Scent Two: Laurel

Bought this on a whim the other day to try out as a new workday fragrance. I’m a handyman with an inconsistent schedule and haven’t really worked much in the intervening days, but I have gotten a chance to know Laurel. For me, it is exactly what I was hoping for. Of course, it must be evaluated on its own standards: that is, as a fresh, aromatic EDT. This is really a reminder to myself, as I gravitate toward heavier, at times more complex, and usually more demanding fragrances. This is not the grave bay forest of JSP’s Serin, but a leaf plucked in passing from an overhanging laurel friend. Laurel really wakes you up on first spray with that typical CDG black pepper blast, accompanied by bracing galbanum. Reviews indicate that this note has been amped up in reformulations, but I can’t complain. It’s just the smack in the face I need first thing in the morning. Soon, the laurel enters the fray, with its characteristic warm/cool herbal glow. I’m reminded of the aromatic opening of Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan, a fragrance I adore but couldn’t make work for me in a mild Californian climate. I’m relieved to know I can open that spice cabinet once more in a way that fits much better into my wardrobe. The drydown moves through a cedar and then violet leaf (not flower) phase, but the aromatics never leave. The violet leaf seemed to come out of nowhere on my first wear, but I’ve come to appreciate its cooling presence as a kind of gentle echo of the camphorous bay leaf deep into the drydown. This is a clever little fragrance, and remains an exploration of the laurel note even if it isn’t always at the fore. You can pick out other ingredients but the laurel still provides a kind of compositional logic. The galbanum suggests its indefatigable stiffness, the pepper enhances its spiciness, and the wood and violet notes attest to its sylvan provenance. Performance is good for an EDT, especially if applied generously, which tends to enhance the cooler side of the scent. Cost is a little high given the 50 mL bottle, but low enough that I’m more than happy to live with my impulse buy.

Obsessed with green scents, this classes it up with fresh vetiver spice and smoldering incense charcoal. Dry, musky wood and dense herbs add depth. Bitter lime zest lends a touch of citrus brightness. Intoxicatingly well blended nature that's brisk, warm, and classy - without being too formal. Stylish folks having fun foraging on a rainy estate. Greens can feel less appropriate for high end occasions and this is the best solution. Smooth while still complex and high society. Skin brings out warm spice and incense while clothes project deep green twigs/grassy soil. Best of both worlds. Unique and likable while standing out from the crowd. May be the best, most exquisitely rounded green. Instantly bottle worthy. 1ST REVIEW: Rainy garden bursts with fresh green briskness. Gently sweet wood pairs flawlessly with moss; adds welcome depth. Bay leaf and basil with zero sweetness serves complicated herbal/earthiness that’s mature/classy, not gourmand. Classy gentleman pushing through a garden while the smell of plants lingers on his suit. Mild patchouli provides immaculate spice. Impressive projection. The most gorgeous balance of nature and class. Uniquely intoxicating with nothing off-putting. A must own. Wow! Many compare to Frederich Malle's "French Lover" - which is a compliment. Both are gorgeous, but different. They don't replace each other. Try both for similar notes!

Wow wow wow wow wow. I LOVE this! This perfume has two sides. One is a bitter green bay leaf, slightly spicy pepper and a foresty woody foundation. On the other you have a fresh thyme and a blend of lemon with cedar that comes across as... mint?! Wow. People notice the heavier notes first so they're higher up in notes here on Fragrantica but hear this: this perfume is not heavily bitter or smokey -- it's very green and fresh. The great contrast between the heavy and light notes reminds the same dynamic you'd find in Desert Marocian. Perfectly balanced, contrasting and elevating each other higher. The bitter bay leaf gives this perfume a sophistication of sorts as well. It doesn't cater to you *too* much, but it's so incredibly easy to love. This is Excellent. Definitely FBW. Will purchase with my next paycheck :)

I call this one 'The Stew' because of the prominent laurel but also it's crisp and fresh and really quite special. The food association makes it not a daily wear for me but it is indeed one of best smelling scents I know, very well crafted and evocative. Got a sample of 'French Lover' because I've seen the two compared but whilst they start somewhat similar 'French Lover' lost its greenness and freshness after a few minutes and on me dried down to a very synthetic, unpleasant musky generic thing (maybe it used to be better and this is the new formula?). Laurel's dry down is fresher with cinamon and laurel lasting the longest and making it a warm and food-adjacent smell that sticks around for a good while considering it's an EDT.

This is a work of art, those who are levantine and come from Lebanon, syria and Palestine would immediately recognise this scent and appreciate it. This fragrance perfectly recreates the smell of local levantine soap which is made of laurel and olive oil, (Sabūn Baladi), Growing up always using this soap every time I take a bath I was surprised to see a fragrance that recreate the smell of this clean fresh after shower feeling. Love this, truly reminds me of home, however its much sharper and harsher, I wish they added some note that would break the sharpness in it and make it more "soapy" or soft

I love this scent, one of the first perfumes that made me appreciate the art that concerns olfaction. It reminds me of how my dad used to smell from my childhood. I'm looking forward to asking him about it. Angular opening, that settles down into a alluring constant. It's very androgynous smelling with a slight masculine lean I guess, imagine Desire of the Eternals.. Another reviewer classed it as melacholic, which I wholeheartedly agree with and think it lends itself nicely to the London winters. I hope this never goes out of stock.

