Poivre 23 London

Most Le Labo fragrances are ok but in general not all that astounding. This one parts the sea and can be polorizing at first sniff. The top note of pepper can be off putting if this is not an aroma you appreciate...but I love pepper. Both the smell and the taste. (I blacken my food much to the surprise of others around me.) But fear not.The jolt of pepper during he first half hour soon subsides and gives way to resins, incense and vanilla. Vanilla and pepper turns out to a delicious combination. Also present is a nice touch of guaiac wood, sandalwood and patchouli. Starts out decidedly masculine and softens as time passes to become softer and a bit more feminine but very wearable by anyone. An unique oriental with a shocking blast of wonderful pepper at the start. Longevity borders on incredible lasting well over 12 hours, almost 24 hours. Twice a year Le Labo offers their city exclusives at their retail locations. This is one of the very few times I have purchassed a small bottle. The $440 price for 100ml is stupidly rediculous! $290 for 50ml is even worse (per ml) but my bank account appreciates the extra $150. But even at this price this is a scent I needed in my collection. At least I have the bottle and can get refills later if I run out. The fact that I sprayed liberally in the store and got 3 nice sized samples before I left makes the high price a little easier to take.Not a blind buy! Sample first. If you visit or live in London make sure to sample. If not then get it while you can or wait 2 years...

I first got my nose on Poivre 23 when I was at the Seaport Boston location in November and the employee working had the most intoxicating trail when he was walking around the store helping customers. I asked him what he was wearing, and he pulled out Poivre from the fridge in the back and let me apply some to my forearm. He said this was his date night fragrance, and he put it on today because him and his partner were going to dinner after work. I loved it immediately, and found it to be so classic, mature, and perfectly unisex. When I went to London in early December, Liberty was doing a 15% off sale of Le Labo (which is unheard of) and got myself a 50ml of this intoxicating juice. After spending some time with it, I found the deeper reason I feel so connected to this fragrance and it unfolded a time and a place I haven't revisited since I was a child. That place being my grandparents asking me to set the table with the China that was in an antique cabinet in the dining room. Opening the doors to it I would get this waft of old wood and a peppery smell that could only come from such an old piece of furniture. So special, and now always reminds me of a sweet time in my life where I spent time with my grandparents. I love Poivre 23 for many reasons, but ultimately for unraveling a time in my life that I held so dear in my heart and wasn't aware of it until my nose understood its magnitude.

I bought most of the city samples this year and have been going through them one by one. Many are lovely but similar to other available fragrances. Not Poivre 23, at least it’s nothing like I know. First blast is a floral vanilla but in just a couple of sniffs it develops into pure black sneezy black pepper. As it dries down the pepper stops tickling your nose, but is still strong. As it dries, it goes through an old wood phase, like an old pirate’s barrel filled with the valuable spice. And then for a time, it’s a mildewed musty book sprinkled with pepper, which many might not like but to me was interesting and beautiful. All these things happen in the first hour, and in its final form, it becomes a vanilla smoky pepper with the sandalwood and patchouli becoming evident. And, a single small tester spray lasted all day and will be with me as I sleep. Definitely a powerhouse. A frag that’s not for everyone but is still feminine and beautiful and my favorite city fragrance so far. I’ll be purchasing this one when I can, unless one of my untested samples I end up liking more. Sadly, only one can be in my budget but this may be it. It’s odd for me as I’m a floral and bergamot lover but this one is amazing.

Poivre 23 was love at first sniff and has been my signature scent for the past few years. It’s sophisticated enough for black-tie events yet tastefully casual for everyday wear. Based on the notes, one would expect this scent to be pretty sweet, but it’s not. Because of that, it works well for me in warmer months if I limit myself to two sprays. The bourbon pepper note is realistic but lasts no more than an hour. At first, I wanted it to linger for a bit longer, but I’ve learned to love its brief appearance as it doesn’t overstay its welcome. This scent lasts seven to eight hours on my skin and a couple of days on my clothes. Getting whiffs of it as I dreadfully throw my dirty clothes in the washing machine makes doing laundry slightly more tolerable. The projection is strong, and you will leave a trail. A friend told me that one day, when I visited and left their home, they closed all their windows to keep the smell of my perfume inside. I know it was a compliment, but given how overpriced it is, I realized I sprayed way too much. And I continue to spray too much. But that’s how much I love this juice.

