Grey Labdanum Abel 2016

I acquired Grey Labdanum in the hope of learning more about the scent of labdanum, as Le Labo's "Labdanum18 / Ciste18 (Eau de Parfum)" is one of my absolute favorite fragrances.

I own the 15ml bottle, which comes in a somewhat oversized but beautiful cube-shaped box, from which the top part, taking up about 3/4 of the height, is removed, presenting the bottle standing in the bottom part. It has a simple design with a white magnetic cap. I like these magnetic caps and enjoy playing with them, as they can only be placed on many bottles in a specific position, causing them to spin :)

Right after spraying, a somewhat bitter, herbal scent emerges, reminiscent of a digestive bitter.
There’s nothing citrusy here unless the bitter peels of grapefruit and bitter orange are meant.

From this, smoke arises, at least something that leaves ashes behind. It evokes associations with grey and also dust - like the dust when driving over a gravel road. I can assess this quite well right now, as I have just shoveled and carted 1 ton of gravel.

A resinous note comes into play. However, the predominant scent remains the digestive bitter.

About 5 hours have passed now, during which I haven't tracked the progression, and the remaining scent reminds me of earthy patchouli on a dusty base.
This base can still be detected for several more hours.

I am not familiar with clary sage, and I do not perceive anything sage-like.

With the labdanum base, I had hoped for something along the lines of Le Labo's "Labdanum 18 / Ciste 18 (Eau de Parfum)," but these two fragrances are completely different.

This scent can be worn in all seasons, at all temperatures, and by all genders. I usually prefer patchouli in the summer even more.