Grey Labdanum

Being a fan of amber scents I was curious about labdanum. I am writing this review after wearing the scent almost daily for about three months. The initial spray for me is all about pepper. I do get the bitter smell that was mentioned - probably combination of patchouli and sage? – but on my skin it is gone in few minutes and then the magical dry down. I get labdanum, incense, and ambroxan. Some of the notes are missing from the list above but the full ingredients are listed on their website and it includes pink pepper oil, olibanum, and ambroxan among others. I find Abel’s perfumes not irritating to my sinuses and do not cause headache. Their perfumes might not be strong in projection or longevity but sometimes all I want is a minimalist perfume suitable for everyday wear and Grey Labdanum does the job quite well - 9/10.

I've sampled this line a long while back and I really loved all of them. I own 3 the Cyan Nori, Pink Iris and the Cobalt Amber. My husband is wearing the sample of the Grey right now that we had left and I am really loving it. It is warm, but clean. It is soapy but not in a sharp way, just a clean, warm spicy, way but yet it is fresh because of the violet and citrus in there. I think this is full bottle worthy and I am going to make an order today. Abel's fragrances are just wonderful. I wish they would create more than just 7 in their line. I gave away to many of my samples to friends and family so I am going to resample the White and the Golden. I may end up owning them all when I am through! A great line.

I got the sample tester kit this week, this is one of my top favorites and I expect to buy a bottle. I have been wearing natural, organic, scents with no chemical fixatives. Really good ones are few and far between. I was crushed when Sonoma Scent Studios went out of business, I won't be making the same mistake with ABEL, I plan to buy at least two 50ml bottles and several of the 15ml. I love labdanum!!! This one is beautiful, charming, whispering, and has good longevity.

I know I've reviewed this frag a little while ago, but it really is a good scent on a hot day, as I noticed. The drydown occurs quicker and is even the more pleasant than it is on a colder day. The patchouli and wood notes come to live with rising temperatures.

The longevity of this fragrance is baffling! It stays great for about 2 weeks on a cardboard sampler and even longer on fabrics.