Benjoin 19 Moscow

Released in 2013 as an exclusive fragrance for Le Labo’s Moscow boutiques, Benjoin 19 is available exclusively in its city of origin except for the month of September when the brand releases these city exclusive fragrances world-wide, albeit at a much higher price point. The opening of Benjoin 19 is characterised by a fleeting ecclesiastical olibanum with pine-like and citrusy freshness. The rather austere opening lasts but moments as the olibanum is quickly enveloped in a balsamic and resinous cloud of benzoin. The interplay between the coolness of olibanum and the warmth of benzoin that in many ways are the olfactive antithesis of each other adds a dynamic edge to the fragrance that I find rather interesting and breaks up what would otherwise feel monolithic. While Benjoin 19 makes little transition in its dry-down, what does become discernible is that unmistakable Le Labo signature of cedar, amber and musk’s that melds beautifully with the benzoin and olibanum. For me Benjoin 19 is a mollified Ambre Sultan with equal parts of Diptyque’s Benjoin Boheme and Armani’s Encens Satin throw in the mix. It’s balsamic, resinous, warm, and comforting. It’s beautiful really, but rather linear. Notwithstanding the quality of the raw materials is apparent, for its simplicity it’s hard to justify its price point at $740 AUD/ 100 mL but of course price is entirely subjective and you’re paying more for the exclusivity here. If you are a fan of Le Labo and haven’t yet had the opportunity to smell this one I can almost guarantee you will like this as it does have that typical minimalist edge that the brand does so well. In terms of performance. Benjoin 19 sits closer to the skin with a softer sillage, but does so for a solid 8 hours on my skin. IG: Nathan__Jamesj

I'm kind of surprised by the lukewarm reception that seems to be proffered for Le Labo's Moscow exclusive Benjoin 19. I guess in a way, one could level some criticism for it being perceivably 'pedestrian' to an extent, and whilst it might be argued that this is true, it is also far more than that! Benjoin is a wonderful take on the increasingly crowded resin theme. Frankincense and Benjoin are expertly entwined in delicious balance, sweetened slightly by a kind of vanillic amber accord that smoulders away and helps mitigate the austerity of the incense. A coniferous cedar note serves to provide a lovely 'outdoorsy', natural feel, which prevents the scent from developing a liturgical feel. This seems more a holiday in a forest cabin with some hipster friends than an alter boy tending his duties in the cathedral. It seems to finally mellow nicely into a soft, musky base with the amber becoming more dominant and this occurs over 3-4hrs, but the dry down certainly continues to abide far longer than that. Initially this stuff billows and rolls to your nose nicely, but after a couple of hours on me, it retreats to the skin and wafts around gently, so it's polite enough to wear in most company. Suited to the colder months, I find Le Labo Benjoin 19 delightfully comforting, versatile and undeniably classy. Shame about the astronomic pricing! I say keep an eye out for decants. You won't be disappointed!

The more I wear it, the more I love it. Elegant sensuality in a bottle. The start is quite sweet and almost a bit diabetes. However, this fades very quickly and styrax, waxes, benzoin, with musk and cedar come in. That is pretty much how the perfume remains for the rest of its life. I don't find this has "incense" but I can understand how the amber notes can hint at this aroma/scent profile. But this isn't churchy at all. Neither too sweet nor cloying, can be worn all year round (at least in the evening). It's very versatile. But, Benjoin 19 is akin to Le Labo's answer to "By the Fireplace" for colder months, if you catch my drift. Longevity easily reaches the 12 hours line. The best part about this perfume is that it does not scream at all. It is not beastmode in sillage, but it has a nice finesse.. the sillage trail (and perhaps cedar/iso E note) draws people in. Not the scent cloud. Quality 10 Versatility 9 Price to Quality 9 Longevity and Performance 10 A true masterpiece, 9/10. Add Benjoin 19 to the "I Want It" list... Benjoin 19 is an ode to Moscow. Its elegance, understated character, its quiet whisper and character definitely embody Moscow and the upper-crust oligarch lifestyle.

