Maison D’Etto Rotano Review (Carlos Benaim) + Galloping Horse Draw

Rotano

Did she dream? Was it he who went galloping past?
And bent down the fern, broke open the grass
And printed the mud with the well-hammered shoe
That she nailed to his speed in the dreams of her youth –Emmylou Harris, Ballad of a Runaway Horse

Maison d'etto rotano review

Photo by Richard Bush for I-D magazine, Sept 2010©

Their hooves are beating against the waves’ curl as they ache and pull to shores where they vanish. The crash and ebb repeats as the lash snaps above their tangled manes, the mineral spray of the ocean salt in their mouths, their breath making the ground cover of fog on the beach before. The animal tang of stallions leaping and pounding is in the air, cold, stony outcroppings of shale and sediment. Maison D’Etto Rotano from master perfumer Carlos Benaim is the quintessence of a galloping horse along a chilly beach, the aromas of cold sand, the dry warmth of driftwood beyond the shoals, and animalic leather, moving in rhythm like a heartbeat.

Brianna Lipovsky

Brianna Lipovsky

Brianna Lipovsky’s Maison D’Etto line celebrates her childhood of riding beloved horses. Working in tandem with IFF master perfumer Carlos Benaim, Rotano was an international award winning horse Brianna rode 2015-2017. Its opening is all leather – assertively rich, expensive tanned hide like riding boots or a top-end saddle. The polished hide is accompanied by dry wood – the kind you’d find in a small cabin room that has been kept well but not aired: heated, close, dense, attics and broomsticks. The cypriol is very marked here. It suggests oud, petrol, and patchouli, underscoring the aromatic opening and intensifying the merging smells of woods and leather.

Maison d'etto perfume reviews

Photo by Koto Bolo for Numero 9-15

Rotano’s heavier notes begin to give way to as lighter notes push through unobtrusively. A spiritous waft of something akin to Armagnac but astringent – almost like witch hazel, more lab than cask – passes by. A chilly mineral undercurrent gathers, at times smelling very much like quarry rock, at other times like wet sand. It ebbs and repeats as the leather and woods join together. At this point, Rotano smells expensive, the leather transforming to suede; warm, slightly tannic, with that cool mineral counterpoise running through it like a vein a quartz in a sea stone. Rotano intensifies those aromas in the mid-section but brings something warm and animal to its heart; a smell almost of fur but without fur’s thick, dusty velvet quality.

Maison d'etto Rotano

Maison d’etto Rotano

This is the smell of horses in motion. Animalic, musky, heated, with hints of kicked earth clods and balsamic.  Benaim apparently used a special molecule derived from a horse to create this fragrance, and it comes through to me as the smell of the living animal out in cool, salt-sprayed air.

Carlos Benaim composed Maison D'Etto Rotano

White Colt, Connemara, photo by Greg Matchick

Cypriol, with its complex wood-oud-patchouli fragrance, bolsters the horsey and woody notes through the dry-down. As Rotano ages on the skin, it is hard to believe there isn’t oud in this composition as the perfume darkens and deepens. Breathing it in again hours later, pictures of the horses I saw once on the beach in Connemara come into view in my mind. I smell the sweep of the shoreline, the fresh-turned earth of the coastal trail. It is here, on the back of my hand.

Notes: Cypriol, halo musk, stallion accord, suede, myrrh, olibanum, cedarwood.

Disclaimer: sample of Rotano very kindly provided by Maison D’Etto. My opinions are my own.

Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor

Editor’s note: we featured Mackenzie Reilly who composed Maison d’Etto Macanudo in our young perfumer series here

Maison D'Etto Rotano, Karat EG, Durban Jane, Macanudo and Canaan

Photo by Maison d’Etto

Thanks to the generosity of Maison D’ Etto’s  Creative Director and founder, Brianna Lipovsky there is a deluxe travel set of all five fragrances, including Rotano, Karat EG, Durban Jane, Macanudo and Canaan for one registered reader in the USA (be sure to register or your comment will not count). To be eligible, tell us what you enjoyed about Lauryn’s review of Rotano.  Draw closes 5/18/2020

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30 comments

  • HiMyNameIsWaste says:

    A “warm…animal” scent that boasts “fur’s thick, dusty velvet quality” sounds wonderful.

