Description
Cristal de Roche (Rock Crystal) is an enigmatic fragrance inspired by the myth surrounding rock crystal and the magical aura created by frankincense. A rare and precious essence, a poetic awakening of the senses. An elixir of rock crystal with a hint of frankincense: Somalian Olibanum, Benzoin and Myrrh…
Centuries ago, rock crystal was thought to be ice that could not be melted, hence the Greek name “krustallos, meaning ice. Over a period of two million years, a mysterious relationship has developed man and rock crystal.
This mineral represents the link between man and nature, the notion of man’s place within the universe. A union of man and God. Symbolising protection and purification, rock crystal leads to clarity of mind, soul and body.
Frankincense
A resinous substance venerated for tens of centuries and known as “the celestial fragrance of serenity”, Frankincense carries prayers uttered by mortals towards the heavens. Rising columns of fragrant smoke symbolize the joining of heaven and earth. Symbolizing purification, frankincense uplifts the spirit towards divine.
Top notes: orange flower, pepper, coriander, cardamom, cumin
Middle notes: frankincense, olibanum, benzoin, myrrh, cistus
Base notes: sandalwood, cedar and vetiver, everlasting flower, oakmoss, musk.
This is the first fragrance in the collection, it was introduced in 2005.
 Olivier Durbano){kind=link}
extreme – :
Ever wanted to smell like a Fairly princess from another dimension ?
I get some pleasant aldehydes, some ethereal and dry sandalwood, and some unique aquatic feel
soft yet present, with poor projection, fair sillage and 6 hours longivity
A masterpiece
koop – :
Very much a combination of two of my favorite incense fragrances: Profumum Roma Olibanum and Armani Prive Bois d’Encens. It has the lemony sheerness of the former combined with blackened, spicy notes of the latter. Perfection.
Edit: After wearing a few more times, I prefer Profumum Roma’s Olabinum. If you are on the fence about Rock Crystal, I recommend trying Olabinum. Same idea of an incense that highlights the brighter facets of frankincense, but purer, cleaner and better quality. I am impressed with this and others from Olivier Durbano though.
Taurusd – :
Rock Crystal is a beautiful, meditative scent. This is cleansing and comforting all at once. The frankincense note is rich and luminous, sweetened with labdanum incense and warmed with pepper. This is very much kin to my favorite frankincense perfume, Le Labo Vetiver 46, but a little less woody less dry, less masculine and slightly dirtier with a touch of muskiness.
Precious, heartwarming and restorative, Rock Crystal is one to turn to when you need to recalibrate.
sham man – :
The name suit. Smell of pit.
It is a transparente clean Incense so waxy, dusty, churchy, moldy.
In some way is intriguing but at the same time make me sad. Make me think to an abandoned mining quarry, abandoned hospitals. Refectory with orphans. Church cleaner. Severe and rigid nuns. Candle smoke.
If you want to make satan rituals or evoke suffering ghosts this is your perfume.
Criontoxob – :
It’s like a golden dusk of the lost cave that held the treasure of life. It is the sweet journey within the pyramids, the smell of the adventurous scenes you watch on TV in the comfort of your couch at home & what your imagination creates if you were in that place.
It is a splendid balance, (it’s not the usual incense church fragrance) and quite shouts quality and presents rock crystal to the letter. The pepper isn’t the sneezable type and barely sensed, the olibanum is presented quite intelligent besides the incense, the cardamom, myrrh, labdanum, and the magical golden dusk note.
Another superb winning for Olivier.
Shansonie – :
At the moment it hit my skin, Rock Crystal smelled of fresh-shucked green peas, straight from the pod. If you’re ever smelled that, you know it isn’t really a vegetable smell but a clean, fresh, sweet smell, not green in the traditional sense used when describing perfumes, but green in the way new tender growing things are green.
That doesn’t last long. It turns resinous, then sawdusty, with some cedar, and then evolves, regardless of what the listed notes say, into a wonderful clean cumin smell. It isn’t a raunchy, human-sweat cumin, but the smell of fresh ground cumin. Many hours in there’s a touch of paper, like the smell of the pages of a new hardcover book, which I guess is what that sawdust smell evolved into.
The cumin is the real heart and soul of Rock Crystal. I would, in fact, classify this as primarily a cumin perfume. I liked it very much. Good longevity and pleasant sillage.
