Le Labo
Le Labo Rose 31
Le Labo states on its own site that it was created in 2006 by two friends who wanted a scented revolution in a world of conventional perfumery, working out of Nolita in New York. The model was the point as much as the scents: fragrances named for an ingredient and a number, bottles hand-formulated and labelled with the buyer's name and the date rather than pulled sealed off a shelf, and no advertising to speak of. Rose 31 was among the earliest releases and remains the house signature. The composition is commonly attributed to Daphné Bugey; Le Labo does not credit a perfumer publicly.
The brief, in the house's own words, was to take the famous Grasse rose, a symbol of voluptuousness and unqualified femininity, and turn it into an assertively virile fragrance that can be worn by anyone. That is precisely what it does, and it is why Rose 31 became a men's fragrance in practice as much as a women's. Le Labo lists Centifolia rose with cumin, olibanum, cedar and a touch of amber, alongside gaiac wood, cistus and musks.
The cumin is the decision that makes it. For the first ten minutes it is frankly skin-like, warm and slightly sweaty, and it either wins you immediately or it does not. Underneath, the rose is never soft or powdery; it is dry, green-stemmed and pressed flat against cedar and vetiver. Incense and gaiac build through the middle hours, and the base goes woody and animalic, with a faint smoky oud shadow rather than a full oud accord.
It suits cold weather and it suits anyone, which is rarer than the marketing of most unisex scents suggests. A Cape winter evening flatters it. It is not a polite fragrance and it does not disappear.
Performance is genuinely strong for a niche release: eight hours plus on skin, considerable projection in the first two, and days on a coat. No reformulation has ever been announced by the house. Le Labo was acquired by the Estée Lauder companies in 2014 and has kept its lab format since, so the buying experience in a boutique still differs from an ordinary counter.
At a glance
Le Labo Rose 31 by Le Labo — Floral – Woody Spicy. Launched 2006. Longevity 6–10 hrs. Sillage moderate. Price in South Africa: R2,000 - R5,000. Best for: power meeting, garden party, all-day adventure, spring.
- Scent profile
- Floral – Woody Spicy
- Launched
- 2006
- Longevity
- 6–10 hrs
- Sillage
- Moderate
- Price in South Africa
- R2,000 - R5,000
- Gender
- Unisex
- Best for
- Power Meeting, Garden Party, All-Day Adventure, Spring
Performance
Marathon runner — lasts all day, stays close to skin.
✍️ Did You Know?
- •Le Labo states it was created in 2006 by two friends, based in Nolita, New York
- •The house hand-formulates its perfumes and labels each bottle with the buyer's own personalisation rather than selling pre-labelled stock
- •Le Labo's brief for Rose 31 was to turn the Grasse rose into an assertively virile fragrance that can be worn by anyone
- •The house lists Centifolia rose with cumin, olibanum, cedar, amber, gaiac wood, cistus and musks
- •Le Labo joined the Estée Lauder companies in 2014 while keeping its numbered, lab-style retail format
Main Accords
Fragrance Pyramid
How this scent unfolds on your skin
Community Opinions
Wear It When
Power Meeting
“Quiet confidence in a bottle. Let the work speak — the fragrance just underlines it.”
Garden Party
“Blooming hedgerows, pastel dresses, and sunlight warming bare shoulders.”
All-Day Adventure
“From sunrise to sunset and beyond — one application carries you through.”
Drag the knobs to explore
This Scent Is For
Graceful by day, captivating by evening.
Scent Mood
Peak season: 🌸 Spring (85%)
Spr
Sum
Aut
Win
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The winter weight for summer signatures.
Adds chestnut-vanilla warmth and smoke to lighter scents — converts a daytime signature into something evening-ready in cold weather.
Layering Tip
Spray the heavier scent first, then the lighter one on top. Start with two scents — more than three quickly becomes muddled. Always test on skin first.
AI Review Summary
Synthesised from fragrance data
Rose 31 is not your typical floral — it opens with a dry, almost savoury hit of rose and cumin before cedar and vetiver pull it into cooler, woodier territory, and that tension between the two is exactly what makes it interesting. The guaiac wood and cistus base give it a smoky warmth that sits close to the skin, making it feel intimate rather than showy, with moderate sillage that rewards people who get close. With a community rating of 4/10, it's clearly a divisive one — the cumin-forward opening in particular tends to split opinion, and if raw or animalic notes aren't your thing, this could be a challenging wear. That said, if you love unconventional roses with spice and grit, longevity is excellent and the dry-down is genuinely beautiful. Reach for it on cooler autumn and winter days when the woodiness can really breathe, or wear it to the office when you want to smell polished but quietly distinctive.
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