    I live in Nashville, TN, USA.

  • Always enjoy Lauryn’s poetic reviews. Leather, wood, old cabins, horses, sea, salt – all these make up for a very unique fragrance. It is amazing that oud-like notes/accords can be created using cypriol, and then this sentence caught my eye – “Benaim apparently used a special molecule derived from a horse to create this fragrance, and it comes through to me as the smell of the living animal out in cool, salt-sprayed air.” Wonder what molecule Benaim chose for Rotano to create this distinct set of smells. I am truly intrigued by these note – Cypriol, halo musk, stallion accord, suede, myrrh, olibanum, cedarwood, especially the molecule behind the so-called stallion accord!!! Others are more familiar but this seems very different.Thanks for the review and the draw. writig from USA.

  • Lauryn’s review of Rotano really piqued my interest in this house. I’ve never tried anything from this house before but I’d love to. Each fragrance sounded very well made and beautiful. I’m sure for their price they are truly wonderful. Thanks for the great review and the great giveaway. Commenting from Kentucky USA.

  • Trinity33 says:

    Lauryn always does such a good job describing how the perfume unfolds and how it relates to the inspiration, in this case, a horse in full gallop. Leather, driftwood, and cold earth together conjure a picture of the animal outdoors. I’m familiar with cypriol from a Paco Rabanne scent and I love that stallion accord is listed as a note. I’m in MD, USA.

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    This sounds lovely! I appreciate the descriptions of the role cypriol plays in this, as I just received a sample of this material by itself, and can see all of the nuances Lauryn mentions in it. I also love the idea of scents that evoke with beach without the dreaded “calone-miasma” permeating. I have been keeping an eye on this house as one I’d love to sample. Thanks for the draw! I’m in the US.

  • Gabriel Garcia Leyva says:

    Very nice review Lauryn!
    Ride out to the beach in the early morning, gallop thru the sand and feel like a great relaxing place, I believe rotan is probably a horse name, sounds really cool. Las Vegas NV

  • sweetwilly88 says:

    Wow! What did I like the most? All of it! It really swept me away. Something about it really got my imagination working. I feel like I could smell it! Now I need to try it.
    IL, USA

  • patrick_348 says:

    I loved the detail and the sense of progression that Lauryn cfreated in this review. How can you not love a sentence like “A spiritous waft of something akin to Armagnac but astringent – almost like witch hazel, more lab than cask – passes by”? She convinces me that this is something special. In the US, in NC.

  • I enjoyed the comparison of Rotano to the smell of horses galloping thru waves on the shores of the sea. This is a wonderful opportunity to sniff the five fragrances of Maison D’Etto, thank you. Mich USA

  • Love the idea of a perfume inspired by horses running along the shore. Paints a nice picture in my mind. Also interesting to hear that the scent starts with heavier notes before transitioning to some lighter notes, and overall smells expensive. Thanks for the introduction to this brand. Regards from the USA.

  • herman2625 says:

    I enjoy find out new fragrances! want to try it all after seeing the review!

    Living in US

  • NiceVULady says:

    Lauryn’s review delineates how each note evolves and devolves in Rotano. One truly feels the rhythm of the horse through the rocking of notes. It would be most interesting to try. Thanks for an enjoyable review and a generous draw. I’m in the USA

  • Elizabeth T. says:

    This is an exciting line! Somehow I missed the review of Macqnudo originally, but it too, along with Rotano’s stallion accord, sound lovely! Thank you for this review and generous draw! Im in the USA.

  • doveskylark says:

    Lauryn’s review has given me a new research topic today: beaches where wild horses can be spotted. The stallion accord, notes of quarry rock, petrol, witch hazel. This sounds like the best fragrance ever.
    I live in the USA.

