Baie Rose 26 Chicago

I happened by a La Labo perfume shop today at the mall and was immediately smitten with the aroma of the mixture of perfumes which was wafting in the breeze outside this shop. Wow! Heaven on earth for a fragrance nut like me. I had a great time today trying paper samples and chatting with the girl that was representing this line. We narrowed down a few great choices - and I really loved the Rose 31 blend, which was like classic rose with a beach bonfire aroma. After spotting a couple of perfumes in the regular category, I moved to the wall of perfumes where they had the "city" blends, perfume oils which have been blended to represent certain cities. I tried LA first, and that was OK... New York Second -- but really liked the blend of Chicago with the sultry jazzy notes blended in. This would have to be timed just right because they only sell this perfume one time of year. (Imagine that... wow, what a marketing tactic!) This is a memorable perfume, I really liked it. I can't wait to go back again and explore other city's perfume resonances -- What a neat concept! I'll have to explore this line a bit more - But so far, I recommend Chicago, New York, and Rose 31. Those were my very favorites, so far!

I've been on the hunt for the perfect rose perfume for years now. I wanted my perfume to smell not the traditional long-stemmed rose you buy at the florist but that fragrant, old-fashioned rose in your grandmother's garden. We grew up with one of those old-fashioned rose bushes in upstate New York. Every June the roses would bloom a vibrant, deep pink, with a fragrance that wafted through the lawn. I thought all roses simply smelled like that. When I started looking for a rose perfume I wondered if the smell I grew up with was something I had simply imagined. This is the closest I've found. I get a very rosey rose from opening to dry down. This rose is a bit dry and peppery and a little less sweet than I remember, but when I smell it I'm back home. The best perfumes in my collection are the ones that conjures up memories. This one does that perfectly.

My journey with this fragrance started this July when I was visiting the Bucktown Le Labo store on a misty hot Chicago summer day. I had tested most of their normal line of frags and happened to see Baie Rose 26 sitting on the other side of the counter, Figured I'd take a quick spray on the skin for fun as I went to finish my shopping. I didn't expect to fall in love with this frag like I did as it settled on the skin. I get wet roses on a spring day and church incense like others are saying, but the musk comes through and sticks. It it way overpriced but I was lucky enough to get my hands on a decant of it a few weeks ago. If you like rose at all I'd recommend getting a sample at least while you still can this August/ September. Not worth the price for a full bottle, but a beautiful fragrance.

Someone said that Rose 26 smells like the incense you find in a church. That's accurate. This fragrance smells like a rose garden after the rain (hence the somewhat dirt/earthy smell some people reference). There's also something smoky about it. I was surprised to discover it doesn't have frankincense in it when I first sprayed it. The notes that stand out the most are cedar, pink pepper, clove, and rose. Longevity and sillage are moderate-- use a light hand and you won't need to worry about offending anyone. Rose lovers will appreciate it, but I don't recommend buying it before testing, especially given the price-point. I recently sampled a novice niche perfumers' rose perfume and found it to be so much more impressive than this one.

As a rose lover, I really like this one but I've smelled variations of this scent elsewhere. It's a fresh, deep, red rose atop some spices and woods. I also get a slightly dank note which smells like frankincense. Surprisingly, it doesn't last very long on me and that bright rosy opening wilts rather quickly. It's in a similar vein as, or very similar to Penhaligon's Elixir to my nose. All in all, not unique and I wouldn't pay that much for it.

A powdery, musky rose that lasts quite long. It manages to not smell like a generic rose scented soap, but like a warm lively rose, gently incense-like. The cloves make it interesting to me, they were quite apparent a few minutes after spraying for me. I prefer this direction to the cumin note in Rose 31, which at times feels a bit too much like someone is serving me a curry dish in the middle of a rose garden.

