Patchouli 24 is one of the 10 fragrances launched last month by the new line Le Labo. It was developed by perfumer Annick Menardo, and has notes of patchouli, birch, styrax and vanilla.
As was the case with Le Labo's Rose 31, this is not a fragrance to order unsniffed because you adore the note used as the fragrance name. There is patchouli, but it is not the main player, and I noticed it most in the early stages where it mingles with leather, tobacco leaf, burning wood and a touch of melting rubber. Patchouli 24 is very reminiscent of another Annick Menardo fragrance, Bvlgari Black. I was very rushed this weekend and only managed to try them together once, but I would say that the Patchouli 24 is deeper and more intently focused on the wood and earthy notes, and the vanilla dry down, when it arrives, is not quite so cushiony and soft. If you ever wished for a Bvlgari Black Extreme, your wish has come true. I had not thought to wish for it myself, but now that it is here it is most welcome.
Patchouli 24 is an Eau de Parfum, and the lasting power is very good. A 15 ml travel spray is $45; a 50 ml bottle is $115.
For purchasing information, see the listing for Le Labo under Perfume Houses.
Note: I will be travelling for the rest of the week. I will continue to post news, but probably won't post another perfume review until the weekend.
Hope you enjoy your week, R, and try to forget all of us waiting patiently for your return (I'm sure there must be a new psychological condition called Blog Guilt…). These le Labos sound very interesting. Sigh. Do they ship abroad, or would that spoil the freshness thing? (Perhaps they'd have to ship a young (male, cute) SA, to mix it before my very eyes!)
Take good care, R! Thank you for your reviews of the Le labos. For some reason, I just can't get excited about them. Perhaps I am on perfume overload.
I may not be posting too much either for the next couple of weeks, but will check back with you at that time.
Hugs!
R, it sounds like something I would like. I always wished that the wood notes in Black were more substantial, although really the composition is as perfect as it is.
Does this smell anything like loree rodkin gothics?
That sounds really interesting – I'm an old fan of Bulgari Black, and I've got my man hooked on it as well; he has more or less monopolized my bottle lately, and wears the deodorant daily. Is it as sweet as Bulgari Black, or less so? Like VictoriaF, I think that more wood sounds very nice!
The Rose 31 seemed rather exciting too; may have to place an order next month or so – if they ship overseas. Too many niche houses and online stores don't.
I don't have anything to say about Le Labo, but NST … you are a machine! 13 new items since Friday?! I just started and I find it taxing to get one update a day!
I wonder if it is the birch note that is responsible for the leather and melting rubber you notice? (Someone way smarter than me would know, I'm sure.) I am really looking forward to when those sample packs are available so I can try them all out!
Travel safely, and where ever it is you are headed, I hope the trip is a good one.
LOL…yes, ask them to ship the young cute male SA! Seriously, I have no idea what their shipping policies are. Hopefully they'll have the website up soon and all that will be detailed.
I am sorry but I've never tried any of the Loree Rodkins.
LOL…well, there was lots of news over the weekend, and I knew I wasn't going to do so well over this coming week anyway
K, I don't know either, but I've smelled other fragrances with birch and/or styrax without the rubber. V would know!
It is easy to go on overload this spring, R, the pace of new releases is rather incredible. Hope all is well!
V, Wish I had had more time to wear them together, and will be curious to see how you compare them.
I wouldn't say it is any more or less sweet, really. My husband actually couldn't tell the difference between the two at all once they'd both been on skin for a couple of hours.
Bvlgari Black Extreme, you say? Oh dear. Oh my. Oh golly. I'm doomed. If it's possible to actually drool over a non-foodie fragrance description, that's totally what I'm doing right now!
Oh,lord! I feel just like Badger: Bulgari Black Extreme, indeed! This, in combination with the other Labo reviews you and M. have written, means that I will be checking out their website as soon as it's up. I hope they send (or at least, sell) samples!
One of the reasons I hoped to try them together a second time was to decide how likely it was that someone who already owned Black would need the Patchouli 24. It is certainly worth a try, and I think they will have a sample program soon.
They said they would have a sample program, I'm just not sure when. If I remember correctly, they might not have an online shopping cart until May.
Being a lover of patchouli I was naturally excited when I saw this one listed as one of the top ten orientals in Turin and Sanchez's “Perfumes: The Guide.” My sample came in the mail a few days ago, and now that I'm finally wearing it, it's worth the excitement. However, I have to agree with some of Turin's assessments of the other Le Labo fragrances where he says they rarely smell like what they're named after. Patchouli is a drug to me, but I can't find it in Patchouli 24! Wherever it is, it's amidst the burning pile of wood and leather, as if someone threw their bottle of hippie scent onto a book-burning.