Benjoin 19 Moscow is another cold weather-leaning entry in the Le Labo City Exclusive line and much like its closest friend in the group, Poivre 23 London, it is a powerful fragrance with a decent overall composition. I'm not an authority on resins, but the combination of benzoin and olibanum is a powerful combination that seems to be at the forefront of the fragrance from start to finish---it's a resin-dominant experience. The drydown is mainly sweet amber---a pleasant, slight departure from the resinous opening. I started off thinking this was complex like Poivre 23 but it ultimately was simplified in the manner described above---resin and amber. The projection and longevity are both above average, even for the EDP, but as with the other works in the City Exclusive line, the most damning aspect of the fragrance is the price, at (when Luckyscent offered it in September) a steep $290 for 50ml. And I've come to the same conclusion as with other fragrances in the line---it's not worth the price. At a lower price, I might consider it since I certainly like (not love) Benjoin 19 as a winter option. It feels appropriate for this time of year. An interesting entry, for sure. 8 out of 10

For me to talk about notes when describing how I feel about Benjoin 19 would be a disservice to my love for this fragrance. This perfume is all about sentiments for me, and while I could write paragraphs about the magnitude of it's emotional weight, nothing encapsulates my feelings better than this line: "Любовь... Я оттого и не люблю этого слова, что оно для меня слишком много значит, больше гораздо, чем вы можете понять." - Лев Толстой, Анна Каренина "Love.... Why I don't like this word is that it means too much to me, far more than you can understand." - Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

This scent is very warm, you feel like you're encased in amber. It's a Church type of scent, which is one of my favorite styles of scents. It's very rich and deep, There's definitely something aged about it and elegant, I really love it but I think its an acquired taste. To me you can not only smell but see all the golden tones of the scent- gold filigree on the frame of a painting, a glowing library room lit by warm candlelight, a tree dripping with golden sap, a Madonna icon set in gold leaf- everything about it radiates warmth

Opens deep and enormously resinous before mellowing to the scent of worn sun-ambered and smoke-soaked wood. Pliable leather, the cedar a high note. The depth of history, the richness, the incense-soaked walls of a 16th century cathedral, every surface darkened by resin. There’s a note to this that reminds me of tree sap, languorous, golden and slow. An intoxicating depth, elegant and sensual and I’m so mad to be falling for this one.

benjoin 19 is brilliant. i set it against kyoto incense and it's far more sophisticated and nuanced but unfortunately a lesser performer in terms of duree. benjoin made the kyoto smell cheap by comparison. this is a masterstroke of resins and wood. Voelkl is a wizard. tested in summer this almost convinced me a resinous scent is a year-rounder. this is as close as one could be.

I have never been to Moscow so I couldn't even tell you if a whiff of this smells like Moscow. But you know where I have been? A Russian Grandmothers house. This smells like visiting your friends Babushka home, spefically a nice warm comforting one. It's simple, smells good, feels soft. Is the price worth it though when this smells similar to a dozen other fragrances? No.

Smelled this on a friend and was enthralled. Bought it years later, five minutes into the first spray and realized why I loved it so much: it smells 90% similar to one of my all time favorites--Amber Paste by Kuumba Made...which costs ~$15, and lasts longer. Still love it, but if you really want it and don't want to spend, try that one first.

To me, this smells like dusty old books in a cold and musty room. Whereas benjoin boheme feels put together and confident, Benjoin 19 is muted and meditative. Something you wear when you're alone just for you. A cold wintery sibling to Gaiac 10 in that sense.

This is also an extrait 30% concentration, it does last a long time. Though it feels like a lighter version of Ambre Sultan. To me, it's like Ambre Sultan without the sweetness. Very sensual.

I didn’t use to like this, but I love it this year... I just got benjoin boheme from diptyque and now I’m torn between these two... gonna keep testing both Update: So I have both on different arms, because I noticed that they both are hard to distinguish when smelling each individually at different times. But when smelling at the same time, I really see the differences. Benjoin Boheme is warm, soft, comforting, and very, very classic. It gives a wise, relaxed confidence. It’s so delicately blended. Benjoin 19 is standout, sweet but harsh/bold/unforgiving, and has bite. It gives young, slightly cocky confidence. It’s slightly peppery, and also a bit, waxy? To me, BB is for spending time with someone you care about, and I can’t tell what benjoin 19 is for. Since they’re so similar, I think that having that clarity shows BB is the one to keep... but we’ll see. Also, I really projection on both was better. On BB I think it lasts longer on my skin, but they both don’t project much after a couple of hours. BB does project at first, but only when someone is close. I guess, with price considered (more than double BB for the amount), I’m definitely sticking with BB, but still undecided which I like more for myself.

