Le Labo

About Le Labo

History

Le Labo is a perfume house founded in New York in 2006 by Fabrice Penot and Edouard Roschi. The two met at Giorgio Armani and developed the idea of slow perfumery in Grasse, France. From the start the house has run without advertising and without outside investment. Estée Lauder Companies completed its acquisition in 2014, though the founders have retained creative independence. The City Exclusive Collection began in 2006, and the house marked its twentieth anniversary in 2026.

Philosophy & Signature Style

At its centre is the experience of compounding each fragrance in store, once an order is placed. Labels record the place and date of compounding along with the buyer's name, making the bottle itself a record. The name means laboratory in French, and each boutique is called a lab. Product names combine the principal material with the number of ingredients in the formula. Rather than foregrounding individual perfumers, the house credits the collective work of the lab. Empty bottles can be brought back for refilling, so the glass stays and only the labels accumulate.

Iconic Fragrances

Signature references include Santal 33, Another 13, Bergamote 22, Rose 31, and Thé Noir 29. Within the City Exclusive Collection, Osmanthus 19 for Kyoto, Gaiac 10 for Tokyo, Myrrhe 55 for Shanghai, and Shiu 25 for Beijing are sold year-round only in the city each one honours.