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.

It has a clean yet bitter patchouli in the forefront and a little bit smokey.

Okay so I was mightily impressed by Golden Neroli, a really fantastic mixture of natural and futuristic, kinda minimal perfumery. Having said that many brands that rely heavily on their natural virtues are too minimalist and reliant on one amazing centrepiece whereas these feel a bit more like true compositions. The Labdanum in the name is a touch misleading but as I wear this I can't help but feeling without it this fragrance wouldn't be as good. I think it's working a catalyst in more of a supporting role, pulling everything together. It's not overt, you do get a bit when initially sprayed I'd say the opening is sweetly resinous but it soon reveals the true players in this scent. Patchouli clearly emerges, cloaked in a kind of metallic tinged, herbal aspect. This could be the clary sage listed? although it doesn't smell like the one I know from other fragrances or the EO material I have. However, after reapplying after several hours (not because it was a bad performer more to get the opening again) I have to say the opening has the herbal masculinity I hadn't picked up of first time, coupled with sweetness, it's actually extremely appealing almost heavenly to me. It actually smells a little reminiscent of golden neroli in that the citrus (which lasts throughout btw) has a bitter grapefruit and petitgrain herbal, green aspect to it. The orange note to me is undeniable too especially in the opening and blends fantastically with patchouli, a combo I have used in a creation of my own. Patchouli here is really lovely, light and lacking that overly chunky, chocolate or rubbery note you can get. This is a bright patch, with just the right amount of earth, I really like it a lot. This is an original composition but just because I like to do this, I'm going to give some examples of perfumes it evokes. Firstly Jo Malone Oud and Bergamot, the freshness the woodiness, the fact that it doesn't smell like oud or bergamot? Secondly, By Killian Straight to heaven, which is much darker and boozier etc... however the patchouli comes across with the same translucency. Thirdly, Lush Lord of Misrule a fragrance that is definitely heavier and spicier, more hippy and full bodied in it's patch dominance but has the citrus/herbal aspect of the Jo Malone O&B running throughout. Loved this. Only two from this line down and they are both superb.

What an awesome blend. For context, I am a female who enjoys unisex perfumes. To start, this comes off as a vintage masculine fougere like brut or something. However the magic happens in the dry down. I am not a patchouli fan or so I thought, but in this it lends to a powdery lightness like a veil. The powderiness does not last long on my skin, and eventually layers of violet bloom. The ingenious blend is reminiscent of stewed blueberries at its peak when my body heat hits it. At the very end, about 4-5 hours in, it is a lovely skin scent thanks to the musk and ambergris notes. It is moody, and compelling. Another user likened grey labdanum to Jo Malone’s bergamot and oud, which I completely agree with (happens to be a favorite of mine). This scent from Abel is in a way, a lighter version of that minus the oud. To me, where Bergamot and oud lacks interest, particularly in the dry down when it become linear, Grey Labdanum really shines. If it were a movie it would be Blade Runner. Complex and brooding with gleams of shimmering light passing through in joyous strobes. Also being 100% natural, Abel explains that every wearing is a new experience. Some days this does lean masculine, some it is more unisex. I enjoy every day I spend with it to see how it evolves with me. I ordered a full bottle. Also enjoyed Green Cedar from the house, which is a warm, comforting cedar that also evolves well. Will be looking at a full bottle of that as well. Both have quite decent longevity considering they are completely natural. Great house in my opinion.

The Abel line is characterized by understatement using 100% natural ingredients. Grey Labdanum is a pleasant patchouli and labdanum scent that can be worn anytime and anywhere—both a selling and detracting feature. If you have a large collection, I can imagine this pretty, low projector could find a spot in your carousel. But I have other lines that are low projectors—Van Cleef’s Extrodinaire Line comes to mind—so Grey Labdanum would need to offer something a little different and it doesn't quite get me there. I do appreciate how easy this is to wear, and I’m not one to downvote quality ingredients.

Yeah, I like it, but it's just alright. It's pleasant, and very decent strength. It comes across to me as a classic scent, mature scent. Doesn't really come across as luxurious in my opinion, perhaps because it isn't very complex. Certainly not offensive though. Kind of something your old school italian barber would wear. It's good, but can't picture it as anyone's signature scent, it's not quite in that category IMO.

Grey Labdanum is my 3rd trial of an Abel fragrance. I find this one to be more masculine. Even after the dry down it was masculine. I did find that this perfume lasts longer on my skin than the other 2 that I've tried (Cyan Noir and Green Cedar). I can pick up on the patchouli which I really like. If I decide to purchase it in the bottle size it would be for my husband.

A quite intruiging take on the sticky sweet resinoid, labdanum aka rock rose. Labdanum is a bit less of a highlight here, instead it ties together facets of herbs, woods, and florals. Clary sage and thyme dominate, with hints of atlas cedar and violet woven throughout, all rooted in the slightly spiced, slightly sweet labdanum. Intruiging, gentle, proper, and dandy.

