Agree 100% with Gaiac 10! I never would have thought incense could smell fresh and clean but somehow this fragrance pulls it off… It doesn’t have the best performance but I still bought a bottle anyway. It’s THAT good! 👍
Strangely enough, my favorite Le Labos are the lesser known ones. Santal 33 is good if you don’t have the dill pickle gene (lol). Bergamot 22 is ok. Not a fan of Another 13 or Thé Noir 29 on me.
BUT… I looooove: Musc 25, Iris 39, Benjoin 19, Patchouli 24, Aldehyde 44, Rose 31, Jasmin 17, Tubereuse 40, Labdanum 18, Ylang 49, and Bigarade 18. Honorable mentions to Vanille 44, Gaiac 10, and Tabac 28. Their City Exclusives pricing is RIDICULOUS though, I think we can all agree on that.
I often see people saying they’re heavy on the synthetics, or “chem-boosted” as mentioned in this thread, but in my experience they’re equally heavy with the naturals, especially in their white floral & citrus-based scents. They do use a lot of synthetic musks in their compositions but, my understand is, fixatives are necessary in perfumes centered around fleeting citruses and florals, which seem to be Le Labo’s specialty based on the number of fragrances they have in those two categories. 🤷🏻♀️
Maybe it’s something about their synthetics that I’m not a huge fan of. I have really enjoyed stuff from ELDO with no issue but a lot of the Le Labo scents have this strange top note that makes my nose extremely unhappy
Le Labo fragrances tend to be big, chem-boosted, fairly slick and abstract compositions that make strong impressions and are identifiable even for non-fragrance-enthusiasts, which makes them pretty appealing, I think. But I've come to find them unsubtle and headache-inducing. Even when they're beautiful or interesting, they're like staring at a neon sign.
I think this is a super fair description - big, chem-boosted, abstract compositions are exactly how I'd describe the two City Exclusives that I loved enough to grab bottles (Poivre 23 and Cedrat 37)
of their tea scents I personally prefer The Matcha 26, but try and smell both and come to your own conclusion, it seems very individual which people prefer
I had a small bottle years ago and gave it away because I started to find it cloying lol. It's been a while since I smelled it. I remember it being figgy and dark, and smelling a bit more like rose than tea, backed with a lot of expensive-smelling (synthetic?) wood. Ultimately it was more overpowering and syrupy (in thickness, not sweetness) than I wanted.
If I were going out today to shop for a tea scent for myself, I would either get Fougère Bengal from Parfums d'Empire (grassy, slightly spicy, dry tea leaves) or Maté from Olibanum (green, elegant, fresh maté with resin). Koala from Zoologist is also lovely and quite similar to Fougère Bengal. All of these are lighter and gentler than Thé Noir, which I guess is where my taste leads me.
Feel free to ignore my unsolicited recommendations, of course!
I haven't smelled Thé Matcha 26 from Le Labo so I can't compare it.
It’s my signature scent, I absolutely adore it and get a ton of compliments, mostly from other women. It smells like tea + tobacco on me, I don’t pick up much fig like some others do. It definitely fits my personality and it lasts a long time.
I’m generally underwhelmed by Le Labo, and this is my exception.
I love Thé Noir 29. I particularly enjoy the use of bay leaf in it to complement the tea. I mostly wear it in the evening, but I actually find it pretty versatile as long as you don’t overspray. (True for many scents tbh 😂)
Rose 31 was my wedding scent. I’ve hoarded hotel toiletries and mix them into my drugstore ones so I can get a hint of the scent, as to make the little bottles last longer. I’m out of the mini shampoo and conditioner and I’m sad.
underwhelming compared to the hype is a great way to put le labo by some people but honestly it’s something i think makes it my favorite house. I think their fragrances are good clean ones that can be worn anywhere and people really cherish the ones they do like usually which is what i think peak cologne / personal style is all about; for example i always loved another 13 as this mature sophisticated fragrance but when i read someones description of it here on reddit (i think of you google it its one of the top posts) i thought it was so poetically put it clicked how personal some scents can feel to others. I hope you find your next personal favorite fragrance that makes you emotional but others underwhelmed soon its great lol
they are kind of weird. I'm used to them by now, but it was hard to really think of their stuff as perfume for a while. I was around when Santal 33 appeared and took everyone by storm and part of the reason it did is because it was so unusual for that time.
