Meet Matilda: By Rosie Jane’s newest skin-scent troublemaker

I’ll admit it. When a brand announces a “new fragrance for women,” my eyes do a little roll. But By Rosie Jane is the exception that keeps me honest. Their scents behave like good white T-shirts: unfussy, flattering, and surprisingly addictive. Now they’re introducing Matilda, and the name alone suggests a certain bookish mischief that I hope translates on skin.

If you know the house vibe, you know the drill. By Rosie Jane makes transparent perfumes that cling lightly to skin instead of shouting from across the street. Think mood over drama, intimacy over projection. It’s why Leila Lou, Rosie, Dylan, James, Lake, and Angie have loyal followings. Each one sketches a character, not a costume.

So where might Matilda fit? I’m betting on a fresh chapter rather than a rewrite. The brand is best when it threads something crisp or cozy through a clean-musk spine, then lets it breathe. If Dylan is the moody one and Leila Lou is the breezy optimist, Matilda could be the clever friend with the side-eye. Not loud, but never boring.

A few things I’ll be testing as soon as I can spray it:

• Does Matilda do that By Rosie Jane magic trick where ten minutes in, it smells like your skin just figured itself out.
• Can it layer seamlessly with Rosie or Dylan for a slightly dirtier-prettier effect.
• Does it carry a quiet trail on cotton and cashmere or stay purely intimate on skin.

If clean perfume has ever felt samey to you, the brand’s best launches slip in a small twist that changes the whole mood. I’m hoping Matilda brings a wink. A sharp edge tucked into softness. Something you wear to a morning meeting and still catch at dinner, not because it’s huge, but because it never tries too hard.

As a long-time By Rosie Jane wearer, I don’t need fireworks here. I want a signature. If Matilda lands with that stealthy confidence the brand nails, it could be the one you reach for without thinking, then miss the day you forget it. That’s the kind of “new fragrance for women” I’ll actually make room for.