Scientific style and scent – Le Labo

Up there with choosing a pair of jeans for me is choosing a perfume, travelling through duty free I always think I am going to find the perfect scent but then just get completely bamboozled, and without fail end up squirting that one scent onto me which makes me stink like a tarts boudoir for the rest of my journey.

Upon meandering through the must do shops in London I stumbled upon the new generation of perfumeries, which is up my street for a couple of reasons.

Firstly I love Le Labo’s (which literally translates to The Lab but sounds just that little bit more classy) philosophy.

“In a world where luxury perfumes are mass-produced and sold in places that look like supermarkets, where advertising campaigns try to fool consumers into thinking they are unique, even though their “one in a kind” fragrances are worn by millions across the globe, we believe there is another solution.  As a result Le Labo has decided to take matter – and perfume – back in hand.” (source Le Labo)

Given I do not particularly want to smell like Victoria Beckham, Sarah Jessica Parker or Britney Spears or every other woman walking down the street, they have won me on this mission statement…

…..and secondly (probably the main reason If I am truthfully honest) I am a sucker for a product that gives a bit of an experience in the mix. So yes the packaging and the store does matter!

The Store

The trademark apothecary type store is the base for the start of Le Labo experience. If you can grab a seat in the clinical style shop / lab, with signature white tiles and industrial style metal counter seating, you begin by selecting from a menu of simple scientifically named blends.  Once your selection is made the show continues as your chosen perfume is hand finished in front of your very eyes by men (and women) in white coats…. who get all professor like and start blending and mixing the final oils before attaching a personal label which can contain your name, a message or anything you want.

While you wait for the finished potion you can sit back and get lost in the science lab feel of specimen

jars with dried ingredients with pipettes……Although unlike most labs I remember the smell is a little bit more inviting and possibly why this has been labled as a new cult in perfumes.  With stores in the US and London, Paris to name but a few…. for once us Sydney and Melbournites can enjoy too with their corner store…. (a flash name for a pop up store) in most leading department stores.

The Products

 The perfumes are the staple product, with very simple names which denote the base scent and number of ingredients in each blend.  The descriptions are worth a read on their own…

“This fragrance is an enigma… It simply doesn’t conform to any of the laws of perfumery.  A strong concentration of oriental notes, with animal intonations of civet and castoreum, it remains a perfume that’s discrete on your skin even though everything’s combined to make it a power bomb…  Listen to it whisper to your nose and to the senses of those allowed to get close to your skin… Once you start, you won’t be able to stop listening.” LABDANUM 18

 For those of you who cannot decide there is the discovery set and the samples which can be purchased on line or in store.

Perfumed notes

For a new class of shopping list or diary you can invest in the notebook which is impregnated with Le Labo scent…

And don’t neglect the home……

….with a matching range of candles and room fragrances…

So now you are all smelling delectable (well at least thinking about it)…..on with the colourful journey.

#design #Shopping #London #Cosmetics #Candles #NewYork #perfume #LeLabo #Travel #handmade #InteriorDesign #trends