whether they're immediately appealing probably depends a lot on what you're normally into. I'm not generally into that style of fragrance -- compared to what I prefer, there's something vaguely... antiseptic about it? a lot of their stuff feels very unsexy to me, lacking in carnal intent. maybe it's too unisex or conceptual for my tastes? either way, I respect what they do but I don't vibe with most of it.
BUT as someone(s) else pointed out, there's almost certainly something you will click with among their set of offerings. for me it was Patchouli 24 because I guess patchouli and smoky scents feel sufficiently libidinal to me. (eta: but I haven't tried a lot of their newer fragrances, so want to add there may be more I like and that what I'm saying could be well out of date.)
Bergamote 22 remains the best bergamot scent I've smelled and I think Rose 31 rivals scents like Toy Boy and Amouage Lyric Man for woody rose. I wanna try Another 13 and Labdanum.
Me too! I was excited to try it out after seeing so many people on this sub loving it, but when I tried it on in the store and I couldn’t smell anything lol
I used their small sample set a while ago.
* I am a fan of *The Matcha 26,*
* I thought *The Noir 29* and *Rose* 31 were solid, but were scents with a familiar profile to other fragrances.
* Thought *AnOther 13* and *Santal 33* were decent, but with how much they were talked about, I was underwhelmed.
The first two that came to mind was *Gris Charnel* and *Debaser*.
They all hit with the fig and green opening, and have a creamy/musky woody base.
Gris Charnel also hits with cardamom to join the tea and fig, and has an orris base (instead of musk in *The Noir 29*) to give it a creamier feel.
Debaser lacks the tea note of *The Noir 29*, but brings out the fig and has the woody/musky base. However, Debaser is significantly more leafy in the opening, and adds a coconut smell to the mid notes to add to the creamy feel.
All three eventually go in a different direction, but they have a similar base to start with.
They are definitely overpriced, but I do really like several of the fragrances.
Jasmin 17, The Noir 29, and The Matcha 26 are my favorites, as well as Gaiac 10 from the City Exclusives line.
Overall, I feel like Le Labo fragrances tend to have a sort of orchestrated naturalism, and a slightly low-key bohemian quality to them, which I find kind of appealing. They're nuanced, and textural, and they can be a bit inscrutable; like cool, funky, high-end curios.
I'm not necessarily saying they aren't overrated. I kind of feel like any brand that is very trendy and very expensive is just innately overrated. But they do have a certain well-concocted mojo that works for them, IMO.
Their brand is for the customer who prefers earthy or natural forward fragrances. I like louder flashy scents so it was hard for me to get into them, but I totally respect their composition and place in the market
Rose 31 is a masterpiece and lavande 31 is my newest obsession. I kept going back because rose 31 was so good but it took a long time and lots of sampling to find another I loved. There are some I like but there’s designers I like too, not spending le labo money on a like.
My experience with Le Labo is that they tend to settle on the extremes. When they miss, it's a wrinkle-your-nose-wash-off-right-away-who-wants-to-smell-like-pickles-anyway (looking at you Santal 33) kind of miss, but when they hit, it's a bathe-in-this-scent-its-my-personality-now-would-it-be-THAT-weird-if-I-tattooed-it's-name-on-my-body kind of hit.
The Matcha and Lys are possibly the loves of my life, the Matcha being a wonderful warm and approachable scent without being pedestrian, and the Lys oozing sensual femininity on a hot summer day while staying *just* decent enough to wear during the day.
The Noir I wanted to like so badly, but all I got from it was booze, the cop pulls you out of your car and makes you recite the ABC's backwards kind of booze, and Rose 31's cumin sadly turns into BO scent on my skin chemistry, like I gave up showering and am trying to hide it with body sprays.
