N°5Amber Floral Eau de Parfum

N°5 by Rosendo Mateu is a unisex musky floral amber eau de parfum, created by Rosendo Mateu. The house's bestseller: carnation and spices set against amber and musk.

An exotic oriental floral

Rosendo Mateu entered the perfume industry in 1968 and spent forty years with the Spanish group Puig, creating fragrances for Nina Ricci, Paco Rabanne, and Carolina Herrera. In 2010, after forty-five years dedicated to perfume, Puig awarded him the title of Master Perfumer. In 2015, he founded the house that bears his name in Barcelona with his son Joan. It classifies N°5 among the "exotic oriental florals" and says this: "this unique composition evokes a dreamlike quality, an otherworldly floral essence that transcends nature."

An opening of lily of the valley, saffron and spices

Lily of the valley opens the fragrance with a green, watery freshness that the house describes as "the pure essence of spring". Saffron immediately contrasts it: warm, leathery, slightly metallic. Spices complete the opening. Nothing timid: the fragrance announces its intention in three seconds.

A heart of carnation and lily of the valley

Carnation is the subject of the fragrance: a peppery, clove-like, almost medicinal flower that has become rare in contemporary perfumery. Lily of the valley returns to illuminate it with a delicate freshness. This back-and-forth between the warmth of carnation and the clarity of lily of the valley is what gives the fragrance its personality.

A base of vanilla, amber, white musk, tonka bean and strawberry

Creamy vanilla envelops the spices, amber extends them with a velvety warmth, and white musk settles it all on the skin. Tonka bean adds almond and hay. And the house ends its description with a material you wouldn't expect here: "a light touch of strawberry".

The house's signature touch

This hint of strawberry hidden in an amber base is the detail that makes all the difference. It is never perceived as a fruit; it rounds out the vanilla and prevents the amber from becoming powdery. Lily of the valley, meanwhile, is used on two levels—in the top and the heart—exactly like the iris in N°3: it is a signature of the house.

For whom, for what occasions?

For those who want a fragrance that is noticed and remembered. Evenings, cooler seasons, but it also works during the day if you dose it carefully. It is the best-selling creation in the collection, and the best gift to give if you are unsure. Unisex, at 20% concentration.