First Impressions – Le Labo City Exclusives

Following my ode/poem/verse/song to Le Labo, here are my first impressions of a few of their City Exclusives. The dopey thing I did was purchase a rather overly expensive discovery set from the newly opened Brisbane store. Still, the outlay for a discovery set is much easier on the hip pocket than a full bottle. And in case it’s not apparent, I’m not a massive fan of the brand or these scents. None are poor, but they’re just nothing I want, need, or desire in my collection. In fact, after sampling these, you’re better off sticking to their regular line of perfumes. There, you’ll find better value for money (relatively speaking) and superior blends, including their famous sandalwood, rose, and patchouli perfumes.

However, one thing I cannot fault about the brand is the fantastic service I receive whenever I’m in one of their stores. The young lady in my local store took me through all the options, explaining that I could choose whichever scents I wanted to build my discovery set. I ended up going with the default option that included Myrrhe 55 (Shanghai), Gaiac 10 (Tokyo), Cedrat 37 (Berlin), Vanille 44 (Paris), and Tabac 28 (Miami).

Myrrhe 55 – Shanghai – The newest edition, and in true Le labo form, there’s very little myrrh in sight. Instead, there’s mostly jasmine, musk, and Ambroxan. It smells okay but is far too linear and simplistic to justify the price. I don’t detect any of the listed oud either. The overriding impression is one of clean laundry and bubblegum florals. Everything is agreeable, with the jasmine and musks never straying into indolic/animalic territory.

Gaiac 10 – Tokyo – Shock horror, I notice the gaiac wood. Here, it’s mixed with cedar wood and hints of BBQ charcoal. They combine to impart a smoky effect over proceedings. However, once again, it’s all too linear, with little to no projection to justify such a premium price tag. For those unaware, the number in front of the name/title in any Le Labo indicates the number of ingredients that went into the scent. In this case, there are only ten. And this certainly smells minimalist and basic. I have many fragrances that fill that space. The Body Shop White Musk for Men isn’t the same, but it does everything Gaiac does for a fraction of the price.

Cedrat 37 – Berlin reminds me of a combo of Dior Homme Cologne, Voyage Hermes, and, on the niche side, Gallivant perfumes’ homage to Berlin, entitled Berlin. Featuring a gingery, spicy citrus top with tea-like undertones, it quickly fades into an agreeable, musky, woody finish. Tellingly, you can buy all three of the above smell-a-likes and still have money left over for a day trip to Berlin for the price of this le labo. 

Vanille 44 – Paris – A smoky, woody vanilla with more than a passing resemblance to Eau Duelle from Diptyque. I’ll stick with that one. The Le Labo leans on the brighter citric side, whereas the Diptyque goes green.

Tabac 28 – Miami – This leafy tobacco and spicy blend reminds me of John Varvatos’ Dark Rebel. The infusion of rum through the life of the scent merely reinforces that comparison.

Do you have a favourite City Exclusive? Or are you like me and consider them grossly overpriced?

All images are my own.