The best masculine leaning scent from this line. It's intriguing and beautifully made. It reminds me of the labdanum aspect from Boadicea the Victorious's 'Imperial' but without the bold oud or other intrusive notes. It's a very wearable scent for a fresh day at the office. Sadly, it's a low projector and doesn't last that long.

Smells like an old-school mainstream "dusty" aromatic ... which is pretty darn fine for a natural! No sourness on me. Works well on my skin. Linear to my nose, with little depth or layering. No matter. What's here is very good. My favorite of the Abel line so far. ✔️

This is not sour on me at all (and a lot of perfumes go sour on me)! Testing without reading about the notes, I read the violet as a soft, clean lavender, the slightest of powder. The labdanum gives it depth. I like!

I have most of the Abel fragrances. I find them mostly very strong and long lasting. This one is certainly potent. It (with White Vetiver) was one of the first ones I bought a full bottle of but over time I prefer their less heady ones like Green Cedar and Golden Neroli. This one is almost headache enducing if I put too much on. I must remember to just use a single spray, ideally to add an incense note to something else I'm wearing. Not my favourite

Not too bad, a blast of the clary sage and patchouli mainly for me. I wouldn't buy a bottle.

For an all-natural house, this brand really has some serious intrigue and pop. My description/interpretation seems to have little to do with what was intended. But here 'goes: Opens with a pretty intense awesome turpentine that is short-lived. Somehow there is this "Mugler" vibe to it, which a natural just shouldn't have. And I mean this in the best way; there is a potency here that is mostly foreign to naturals in my experience. And into the mid I have to expand on that crazy-ness and admit something really bizarre: somehow this manages to be a natural combination of a toned down Kryptomint, and a toned down Spice Bomb. And I can't figure out how that is even possible in a natural. And...it's pretty dag-gone-hootin amazing that a natural can even pull this effect off. Not as loud as the former designers. Not nearly as obnoxious. But a natural shouldn't even begin to mimic that level of synth potency, and yet this house does so in a great way. The continued dry down goes soft-sweet powder, with hints of that Mugler-ishy patchouli, but a fairly clean version. Naturals are my main jam. This house is definitely up there with Sonoma Scent Studios, DSH, Meshaz and the other small percentage of naturals that actually impress. This house could easily gain mass appeal if they were promoted in the right markets. No one else in the naturals has quite this angle that Abel seems to have mastered. Will be reviewing several others from them, most of which were positive experiences. Kudos.

Lately I am experiencing a change or rather a development in my taste palette in fragrances. I have not been too fond of fougères or overly hesperidic scents as often they prove to be rather disagreeable to my nose and invoke a headache right away. Although that is still applicable I am appreciating the different facets and nuances to this fragrance family. Could it be that our nose receptors change and we perceive scents differently over time? Upon my research on natural and ethical fragrances I discovered Grey Labdanum by Abel. It is often a hit or a miss with all natural fragrances. Grey Labdanum is an aromatic masculine fougère with a dandy appeal. It opens with refreshing citrus followed by a sharp bitterness from the grapefruit, bitter orange and the herbaceous clary sage. This sharpness did trigger a slight headache but thankfully it did not linger. A hint of violet combined with the leafy viridity gives it that lavender quality. There is a pale green vegetal element to it that reminds me of the forest. It could be the fleeting minty anise/liquorice note which softens as the patchouli emerges on a cloud. The patchouli is light and pleasant. The resinous labdanum is not the star of this fragrance as the name may suggest but it ties all ingredients nicely together. Overall this is an incredibly clean and easy to wear minimalist fragrance with unisex appeal. If you like complicated and heavier scents this may not be for you.

If you look at the recycled paper packaging, the font, the minimal notes, you get a sense that Abel is going to be another line that tries to fit perfectly into everyone’s fantasy modern bathroom right down to the ubiquitous amber bottle of Aesop handsoap. Lots of brands aspire to be this and get the packaging right. But Abel actually smells right too, by using only naturals to redo and subdue the things we already enjoy. Grey Labdanum is only labdanum via basenote. The color grey, however, is the big clue in the title because this is a modern update of a classic masculine aromatic with a vetiver-like tang and a talc-like edge. The use of naturals and a consistent aesthetic of blurry, easy, wearable simplicity tone the classic genre down though so it’s very unisex and feels nothing like a spiffy suit and tie cologne. I have mixed feelings about this sort of thing. On one hand I find it boring and basic (in the worst sense). Tasteful, faceless fragrance for people who find Jean-Claude Ellena borderline obnoxious. But, on the other hand, some days I just want to smell good like a favorite bath product or essential oil. So a brand like this has its’ purpose and I think it does what it does exceedingly well.