Labdanum 18

Labdanum 18 - sixth in my Le Labo discovery set I fear this is where my very entry-level knowledge of perfume starts to rear itself. I honestly didn't know what to expect from the name alone, and upon smelling it I was even more taken aback. I feel like I cannot put this into technical enough terms, it's all so abstract to me. I'm especially lacking since I've never had a sampling of Shalimar or Musc Ravageur, which this is getting put up there with. It has a sweet powdery opening. Lightly tapped on your face by a pouf while you sit at a hazy boudoir. I don't get baby powder or wipes like others have said. Baby powder is a sterile, clean, mineral-y thing. This is spicy. Warm. Woody. It's funny because I can't decide if this is evoking grandpa at the barbershop, or a wealthy woman's collection of French potions and powders. In both cases, though, this does smell old school, which is very appealing to me. There aren't many contemporary mainstream fragrances that have this sort of body to them. I do not get anything outwardly animalic or fecal, as many have stated. In fact, I find the dry-down really settles into cinnamon and woods. So good. I can't wait to wear this again when it's colder out.

Yes, this DOES smell a bit like Shalimar - like only the best parts of Shalimar. It has the animalic-ness of it, so there definitely is an overlap, but Shalimar is a sour, bugspray-mess on me. This one is like a very soft, more powdery version - like if you mixed Guelain's Instant Magic into it. Lovely!

Le Labo's Labdanum 18 is another exceptionally rich and complex interpretation of amber. One that combines a multitude of resins, including the definitive and titular labdanum, along with a plenitude of vanilla, and tonka. There is also a fine powderiness to this, especially near the opening. The deeper drydown is a warmly sensuous pleasure, ...but then it almost always is with amber-orientals. These musky, powdery, vanillic amber-orientals make for fairly grandiose scent profiles if reputation (and marketing) are to be believed, and I for one certainly enjoy their mien of exotic opulence. Fragrantica's comparisons lead further credence to this, as such 'legends' as Musc Ravageur, Shalimar, and Le Lion are listed first among stylistic cousins. Probably halfway between Shalimar and Le Lion (minus the top notes) is the best approximate position for Labdanum 18. Musc Ravageur is more like a freshly baked spice cake compared to the other three. Overall, this Labdanum 18 makes for a nicely wrought member of the genre in which it finds itself. Certainly a perfume worth wearing. Of course, if you want some romantic poetry and a pretty bottle to go with it, then try sniffing around the various Shalimar flankers for whichever one is closest.

I have no experience with Le Labo at all. I was walking through the Lagaurdia airport and saw their store so just randomly chose two scents and sprayed them on different wrists. One was the noir, which I’ll write a seperate review on. The other was labdanum 19 or whatever this is called. It’s such beautiful scent, but it’s way more animalic than I was expecting. My brother thinks it smells like poop, but I disagree, although the civet and castoreum are challenging. This smells like a sweeter and more wearable version of Zoologists Hyrax. This is musky, rubbery, animalic, a tad smoky, and very well blended. I’m happy with this, although the plane may not me 😬 This is such a gorgeous perfume, and definitely squashes the myth that Le labo makes boring clean and mass appealing scents only

I got a sample, and instantly knew it isn't for me. However, I appreciate it for what it is. A bit old-fashioned, mature, sweet, very powdery scent, leaning definitely feminine to me. I don't understand the animalic/fecal references. Also, people tend to categorize everything as baby wipes/hair product/pickle juice, which I wouldn't worry about, because if you break it down, it usually does not smell like the actual thing. I would put it in the same family with Poivre (London exclusive), but more feminine. I personally don't smell Labdanum in it, but in my experience with other LL fragrances, you need to grow into it...

It’s a baby powdery, slightly animalic classy fragrance that smells very similar to Le Lion. It’s not as animalic as that one, it’s slightly cleaner. A little more neutered but I still love this. Makes me feel like an older classy man living in Paris. It just has this dry vintage sort of vibe. 9/10

The Tonka in here just kills everything else. It stinks like a diaper

There is an animalic note that I cannot put up with. Yes there is an musky, floral, creamy taste; but the background is not my cup of tea.