Le Labo Poivre 23 (city exclusive for London) is, as meteorologists might put it, a wintry mix. It involves pepper, smoke, and resin. It's a strong cold-weather option that seems to be able to work day and night. Poivre 23 is the strongest Le Labo I've tried with respect to projection and longevity. A few mini sprays from the sample atomizer create a cloud, and longevity is in the 8-12 hour range, at least. So the City Exclusive price ($290 for 50ml) at least provides a robust fragrance, but aesthetically, I can see the mix of hard notes being divisive among wearers. This strikes me as almost an exclusively masculine fragrance at the intersection of woody, smoky, spicy, and perhaps even dirty. At a lower price, it would be a welcome addition among some other cold-weather favorites, but the price is still prohibitive. A cool fragrance, nonetheless. 8 out of 10

I feel this fragrance perfectly captures the image of London during the Industrial Era. If I were to describe it as a color, it instantly evokes the gloomy, overcast winter days of the city. The smoky, acrid air billowing from factories, the desolate night streets where Jack the Ripper once lurked, and the laborers and dancing women gathering in dark pubs to enjoy a drink—all of these elements are masterfully brought to life through notes of black pepper, incense, labdanum, vanilla, guaiac wood, and patchouli. Its longevity is outstanding, and the scent is so unique that I’d give it a remarkably high score. However, its incredibly steep price tag is a definite downside.

loveeee like i kind of need this. le labo / byredo are getting me out of my gourmand/vanilla/sweet comfort zone. spicy woody vanilla thats not too heavy or scary. this is metropolitan, this is busy, this crowded without being sticky or gross. this smells like a mix of the old and the new, old smoky medieval wall, elegant stone gentleman’s club, and a modern skyscraper. more suitable for a young woman than tabac or velvitier. also le labo stores have all city exclusives in the back regardless of location

Just a beautifully executed powdery pepper/amber/incense delight. Cozy, smoky, intoxicating, slightly sweet. Evokes memories of burning incense in the purple box, I think it was called Satya Royal; it was my most favorite incense. Additionally, the incense-y amber + spice is reminiscent of the OG YSL Opium drydown, but less complicated, more refined. It gets me high -- i love it 🥺❤️. No lie -- Le Labo makes most of the best quality and unique niche fragrances.

The fabulous scent of Christmas sparklers, which is so astonishing exclusive, that it can only be purchased in London at a rather steep price. Anyway, I really like it, especially the first hour, after that it gets a bit sweet unfortunately. But it will always remind me of a wonderful week with my husband in London. This month a window of opportunity for online shopping has just opened, oh dear me...

Finally got a chance to try all of the city exclusive scents this year and absolutely falling in love with Poivre 23. Warm, smoky and aromatic spicy vanilla scent that deserves more hype than Vanille 44 imo (that barely has any vanillas). Think Labdanum 18, but with some depths added from the incense and patchouli. Stunning performance too, lasts all day on fabrics and 7-8 hours on my skin.

One of my absolute favorite scents. It starts out with a beautifully realistic pepper note and a puff of smokiness. As it dries down, the hidden vanilla heart of this frag reveals itself. It's like warming sunlight peering from behind the dark cloud of the opening notes. A comforting and confidence-boosting frag for me.

Returning to review this - has slowly turned into one of my favorite fragrances ever. I think I was thrown by the amber-y sweetness that fills in as you wear it, but a year later all the other notes have opened themselves up to me and it’s an incredible - but still minimal - streamlined symphony of elements.

Received this today with Myrrhe 55. While Myrrhe 55 is more of a Jasmin scent, this is true to its name. You smell pepper throughout the entire scent. The use of black pepper is perfect as it mixes with more resinous and sweet notes. This is probably my second favorite from the house behind Rose 31.

tried again. strong pepper opening which i didn't like but it disappears after 30ish. drydown was sweet amber and vanilla with tobacco and incense. this was cloying, heavy, and dense. i also am influenced bc i just don't like pepper and incense even though i liked the sweetness.

