The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Annie Buzantian created So In Love in 2005 for Victoria's Secret. The name says everything, it's named for that state of being so swept up in feeling that restraint goes out the window. Buzantian built it around a specific rose interpretation: Moroccan rose, which carries a fresh, green quality with a soapy undertone that reads as vintage without being antique. The composition balances tartness with warmth, creating something that feels both modern and nostalgic. This wasn't a safe floral. It was a statement.
The tea rose genre has a devoted following. What makes So In Love stand apart is the green tartness amplified by violet leaf and the unexpected warmth of cognac in the heart. The cognac keeps the rose honest rather than letting it soften into something predictable. The ylang-ylang adds a creamy white-floral depth that prevents it from reading as all stem and no flower. It's a composition that earns its florals instead of drowning in them.
The evolution
The opening arrives bright and tart, the violet leaf doing the work of making the Moroccan rose smell like a living thing, not a pressed petal. At first it carries an almost astringent quality. Then the cognac kicks in, softening the edges without losing the green. The honey appears as something warm rather than sweet, like afternoon light through a window. The drydown is where it gets interesting: the jasmine and ylang-ylang linger together, creamy and intimate, lasting into the evening on skin that holds fragrance well. On fabric, it stays close to the body, a whisper rather than a shout.
Cultural impact
So In Love won the FiFi Award for Fragrance of the Year in the Women's Private Label/Direct Sell category in 2006, cementing its place as a standout in the VS lineup. It's been a favorite among rose enthusiasts ever since, finding its people in a world of safer florals. The 2005 launch brought something distinctive to the market, a rose fragrance that refused to play it safe.
