Ládano

Many of the newer fragrances houses claim to have an "intentional" approach to their releases, but often the lack of clarity and cohesive vision suggest otherwise. Dennis Werner and his brand D:SOL, on the other hand, is wholly intentional in approach, without his even having to point it out. Each release is an invitation for the wearer to reunify with the natural world, with themes that dare to curtail convention for the sake of authenticity. The contributing perfumers avail themselves to lesser-known raw materials to meet this objective. Ládano, Delphine Thierry's second composition for D:SOL following the magnificent Cistus, highlights here knack for an inventive mise en scène in olfactive form. There is an arresting intimacy to it, with a texture that feels untreated and unrefined without it feeling vulgar. Promises of naturalism always come with a caveat—that it must be smoothed out so as not to distort the sanitized fantasy that the wearer usually expects. Ládano is transgressive in that it illustrates the unavoidable patina of organics in flux: coarse, weathered, never in their prime for long, always in a state of decay. The labdanum here includes what is referred to as a "touch of wool" effect, as if the resinoid has yet to be separated from the fleece: oily, warm, and melancholy. A hawthorn blossom accord (!!!), spicy hedychium, and celery seed come together suggest the convergence of flora and fauna, while sweeter, honeyed and unguent-like elements are a contrast to the dark, sparse overall feel. What is staggering about this most unique creation, however, is the unyielding animal warmth of Ládano. It seeks to swaddle the wearer in a blanket not laundered by Downy fabric softener but is rather imbued with holy exudates. This is animalic in the most earnest sense, not for the sake of being sensual or erotic, but for the sake of elevated communion. It feels wholehearted and true, which to be brutally honest, isn't abundant in modern perfume. It is so deserving of the right perfume admirers, who have graduated from passive wearing and even well beyond voracious social-media-driven preoccupation. This needs the attention of someone who can regard a fragrance as a form of wearable poetry, Are you game?

Out of D:SOL MMXVI's whole catalogue at the time of this writing, Ládano certainly takes the spot for their most unique offering. Not their best, in my opinion, but definitely the one that stands out the most. The tone is immediately set to spicy-sweet, with cinnamon carrying most of the sweetness at first. However, things transition into an almost white chocolate kind of sweetness when the Hedychium joins in, contributing with creamy, somewhat tropical floral accents that get covered by the honey-sweet hawthorn, but at the same time you also get a particular sort of "dirty", kind of sweaty musky undertone, which is largely responsible for the wool association. Quite interesting... ...but quite sweet also. Almost as if they are scared to have that part of the scent take over, so they bombarded it with sweeter notes, such as liquorice which adds its particular anise-like resemblance and spicy-sweet, almost syrupy accords. Dare I say there's some faint tobacco facets hidden away too. Vanilla-flavored honey soon steps in too, while immortelle doesn't do much on its hay-ish, herbaceous sides and just further compliments the honey layer. Not unbearably sweet still, but still mainly sweet, yet that specific musky, woolly undertone keeps me intrigued to keep pushing through to the end, even though I know there's no hope left for this to take a turn. And indeed, the labdanum at the base that aids in making the resinous aspects more pronounced confirms that, as it plays in tandem with the other sweet, ambered-up/vanillic notes. The civet and styrax don't do much else apar from keeping that musky, very gently animalic undertone alive, which they better do because it's arguably the only interesting part of this composition. Well, that and how it combines with the sweetness here, sort of mimicking wool, only made way too sweet to call photorealistic. Performance was properly great, with over 12 hours of on-skin longevity, and above average projection. The first 2-3 hours, I'd get very noticeable sillage, while pushing power was just a bit more restrained, but still noticeable throughout. About 4 hours in, things would really start to gentle down, maybe just a whisper here and there if you'd got close enough to catch it. Still, very solid showing. Maybe that gently musky/animalic undertone will give the impression of limited versatility, and the way the overall blend feels at first might even strike as a little off-putting to some. But in the air, it's mostly just sweet, honeyed resins with maybe a more distinct touch that might make some glance back and think, "That didn't smell like your average Joe sweet fragrance". Good, that's what you want. So apart from warmer weather, evidently, I think Ládano would fit nicely for slightly more distinct occasions. Not really for daily wear to the office, but neither reserved only for weddings and black tie events. It's a little unfortunate because I do kind of like the direction this was headed, and I appreciate the way things come off together, even if it's a predominantly sweet fragrance. But overall, no matter how much I fight it, it's still just too sweet, and that wool-mimicking undertone isn't strong enough to cut through the sweetness to warrant a higher rating from my part. But I still think Ládano is worth trying out, if you ever get the possibility to try some from the house. It had potential to be something greater, and it did achieve some success on one side, but on the other, it went a bit overboard on the sweet accord. "Touch of Wool"? Yeah... but I'm certain wool ain't this sweet. Presentation: 7/10 Scent: 7/10 Longevity: 10/10 Projection: 7/10 Versatility: 7.5/10 Value for Money: 5/10 Overall: 7.25/10

Ladano is a gently smoky floral creation, carrying a depth and a sense of quality you simply won’t encounter in your local perfumery alongside Xerjoff and other so-called luxury or even niche brands. The ingredients feel rich, deliberate, and unmistakably distinct. I haven’t smelled anything quite like it. I can say with confidence that black licorice, honey, and civet play an underlying, almost hidden role—forming the foundation beneath everything else. It remains herbal, but in the sense of something dried, warm, and sun-worn—never green. If I had to assign it a color, it would be the browns and blacks of earth, bark, and shadow. Celery seed is mentioned, who knows... yet the composition is undeniably intriguing, unusual, and unlike anything familiar. It feels born for forests, meadows, and nature in its raw, unpolished state. What fascinates most is the perfume’s paradox: its dryness does not make it hollow. Instead, the dryness creates depth—like cracked soil that reveals the strata beneath, or autumn air that carries both nostalgia and warmth. It has a dark character, a kind of quiet melancholy, herbal but never fresh, warm but never sweet. Everything here is dried, weathered, and aged, yet within that dryness lies a surprising, almost intimate warmth. Ladano feels like the philosophy of decay meeting the memory of heat: sparse on the surface, profound at its core. Unique Interesting Good + Let’s keep our community healthy and considerate of others, and let’s not create hype around something that isn’t truly worth mentioning. frag_explorer

A Sherpa who might also be a gangster, he is mysterious, rough, yet warm to his loved ones, he likes the cold air and higher altitudes. His favorite thing to snack on is good old licorice. He takes naps near the bushes when the sun is shining down, his sheeps go and come as they please, they still know their limits. I have not smelled anything like it besides its strong presence of licorice, its reminds me on an herbal tonic/ arishtam... from India. This perfume is an artistic composition.