Soapy rose + black pepper, with a touch of woody-musky undertones. This is Rose 31 if it was a person & decided to take a shower to rinse away that BO-smelling cumin note. I really love this one but this is not $500 lovely. Get yourself Musc Noble from Guerlain

All I can say is this is my favorite perfume I've ever smelled. The combo of rose, pink pepper and musk is perfect. Smells like me in a bottle. Sadly I refuse to spend $500 dollars on it. Anyone have any rly close dupes?

I didn’t understand why Chicago reminds rose. But now I know why. When I smell it, it reminds me black roses. Chicago>Chicaco Bulls>Derrick Rose>Black Rose=Chicago>Black Rose . I completely understood. nice scent

Gorgeous. Addictive. Overpriced. For me it's worth it because I've fallen for this fragrance. It's a throwback but it's modern. It's a beautiful, sparkling, flirty, yet interesting rose. My signature.

I love this stuff. Love at first whiff. I recently got my bottle and enjoying this stuff. $440 is a pretty high price tag but it is worth it. My second favorite of Le Labo right after Poivre 23

This is my top choice among Le Labo’s City Exclusives and also my favorite of all my rose fragrances. What a beautiful scent, I love it so much!

I’ve heard so many great things about this one, but can’t find it. Would someone please sell me a decant . I would really appreciate it.

Really nice, smoky, peppery alternative to rose 31. I prefer this to rose 31. Probably my fave le labo scent ive smelled.

Le Labo Baie Rose 26, the Chicago city exclusive, is a fresh- and natural-smelling rose fragrance, which, like Rose 31, has some darker earthy and woody elements that complement the abundance of the eponymous signature note. Pepper, clove, and cedar stand out somewhat for me, and I enjoy this as it dries down from a sharper opening to a smoother base. It's not so spicy from the clove or pepper, or so soft from the cedar, but somewhere in between. Well-balanced and comfortable, overall, but still ever so slightly challenging. Performance isn't all that special but versatility is high, as, while this would do best in warm weather, it could be a year-round option for men and women alike. Unfortunately, as with many city exclusives, the high pricing puts it out of reach as a "like" but not a "love." $295 for 50ml is steep! I imagine most would rather reach for Rose 31, especially at its more competitive standard Le Labo price, but I'm sure some would find Baie Rose 26 a nice departure. Surely worth trying, if nothing else. 7 out of 10

This is an earthy, mineral rose, like an untended rose garden in the early fall, the day after a fresh rain: the last spicy-sweet blooms stubbornly clinging to their thorny stems, while the rest litter the ground, slowly beginning to mulch. As Baie Rose 26 dries down, that atmospheric watery freshness fades to a drier woody rose scent, with a bit of soft, earthy spice to it. I'm ambivalent about this one. I didn't care for it at first, but it's grown on me. There’s something rubbery in the opening (like a bouncy ball fresh from the machine, or the soles of cheap kids sneakers). It's a sweet, crisp rubberiness though, with a tangy edge, but not at all dirty or sour. Before long, that rubbery note settles down into more of a spicy-green woodiness, that gives the central rose note a balance of cool freshness and warm, earthy spice.

Love love love this on the blotter. It really stood out to me in this city exclusive collection. I got this SOFTLY aldehydic peppery fresh petal-y rose. A very dewy fresh rose that is still complex and interesting is hard to come by. As I fanned all the blotters, this one again rose (pun intended hehe) to the top. It's intriguing to me in a way similar to how I experience The Noir. On skin however, it was a let down. It was not bad per se; just incredibly banal. The drydown is super pleasant though I find it almost identical to that of The Noir and Rose 31- that same DNA. I wanted to LOVE this one, but it did not perform on skin like it did on the blotter.

Despite the translation of the name meaning ''pink pepper'', to my senses it is a mouth-wateringly fresh rose, suitable for warm weather. I like the slight pungency of pepper and clove. It actually reminds me more of a rose than Rose 31. Baie Rose 26 also feels less synthetic and more feminine than Rose 31. I think I would buy a small bottle if it was widely available. Fortunately it's not and I have no problem to spent my bucks somewhere else. I really don't get why I should wait until next September to get this when so many good fragrances are being released every year.