On paper this is one story, on skin it is entirely different! On paper it smells like a powdery vanilla leather scent. On skin you first get a blast of leather that smells like the inside of a car. And then as it dries down all the animatic notes come out. It smells like a barnyard/animal feces. And tires. With a hint of powderyness and vanilla faintly in the background. If this wasn’t so strongly animalic, I would like it.

Le Labo isn't at all a simple sweet clean perfume. it is complex, the sweetness is intricately attached to civet, castoreum, labdanum, vanilla, the resins yet these are in continuous interplay with skin, mood, the grande dame this perfume is. I am glad it is a deep perfume which lasts and lasts. even after years the fragrance remains the same due to its complexity. patchouli is a great support. it is a compliment getter but it has the dangerous smell of cocaine and heroin. that makes this perfume irreplacable. I always love the heady, whorey, deep perfumes. it is like a neo Obsession. Le Labo makes great scents, the oudh, the rose, the patchouli I bought for my twinbrother. a bewitching perfume for sure. it makes me also think at Cartier's 'Must' (the original) and even Panthère (the original). off with the detergent clean scents. Ln with the Gloria Swanson, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe perfumes.

Smells a little cleaner than I was expecting, I understand the baby wipe/powder smell other reviewers have pointed out. The powdery and amber accords are definitely what stood out to me most. I really liked the animalistic notes, they were blended beautifully and came out around the same time as the vanilla. Very yummy. It’s very chic I like it a lot, but it’s a bit too “normal” to be something *I* would reach for often.

this smells like hugging a friend three years away. its soft and nostalgic and beautiful and sits nicely on my skin. reminds me of walking in the snow through toronto on my trip there (where i bought the sample). i love this surprisingly much despite usually liking green and powdery scents.

Starts cozy ends poopy!!

I love this so much. My first reaction was wow coca-cola scent. So lovely. I think my nose is askew from hence forward.

Kind of confusing at first when sprayed on the smell it just smells like baby. Baby oil and baby wipes and baby powder. But after it dries down and has been on the skin for a couple of hours then you get the labdanum and vanilla and musky warm notes.

This feels like the innocent daytime version of Musc Ravageur. It's soft white/gray, fuzzy, extremely powdery. Smells expensive. I wouldn't call it sensual like MR is, it's more cozy, bundled up under thick animal fur on a cold winter's day. Overall this is very nice but there's something in it that mildly perturbs me, something just slightly off on my skin.

This is rich and warm, with deep amber vibes without being overpowering. There’s a resinous sweetness that’s cozy and timeless. Labdanum 18 is non-linear, the dry down is very different from the top notes. The dry down gives me a subtle Shalimar-like warmth and softness, very classic but modernized. It’s not exactly the same, but the vibe is there in a smooth, comforting way. Love it. 👍👍👍

At first is a powdery musk and once it dries down, it becomes a powedery vanilla skin scent

This is between Musc Ravageur and Cormandel. It definitely lacks the refined white chocolate undertone of Coromandel and doesn’t really go into amber territory as much as MR. It is animalic for sure, may pull a but pissy on some people but the sweetness somehow balances it out. Test but overall a good one. Not an original one, but good. Edit: second teast- pulls the same but much more masculine and sweet old cologne style. Definitely not purchasing. Second test is a charm.

