Gaiac 10 Tokyo

scent: 10/10 longevity: 8/10 sillage: 3/10 projection: 3-6/10 value: 1/10 This fragrance first garnered my attention from an Instagram reel made by @Max4cracks as he faints and is subsequently brought back to consciousness after taking a whiff of this. Interesting, I thought. I then realized this was City Exclusive for none other than Tokyo itself. Only then did I long for it more as I wanted to wear/try Le Labo's iteration of what they could squeeze of Tokyo inside a bottle...to perhaps relive and experience the essences of my 2019 trip to Japan or just maybe put myself in the headspace of when and who I was during that vacation. Come August of this year, I am now familiar with Le Labo and who they are. I wear Le Labo. I have friends that wear Le Labo. I wear Santal 33, I have friends that wear The Matcha 26, Another 13, The Noir 29, etc, all these fragrances stand out and have at least some sort of statement to make for the most part. I excitedly go in-store and buy my first sample of Gaiac 10 and try it on for the day aaaand...Nothing. I had to BURY my nose into my wrist to even get an idea of what Gaiac 10 was holding in store for me. Safe to say I was disappointed...until a couple hours later, it finds me. This creamy, sweet, inundating scent, but then gone the next second. I burned through that first sample trying so hard to understand this fragrance and even ended up getting two more samples to solidify my decision to get this or not and getting my friends' opinions in hopes of validating that this surely will make me smell good. I finish the last of my 3rd sample and finally came to an understanding of what Gaiac 10 beholds. This fragrance is beautiful. Others remark of a burning or bbq top note...maybe if you try really hard. It's smoky akin to incense or the remnants of a recently extinguished campfire. Gaiac 10 feels as fleeting as the smoke it smells like, but just as smoke stays on you and your clothes, Gaiac 10 does as well. This fragrance is an enigma, a mystery...it feels linear but at the same time nuanced with the way it behaves. Gone with the wind, returns as the beloved prodigal son next. The top note smokiness lasts anywhere between 1-3 hours depending on conditions and then the rest is that sweet, creamy scent. I have woken up with it still on me, just as strong as when I have applied it, and other times gone. I have already received my fair share of compliments while wearing this fragrance but in the end, Gaiac 10 poses as something kept to itself. Much like the largely mainstream culture in Japan, the people there are reserved and Gaiac 10 is fairly constructed to suit that specific market. When in such a behemoth of a city like Tokyo, it's hard not to feel small and invisible. Gaiac 10 feels exactly like that but is a testament to being alone, but never lonely.

A clean, smart musky wood that is just to die for. Opens with a blast of smoky, woody chip-y guaiac wood surrounded by clean, cozy, and fuzzy white musk's. Super inviting and casual while remaining professional and understated. Then as it dries down it begins to fill out as more woods like cedar (smells like Virginia cedar to me) and a hint of olibanum (frankincense) come into play. This mid gives the clean woodiness some much welcomed depth, but in the air it remains fairly if not entirely balanced, only tipping into mostly guaiac and woody notes in the deep dry down. This is a VERY good clean woody fragrance, and while I may be slightly influenced because of the marketing; this is a very Japanese style fragrance: clean, put together, and understated while still retaining a presence and air of casualness about it. It's a very simple fragrance, both to its benefit and to its downfall. The benefit is because this is one of the most versatile, signature scent worthy fragrances anyone could own; especially if into woody fragrances. The downfall on the other hand is due to the price. I can hardly justify $375 for a 50 mL of such a simple fragrance, somehow even more expensive than Creed (a brand notorious for their pricing if you didn't already know), but man this and a couple of the other city exclusive fragrances are tempting because of their quality. Time will tell if I ever decide to pick up a bottle. Very very good longevity of 18ish hours with moderate projection for the first 6-8 hours with intimate for the remainder. Strong projection if under summer heat. 9/10. Signature Scent Worthy. Song vibe - Sparkle by Toshinobu Kubota TLDR - A very solid clean, musky wood scent that while simple and understated, is equally as addicting and smooth. Must try if a fan of woody scents, or just entering the genre, and want a unique yet safe option to mindlessly reach for day after day. Would make for an excellent office scent. Side note - If you really like this type of clean woody profile, I highly recommend checking out "Kyoto" by Comme Des Garcons. This is a bit more "designer-esque" compared to the CDG but a must smell.

