Le Labo

Founded 2006 · New York, United States · Fabrice Penot and Edouard Roschi

Le Labo mixes every bottle at the counter, in front of the customer, and prints a label with their name and the date. Santal 33 became the most recognisable perfume of the 2010s, to the point that the press called it the smell of design hotels.

History

Fabrice Penot and Edouard Roschi, both formerly of Giorgio Armani Parfums, opened the first workshop in 2006 in Nolita, New York. The premise is laboratory-like: formulas numbered by their main ingredient and their number of materials — Santal 33, Rose 31, Another 13 — mixed on the spot and labelled by hand. Santal 33, from 2011, with sandalwood, cardamom and leather, became ubiquitous to the point of exhaustion and spawned a whole industry of imitations. Estée Lauder bought the house in 2014.

Iconic models

Santal 33 (2011)
Sandalwood, cardamom and leather. The most imitated perfume of its decade and the most recognisable in niche.
Rose 31
Rose with cumin and vetiver; the house's first rose and its second card.
Another 13
Ambroxan and musk, almost clean; among the best sellers.

Worth knowing

The number in the name is not a series: it says how many materials the formula holds. Santal 33 is thirty-three ingredients around sandalwood.