The year is 2011. The scene is downtown New York City. The scent is Le Labo Santal 33. And it…is everywhere. No fragrance in recent memory reps the city as Santal did in the 2010s, and while the scent may be imprinted in time, plenty of the best Le Labo perfumes of today feel fresh and add a little bit of a twist to finding your signature scent. Founded a mere five years earlier in 2006 on Elizabeth Street in New York City, two friends—Fabrice Penot and Eddie Roschi—began Le Labo with ten scents that aimed to take fragrance beyond the sweetly scented, celebrity-backed bottles that defined the aughts.
Today, Le Labo scents are a worldwide hit, with city exclusives that are available only to try in certain locations around the globe, in addition to the signature scents in the classic collection that are elevated and wearable all the same. The numbers on the bottle correspond to the number of notes in the fragrance—each complex, layered, and individualistic (even if a hearty number of folks are vexed by them). To wit, our editors have spritzed every fragrance in the discovery set (and then some) to bring you the best Le Labo perfumes to try at this very moment. Read our edit of the best fragrances ahead.
Thé Matcha 26
It should come as no surprise that we named the best signature cologne (period) this one from Le Labo. Like a warm, whisked green leaf tea, this fragrance is frothy, effervescent, and calmly energizing. Its sweet top notes of fig and matcha smell almost creamy at first sip, but the dry down of woods and grasses keeps this fragrances grounded and innately earthy. Unsurprisingly, it’s a favorite fragrance, worn by many GQ editors today.
Another 13
Le Labo’s Another started as a collab between AnOther Magazine, Colette, and Le Labo, and was so good it stuck around in the classic collection after Colette closed up shop. And it’s the 2020’s closest answer to the 2010’s Santal craze, though it flies decidedly more under the radar, pairing heady jasmine with a forceful synthetic musk that makes it feel like the fragrance equivalent of glitter.
Bergamote 22
For those looking for a citrus fragrance that isn’t too spritely, perfume reviews praise the balance of this French-crafted bergamot fragrance from Le Labo. It’s slightly musky, tied up with some amber and vetiver but it still manages to have the pep and optimism that marks citrus fragrances, and crucially while its an eau de parfum in feels just light enough to wear like an eau de toilette.
Santal 33
The one that the brand is known for: The notes are complex, the fragrance is layered, and if you ask the perfumers, they’ll tell you they created this number to feel like an open fire under a wide open sky. To us, the sandalwood, cedarwood, iris, violet, leather, and musk smell like the defining fragrance of a generation, and for the right occasion, why wouldn’t you dab that on?
Baie 19
If you’re a believer if Diptyque famous Baies candle, the Le Labo equivalent might not be the copy+paste you’re looking for. The brand leads joke that it smells like nothing—in a good way—and we insist that while we wouldn’t go that far, it does one of the most true-to-life impressions of a dripping wet garden after a storm. Junper berry, patchouli, green leaves and buckets of rain water round this one out.
Rose 31
When you think of a floral, you might be imagining something like Chanel No 5, which the maison created to feel like a living interpretation of luxury. Rose 31 moves slightly west of that vision, while still retaining the powdery, delicate effect that you’d want from a rose scent. Combining cumin, olibanum, cedar, and amber with Centifolia rose, this rendition feels like it a Land Boys’ interpretation—slightly dusty, and maybe a little yellow.
The Noir 29
If you’ve come this far in this fragrance review, you’ve been expecting The Noir, which provides the kind of seductive nature that ouds usually innately embody. With bergamot, fig, and bay leaves, combined with cedarwood, vetiver, and musk, the fragrance is inky and dances on the palate like a syrah you just don’t want to put down.
Lys 41
Like Byredo’s Flowerhead, Lys 41 comes as an extreme answer to the sandalwood, cedarwood movement. A breath in of the floral scent is like hearing a siren’s song—it hits the very highest notes of jasmine, tuberose absolute, and lily.
Neroli 36
It’s our estimation that orange blossom is a universally likable scent, and this happy, easy-going fragrance is exhibit one. Blending rose, musk, mandarin orange, jasmine, and vanilla, the perfumers did the unthinkable and managed to bottle up sunshine.