Hi all. I live in South America now and I cannot purchase it here. Are there any others that are similar to this? I've looked and no luck! Ideally something that is cheaper. Also any other Le Labo fragances that are similar to this one? Thanks Cisco

Love this sweet peppery fragrance and makes me smile when I put it on. Hard to find but lovely to wear but oh I wish it would last on me more than an hour.

spicy , subtlety sweet, sexy , exactly what I hoped vanille 44 would be

I think this scent is very similar to Diptyque's Eau Duelle EDP.

I loved it , specially on dry down

All the notes are favourites - so it's no surprise that I loved the smell - as expected. But it's made by Le Labo, so I loathe the price and resent the poor performance - as (usually) expected. LL is a house that leaves me so conflicted, torn between wanting to pan them for try-hard hipsterism and flaccid scents which don't last... and wanting to give them large stacks of my money because when they work, they REALLY work for me (I have and love The Noir 29, and would happily wear Santal 33 and Rose 31 if I could afford to forget the price.) This one? Smack in the middle of ambivalence; the opening pepper burst is feisty and delicious, the woody backdrop gloriously savoury and just the right shade of warm, organic-seeming brown. But it dies away so very very fast - no more than an hour or so of real presence. (For comparison: I found the spice still flowing for just a little longer than CDG Blackpepper, which can't survive a half-hour on my skin, but not even close to the staying power of CDG Black. And Poivre 23's pepper cloud is in fact both weaker AND less durable than Poivre Samarcande or even some 'femme' things like Caron Sacre Intense or OJ Orris Noir, even). So it's kind of a bad boyfriend of a scent, this one (like oh, so many London boys I've known...) - charming but flaky, sexy but infuriating, with regrettable tendency to disappear when you need it around and cost you more than you'd like. If it could be the same smell but re-tooled to throw and last like 29 or 33 then I would be selling furniture to get hold of some. Instead I'm left shrugging in puzzled pleasure, but still asking 'is that it? no more?'

This frag plays the long game. I bought a decant of this since I was intrigued by the pepper/vanilla/incense and tried it on for a night out. I smelled like a bag of cracked pepper kettle potato chips for a few hours til it mellowed into straight black pepper. I pretty much shelved it, but my wife discovered it and spritzed herself up one night. She loved it. I was taken aback, but after her wearing it a few times, I understood it and it really grew on me. There's a lot to unpack here, scent-wise. There is no lie in its name, it is PEPPER. But once it settles it's really sophisticated. The vanilla is very slight and the wood is sort of charred but without being too smoky. I don't catch too much else as the pepper is so strong, but it really has an interesting aura to it. It feels very mature, but also a touch adventurous. It's dark and mysterious. Yes, it leans masculine, but I like the fluidity of folks wearing nontraditional scents, so it pleases me that we both enjoy it on her.

The first experience I had with Poivre 23 felt similar to the one I had with Thé Noir 29, the pepper seemed to dominate so much I couldn't smell anything else. Although the latter has no pepper in it somehow both experiences were similar and in a sense, it took time to love them. This one is a rich one (excuse the pun) and heavy on the skin, a fragrance you don't want to buy without trying. Maybe it's the time of year but for some reason, it reminds me of Christmas, whether it reminds me of my city is not very likely, perhaps it is so for a tourist or an outsider. I would also like to point out that its performance is not that poor, the perfume remains strong for a good day even if the sillage doesn't go very far. Overall I'd say definitely way overpriced but nothing wishy-washy about it. A big believer in unisex fragrances but this one would do better on a man/nb person.

Initially I liked the fragrance. It had an interesting texture and smell to it. Then I tested it again today, put more sprays on, and what do I get? A sour dill pickle smell. I did NOT get that the first time, but I also only sprayed once. It seems something is amped when you spray it multiple times, and it's far from pleasant. Now I can't seem to smell past that sour pickle, so I'm stuck with this fragrance. I'm sorry, but the prices so far are outrageous in comparison to the fragrances themselves. For City Exclusives, I expected much more. Out of the three I've tried, Vanille 44 wins, but winning this fight isn't saying much. EDIT: It's not as bad as originally. Its drydown is nice but Memoirs of a Trespasser has an extremely similar drydown and that fragrance is amazing from beginning to end. Not even factoring in the huge price inflation for this.

