Rose 31 (2006)
by Le Labo

This is a dry, woody rose fragrance from the get go. The rose hits you from the beginning and is slightly floral and green (though not green in the vein of L’Ombre Dans). There is cedar and cumin from the start as well and they play a great supporting cast. These notes persist throughout and this one has great longevity. The rose does fade a bit and you are left with a cedar and cumin dominant fragrance towards the end. If the dark roses are too much for you, then you most certainly need to give this one a shot.

8th February, 2012.

Every Le Labo creation I have encountered has been a work of art. Rose 31 is no exception. Expecting a huge rose à la Parfums de Rosine, instead I get rose petals in a spice market with incense burning and food cooking. It encapsulates a whole world in one whiff. The complexity of the florals with the woods and cumin is unlike anything else I have smelled.

I adore Rose 31. Bravo!

4th February, 2012.

Well I have my Le Labo samples in the post today and have been wearing three sprays of Rose 31.

Just after application I am getting a Cumin note which I usually hate but in this it seems most agreeable and sensual. Then the pink rose comes through which is nice but a bit to perfumery to the nose in a feminine way.

Then what spoils the party for me is the sythetic iso-e super note that mingles with the rose and cumin notes. As I am smelling the interplay between the rose and cumin this chemical iso e super accord interrupts what could have been a nice interplay between the notes.

The fragrance as a whole seems heavy handed and a bit jarring with the rose been to perfumery with that chemical accord disrupting any harmony. Iso e super in Amouages Jubilation is well done and adds to the composition. But here it makes the fragrance smell like a ladys underarm deodorant.

After smelling the wondrous glory of Maison Francis Kurkdjians Lumiere Noire Pour Homme this one comes as a disappointment.

Overall it smells ok but so do a hundred other fragrances.:sad:

14th December, 2011.

Anyone who's expecting a bold and deep rose in the same vein of C&S No.88 should be prepared for a big disappointed. Instead if you're up for a woody/incensey/peppery composition enriched by a transparent rose note, this is a fantastic fragrance to check out.

Aldehydes get the party started immediately joined by a massive (but never overdone) dose of cedarwood and some frankincense. A transparent peppery rose floats around adding refinements and character. The fragrance slowly turns into an amazing, slightly powdery, woody/spicy drydonw that lasts for ages (this is the best part IMO even if the huge amount of Iso E Super can result off-putting to someone).

Overall, Rose 31 is more of a woody fragrance than a rose one and brings to mind of many Duchafour's compositions (Paestum Rose above all) for its transparency, radiance and general style. It could have been easily included in the Comme Des Garcons Series 2 Red as Cedar with the only difference that it would have costed 1/3 the price.

Good.

10th December, 2011. (Last Edited: 17th January, 2012.)

Great work about an aerial and transparent rose. It´s clean , semi spiced, half fresh /half dry ... an unquestionable work of art.
I like the way that cedarwood works here and and gives it a sea breeze air.
one thought: maybe the creation is not about the rose flower , but about the concept of the beauty of the rose.
an absolute must have!

16th November, 2011.

I find Rose 31 to have the most wonderful dry-down, I just can't get enough of it.

This was the first niche fragrance that I've tried that I consider to be bottle-worthy in both scent and longevity.

31st August, 2011.