  • abbie road says:

    loved hearing lauryn’s thoughts on the fragrance – a mineral, musky and leather fragrance sounds delightful. i love horses so this one would be special. thank you for the opportunity. usa

  • I really enjoyed Lauryn’s article about the fragrance in refernce to horses and riding along the shore. Great pics too! I would love to try these scents. Curious about staian accord. USA

  • What a beautiful concept for a fragrance collection!! I love this description – Maison D’Etto Rotano from master perfumer Carlos Benaim is the quintessence of a galloping horse along a chilly beach, the aromas of cold sand, the dry warmth of driftwood beyond the shoals, and animalic leather, moving in rhythm like a heartbeat.

    These fragrances sound so beautiful!
    I live in the US.

  • Barbara Wittersheim says:

    I’m always on the lookout for that horsey smell that I was so obsessed with as a teen. This along with “dry wood – the kind you’d find in a small cabin room that has been kept well but not aired: heated, close, dense, attics and broomsticks,” makes my head go light with the possibilities. I’m in Michigan and I thank you for this opportunity.

  • I’ve heard of this line but haven’t had a chance to try any of the fragrances yet. I love the horse inspiration for Rotano and I’m intrigued and inspired by the notes. I loved the perfume’s description as a “smell of the living animal out in cool, salt-sprayed air”. I am in the USA.

  • Opening with a song set the tone right- great descriptions of the scent, feels like you can really imagine Lauryn’s experience. NJ, USA

  • The imagery for this review is quite catchy. It brought to mind the stallion Elsa rode in Frozen 2, then there is the photo of the horse and girl with the mesmerizing eyes. Then I find out that there is a stallion accord out there :). Thank you for the review and the giveaway. I’m in USA

  • Naomi Sawyer says:

    I usually associate the scent of woods and fields with horses, but how invigorating to hear of a composition reminiscent of riding along the coast! My daughter would love this….

  • The descriptions in the review were quite immersive. It was as if I was transported to the scene. What piqued my interest the most however was the leather/suede and cypriol mentions. Cypriol is a rarely used note, but happens to be my favorite. Leather is also my favorite category of perfume. I have never experience both in one fragrance, so this fragrance is now on my to try list. I would love to have the sample set. Thank you for this opportunity.

  • Jake Dauod says:

    I enjoyed the backstory behind the fragrance, and images of what the fragrance smells like. The line that piqued my interest was when she said that part of the fragrance smells of a cabin that hasn’t been aired. I am already picturing my family cabin and the smell that I associate with the location, so I definitely need to get my nose on this perfume. Kind regards from Illinois, USA.

  • The inspiration behind the fragrance can be seen in this review. It sounds delightful. USA

  • Bryant Worley says:

    I really enjoyed Lauryn’s review. It was fleshed out very well, bringing the fragrance to life. With this (“This is the smell of horses in motion. Animalic, musky, heated, with hints of kicked earth clods and balsamic. Benaim apparently used a special molecule derived from a horse to create this fragrance, and it comes through to me as the smell of the living animal out in cool, salt-sprayed air.”) she made the fragrance sound unique. And I want it. I live in Waldorf, MD, USA.

  • Every about Brianna Lipovsky’s description of Rotano reminds me of trips to San Padre Island, TX. Salty kisses. Unprotected underage fornicating with overage persons. Wading in gasoline slick water trying to wash away the smell of musk and skunk while avoiding the horse dung floating by. Blaming how I smelled on the horse we were riding. I praise God He protected me from stupidity. Here in California

  • Every about Brianna Lipovsky’s description of Rotano reminds me of trips to San Padre Island, TX. Salty kisses. Unprotected underage fornicating with overage persons. Wading in gasoline slick water trying to wash away the smell of musk and skunk while avoiding the horse dung floating by. Blaming how I smelled on the horse we were riding. I praise God He protected me from stupidity. Here in California

  • The inspiration behind this collection is fascinating, and the scents are beautifully described here. I’d love to try this set. I’m in the US.

  • wallygator88 says:

    Thank you for the excellent review Lauryn. Gosh, what an age of perfumery we live in – we’re making stallion accords from molecules taken from the animal.

    I find that to be fascinatingly brilliant.

    I also really enjoyed reading about the evolution of the leather note in that fragrance

    Regards from WI, USA