Laurel is yet another winning offering from the eclectic CDG line. In this case the key note is the Japanese green Laurel. This is skillfully combined with notes of cedar, oak, lemon, cinnamon, thyme and incense to create a fresh and invigorating scent that is serene and very Zen like. Like many CDG offerings sillage and projection is moderate so I usually layer with Molecule 01 for full three dimensional effect. Very understated, refined and elegant, this is a beautiful perfume.

I love this perfume, and would buy it instantly if only the longevity was better! On me it lasts maybe 15 minutes, then its gone. But oh, CdG, I love this. So green and dry, clean and dirty (or maybe just earthy) at the same time. Extremely fresh, with nose-tickling pepper and laurel. It does resemble French Lover, but I wouldn't say its a rip off. First of all, no laurel in FL and the longevity of French Lover, on me, alas, is even shorter. But they're both wonderful.

Coming back to this one after a few years, and it's still great. A fantastic blend of galbanum, spices, with oak and cedar planks wrapped in fine smoke. I agree with gedlive below, this is somewhere in between Eloge du Traite and French Lover, and seems to have been reformulated to a certain degree, as the floral aspects are no longer tangible, and overall feels woodier and denser. At some point, I even get an impression of tobacco. Class in a bottle.

Not as great, nor refined as French Lover, but this is a great alternative. However, Laurel is spicier, woodier, and a bit floral, due to the violets, so it leans unisex. French Lover on the other hand is greener, smokier, and mossy, which gives it a masculine edge. At the end of the day, it’s simply a matter of preference. So if you enjoy French Lover, but can’t afford it, or refuse to pay those Frederic Malle prices, Laurel might be for you.

springtime herbal tonic. bitter, sharp and bracing. softens into incense and oak the whole wear experience feels like stepping out into the shocking cold on a spring morning that softens into a sunny afternoon edit: quickly became one of my favorites of all time. bought a used partial and i'm not sure i could ever not own a bottle now

Smelled all four in Como as I try my best to purchase one on every holiday I go on. This (to me) is incredibly unique, dirty woody forest smell. Bay leaf and dark dense herbs. Beautiful, my favourite of the four in the collection. Was surprised by the uniqueness until I flipped the box and read that it was a CdG collab. Beautiful

Absolutely fantastic scent. The opening is a blast of black pepper, bay leaf and lemon and once it goes into the drydown, there is a woodsy, bay leaf and spice accord that just SCREAMS I am manly. Of all the highly rated scents I have recently tried, this one is the one that best suits my personality. Love it.

It’s an outstanding fragrance. It feels like it beautifully captures a lovely summer day. The blend is so well done that there’s none of that artificial or metallic edge you sometimes get with perfumes. It’s as if a fresh bay laurel tree has been bottled whole into a small flacon. I absolutely love it!!

This is *it*! Great great smelling cologne for men who like it spicy! Of the three Monocle scents, this is definitely the best buy (and smell)! I can picture a newly cut and prepared wooden terrace in the far east with the early morning sun coming up. The smell of zen.

First i got Laurel, then French Lover. No doubt, French Lover is very good and more advanced, but i still like Laurel better, maybe for his freshness.

It reminds me very much of Frederic Malle: French Lover because of the strong and prominent galbanum note and its green character.

A "brother" of French Lover but without that wet plants note - fresh due to green laurel / bay leaf note. I love both.

Super dark aromatic green, extremely masculine. I'm wearing it today as a woman, but I think many women would find this too masculine for them. The bay leaf gives the sappy spiciness of laurel, the oak gives the woodiness of the branches, and the galbanum lends a hyper-realism to the accord. It's not that pleasant just smelling it in the vial (it's a pungent punch of conifer to the nose, like huffing sap), but wearing it all day has given me an appreciation for the nuances in this fragrance. The cedar backs off and allows you to smell the bay (and therefore the actual laurel accord), as well as the amber and the violet. After reading some other reviews, at times I smell cucumber and rain too. It's quite complex, and requires actually wearing it to understand it. I don't think I'll be springing for a full bottle, but I'm glad I spent some time with this scent and learned a thing or two. 7.5/10.

TERRIFYING opening with a fresh and atmospheric drydown. I'm really torn as to whether I 'like' this, but undeniably it made me feel something, and I appreciate that. It's been four or five hours since spraying on my skin and the more it develops, the more I enjoy it. Smells like a clarifying dose of spite. And a very heightened, intensified bay leaf. (A bay leaf, but grant it rage.) Someone further down mentioned the 'purging' qualities of bay. I concur; this is purgative and almost medicinal. I'm probably underselling the fragrance's complexity by overfocusing on the bay leaf aspect, because it is extremely fresh and earthy, as well, but what can I say, it lives up to its name.