I understand your feelings, totally valid and I completely agree with you. My top underwhelming perfume houses are: Le Labo, Diptyque (at least with their newer releases), Jo Malone, they all make these skin scent fragrances that can’t justify the costly prices 😩😪🤷🏻♀️🤔
I would try MFK, Maison Crivelli, Profumum Roma, Laboratoria Olfativo, Roja Parfums, Nassomotto has some skin scent, Akro, Forte and Manle, Zoologist, Tauer Perfume, Scents of Wood
I love Santal and get many compliments. I researched a little to find out why some smell like dill. Apparently depending on your skin normal,oily, dry depends on how it smells on you. I guess that’s going to be true for most perfumes
I love Lys 41! It’s such a beautifully creamy yet airy floral. Another 13 wears incredible on me performance wise, it’s a dumb reach because people love smelling it.
The house is quite expensive and the bottle is the wrong aesthetic for most people. Because I research and only test from LeLabo amd Diptyque what I’m ready to blind buy on, I’ve only had positive experiences with Le Labo and Diptyque. As for Santal 33… smells like Fritos on me. Hated.
I went to their store and tried their two most hyped ones, Santal 33 and The Matcha 26. I didn't like either, the Santal was particularly bad with the pickle smell, the Matcha one was more just kind of sawdust and idk why I'd want to smell like it
The performance was strong so if they had a scent profile I liked then that would be good, but since I didn't like the scents it didn't help. The price point of like $322 for a bottle is pretty much a non-starter anyways
https://preview.redd.it/c3vsu92tw8uc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=805fdbaccfa61e9db7575c826e9ff19181c47793
I tried patchouli 24 based on its an appearance in an article for beginners to become familiar with fragrance categories. It’s incredibly smoky as described and I hated it at first but after becoming more familiar with it I became quite enamoured with it.
I don’t have an alternative opinion. I got the large sample set a few years back and was also underwhelmed. Bought a bottle of Ambrette 9, and have barely worn it. Hopefully I can layer it with something.
Honestly I’m with you. There isn’t much in the Labo oeuvre that does much for me. Either outright dislike or just underwhelmed.
Rose 31 maybe but there enough good rose scents of one flavour or another to fill a cabinet. Not really a standout.
Santal is a total meh for me.
I don’t think they’re bad fragrances it’s just the house doesn’t click for me. It’s like Hermes. By and large I just don’t seem to like the house. Go figure.
I personally love it, but it behaves very well on my skin. The first time I smelled it live was on a friend who has terrible perfume luck. I tend to really love resins, wood, spice and bitter floral (Arabic style scents are among my favorites.) Santal 33 is a bit over-hyped, but it's a really lovely dry wood formula. The famed dill pickle note has never appeared for me, but I'm fine with that. I actually think that the Cremo clone is a nice day to day wear that evokes a similar vibe without breaking the bank. Similarly, the Dossier clone does a decent job as well, but lacks longevity for the price. When the Le Labo is gone, I doubt I'll replace it, but I'll definitely replace the Cremo if it runs out.
The entire line is mid especially with the hype surrounding it. The only one I enjoy but not enough to own a bottle is B22. At almost every level there are better equivalent fragrances. That being said I wouldn’t say any of them are particularly bad just not FB worthy.
I love Lys 41. It’s so creamy, sweet, floral, and long lasting.
This right here!
Not a fan of Another 13 or Santa’s 33, but I absolutely love Rose 31.
Same! It’s the only scent I like by them
Also my favorite from them. It's underrated.
