Flowerbomb Ruby Orchid by Viktor & Rolf

Ruby Orchid is another flanker by Viktor & Rolf from its insanely popular Flowerbomb line. This one was released in 2021 and became quite well known in its own right, a short time after. But, how does it actually smell? Does Ruby Orchid perform well? Is it even worth a buy?

What does Flowerbomb Ruby Orchid Smell Like?

Notes include: peach, vanilla bean, ruby orchid accord , peach vine

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My Full Review

Here’s how V&R describes it: Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Ruby Orchid Eau de Parfum Spray is a sensual floral perfume that’s inspired by the glamour of burlesque. This passionate women’s perfume blends ruby flower orchid, juicy peach, and red foxy vanilla bean to create a magnetic fragrance perfect for any confident woman.

The opening of Ruby Orchid is somewhat similar to the original Flowerbomb. It is certainly sweet, but we get a more immediate and greater focus on the orchid note itself. Plus, we lose the osmanthus and replace it with a peach note, which lends a jammy quality to this perfume.

Interestingly, this includes a ‘peach vine’ that does come through somewhat in the very early stages. A greenish aroma, not overly noticeable, but it is there if you focus your nose. Patchouli is also totally here, I don’t know why it isn’t listed.

The light greenish aroma does fade and you are left with the sweet peach note. The vanilla will begin to creep in, to a greater extent, like a thick syrupy vanilla extract.

The opening is much more of a fruity sweet fragrance, just like the original. Then, the dry down will be more focused on the orchid and vanilla. Still fruity/sugary sweet, just toned down, with a lighter use of that patchouli messing about.

The vanilla and orchid combo has a powdery aroma, the further we get into things. On me, Ruby Orchid never goes fully into hyper powder territory, but it certainly is there. The original has this as well, but Ruby Orchid has the greater use of powder than its predecessor.

Sillage, Longevity, and Versatility

The sillage here starts off bold, but settles fairly quickly into something that is much softer. I don’t think that it ever reaches the same ability of Flowerbomb, in terms of how it projects off of the skin.

It does get close initially, but Ruby Orchid is a much softer scent than the original.

On my skin, Ruby Orchid will last around 7-7.5 hours. Again, it doesn’t match the staying power of Flowerbomb, but it wasn’t completely terrible by any means.

Seasonally, it’s mostly for autumn and winter, but it can also make an appearance in the springtime. If it’s too hot and humid, I’d skip out on Ruby Orchid, but it’s fine for the more temperate days.

Ruby Orchid is sweet, playful, and skews younger. But, it isn’t one that is only for teenagers. However, it is still more of a casual perfume than anything formal. Daytime or nighttime and it is pleasant enough for dates. But, I think the original is the sexier of the two.

Overall Impressions of Flowerbomb Ruby Orchid

Overall, do I like Ruby Orchid? I do. It does share plenty of commonalities with Flowerbomb, so, if you like that one…you’ll probably dig this one too.

Personally, I don’t enjoy it to the same extent. But, it does have some aspects that I do like. The peach here is particularly nice, I like the lighter green touches. Plus, I like that the orchid gets some more attention.

The performance is solid, not amazing, but I didn’t find Ruby Orchid to be disappointing in this regard.

If you don’t like the original Flowerbomb, I’m not sure that there is enough here that would change your mind. It’s still very sweet and there’s enough overlap between them, that might bring back bad memories.

Overall, though, this is a nice release and one of the better Flowerbomb flankers.

Best Men's Colognes

Best Men’s Colognes started back in 2013, as a way to share my learning experiences with different fragrances, as I dove head first into the hobby. Since then, I have written hundreds of reviews and other pages about perfumes and colognes.