The People of the Labyrinths launched Luctor et Emergo, their first fragrance, in 1998. Luctor et Emergo is now, I should think, officially a cult classic, having first been nominated for cult status by Style Magazine in 2002. There are plenty of people who don’t love it (it wouldn’t be a cult scent otherwise, right?), but those of us that do are rather besotted with the stuff, to put it mildly. It is one of few fragrances that I am still as enchanted with today as I was when I first smelled it.

Nine years, of course, is rather a long wait for a follow-up, and so it is no surprise that A.MAZE (and I’m just going to go ahead and refer to it as Amaze for the rest of this article) was released to more-than-usually heightened expectations…

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My vote in the “most calming fragrance” category is easy: Luctor et Emergo, released in 1998 by the funky Dutch design house The People of the Labyrinths (aka POTL), and included in Style magazine’s 2002 list of the top 5 cult perfumes. The notes are listed as fresh grasses, various white flowers, vanilla and precious woods.

Luctor et Emergo starts as a slightly smoky, very resinous wood scent, with a touch of incense and a bit of grass or hay. The top notes are very soft and subtle. Over the next 30 minutes or so, it takes on hints of cherries and almonds, and slowly evolves into what is essentially a dead ringer for the smell of Play Doh…

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