Lethe

This smells almost identical to R.E.M but there are a few key differences. The bergamot in the initial spray is a bit much, I agree with other commenters that it could come off as overpowering. This is r.e.m's older sister. She's slightly more mature, but her dry down is the same. She starts a bit soapy. She rushes out the door with the smell of her bergamot body wash trailing behind her. She sells incense at a head shop (don't ask me why it's just her vibe) and after a long day at work, she relaxes on the couch watching Gilmore Girls with a few drops of lavender oil in her diffuser. I like the dry down, but if I were to pick between the two, I would have to choose r.e.m. This is simply because of the similarity, price point, and top notes. The bergamot feels a little unbalanced and I don't feel it adds anything beneficial to the overall scent. The first time I sprayed it I was disappointed and wrote in my notes 'salty bath bomb/soap' before the initial soapiness subsided. Then I got a hint of smokiness and spiced vanilla before I got the tonka bean, which I love. I appreciate the added smokiness because that is different than r.e.m however this can be achieved with layering for much cheaper using r.e.m + work from home by memoir for much cheaper. Thankfully I only got the travel size of this fragrance because I would have to return it for smelling too similar to what I already have and it doesn't justify the price. It's good, but it's not groundbreaking or new. I love tonka and lavender and I love r.e.m but I am trying to branch out more. I need to stop buying frags with all the same notes haha. Edit: I hate to admit but I've changed my mind a bit since I wrote this, I adore the soapy note mixed with the weird smokiness. It's not groundbreaking or new but it does have something that keeps me reaching for it. Hate admitting when I'm wrong ugh

It is a cool late September night, I have the windows open, and I listen to the chorus of crickets and katydids. It's the kind of evening where I choose to vegetate, retreat to a cocoon, and watch old reruns of classic programs (lately it has been Daktari and Room 222, real oldies but goodies). It's time to keep it simple and make tonight all about comfort and relaxation. Now is as good a time as any to wear perfume. It will be Lethe. It's a woolly, ambery musk that starts off aromatic with bergamot and lavender, but at its core is a soft cedar and velvety Cashmeran—relatively simple by design, and in that design it soothes me after a difficult two weeks. Maybe after all the grief and anguish, floating on the river of oblivion is what the doctor ordered. Lethe is a tranquilizing, caressing fuzz of a fragrance; I am swaddled and content, lit by the glow of a warm nightstand lamp and my shows.

Unexpectedly muted floral notes, but an extremely comforting, warm scent. The cashmere, amber, tonka, and musk really stand out to me. I thought the lavender and water lily would be a lot more noticeable, but even after the opening is gone, they're relatively muted. Overall wonderful. This is now my favorite fragrance to wear. Rating: 10/10 Blind Buy? If you like these notes, yes. Very safe one.

Love it. Works great in any weather, though I think that fall & winter are where this fragrance shines the most. I can see myself wearing this to any occasion, though it definitely has a more "mature" personality, and doesn't jump off your skin, making it a good option for occasions where you don't want to project too strongly.

I really like this perfume, a successful blind buy for me, on me the lavender and it’s woody quality is quite present and then turn to a soft velvety smells that last all day and stick to my clothes. I find it really comforting, it’s a really unique and good skin scent. Definitely bring me confort

Beautifully cozy, it feels like a hug on a cold day. Soothing and serving to heal. The name is fitting, it feels like something calming, exactly like a flowing river.

What a pleasant surprise! I cannot stop sniffing my arm. It’s so smooth and nicely blended! I need to discover more perfumes from this house!

I like it a lot! It is the perfect middle ground between R.E.M. and B-612, which I have combined in the past to reach this effect.

so tranquilizing, so cocooning. smells like a deep long hug, i love it

#111 of My Fragrance Journey - Ulrich Lang Lethe: The luxury of letting the world blur. Lethe is quiet from the start - almost deliberately so. The kind of scent you could easily miss if you were waiting for a performance. But maybe that's exactly why I keep coming back. The name comes from the river of forgetfulness. One spray and the noise of the day recedes. That's not an exaggeration - it's just what happens. Bergamot and lavender open it, but not the way you expect. The lavender is muted, softened down into something that barely resembles a plant anymore. More like the memory of clean skin, or fabric that's still warm from someone else's body. Intimate. Blurred at the edges. A soft background hum rather than a statement. Water lily somewhere underneath it all, cool and transparent, lending a weightlessness to the whole thing without ever pulling focus. Nothing announces itself. Everything just... settles. Then something shifts into the physical. Cashmeran and soft cedar bring the scent closer to the body - like pulling on a heavy, expensive sweater after a long day. Tonka and musk underneath, not sweet exactly, more like warmth held in restraint. A controlled heat that never demands anything from you. It feels lived-in almost immediately. Familiar in a way you can't quite account for. It never tries to seduce a room. Doesn't announce itself across a space. Instead, it stays close, surfacing in fragments throughout the day - amber in a sleeve, soft wood rising off skin after movement, something faintly creamy at the collarbone. There's a masculinity here I keep coming back to. Not cold, not hyper-curated. Just composed enough to let softness exist without apology. The simplicity is deceptive. Every time I try to explain why it works, the words flatten it slightly. The experience isn't dramatic - it's cumulative. Like slowly realising that silence can have texture. Late afternoon light. Fresh sheets half undone. The quiet confidence of someone leaning in a doorway, saying very little and meaning all of it. I'm not sure fragrances like this get talked about enough. Maybe because they leave space unfinished on purpose, trusting you to meet them halfway. That's either restraint or confidence - probably both. Vibe: Clean linen, cashmere, late afternoon light that doesn't ask anything of you. Performance: Soft and intimate - a steady warm pulse on skin rather than a trail. It stays close and doesn't apologise for it. Fit: You wear this on days when you want to feel completely settled in yourself without needing anyone else to notice. Is there a point where simplicity becomes its own kind of complexity - or is that just the river doing its work? More scent stories and visuals on Instagram - @lavendercloudsjd