This is my impression from spraying in the air and smelling on testers for 5 minutes so take it for what it's worth. This is a spicier deeper take on Rose 31. To me R31 is a cool Rose and this is a warmer variety. The peppers and cloves are done in the right amount so this maintains unisex without leaning leaning to masculine for a woman, ore too rosey for a man. It's a lovely Rose scent but based on what I smelled it didn't wow me like Rose 31 did. My wife and I plan to return to the boutique tomorrow and I'm sure she'll want to try it on skin.

A light musky and very authentic rose. Strong for about 15 minutes and then disappointing in that it becomes a skin scent quickly and for most of the 6 total hours I can find it. Feminine but wearable for me. If you are looking for a light touch and it agrees with your skin, it truly is lovely. It fades to a white floral and woody combo about 1/2 way through for me, though I get hints of that musky rose if I really bury my nose to wrist.

Used to not like this, but upon revisiting was quite pleasantly surprised. Super sharp and photo realistic rose, going in a different direction from Rose 31. The rose not reminds me of Toy Boy but not as spicy. I sprayed this 5-7 times and I was afraid to choke out the people around me. This is quite potent but also pleasant. Considering buying a full bottle of this down the line.

Beautiful fragrance and it lasts forever. The pepper and the clove makes it quite interesting. It might be a bit sharp at first spray but once it settles in, beautiful roses stay with you for almost 12 hours. I do prefer Rose 31 as it is more modern and masculine, but still this is a very memorable perfume.

The first second it punched with beautiful fresh roses aroma, then turned into medicinal mixture for the next 30 mins. The dry down leans more peppery/cedar masculine on my skin. Overall it’s pretty interesting but very subtle. It feels to me like more refined version of Bud from Piper&Perro.

This a very pretty, fresh sparkling rose, like pink champagne for the skin. Perfect for the spring, this would make a fabulous bridal scent. That said, I'm not getting married and this is quite spendy, so I'll content myself with my small sample.

This is a well-blended, spicy rose. It’s beautiful. It is, however, REALLY strong. I’m a rose lover but know it’s polarizing, and its strength makes it a little difficult to wear.

for $440 I can find better frags out there, does not last either Smell is ok, I think Rose 31 is a bit better but thats my taste

With a name like ‘Baie Rose’ it would’ve been weird if it didn't smell of roses, but oh how overpowering this rose is. This is a big blast of rose and you could smell this from such a distance, it really takes up a room. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean it negatively, it is just unexpected from Le Labo in my opinion. This is like smelling an actual rose, like putting your nose in between the petals, or walking in a rose garden, but on my skin it turns into something more like a white floral after a short while, and it gets woody, spicy. Like walking out of the rose garden and into another part of a botanical garden and you watch as the leaves turn orange. It gets pretty unique in the drydown. At the same time it is effortless, musky, easy and airy. It sticks to my skin like a clean rose, yes, pretty aldehyldic as the notes states. But you could easily pick out the pepper and clove, even though it is nicely bleded for a spicy rose. As I said initially, this is strong. And if you wear this you are ready to take on the world. Personally that is not who I am, and I am not usually one for rose fragrances either, but this is long lasting, uniqe as I said. Absolutely try before buying, but a well made fragrance.

Overpriced garbage. This smells like sour rose, fruity pink pepper and vinegar. Starts out smelling something like watered down The Noir 29 and then goes away within 2 hours, with 1 hour and 45 minutes being a skin scent. What an absolute joke... ...actually now that i think about it. This smells like a mix between Rose 31 and The Noir 29, but the boring parts of them and it smells flat. It has those woods and spices from Rose 31, and that fruity sour rose from The Noir 29. Somehow, this goes for double the price of those, go figure. Now that i smelled it again, it reminds me also of L'Ombre Dans L'Eau by Diptyque, probably cause in BR26 the rose is sour, spicy and green. These two are not that far away, not at all. Also the vivid very pink-red rose here reminds me of Une Rose by Frederic Malle.

