Patchouli 24 (Le Labo)

(reviewed by Mark)

I recently had the opportunity to attend a Le Labo event at Barneys, where Fabrice Penot, one of Le Labo's founders, conducted us through a few fragrances from the line and expounded a bit on their philosophy.

I asked him about the naming convention; each fragrance is named after a common perfume ingredient, followed by a number that represents the total number of ingredients in the fragrance. It seems to me that eventually all the ingredients will have been done; will Le Labo begin using more abstract names, I wondered?

Patchouli 24 indicates that these names are in fact abstractions. Patchouli is barely detectable in this fragrance at all. Birch Tar 24 would have been a more appropriate moniker. Patchouli 24 goes on in a smoking cloud of birch tar, so thick you can almost taste it. It immediately reminded me of Kolnisch Juchten in this regard, though without the "meaty" aspect. This heady aroma sings for an hour or two before it ever so slowly admits a stream of vanilla, which gradually blends with the birch tar and recalls another Ménardo creation, Bvlgari Black. In the drydown, patchouli acknowledges the wearer with an almost imperceptible nod.

Despite the use of some assertive accords, Patchouli 24 is never overbearing or strident, and wears close to the skin. It manages to be both harshly chemical and a comfortably warm leather.

In response to my question, Fabrice mentioned that Le Labo will be doing a city exclusive for San Francisco, and that due to the popularity of citrus fragrances in SF, it would be based on Bergamote. He reflected that he had some reservations about calling it Bergamote 66. Only time will tell.

Perfumer: Annick Ménardo
Year: 2006
Notes: Patchouli, Birch, Styrax, Vanilla