On me it opens much like Eau Duelle EDP; a spiced and sweet scent like vanilla. I don't get the pepper, either because I'm not sure of what I should smell for or because my skin does not bring out the pepper facet. I kind of wish it did, though, because the smell of pepper sounds cool and unique. Over time, the sweetness amps up and it kind of reminds me of a knockoff brand's take on vanilla fragrances. This is not really a positive thing to me, but I hope that my sample might marinate or something and bring out something that truly warrants a price for this fragrance.

Finally found myself in one of Le Labo's flagship stores in London, got my hands on Poivre 23 and all the excitement building up inside me for weeks leading up to that moment was gone within minutes. The opening is all black pepper, maybe a little bit of incense somewhere in the background but it's barely detectable unless you really put your mind to it. Later, all that black pepper transforms into a beautiful, not at all sweet but very dense vanilla+dry patchouli affair that I absolutely adore. Would love love love it on a man.

Aside from the opening 15 minutes, the pepper fades rather quickly to the background. Mostly, as others have said, it's vanilla/labdanum, a hint of woods, and slightly smoky. Smells like a less intense version of Le Labo Patchouli or a slightly sweeter version of Atelier's Vanille Insensee, or even Replica's By the Fireplace. It smells good and autumnal, but replaceable with less expensive scents since it's not particularly novel, nor is the execution better than the others I mentioned IMO.

This is an interesting classy gentleman type fragrance that really fits the city of London. Th smoked bourbon pepper is really great. Probably one of the best pepper notes I've come across from any house. I get incense and and leather with a tinge of something animalic. Possibly from the patchouli. This is also beast mode and lasts for a long time. Some might be turned off by the smokey pepper and this leans heavily masculine IMO. 8/10

Opens up with slightly sweet greenness. It quickly warms up to be extremely bitter and medicinal. Severe, serious, and vintage. It makes me think of a dimly lit Chinese pharmacy, with tiny drawers for every kind of herbs and tinctures. Medium to heavy sillage. Good longevity. Masculine leaning unisex. Note to self: good candidate to replace estee lauder aliage when it runs out

Kicks off with a dry, spicy, bitter black pepper that quickly calms down into a cozy vanilla and wood. There’s a cleanliness to it that’s a little hard to describe but i think it’s the guiac wood with a slightly sweet vanilla doing it. Very warm and cozy base, I’m not in love with this but enjoyed my sample of it super nice dry down , a perfect scent for a crisp cold day.

Poivre 23 is a gorgeous incensey black pepper scent with a hint of sweetness. I pick up on other spices like cardamom and clove that give this scent a very fall-winter vibe. A bit of leather (not a lot) and a hit of whiskey-like booziness make this a super warm and cozy scent- think dark academia, old bookshelves, a steaming cup of chai wearing a woolen peacoat.

Gorgeous smoked black pepper opens a beautiful vanillic experience...the amber accord here is divine. Seriously. Great job Le Labo, this is something i imagine Armani Prive would make, it has that incensy vanilla quality to it...actually...it reminds me of Myrrhe Imperiale, when the drydown hits. Smoky vanillic amber. This is expensive, but its worth trying.

Really like this. Peppery, resinous vanilla. It almost teeters on feeling too syrupy and heavy but it rights itself. Patchouli is not always a friend to me, but I'm enjoying it in here. I'm looking forward to wearing this in fall and winter. It's very warm and cozy but assertive. The dry down is almost like a spicy cola.

Poivre 23 definitely lives up to its name -- it's very pepper-forward in the opening. Then, it develops into a more vanilla and incense-like scent (like patchouli and nag champa). Makes me feel like I'm at a dinner party hosted by hippies.