I keep revisiting a sample I have & trying to force myself to like this because I'm from Chicago & want the bottle but I just can't convince myself & I shouldn't have to. It's clean, creamy rose, aldehidic with some spice and an almost incense vibe. It's just ok to me. Ridiculously overpriced. Definitely sample!

Sigh ... THIS is why perfumers offer sample sizes. This is a metallic rose pink pepper scent, pleasant, but for the price (yes, I said it, for the price, since these items are so powerfully expensive, for good or not), nothing special for me. My search for the perfect combo of floral and earthiness continues ...

After sampling in store, I wasn't expecting this to be such a cold, peppery scent under the guise of rose. It's old in less of a vintage way and more of a stale and bland feel. Almost like soured and dried plants, and I usually love that in greener frags, but for Baie Rose, the aldehydes do nothing but suffocate the other notes. This would be better suited for a candle.

All the notes sound amazing to me, like all of them... but for some reason it doesn’t smell that great to me. There’s a DISTINCT something that it smells exactly like to me, and I can’t think of it, but if I do ill edit below. On blotter it was amazing by the way, but something happens when on skin

Sharp and peppery, which I expected, but with overwhelming clove and cedar in the mid and dry down. I barely get rose in the opening. Very masculine to my nose overall. This was a scrubber and it was hard to scrub off! I had to wash twice and I could still smell it. Not for me.

rose & aldehydes. interesting take on rose. bc it's very cool and airy. this doesn't just smell like the rose petals, it smells like the stem and the green herbal harshness that i dislike about garden smells.

Unfortunately, to me this one just smells like typical rose scented hand soap in Japan. It’s definitely overpriced.

It smells like disinfectant in hospital.

This perfume is the only one I hate in the city exclusive. The scent is so stuffy and nauseating.

It's kind of cheeky of Le Labo to create a smell called Baie Rose which means pink pepper in french and make it smell like actual roses. And my god that rose note, it's like the most beautiful, pure, authentic rose you've ever smelled in your life - if one were to take a beautiful fragrant french rose and stuff your nose into it. It's backed up by some very boozy-feeling aldehydic notes (Le labo's website said this one was inspired by Chicago Jazz bars, so it fits) but also in the most inoffensive way possible, this isn't some cheap, dirty cocktail, but something very refined and beautiful. Pink pepper is also here from the beginning along with clove and musk for a strong cleanliness and a kick of subtle spice to add interest. It's very unique. After a little while it dries down into a more white floral type scent with the ambroxan and cedarwood becoming more prominent. It's utterly unique and beautiful, without any of the ugly animalic nonsense Rose 31 has. It's definitely leaning a bit feminine to me, but I think it's very wearable for a man.

This is a very sharp peppery rose. If that is what is what you are after you need look no further. The rose is a dark, damp, leafy and earthy. Whereas Le Labo's Rose 31 is spicy and warm, this is spicy and cool. On my skin BR26 does warm a little as it develops but this is not a sunny or fruity rose by any means. Essentially it is a very simple and legible fragrance. Sillage and tenacity are only moderate. I like it, but not as much as Rose 31 and not enough to upsize my decant to a FB even if I could afford it and lived in Chicago, which I can't and don't. If you are interested in something a bit warmer and with a greater variety of spice, try Rose 31, or Caron's Parfum Sacre, or Ormonde Jayne's Ta'if. Whispering: Estee Lauder's Pleasures, which is a peppery green rose/peony blend, is to me a smiling and more relaxed cousin to Baie Rose 26. It comes at a fraction of the price and you can buy it anywhere. None of this city exclusive nonsense.