This is a lovely perfume but for me personally, it does not serve its brief, which is to create something that smells like naked intimate hugs. The opening is where the problem lies. This opens sharp and cold. This is what the combination of bergamot and lavender does to my senses. I do understand if this reminds a few people of the smell of a barbershop. This smells like the aftershave that barbers use. It is nice, but it is far from an image of a naked hug. The dry down, however, is when the intention is reached. It is musky, warm and cuddly. What I smelled mostly is woody smooth white musk. You might think that a perfume with such profile will not last long. But in fact, it does last over 6 hours on my skin in winter. As much as I like this, it won't stay in my collection. The reason is that I have other vanilic musky perfumes that give me the feeling of a naked hug such as Initio Musk therapy and Kayali Musk 12. The pitfall of its marketing.

I have been trying this with a decant. The top notes are nice but last, I think literally, two seconds. After that, there's a mixture of strong cedar and light musk. When holding my wrist at least a foot away, it's lovely - warm and slightly sweet with the vanilla, but up close it was a tad harsh and chemically. Usually, the opening is my favorite part of a fragrance, but here the dry-down is best. Unusual and effective mixture of earthy and sweet. Good longevity and projection. It is slightly heady and dreamy, which based on the name, was likely their goal. Update Sept 2024 - This has grown on me. This is now my go-to date night fragrance. It seems to make a date want to get closer to me, but it's not loudly sensual, so I don't feel self-conscious.

I've had a decant for a while now and the juice has evolved a bit. It's warmer, deeper, and cozier than when it first arrived. A casual scent. It's calming, creamy, and comforting. The vanilla does a lot of work here. It's a dry vanilla. Silky and plush. Cashmere takes it to a place of cozy comfort shows on a fall afternoon. You're home from a joyful family gathering cuddling on the couch with your love. Nowhere to be. No responsibilities. Just a soft comforting glow. I would be careful not to over spray this or it may end up too thickly laconic and cause nausea.

This one has really grown on me. I was admittedly initially disappointed with it, but maybe just because I was trying to wear it during the normal course of my day, and I prefer a warmer vanillac scent for that purpose. The sweet spot for me with Lethe is wearing post-shower in the evening as my bedtime fragrance. It's so clean and soft smelling. Smooth. I have really come to love it and associate it with freshly washed hair, skin and cozy lounging.

A nice, stony vanilla. Warm and elegant with a tiny kick of musk for added mystery. I'd say it leans slightly masculine but women could easily pull this off if it's a scent profile they like. I picked up a decant based on the notes listed and was not disappointed. The lavender and water lily notes are subtle, so it is not too floral (which is what I was hoping for). Worth a try if the notes interest you.

Opens really fresh with that bergamot and lavender (not like a cleaner scent!) 🍋 Dries down to an ambery and sandalwood with a hint of vanilla. A smidge masculine but still unisex in my opinion. I usually have issues with those drydowns but this one is delicious!

Lethe is a very well composed perfume but, on my skin, quite intimate and not too long-lasting. For me it is a unisex composition but more masculine, because it has a strong barbershop perfume aspect, especially at the first phases. Its opening is fresh, with lots of bergamot and lavender. In the drydown it is soapy and reminiscent of the smell of some shaving foams but with a sweeter and warmer background, very rich in vanilla and woods, with a musk that is not too heavy but present. It has a soft sillage and lasts about 5 hours on my skin, of course more in clothing. It is a winter perfume, comfortable, very pleasant, more unisex to my nose in the drydown. Scent 6.5/10 Duration 5/10 Sillage 6/10 Quality/price 4/10 Versatility 6/10 Packaging 5/10 Would I buy again? I didn't buy it

Haven’t smelled any other Ulrich Lang fragrances but I’m immediately impressed by Lethe. It’s clean and light, versatile, with the cashmere woody-muskiness perceptible right off the top which is a material i absolutely love. There’s also a watery quality to it as well, almost damp, it’s a very non-assuming fragrance that isn’t overly tenacious that I think is a great option when you just want to smell good without being overwhelming. There’s a tranquility to it without a doubt, leans slightly masculine but is overall unisex. Soft, tranquil, airy, and musky are the main terms I’d use though it does have some different nuances to it. I like it for sure and plan to wear my decant more and get a better idea of it

Once this settles, it reveals itself as a very calm, mature and comforting composition. It's very nice. Sometimes I think a specific colour can communicate the feeling of a perfume in a nice and synesthetic way. This would be a light greyish yellow. Not yellow as in floral yellow, but yellow as in musky-vanillic. Almost a bit lactonic. It could also be the smell of a nice textile, like a very soft and fluffy cashmere fabric. Unisex leaning feminine.