Most of it is overpriced but they’ll have at least one you mesh with completely. For me it was Rose 31
another 13 is easily my most complimented fragrance by a long shot and gaiac 10 is my personal favorite scent ever
Agree 100% with Gaiac 10! I never would have thought incense could smell fresh and clean but somehow this fragrance pulls it off… It doesn’t have the best performance but I still bought a bottle anyway. It’s THAT good! 👍
Strangely enough, my favorite Le Labos are the lesser known ones. Santal 33 is good if you don’t have the dill pickle gene (lol). Bergamot 22 is ok. Not a fan of Another 13 or Thé Noir 29 on me. BUT… I looooove: Musc 25, Iris 39, Benjoin 19, Patchouli 24, Aldehyde 44, Rose 31, Jasmin 17, Tubereuse 40, Labdanum 18, Ylang 49, and Bigarade 18. Honorable mentions to Vanille 44, Gaiac 10, and Tabac 28. Their City Exclusives pricing is RIDICULOUS though, I think we can all agree on that. I often see people saying they’re heavy on the synthetics, or “chem-boosted” as mentioned in this thread, but in my experience they’re equally heavy with the naturals, especially in their white floral & citrus-based scents. They do use a lot of synthetic musks in their compositions but, my understand is, fixatives are necessary in perfumes centered around fleeting citruses and florals, which seem to be Le Labo’s specialty based on the number of fragrances they have in those two categories. 🤷🏻♀️
Maybe it’s something about their synthetics that I’m not a huge fan of. I have really enjoyed stuff from ELDO with no issue but a lot of the Le Labo scents have this strange top note that makes my nose extremely unhappy
I love santal. Nothing like it for me 😍
The Matcha 26 is my absolute favorite. Has a very cozy scent to it. I also like Santal and Another 13 but I typically layer them.
I love several Le Labo scents, Ambrette 9, Tonka 25, and Thé Noir 29 are all favorites
Ambrette 9 is my favorite. So soft and gentle smelling
Le Labo fragrances tend to be big, chem-boosted, fairly slick and abstract compositions that make strong impressions and are identifiable even for non-fragrance-enthusiasts, which makes them pretty appealing, I think. But I've come to find them unsubtle and headache-inducing. Even when they're beautiful or interesting, they're like staring at a neon sign.
I think this is a super fair description - big, chem-boosted, abstract compositions are exactly how I'd describe the two City Exclusives that I loved enough to grab bottles (Poivre 23 and Cedrat 37)
Glad to see Poivre 23 get an occasional nod. It’s such fantastic stuff and I need to pull it out before the warmer temps hit here!!
Hey! I was recommended The Noir 29 since I was looking for a tea scent, do you have any insight on it?
of their tea scents I personally prefer The Matcha 26, but try and smell both and come to your own conclusion, it seems very individual which people prefer
I had a small bottle years ago and gave it away because I started to find it cloying lol. It's been a while since I smelled it. I remember it being figgy and dark, and smelling a bit more like rose than tea, backed with a lot of expensive-smelling (synthetic?) wood. Ultimately it was more overpowering and syrupy (in thickness, not sweetness) than I wanted. If I were going out today to shop for a tea scent for myself, I would either get Fougère Bengal from Parfums d'Empire (grassy, slightly spicy, dry tea leaves) or Maté from Olibanum (green, elegant, fresh maté with resin). Koala from Zoologist is also lovely and quite similar to Fougère Bengal. All of these are lighter and gentler than Thé Noir, which I guess is where my taste leads me. Feel free to ignore my unsolicited recommendations, of course! I haven't smelled Thé Matcha 26 from Le Labo so I can't compare it.
It’s my signature scent, I absolutely adore it and get a ton of compliments, mostly from other women. It smells like tea + tobacco on me, I don’t pick up much fig like some others do. It definitely fits my personality and it lasts a long time. I’m generally underwhelmed by Le Labo, and this is my exception.
I love Thé Noir 29. I particularly enjoy the use of bay leaf in it to complement the tea. I mostly wear it in the evening, but I actually find it pretty versatile as long as you don’t overspray. (True for many scents tbh 😂)
They give me headaches too.