I am not a big fan of floral scents, but I have been on the lookout for a good natural-but-spicy one with rose for a while. I almost thought I found it in Baie Rose 26, which opens up like the most natural, fresh and sun warm rose from my grandmothers garden, with just the right amount of pepper and cloves. Unfortunately, I do not like the way it lingers on my skin after a day, which reminded me of something less natural and more like an everyday scent available everywhere. I see now, that my nose was reminded of Chloe Eau de Parfum Chloé, which shares the basenotes virginia cedar and amber, and which I unfortunately somewhat despise after having smelled it on everyone in Copenhagen for many years in the 2010's. I will recommend it though, if you don't mind those notes and maybe have a less bitter relationship with the Chloé perfume.

Was debating about dropping $440 on a 100ml bottle of this on a blind buy as it is available on at the Chicago Barneys. Decided on buying a decant first and wow, am I glad I did. I was expecting a soft and deliciously sweet rose base fragrance and I was utterly utterly disappointed. I own Le Labo Rose 31 and there are hints of rose in there and while sillage and projection is not that great, it is a nice musky scent. Baie Rose 26 however is aboslutely horrible. On my skin, it smells like rose scented bug spray. Projection and sillage is on par with most Le Labo - just average. Highly recommend that you sample this before spenidng almost $500 on a bottle. Definitely not worth the price of admission (at least for me).

Was debating about dropping $440 on a 100ml bottle of this on a blind buy as it is available on at the Chicago Barneys. Decided on buying a decant first and wow, am I glad I did. I was expecting a soft and deliciously sweet rose base fragrance and I was utterly utterly disappointed. I own Le Labo Rose 31 and there are hints of rose in there and while sillage and projection is not that great, it is a nice musky scent. Baie Rose 26 however is aboslutely horrible. On my skin, it smells like rose scented bug spray. Projection and sillage is on par with most Le Labo - just average. Highly recommend that you sample this before spenidng almost $500 on a bottle. Definitely not worth the price of admission (at least for me).

I'm glad i took the time to sample this after rose 31. This rose based scent is a more uplifting happy and a tinge of green (freshness) to it's aromatic construction. Rose 31 is quite a bit more dense and earthy. Baie rose is more playful and cheerful! Both are equal to each other in longevity and sillage. Both project decently. This is rose 31's happy playful lil sister. She's carefree and just enjoys life. Rose 31 is the older more refined version. I love both scents. But i like this a bit more. The youthful character and giddiness just comes off in a much more fun way. A great rose fragrance!

Pepper, woods and an inoffensive rose. Some roses are cloying and nasty. This isn’t. This is maybe even a touch greener than some roses. This is a much better rose fragrance than rose 31. The musk and the cedar really compliment this dna. This is perfectly unisex and appropriate for many different occasions. Projection is mild.

A spicy rose accord, little bit sweet with a smooth touch of cedar, which brings a dry woody aroma! I got a good projection around me that gives me so confort wearing it... Luminosity of pink color i can get it too. On the way to drydown i feel a mineralized amber touch! Nice one! So goo! :)

This is a lovely rose fragrance, definitely one to add to the collection if you love roses. Baie Rose 26 is similar to Givenchy's Eaudemoiselle and Frederic Malle's Une Rose, but is somehow a touch sweeter without being cloying. All-in-all a bright, sparkling, feminine rose perfume.

I like this. I think it’s more my style than rose 31. Please don’t compare this to Toy Boy. Synthetic nuclear bomb vs balanced fresh rose with a pink pepper nuance and depth. Performance is great also. Reminds me of the performance, distinctiveness and versatility of the noir.

smells quite nice on my wife... i can see the chanel no. 5 comparisons here. you can perceive it somewhat. by and large it is a rose-centred scent, but quite unique in that. probably the most redeemable of the city exclusives...

Scent - a petal from a healthy watered rose. Season/Time of Day - I prefer to use this one in the warmer months, day or night. Projection - I didn't get noticed, I didn't get a compliment. Longevity - I get 13hrs consistently.

Opening is very pretty - aldehydic, soapy, sparkly, peppery. Dries down to a rose that is simultaneously powdery, creamy, peppery, fruity, and dry. Smells slightly pharmaceutical to my nose. Nice! 3.5/5