I feel kinda lonely being the first to post a review on this great fragrance. But I felt the need to share my thoughts about this fragrance. Gaiac 10 is a beautiful and subtle woody fragrance. When I first spray this fragrance on I get a beautiful natural smelling gaiac and cedar scent, as this fragrance begins to dry down you begin to get a lot of clean musk blending with the wood notes and a hint of incense to make a beautiful scent that stays somewhat close to the skin. But make no mistake this fragrance lasts. which should come as no surprise being that it is a perfume extract with 30% aromatic compounds in it. That being said this fragrance truely baffles me when ever I wear it. The reason I say this is because it seems that when ever am trying to smell this fragrance I can only faintly pick it up. However, when I am not focusing on it is when I can pick it up the most, and what I smell is amazing. What I also love is that only people that come in somewhat close contact with you will be able to enjoy this fragrance and it almost has a magnetic effect when they do pick it up. Its almost like a person that whispers and forces you to listen. Plain and simple to me this fragrance speaks softly but carries a big stick. Projection: This fragrance by no means projects loudly, but when it does get noticed it makes its presence very well known. 8/10 Longivity: When ever I wear this fragrance I get anywhere between 12-16hrs all the time. 10/10 Scent: A work of art in my humble opinion. I truely believe its beauty is in its simplicity which makes perfect scense, being that it is a Tokyo exclusive. 10/10 Versatility: This fragrance is extremely versatile for me, I can wear it in the cold months, in the warm months, day, night, formal, casual...10/10 Price: This fragrance is expensive if you are lucky enough to be able to get your hands on it. For me it is well worth its price but I suggest everyone should do some good sampling before thinking of buying this. 7/10 Overall: 9/10

I've been wanting to review this scent for almost six years, but I deliberately waited. I wanted to wear it over and over again, through different seasons, weather, countries, occasions, moods, and with different people. I wanted to see how it lived with me before trying to describe it... I guess I'm a little obsessed. I knew this would be my signature scent the moment it touched my skin. Some fragrances take time to understand, but this one felt instantly familiar, as if my body already knew it. It brings me back to several places at once: my grandma’s house, the place where I have always felt the safest. A quiet Buddha temple I used to visit when I needed peace. The soft smoke of burning incense drifting through cool morning air. The fog of early dawn settling over an ancient forest, with a still lake nearby reflecting the first light of the day. And when it settles into my skin, musky, warm and quiet, it feels almost like a soft embrace, like resting your head against someone you trust completely. It smells like warmth, wood, silence, and time itself. When I wear it, I feel safe, grounded, and quietly happy, like the world has slowed down just enough for me to breathe. To me, this is the scent of earth and existence, something deeply human and timeless. The kind of scent that reminds you that life is simple at its core, with its warmth, shelter, memory, and the quiet presence of the people we love. This is the fragrance I want to carry with me through life's important moments. The scent I would wear on my most meaningful days, and the one I would gift to the people who matter most to me. Some perfumes try to impress. This one simply feels like home to me. 10/10

Sublime. Unique. Elegant. Misunderstood. Gaiac 10 revealed itself to me very slowly, but when it found me, it changed my whole perception of perfumery! You need to be emotionally ready if you want to understand this one....... This fragrance is ultra powerful yet stubbornly subtle. Projection is bigger than you think and the longevity is much much much longer than you realise. This is not a línea fragrance as often described. It’s ultra complex and changes character over time. I wear this year round but always rediscover it during hayfever season, which I suffer from severely. After having a blocked nose all day, I occasionally get a powerful yet fleeting whiff of it up to 24 hours after application. And for those of you who try to smell it by sticking your nose into where you have sprayed, don’t bother........it will find you when it’s ready, and only if you have the patience. And you may have to wear it several times before it reveals itself to you, which it will do when you least expect it. But when you know it, it will reward you........fleetingly! I have tried all the perfumes it has been compared to and IMHO there is no real relationship to any of them, which is a pity as it’s insanely expensive and would happily go for a cheaper alternative - but there aren’t any. Gaiac 10 has changed my whole perception of what a good perfume is and I can totally see why this is the Tokyo exclusive! The biggest advantage is that all my other perfumes are also now experienced differently, and all I need is one or two sprays of most other fragrances to enjoy them rather than the way too many sprays of the past. Gaiac 10 smells like divinity!