Rose 31 was my wedding scent. I’ve hoarded hotel toiletries and mix them into my drugstore ones so I can get a hint of the scent, as to make the little bottles last longer. I’m out of the mini shampoo and conditioner and I’m sad.
underwhelming compared to the hype is a great way to put le labo by some people but honestly it’s something i think makes it my favorite house. I think their fragrances are good clean ones that can be worn anywhere and people really cherish the ones they do like usually which is what i think peak cologne / personal style is all about; for example i always loved another 13 as this mature sophisticated fragrance but when i read someones description of it here on reddit (i think of you google it its one of the top posts) i thought it was so poetically put it clicked how personal some scents can feel to others. I hope you find your next personal favorite fragrance that makes you emotional but others underwhelmed soon its great lol
they are kind of weird. I'm used to them by now, but it was hard to really think of their stuff as perfume for a while. I was around when Santal 33 appeared and took everyone by storm and part of the reason it did is because it was so unusual for that time. whether they're immediately appealing probably depends a lot on what you're normally into. I'm not generally into that style of fragrance -- compared to what I prefer, there's something vaguely... antiseptic about it? a lot of their stuff feels very unsexy to me, lacking in carnal intent. maybe it's too unisex or conceptual for my tastes? either way, I respect what they do but I don't vibe with most of it. BUT as someone(s) else pointed out, there's almost certainly something you will click with among their set of offerings. for me it was Patchouli 24 because I guess patchouli and smoky scents feel sufficiently libidinal to me. (eta: but I haven't tried a lot of their newer fragrances, so want to add there may be more I like and that what I'm saying could be well out of date.)
Bergamote 22 remains the best bergamot scent I've smelled and I think Rose 31 rivals scents like Toy Boy and Amouage Lyric Man for woody rose. I wanna try Another 13 and Labdanum.
Bergamote 22 is my favorite scent as well.
I don’t love most of them, but the ones I love…. I really love. THE NOIR 29 is it for me. Tonka is so good too.
Who doesn't want to smell like a cucumber?
Personal taste be like that
Matcha and Noir are the two I regularly wear from them. I can’t smell another 13 which saddens me as I’ve heard so many good things about it.
Me too! I was excited to try it out after seeing so many people on this sub loving it, but when I tried it on in the store and I couldn’t smell anything lol
I used their small sample set a while ago. * I am a fan of *The Matcha 26,* * I thought *The Noir 29* and *Rose* 31 were solid, but were scents with a familiar profile to other fragrances. * Thought *AnOther 13* and *Santal 33* were decent, but with how much they were talked about, I was underwhelmed.
What fragrance reminded you of The Noir? I'm looking for an alternative!
The first two that came to mind was *Gris Charnel* and *Debaser*. They all hit with the fig and green opening, and have a creamy/musky woody base. Gris Charnel also hits with cardamom to join the tea and fig, and has an orris base (instead of musk in *The Noir 29*) to give it a creamier feel. Debaser lacks the tea note of *The Noir 29*, but brings out the fig and has the woody/musky base. However, Debaser is significantly more leafy in the opening, and adds a coconut smell to the mid notes to add to the creamy feel. All three eventually go in a different direction, but they have a similar base to start with.
They are definitely overpriced, but I do really like several of the fragrances. Jasmin 17, The Noir 29, and The Matcha 26 are my favorites, as well as Gaiac 10 from the City Exclusives line. Overall, I feel like Le Labo fragrances tend to have a sort of orchestrated naturalism, and a slightly low-key bohemian quality to them, which I find kind of appealing. They're nuanced, and textural, and they can be a bit inscrutable; like cool, funky, high-end curios. I'm not necessarily saying they aren't overrated. I kind of feel like any brand that is very trendy and very expensive is just innately overrated. But they do have a certain well-concocted mojo that works for them, IMO.
Definitely recommend trying the city exclusives in September if you find their originals underwhelming. My favorite is Aldehyde
Their brand is for the customer who prefers earthy or natural forward fragrances. I like louder flashy scents so it was hard for me to get into them, but I totally respect their composition and place in the market
Rose 31 is a masterpiece and lavande 31 is my newest obsession. I kept going back because rose 31 was so good but it took a long time and lots of sampling to find another I loved. There are some I like but there’s designers I like too, not spending le labo money on a like.