this made to order scent from le labos city exclusive line has to be its show stopper if you ask me its main downside is that its only around for one month out of the year with the exception of Moscow and that it commands a hefty price but once your able to acquire it those two points also make this a scent worth having Benjoin 19 opens with fizzy sort of cola vibe followed by the smooth creaminess of soft cedar and benjoin which reminds me a lot of oud wood in the opening its hint of incense lingers in the background and it doesn’t take a commanding roll which makes this a pleasure to wear unfortunately the opening and middle notes are short lived and start to fade some what quickly and by the middle to dry down your mainly left with cedar and musk longevity and projection are weak but that may change if you work that trigger finger more then usual like many scents that are not easily obtainable it comes down to how willing you are to track it down and the more work thats put into it the more this scent may shine even with some of its shortcomings le labo - benjoin 19 is a personal pleasure scent and not exactly one that you wear for others or to stand out on to the next

Benzoin, Resins, Benzoin and more Benzoin. I love resinous scents, especially those that lean masculine. There's only one issue...Resinous frags, along with vanilla/tonka frags tend to be pretty sweet on my skin, and this is one of them, however, there's still something about this that I love. Maybe its the high-quality ingredients used by Le Labo. Anyways, this stuff has tons of benzoin and olibanum up front. The benzoin is the creamy part while olibanum is the sweet side. As it dries down, the musk and cedar start to show-face and that is when I start to love it. The benzoin, olibanum are still there and blend in so well with the slight cedar and musk. For my first wearing, I over-applied based on the reviews here. I put about 5 sprays on, and holy cow this stuff was POTENT. I felt bad for the people around me. It is an absolute monster on me, so 2-3 sprays and I am good to go smelling this for several hours! Good stuff, but not my favorite. Worth a wear every once in a while for sure.

Worn for ~4 years. I instinctively lean toward using it on formal evening events, as it feels too precious for day time use. On an evening or cooler day, it remains fairly consistent. A soft and still amber/resinous finish that fades into the background in cooler weather. However, it shows it’s true character on a blazing hot summers day. There’s a a revelation that happens when heat is added to the equation, where I’ve had comments of people asking what smells like sticky honey, quickly followed by nuzzling and sniffing. It could last a little longer, but it’s one I’ll always keep in the cupboard. The irony of a fragrance modelled off cold Moscow cathedrals being best revealed (to me) on southern Australian blazing, dry summers days is all part of the fun.

I wanted to love this, and I do enjoy it....but it’s not a repurchase for me. I was pulled in by the whole city exclusive moment (and yes, the hype), but on my skin, this reads like dusty old books in a cold, slightly musty room. Of course, fragrance is so personal, and everyone’s pH develops a scent differently, so this is just my experience. It’s quiet, introspective, and honestly feels like a scent you wear just for yourself. Compared to Benjoin Bohème by Diptyque, which feels more polished and confident, this one is softer, more muted... like a whisper instead of a statement. It gives me the same “intimate, alone time” energy as Gaiac 10, but colder. I’ll keep wearing it when I’m in that mood, but she’s not a forever bottle for me. ✨

First impressions of Benjoin are not good. It smells like a base of something I've smelled before. The price it's being charged for is ludicrous, not to mention minus one month a year you'd have to go to Moscow for it. I get that it smells like benzoin, a favorite note of mine, but Le Labo is usually not literal, and for the price I wish they weren't. If it's a soliflore I would just buy an essential oil, some perfumer alcohol, mix it and I would save a crap load of cash. I was really hoping this would have knocked my socks off, but Amber Oud is far better than this and even cheaper.

I like this, some benjoin, ambery sweerness with some dry dusty woods. Not very exciting but pleasant and subdued without much projection. Would be a good comfort scent. In a side-by-side with CdG Ouarzazate, they have a lot of similarities, especially in the quality of the wood accord. Ouarzazate is less sweet, with greater emphasis on the woods and there's even a slight savory quality. It's more interesting than Benjoin and it's a whole lot less expensive.

Man is Frank Voelkl just a beast when he's in his zone or what? this is a beauty, just soooo nice. It smells like Armani Prive Encens Satin, but less incense, more peppery and dusty, more powder. Just a gem, a true modern amber gem... A cup of tea, fire burning, snow outside, Benjoin 19 on neck. Yes. Try this if you like: TF Amber Absolute, TF Sahara Noir, Armani Prive Encens Satin, Le Labo Poivre 23 (drydown part)