It does not deserve hard search

A very spicy start, and you can smell the freshly grated pepper. After a few minutes you can smell something slightly sweet in the background and it melts nicely into the skin. After a while there is something woody in here, but the pepper dominates it all, and it even itches a bit in my nose. For actual wear I find it too masculine, but it is something comforting to this, and something really mysterious when you gives it the time it needs. It is pretty nostalgic tho, and reminds me of Sunday dinners at my grandparents, roastbeef and pepper sauce, or a traditional scandinavian stew with whole peppercorns. And the slight woody-ness can be read as my grandparents old teak furniture.

fumbling through your first time with another girl in church pews. as quiet as you try to be, the dusty halls reverberate every sound. her lipstick is smeared on your collar. really wanted to love poivre but the composition is so meh. too saccharine to wear to work, too powdery to wear out.... it's like if charlotte york actually was a lesbian.

Smells like pain relief patch at the beginning. Vanilla will come up later and blend with the spices. But overall I don't enjoy this scent.

Le Labos city exclusive Poivre 23 London is a unique take on a peppery scent its blending to perfection by having a smooth & classy opening of smokey woodsy & peppery accords on the top and heart notes followed by vanilla & incense accords on the dry down even tho i find this scent to be somewhat linear its still unique enough to enjoy on a night out when dressed to impress at a formal setting just be careful on how many times you pull the trigger as this scent can fill a room quickly longevity is great and projection is slightly above average so wear it knowing that you will smell great (just dont wear it in the warmer months as its kinda thick) id say this is worth buying just dont blind buy this since its not a scent i think the masses would find appealing on to the next

Smells like worchestire sauce, which I love to eat, but do not want to smell like.

There is an old Croatian brand of a condiment (made of salt, spices and dried vegetables) which immediately came to my mind when testing Poivre 23. This is a kitchen odour and I really don't have a reason to smell like it.

I got a chance to sample Poivre 23 and while I'd be lying if I said I absolutely loathed this fragrance, I'm quite content with just a sample of it. For me to spend over $400, I have to be absolutely flabbergasted. To put salt on the wound and make matters worse, even if I did find Poivre 23 irresistible and am willing to shell out the big smackeroos for it -well, then on top of $400 plus dollars, I'd need to shell out even more dollars for airfare/hotel, ect. Oh, yes, another option would be to wait around until maybe, just maybe, a reputable seller lists it and charges an arm and a leg for it. Pfffft. Nah. It irks me and drives me bonkers with these "city exclusives." They charge double the price, limit it to a certain area and because people naturally want what they can't have or is not in their grasp, it's now become high demand and very sought after. And we the consumer buy into this malarkey and all run out like wild animals in heat for it. Anyways , enough with that useless banter. Now onto some more new useless banter. The opening for this frag is (as the name suggests) pepper. A blast of it. Pepper lovers will be in heaven, but only for a short while. Yep, they did us dirty like that, gave us a taste and yanked it right back-sorry folks. The pepper is short lived (which can be a good or bad thing depending on your preference.) I also got vanilla, labdanum and patch. About 30 minutes in the pepper has completely retreated back, almost into non existent territory. Another thing that irked me, I wanted more damn pepper!! I mean, it's what this frag is called. But nope. Adios pepper. Hola incense, woodsy notes, and more vanilla. The patch and labdanum do remain noticeable but the vanilla at the point is a little more shy ( the vanilla is not gourmand-y, it remains dry but has a speck of sweetness but it's faint, I feel the sweetness comes mostly from the amber.) The final hoo-ra of this juice sends me on my way with vanilla, incense and guaiac wood lending itself to a moderately soft, little bit spicey, resinous vibe. The third and final thing that irked me- the transition between the layers. I felt they were very abrupt, almost stopped me short and did not blend seamlessly into the next part of this composition. As far as projection, it was about arms length. Longevity - 8-10 hours. It does have nice lasting power, but not $400 + worth of nice. Sillage - Leaves a little poof of trail, but nothing astonishing. All in all, I am happy to say I experienced it for myself but my $400 plus dollars is staying right in my pocket.