Lovely, tho soft. More of an oriental that is leaning chypre, leaving a lot of labdanum to the imagination. Shocked no one is comparing it to Ambre Sultan, its very close. Wish this packed more of a punch Bravo Mr Roucel 8.5/10

So, I adore most Le Labo fragrances, but I have to say that this isn't one of my favorites. I smelled this in store on card and thought it was really nice, so I bought a tester. For the wear test, I put some petroleum jelly on my wrists, sprayed 1 spray on each wrist, and dabbed it in. I asked my partner to give it a smell shortly there after to get his thoughts. Without any guidance from me, he said that to him, it was nice, and reminded him very much of baby powder (moreso than baby wipes). It comes off with a very vintage quality to my nose. I must admit that I can get the scent of baby wipes. The feeling is so vintage to me, that it reminded me of a vintage fragranced face powder... I compared the fragrance to that of 'Airspun' face powder, which I own. It is pretty similar, but with an animalic twist. I can say that in these first few hours that I can definitely smell it on myself prominently, so it seems to have some good staying power. I am not in love with it enough to spray it on my clothes, as I feel like this fragrance (unfortunately) just isn't for me.

This is delightful. I smelled it on my brother's partner and to me it smells like an updated Bal a Versailles. It has many of the same base notes. I do prefer this. A very wearable animalic imo.

I'm sorry but downplaying something so peculiar and beautiful and complex as... baby wipes? The civet here simply tickles. It alivens. Its powdery, yes, and innocent, yes. But it's also very elegant, and unique, with a vintage, and timless edge. Very comforting. I really, really enjoy this. Can easily see it as beautiful signature scent.

On my first wear right now - I feel that it's vaguely reminiscent of Dior Homme Intense due to the strong powderiness. Overall, I think it leans more feminine than DHI

The labdanum became very powdery on my skin and the vanilla/amber/castoreum are a bit much and only get more cloying with wear. It reminds me of the scent of women's clothes from the 40s-50s or old theaters that used to allow smoking- enjoyable in doses, but not what I want to smell like. Honestly, there's a bit of dead-rat-in-the-wall in there. I might appreciate this fragrance better on someone else.

I thought I couldn't love a powdery "animalic" musk more than I do (err, did?) Musc Ravageur. But this... This is incredible. It is a softer, more fur-lined, fluffier, sweeter, more feminine version of M.R. Pronounced labdanum and soft woods, more and sweeter resins, less spices. I found myself "softening" M.R with Glossier "You" to tone the lavender, tobacco, and cinnamon down. Labdanum 18 is perfection, no feminization necessary. L 18 will surround you with warm, clean, floofy and cute ragdoll kittens for 8+ hours. A cozy, familiar, comforting and delightful fragrance.

You either love it or hate it. My bottle is very animalic and I love the juxtaposition of musk, castoreum, and civet contrasted with the warm and powdery amber, vanilla, cinnamon and tonka. The resins and birtch tar add to the depth. I love raw musks, and Le Labo executes it amazingly in Labdanum 18, Musc 25, and Tonka 25. When I first freshly spray this on a cold autumn or winter morning, it makes my eyes roll back in my head. It also makes me want to go back to bed because it's so relaxing. It's also sexy and a very carnal experience. I've tried all the competitors, and this one is perfect for my taste. I've never paid retail for it, but it's one of the few that is actually worth the steep niche price imo. ××××××××××××××××××××××××××××× Scent 99/100 Performance 80/100 ××××××××××××××××××××××××××××× P.S. Be careful in the heat. I accidentally wore this in the heat and it was brutal🦝

Baby powder for the sophisticated adult with some Band-Aid thrown in. Nice on a Sunday autumn afternoon at home.

@salomé22 love your review. I'm sold ☺️

probably the most extreme spray to dry down difference ive ever experienced. the initial spray is a blast of a metric shit ton of baby powder, followed by a faint whiff of something fresh and green. as it soaks into the skin but is still fresh and slightly wet, it becomes this gorgeous warm, cinnamony almost fresh cola smell, akin to if you imagine the perfect glass of dr pepper. this then begins to morph into something more flat, just slight spiced vanilla and maybe there's like a pleasant-smelling cat a couple feet away from you, and then the fragrance just lays down to die in vanilla amber spice purgatory and its corpse was lightly dusted with talc maybe 10 minutes ago. i wish it stayed in the range it had from around 3-10 minutes of spraying it. still like it though. very warm and cozy. unique blend of vintage and modernity