Here’s How You Can Smell Like Dubai, Paris, or Tokyo

It's the most wonderful time of the year—the magic month when Le Labo launches their City Exclusives scents for all to enjoy!

15 exclusive scents honoring 15 cities, the City Exclusive scents are only available in the cities they were created for, but once a year, all scents are available in their labs and online. 

Niche fragrance brand Le Labo City Exclusive collection includes:

• Aldehyde 44 (Dallas)
• Baie Rose 26 (Chicago)
• Benjoin 19 (Moscow)
• Bigarade 18 (Hong Kong)
• Cedrat 37 (Berlin)
• Citron 28 (Seoul)
• Cuir 28 (Dubai)
• Gaiac 10 (Tokyo)
• Limette 37 (San Francisco)
• Mousse de Chene 20 (Amsterdam)
• Musc 25 (Los Angeles)
• Poivre 23 (London)
• Tabac 28 (Miami)
• Tubereuse 40 (New York)
• Vanille 44 (Paris)
  
  

Le Labo was founded in 2006 by Fabrice Penot and Eddie Roschi, positioned as an alternative to the designer-led offerings that populated the luxury fragrance market. The brand, which only releases one fragrance a year, has grown to become a cult-favorite among customers and was acquired by Estée Lauder in 2019.

It took Marco Polo four years to get to China, where he first encountered spices, tea and raw silk, but nowadays, you can order Korean skincare, Moroccan tea and luxury Italian cars, with the click of a button. Rarely does any brand try to thwart that “I want it now” instinct, but Le Labo makes customers put in the miles for its City Exclusive scents.

If you want to buy the brands Cuir 28 perfume, you normally have to book a plane ticket to Dubai. For the Leo Tolstoy–inspired scent Benjoin 19, you have to travel to Moscow, Russia. The woodsy Gaiac 10 can only be obtained with a visit to the brand’s store in the Shibuya neighborhood of Tokyo.

But once a year, all fifteen of Le Labo’s city-inspired scents experience a spring break of sorts — they’re permitted to leave their locals and experience the world.

Pure well-being, Tubereuse 40 slowly develops into a woody / floral heart that gives it unique character and comfort. The brand’s homage to New York; and the official hotel amenity scent offered by the Park Hyatt New York, Tubereuse 40, can be purchased in Paris, usually the home of Vanille 44.

You can buy San Francisco (Limette 37) in London (Poivre 23). The newest addition to the City Exclusive collection is the Amsterdam-influenced Mousse de Chene 30, the neo-chypre that is both traditional and progressive. Just like Amsterdam when you think about it is centered on patchouli and moss. 

There’s Vanille 44 for Paris, Gaiac 10 for Tokyo, Musc 25 for Los Angeles, Tabac 28 for Miami, Citron 28 for Seoul, Bigarade 18 for
Hong Kong, and the newest edition, the vibrant, acidic scent of Cedrat 37 for Berlin for 2021.

Sure, it’s not quite the same as strolling through a new city – but if the closest we can get right now is spritzing a small piece of a place we’re missing? We’ll take it.

All the City Exclusive scents return to their home country at the end of the month, so their availability is brief. Purists may bemoan the brand’s capitulation to modern convenience, but a rose that requires more work to acquire (such as Chicago’s Baie Rose 26) smells just as sweet.