Le Labo perfume, the instant cult classic
The brilliant artisan perfumer Le Labo (co-founded by Cult Beauty expert Fabrice Penot and Edouward Roschi) has just opened a stand alone store in London’s Marylebone, adding to their already distinguished portfolio of New York, LA and Tokyo and Colette in Paris. The interior is brilliantly finished and the atmosphere is slick, New York cool without the attitude. But what will blow your senses are the elaborate and explicit aromas.
Le Labo is the antithesis of the one-dimensional world of modern, celebrity obsessed perfume. The scents take up to 2 years to create, working directly with the perfumer, rather than sending them a brief based on market research and ingredient decisions based only on cost!
The Le Labo mission is to create a sensory thunderbolt on opening one of their perfumes, rather like serious Haute Cuisine, every perfume they make feels like a journey around your scent and taste buds. When I met up with Edouard he told me that good perfumers tend to be gourmands in all aspect of their lives with appreciation for fine wines and food, which makes sense, you wouldn’t want to see a celibate sex therapist. When you buy your Le Labo Fragrance it is blended on the spot, and comes with a best before date a year ahead of creation, which means you never get a wallflower bottle that has been sitting at the back of a cupboard slowly souring.
I fell in love with OUD 27, it’s the sort of perfume that makes you feel like drinking whiskey, wearing 4inch spike stilettos and wrestling bears, made with sensual Agarwood, Cedar Atlas, Incense, Patchouli, Black Pepper, Safran and Gaiac. Le Labo don’t use ANY animal derivatives so this is a perfect brand for Vegans too. alexia inge
28A Devonshire Street, (Marylebone Village) London, W1, For more information about Le Labo check their website.