That being said, I still have instant love of this stuff. I do happen to be wearing it alongside Bvlgari Black, and going from wrist to wrist, I can see their commonality. Both were born in the Goodyear factory! I battled for a long time with Black, taking months to finally see the genius that she is. Being smacked across the face with rubber, Black seemed unwearable (how silly!). Having Patchouli 24 on, Black seems tame. Black is sweet where 24 just burns. You can take Black out onto the town and be sociable but 24 sits in the corner and waits for its prey to come to it. They are different creatures, and for that I could see owning both fragrances (although I am a glutton and would indulge in both). When you want to be nice, wear Black. When you want to cut someone, wear the 24!
It's lovely stuff, glad you are enjoying it.
In all fairness, I dont' think Le Labo claims the scents smell like the names — the names just indicate the fragrance note with the highest concentration.
Ah, OK – I was browsing through TPC on the off chance there’d be some fun deals……….low and behold, they are doing discount prices on a few scents i want to sample…..this being one of them!! (the others being Jasmine de Nuit and Sienne L’Hiver.) In a nutshell, I adore Bulgari Black and would LOVE a BB Extreme, so i totally lemming’d 8mls of this stuff !!! I’ve got the day off work, and was going to clean the house and do chores, but now I think i’ll make a trip into London and visit Liberty’s to test out the entire Eau D’Italie line……and maybe Frederic Malle while I’m at it………YES!!!!
Oh, fun!
Well, sadly LIberty’s discontinued Eau D’Italie. But they have Le Labo and Frederic Malle, L’Artisan and Keiko Mecheri.
My sample of Patchouli 24 arrived, and I am absolutely adoring it – which is good news, as it was a lemming! I find the vanilla based dry-down lends a very odd counterpoint to the sharp skankiness of the other layers. It’s not quite as ‘wearable’ as I’d imagined (probably because I has Bulgari Black lodged so firmly in my mind as a comparison) but since ‘unwearable’ is right up my street it’s not a problem. I also tried Le Labo’s Poivre. I was interested in the high oil concentration in Poivre, and it left a silky, shiny residue on my wrist for hours afterwards. It’s a beautiful scent, really, really nicely done. And it got better and better into the dry down. I wish TPC was doing a special decant sale on that too!!!!!!!!!!
So which do you like better, the Le Labo or the Bvlgari?
Well – this is very difficult to answer! I like Bulgari better, I think, as I like the rubbery note and it’s general subtlety. I think it is a darker scent too. it’s something I would wear for an evening out, as I find it very sophisticated. I wish it were longer lasting, or came in a stronger concentration!
The Patchouli is more of a day scent to me, and has an outdoorsy quality and seems brighter and crackling with more energy. It’s very long lasting though, which is its advantage, and comes in a stronger concentration that the Bulgari.
They are both very unique scents and I am happy to own both of them!!
I’m not sure I could have answered at all — you came up w/ the perfect description!
Being a lover of both Bulgari Black and Annick Menardo’s style in general, I had to give Patch 24 a shot. It didn’t disappoint – in fact, it made the biggest impression of all the samples I ordered recently from LuckyScent. (The batch included the likes of CdG Avignon and Tauer Desert Marocain, so that tells you something about 24’s distinctiveness!) It’s simply unlike anything I’ve smelled come out of a perfume bottle, and yet it’s rather easily legible – smoke, wood, lapsang souchong tea (and loads of it), boozy vanilla, tar, and musk. It shimmers and changes shape on the skin like very few scents I’ve experienced, and it lasts a dog’s age. Bizarre and addictive. I’m jonesing for a full bottle something fierce.
Vetiver 46 was my other fave out of the bunch; what a fabulous scent it is. Sophisticated yet sprightly, with just the right about of dark earthiness.
I need to revisit since I’m running out of Black — maybe I’d rather have Patchouli 24 now. Except it costs so much more!
This opens in a similar way to Lonestar Memories by Andy Tauer – a medicinal camphorus and tarry rush with a sweeter backdrop just peeking through. It’s VERY different to most fragrance out there but it’s stunning. As it wears it gets sweeter and mellower and I get carnation and clove as the smokey asphalt opening recedes somewhat. It has great tenacity but on my skin isn’t the massive smokey powerhouse that some people experience. What I’ve learnt from my samples of Le Labo is that it really depends on your skin type and body chemistry. I love most from this house but my very favourite is still Santal.