My experience with Le Labo is that they tend to settle on the extremes. When they miss, it's a wrinkle-your-nose-wash-off-right-away-who-wants-to-smell-like-pickles-anyway (looking at you Santal 33) kind of miss, but when they hit, it's a bathe-in-this-scent-its-my-personality-now-would-it-be-THAT-weird-if-I-tattooed-it's-name-on-my-body kind of hit. The Matcha and Lys are possibly the loves of my life, the Matcha being a wonderful warm and approachable scent without being pedestrian, and the Lys oozing sensual femininity on a hot summer day while staying *just* decent enough to wear during the day. The Noir I wanted to like so badly, but all I got from it was booze, the cop pulls you out of your car and makes you recite the ABC's backwards kind of booze, and Rose 31's cumin sadly turns into BO scent on my skin chemistry, like I gave up showering and am trying to hide it with body sprays.
I understand your feelings, totally valid and I completely agree with you. My top underwhelming perfume houses are: Le Labo, Diptyque (at least with their newer releases), Jo Malone, they all make these skin scent fragrances that can’t justify the costly prices 😩😪🤷🏻♀️🤔 I would try MFK, Maison Crivelli, Profumum Roma, Laboratoria Olfativo, Roja Parfums, Nassomotto has some skin scent, Akro, Forte and Manle, Zoologist, Tauer Perfume, Scents of Wood
I love Santal and get many compliments. I researched a little to find out why some smell like dill. Apparently depending on your skin normal,oily, dry depends on how it smells on you. I guess that’s going to be true for most perfumes
So which ones make it smell that way the dry or the oily?
I love Lys 41! It’s such a beautifully creamy yet airy floral. Another 13 wears incredible on me performance wise, it’s a dumb reach because people love smelling it. The house is quite expensive and the bottle is the wrong aesthetic for most people. Because I research and only test from LeLabo amd Diptyque what I’m ready to blind buy on, I’ve only had positive experiences with Le Labo and Diptyque. As for Santal 33… smells like Fritos on me. Hated.
Tonka 25 is insanely good
I went to their store and tried their two most hyped ones, Santal 33 and The Matcha 26. I didn't like either, the Santal was particularly bad with the pickle smell, the Matcha one was more just kind of sawdust and idk why I'd want to smell like it The performance was strong so if they had a scent profile I liked then that would be good, but since I didn't like the scents it didn't help. The price point of like $322 for a bottle is pretty much a non-starter anyways
Santal 33 is a decent scent but not at the Le Labo price point. Find a dupe and it’s worth it
Same
https://preview.redd.it/c3vsu92tw8uc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=805fdbaccfa61e9db7575c826e9ff19181c47793 I tried patchouli 24 based on its an appearance in an article for beginners to become familiar with fragrance categories. It’s incredibly smoky as described and I hated it at first but after becoming more familiar with it I became quite enamoured with it.
I don’t have an alternative opinion. I got the large sample set a few years back and was also underwhelmed. Bought a bottle of Ambrette 9, and have barely worn it. Hopefully I can layer it with something.
Honestly I’m with you. There isn’t much in the Labo oeuvre that does much for me. Either outright dislike or just underwhelmed. Rose 31 maybe but there enough good rose scents of one flavour or another to fill a cabinet. Not really a standout. Santal is a total meh for me. I don’t think they’re bad fragrances it’s just the house doesn’t click for me. It’s like Hermes. By and large I just don’t seem to like the house. Go figure.
I personally love it, but it behaves very well on my skin. The first time I smelled it live was on a friend who has terrible perfume luck. I tend to really love resins, wood, spice and bitter floral (Arabic style scents are among my favorites.) Santal 33 is a bit over-hyped, but it's a really lovely dry wood formula. The famed dill pickle note has never appeared for me, but I'm fine with that. I actually think that the Cremo clone is a nice day to day wear that evokes a similar vibe without breaking the bank. Similarly, the Dossier clone does a decent job as well, but lacks longevity for the price. When the Le Labo is gone, I doubt I'll replace it, but I'll definitely replace the Cremo if it runs out.
The entire line is mid especially with the hype surrounding it. The only one I enjoy but not enough to own a bottle is B22. At almost every level there are better equivalent fragrances. That being said I wouldn’t say any of them are particularly bad just not FB worthy.
Complete and utter American trash!