BACKGROUND: I just got the 2015 sample set of the exclusives from Luckscent and will wear one a day with a review for each - from a male perspective. Today I'm wearing Poivre 23 to the office. SCENT: Up top I got a nice punch of fresh pepper, but what surprised me is the unexpected, unlisted green notes here. I am getting bitter fresh galbanum and cypress - offset by some buttery amber and vanilla. Well, there are 23 aromatics in here - perhaps we all get a different take on P23. And once again I agree with Ularewolf - I do get a dash of pickle up front, which dissipates quickly. OFFICE READY? This couldn't offend anyone when sitting on my (admittedly dry) skin. The moderate projection of P23 is the warm, ambery side of this composition. You need to get nose-on-skin to get the unusual pepper/green mentioned. I prefer the pepper/green face so this is doing very little to impress me - and getting no reaction from colleagues. NIGHT OUT READY? It depends how close you get to others - on skin its interesting, brisk a little dark and cold. It's a slightly dirty/ sexy composition. But from arm's length - its butteriness is just not enough of a head-turner in my book. BETTER THAN THE REGULARS? When I know a fragrance is hyped, I tend to try a little harder to understand why - to see what other people see in it. But after a few hours with this, I must admit to myself that there's not much here for me. It's the Emperor's New Clothes - and while 'emperor poivre 23' is not naked - it seems to be wearing an off-the-rack suit. I think Santal 33 is twice the fragrance. WORTH THE $440 (AU $600)? Yeah, you know my answer to this already. I thought this was going to be a contender in the exclusives line for the $440 crown. But alas. WORTH $240? I wouldn't buy it. I don't hate it or think it smells cheap. You can tell this is well made - I'd just rather restock my Santal 33 for the price, rather than branch to this. HIGHLIGHTS: The pepper/green scent I get up close is something all its own - I haven't come across the same effect before and I respect and like it. Shame the projection is the opposite effect - cosmetic and a little boring to me.

Pepper is my single favourite scent in a fragrance, but the issue is obviously longevity. Here, on initial spray, I get a clean, freshly ground pepper, which hangs around for about an hour, but I get good peppery projection for 3-4 hours all told, which is fantastic compared with CDG's black pepper. After four hours, the vanilla and patchouli comes through, with the occasional faint trace of pepper. I do love this fragrance. I was wondering whether it was just a suped-up Vetiver 46, but this is much sharper and less woody, with the pepper much more cleanly defined. Yes, price is obviously an issue. Maybe I could get a lot of the pleasure I get from this from Vetiver 46 instead. But, when I think about it, from a 100ml bottle, I'll get somewhere between 150 and 200 applications, and so $2.66–2.00 per application. For that I get four hours of intense enjoyment, and another four to six of pleasant enjoyment. So, a solid day of sensory indulgence. And who knows, maybe it'll give some people around me a few nice moments too. I think when deciding on value and worth, it all comes down to what makes you smile or cry, what gives you strength or keeps you warm and what offers you round-the-clock company on lonely days. Fragrances, I think, can do that. Sure, I wish it was cheaper, as much as I wish beer, good wine, a pot of nice tea or a juicy steak were half their price when dining out, but I don't think it will stop me with Poivre 23. It just pushes too many of my buttons.

I can see the comparisons with TF amber absolute but patchouli 24? That’s a lonnnng bow to draw. It’s like comparing the ferocity of snoopy with an angry grizzly bear. Does it fit with London? I think so. The Tokyo city exclusive is suppose to be subtle (as wearing loud fragrances is a faux pas in Japan as it invades other people’s space, and is therefore very rude, just like speaking on the train). It stuck around on clothing for a couple days and I got whiffs from my jacket when walking past it. Nice! In a similar way, USA culture is synonymous with ‘look at me! look at me!’ whereas that’s seen as uncouth and uncivilised in British establishment. Of course that is a generalisation, but fragrances are pitched on generalisations. So if you are looking for a fragrance that forces yourself into the centre of attention, then this is not it. I find that the combination of vanilla, pepper and labdanum form a nice sophisticated scent bubble. Not sweet or spicy or smoky, just nice and balanced. Can be worn in most occasions.

Black pepper on a bed of soft, ambery, smoked wood chips and resins. Le Labo's penchant for clean, minimal aesthetics is followed here, and allows the pepper to come through distinctly at first, then smoothly blends into a spicy, dry warmth that feels like a cozy log cabin or a wooden dresser, with a vanillic nuance that could also veer towards old books. The base is gentle and attractive, but somewhat familiar. I notice most sandalwood and labdanum adding a touch of jammy character. Without the pepper giving it a life and identity, I'm afraid it would fade into memory as a version of countless other dry, smoky vanillas that lots of brands like to put out. This is all about balance though- I think it's a bit rare to find an alluring woody vanilla that isn't dense and syrupy and full of loud chemicals these days. This hits a nice corner of balsamic resins and spicy, smoky woods that feels very tailored and approachable.