CuPeR787 – :
clean incense verry good again by mr durbano 7/10 worth a try
jazz – :
Rock Crystal is one gorgeous beast! I have had nothing but good experiences with Olivier Durbano fragrances, Black Tourmaline is one of the most mystical things I’ve ever smelt, and Rock Crystal is no exception. I totally understand the frequent comparisons to Profumum Roma’s Olibanum as many of the notes and subsequent accords do match up on paper. But in reality, the similarities are tenuous. Both are lovely fragrances, a couple of my favourite incenses in fact, but they are in many ways, quite different. Whist they are both concentrated around frankincense surrounded by orange blossom, Rock Crystal also incorporates other resinous notes, benzoin and myrrh, whereas I find Olibanum to be focused more on pure frankincense. The orange blossom note is also subtly different, being African orange flower. So in those two aspects alone, I can find distinctions to separate these two amazing frags. To top it off, RC also introduces some inconspicuous, yet beautiful spices in the top notes, whilst the whole shebang is built on a more complex base, featuring some of my favourite notes like vetiver, sandalwood, cedar and oak moss. Be under no illusions if you are an incense lover, Rock Crystal is well worth the big bucks asked. A shimmering, alluring, yet personal incense that will leave a contemplative smile on your face all day long. A total keeper!
Okssanockha – :
“Rock Crystal” was such a delightful surprise to my nose. I did not expect much, but was struck with a very beautiful scent that in my opinion would suit male better though.
“Rock Crystal” is all about olibanum and incense, very clean I must say, a bit “pencil shavings” now and then, but very delightful. The heart part brings in some surprises – galbanum and sandalwood dominates on my skin making the previous incense note completely shine with an almost gourmand, bitter undertone.
In drydown “Rock Crystal” goes back to it’s true self – clean, sparkling incense. Beautiful.
Excellent longevity – 9 hours and more. Worth hunting down a sample if clean incense is your thing.
Лёля0610 – :
I’ve never sampled Profumum Olibanum, but I find it shares a lot with many I have sampled and owned. The incense resembles it’s sibling Black Tourmaline a lot, but I’m not sure what it is I’m not liking, whether it’s a spice that resembles cumin a bit. I’m picking up a sweaty/dirty note, that isn’t harsh, but it’s there nonetheless. If you know Montale Greyland, this seems like a lite version in my opinion. On my skin, I got slightly less than average projection and slightly better than average longevity. My rating, 6.6
evgen0707 – :
It’s my favourite incense fragrance 😀 It’s the most similar fragrance to the church incense that I know.
It opens up very peppery and a little flowery on me, I can feel a hint of orange blossom and chamomile too. This lasts a bit until the wave of the olibanum and incense floods all. It may be linear for some people, but I don’t care. For me it’s perfect.
Longevity is magnificent – 10 hours. Sillage is not so big though, it rather stays close to skin, but people will definitely notice what you’re wearing.
It’s my next purchase, for sure.
10/10 from me.
ZONAL2011 – :
Olibanum surrounded by orange blossom and spices. Similar to Olibanum by Profumum Roma but more peppery and spicy. Dinstinctive and intriguing.
sergpanch – :
A masterpiece. Absolutely beautiful scent. Very evocative of a small countryside church. Dry, mineral, herbaceous, incensy. You can almost feel the sun on your face, smell the wood the church is made of, see stones and herbs growing on a cemetery around. And down there at the bottom of the hill the church is on is a village where, like in some H.P. Lovecraft’s story, something evil lurks. 😉
10/10
саня198 – :
Simply, love it!
10/10
zorro8433 – :
Similar to Olibanum, but I think I prefer Olibanum. Rock Crystal has a spicy note I could do without. And it doesn’t have Olibanum’s heavenly orange blossom.
sanya1144 – :
I get a great visual with this fragrance. I see an image of myself huddling near a fire, on the beach at night, my sun-golden skin touching the equally tanned skin of the person next to me, the salt of the sea in my sun-bleached hair from swimming all day. This coupled with a warm and spiritual crystaline glow. This is subtle on my skin, and could project just a bit more, but it’s still a lovely work of art. One of my favorites.
volf73309 – :
I have not said “I love” about a fragrance in a long time. This one is very close to love for me. It is all kitchen spices for me but I really don’t think I am detecting any orange flower at all. What I DO get is a beautiful, deep rich pepper, coriander cardamom mixed with myrrh.
I imagine a young man in medieval times riding his horse through the thick forest, his bag laden with spices for to woo his lover. The rich leather is damp with morning dew and richly scented with myrrh, coriander and peppercorn. This is what his bag would smell like. YUMMY!
Maxilife – :
I LOVE ROCK CRYSTAL.It’s bold.I can’t stop sniffing my arm,I get spices,myrhh,vetiver and incense all well blended but on the other hand stand out with their own way.
flerOrendalax – :
Catholic woody cristal clear incense. Quite close to CdG ZAGORSK. Beautiful in its simplicity. Incense – the symbol of connection with God. For true incense frags lovers like me. One of the greatest!