel, roasted-nut quality that wearers describe as salty caramel, warm berry pie or dried maple syrup, with a faint frankincense lift over the top.
The drydown is a soft musk-and-incense affair, with the musk often only stepping forward after several hours once the smoky rose mellows; in the EDP a vanilla note rounds it further. It is largely linear once the heart establishes itself, a comfort scent rather than an evolving one, and the EDT and EDP differ in character as well as strength.
## Performance
Performance favors longevity over projection. The fragrance sits close to the skin throughout while holding a steady intensity, with the EDP reaching around nine hours and the EDT noticeably weaker and shorter; many wearers recommend the EDP specifically for staying power. The overall effect is of a scented candle worn close rather than a projector, and the matching body products were the house-recommended way to extend it. It can turn cloying if over-applied, so one or two sprays is the sensible approach.
## Wearing Context
This is overwhelmingly an autumn and winter scent, repeatedly tied to crisp cold-weather, evening and cozy contexts, and marketed as a darkly seductive evening option. Wearers reach for it as a sultrier, more mature alternative to the original White Musk, and although it skews feminine in marketing it has real male and unisex appeal thanks to the tobacco and olibanum. It works best as an intimate, comforting, close-range scent and would feel out of place in hot weather or a clean, sporty setting.
## Comparisons & DNA
The key point is that it is not the original White Musk, sharing none of that powdery effervescent signature. Among adjacent smoky-sweet roses, wearers reach toward Lancôme Mon Trésor and its Midnight Rose line, while Tom Ford Black Orchid comes up as the obvious dark-rose touchstone — against which Smoky Rose is far cheaper, lighter and more candied and approachable. Critic verdicts are clear that it does not work as a serious or realistic rose; the rose here is a sweet, smoke-rounded effect rather than a true bloom, closer in spirit to other dark, sweet, dirty-rose scents than to a rose soliflore.
## Reception
Within its modest niche the consensus is warm and affectionate, more so since discontinuation. Wearers praise the unusual smoky-jammy rose at a giveaway price, often noting it smells far more expensive than it is, along with its comfort and genuine distinctiveness. Critics were measured but positive: Denyse Beaulieu called it quintessentially easy to wear and witty while noting it lacks complexity, and The Candy Perfume Boy admired its clever restraint while saying it fails as a true rose and wouldn't rush to buy it. Disagreement centers on three things: whether the smoke really registers, how much sweetness one can tolerate, and the gap between EDT and EDP performance. On value the verdict is firm — a low-risk buy when findable, ideally in EDP, with the dominant recent sentiment being grief that it was discontinued.
## Versions & Reformulation
There is no documented reformulation of the juice, but it existed in several genuine concentrations and formats: Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, Fragrance Mist, plus body lotion, shower gel and a perfume oil. The EDP and EDT differ in feel as well as strength, with the EDT keeping the immortelle-smoke character cleaner and the EDP leaning heavier, more vanillic and powdery-oriental. It is now discontinued worldwide, with remaining stock available only on the secondary market.
## Acquisition Notes
It was originally priced very low, with the EDT and EDP both in the low double digits at UK launch and a cheaper fragrance mist alongside. Since discontinuation, resale prices have climbed and full or near-full bottles now command a premium over that original tier. Counterfeiting is not a concern, since it was never prestigious enough to fake; the real risks are age, turned juice and low fill levels. The practical advice is to buy the EDP when a well-kept bottle surfaces from a reliable seller.
## Notable Facts & Lore
- Created by perfumer Sophie Labbé, who built it around a deliberately masculine-leaning black smoky rose and tobacco-flower accord.
- Labbé singled out immortelle, the everlasting flower, as a favorite ingredient for its maple-syrup and spice facets.
- Launched in October 2013 using The Body Shop's Fair Trade sugar-cane alcohol and cruelty-free musk.
- Shares the White Musk name but almost none of the original's powdery clean-musk character.
- Now a minor cult "discontinued gem," with its fans rationing their remaining bottles.