What WKC (review below this one) is saying: "Pretty much a cross between Vanille 44 and Patchouli 24 w a sweet black pepper added." I have never smelled Vanille 44, but Poivre 23 does remind me of Patchouli 24 with a sh*tload of black pepper and a vanilla drydown (that Patchouli 24 also has). To me it smells like food. I get dried tomatoes. The sour-y scent that comes off of dried tomatoes when you heed them in the pan. Another reviewer below compared Poivre to Potion by Dsquared. I really don't see the similarities. Potion has pepper, but where black pepper plays the main role in Poivre, it is only used as refinement in Potion. A fragrance that is way more amber-y, sweet and has cinnamon and other spices. It even has a boozy vibe. Different worlds if you ask me. What Poivre does remind me of is Amber Absolute by TF. They come very, very close. I don't think I would smell the difference if someone would be wearing it.

The first time I sprayed this I got a really strong bubblegum vibe. Something about the way the patchouli, vanilla, styrax and resinously-sweet labdanum and amber mix with a cinnamon note smells just like bubblegum. It was a very weird moment for me. The other notes are there. Pepper isn't quite the star of this show as is sometimes the case with le labo fragrances. It's there, but in the background, lending a subtle but far from oppressive spiciness to the accord. A smoky incense-sandalwood-patchouli note is very front and center to me, mixing with the sweet labdanum, amber, cinnamon styrax, gaiac and sandalwood to make a sophisticated smell that reminds me a lot of Vanille 44, the paris edition because it evokes old churches. Vanille leans more "pastry shop" for its vanilla while Poivre leans almost candy-like? It's a pretty intoxicating smell, very good for winter or a night out. It's sure to please.

Ok, I should probably resign to the fact that Le Labo will never be among my favorite houses. I had great expectations form Poivre 23 but when I finally got to test it, thanks to a great perfumisto, I got somewhat disappointed. The fragrance smells actually pretty fine, but it's pervaded by a strong deja-vu vibe throughout. It opens with a hint of black pepper immediately joined by incense and a sweet, sort of balsamic quality that I suspect being due to the labdanum and the styrax. In this phase Poivre 23 clearly remarks its presence with a bold but not overpowering sweetish-woody aroma. Well rounded, nice but not incredibly interesting. It then dries down to a woody-patch-vanilla base that's not so far from the latest phases of Patchouli 24 but nowhere close being as grand. Bottom line: Mild thumbs up! Rating: 7/10

It’s mainly sweet benzoin with salty guaiac which, to me, equates to vanilla and bacon. There is some pepper, but I actually find more pepper in scents that don’t actually advertise themselves as pepper, so don’t expect it to be a pepper bomb. It’s more of a balsamic oriental than anything . . . with bacon bits. Although I do like a few Le Labo scents, I generally don’t view the line as particularly accomplished, and Poivre 23 is a good example of why: to me, this is a cut-rate sketch of a scent sold at an extortionate price with manufactured exclusivity. There’s very little to Poivre 23, and I find it to be a charmless exercise in ambroxan. From the city exclusives, Gaiac 10 and Cuir 28 are probably the best, but none of them is worth even a fraction of what the brand is charging. It’s mediocre at best.

It opens with peppery wood, and a sharp, tangy, ashy sweetness to it. However, as it dries down, the sharp tanginess ebbs, and the composition shifts into a dry, ashy, ambery vanilla. Eventually it dries down even further, and becomes almost entirely a vanillic amber scent - warm, cozy, and surprisingly sweet. This is a very non-linear fragrance. It's like two friends hosting a cabin party-- the friend who owns the cabin and proposed the party is brash and spirited, and ends up passed out on the smoke-scented sofa by midnight, hugging a piece of firewood; the other friend is introverted and soft-spoken, but grows increasingly conversational as the night wears on - gradually consuming several rye and vanilla cokes, and only succumbing to sleep near dawn, as the fire dims down to glowing coals.