Perfume Review: Aldehyde 44 by Le Labo
February 26th, 2007
Le Labo, the hip, New York based fragrance line, has come up with what they seem to think a brilliant idea of exclusivity: creating city-specific perfumes, namely, they’re only available for purchase in that city and require your physical presence. The first one, Tubereuse 40, was crafted for New York where it can be purchased at Barney’s or Le Labo boutique. The next one in line is Aldehyde 44 to honor the city of Dallas and its newly reopened Barney’s. What’s behind this incongruous idea is beyond me. Do they want us to travel to these cities to help the economy? Do they want us to simply suffer over not being able to even place a phone or online order? Or is it simply a random, whimsical concept? I’m afraid I don’t have the answers. What I do have the answer to, though, is the question whether the perfumes are good – yes, they are. Moreover, the city-specific ones leave a much better impression on me than their regular range. Such is the case with Aldehyde 44 – it is the best Le Labo scent so far. End of rant, for the scent’s sake alone (for now).
As the name suggests, the scent is built around aldehydes, perfume ingredients most commonly known for their presence in such Chanel fragrances as No 5 and No 22. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the top notes of Aldehyde 44 are very similar to Chanel No 22. However, while Chanel No 22 maintains the fizzy, aldehydic theme throughout its entire development, Aldehyde 44 transforms into a luscious, rich floral. It is a bit challenging to discern the flowers here but my nose detects indolic jasmine, hay-like narcissus, and just a touch of tuberose. The scent is sweet-powdery and lush-creamy at the same time. It doesn’t seem to develop much but I’m perfectly happy with what I get. On my skin, that is, for I simply cannot own a bottle, and travelling to Dallas isn’t in my immediate plans. Shame indeed, for a scent this elegant and excellently balanced to be thus confined.
Aldehyde 44 features the notes of aldehydes, tuberose absolute, narcissus absolute, jasmin sambac, musk, woods.
Image source: lelabofragrances.com
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30 Comments
1. chayaruchama | February 27th, 2007 at 6:55 am
How delicious…and frustrating !
I can practically smell it from here.
Bet this will smell amazing in summer heat- but damned if we’re going to have any …
Hope you’re well, and happy , out there in the heartland, Inushka!
2. newproducts | February 27th, 2007 at 7:36 am
This sounds so much like something I would like. Le sigh.
Thank you for the review and the unrequitable lemming.
3. Patty | February 27th, 2007 at 7:42 am
I got my little sample to try, and it is really awesome, and I’m just torched about this “hard-to-getness.” I mean, I’m always game for a good match of “hunt down the perfume,” but this is just engineered ridiculousness.
4. Elle | February 27th, 2007 at 8:05 am
I’m anxiously waiting for my sample. It definitely sounds like something I could fall madly in love w/. However, wasn’t the cost rather prohibitive? I know I can easily get decants on ebay, so I’m not too worried about the exclusiveness (which I think is ridiculous since it’s hardly viable in an ebay world), but I am worried about the cost, given the number of lemmings on my list.
5. Judith | February 27th, 2007 at 8:11 am
I am also anxiously awaiting a decant. It sounds great; I’m very excited, and only wish it were easier to get!
6. March | February 27th, 2007 at 8:14 am
My favorite so far — I can’t find the price online but I *think* it’s around $250. So even the decants are pricey. But, goodness — it’s just a lovely thing, isn’t it?!?! I got excellent lasting power, too.
7. Marina | February 27th, 2007 at 8:49 am
My humble theory is that yes, it is a random, whimsical concept.
The scent sounds lovely though. I want! But I am not traveling to Dallas (or anywhere for that mater) to get it or any scent on the planet. Hrmph.
8. Christina H. | February 27th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Good grief! I hate their concept of city exclusives too. And further more, why do there city exclusives seem heads and shoulders better? What kind of torture is this??! I propose that once or twice a year they should make a special occasion to sell it online for say, something like a week or two only. Just to give us non-travelers some mercy!
Your review makes me want this something fierce.From the description of it, I think I’d fall instantly in love! I hope people from Dallas will at least sell some online!
Thank you for a wonderful review and re-igniting my craving for this!
9. Marina | February 27th, 2007 at 10:47 am
I’d edit my my comment…I would travel (when I can afford it) to get a Guerlain or a Lutens, but Le Labo are asking us to make such an effort too early in their career, you know? To put it bluntly, who do they think they are?
10. Robin | February 27th, 2007 at 11:16 am
You know, I think I understand what they were trying to do with the city exclusives…create something unique & local, something not mass produced, something that was about things other than the money. But the scents have nothing to do with anything about the localities anyway, and they are more expensive, so the outcome is an aura of exclusivity that is annoying to the customer, and looks like the opposite of what they intended — e.g., it looks like it is about the money. And since they will just end up being resold on ebay and someone else will pocket the profit, I think they should do away with the whole concept.
11. Victoria | February 27th, 2007 at 11:21 am
I have to 2nd Robin’s comment. This just gives off the wrong impression. The perfume, on the other hand, is lovely.
12. tmp00 | February 27th, 2007 at 11:36 am
I’m with Marina- but I’ll go even further. I’m sure that Dallas is a perfectly lovely place. Having written that, I am not going to go out of my way to go there to get perfume. I would drop into Le Labo when I’m in NYC, because it’s New York. Paris os so obviously a destination on it’s own that it almost doesn’t bug me that Lutens has only-in-Paris scents. (and lets face it, it’s Serge Lutens) Le Labo just is not great enough IMHO to pull this off, especially not in Dallas. Sorry.
13. tmp00 | February 27th, 2007 at 11:37 am
PS: I have the flu, so yes, I am extra snippy
14. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 11:59 am
Chaya, it might be a bit too much for summer heat but it’s all about preferences, of course.
15. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Minsun, thank goodness for ebay, right?
16. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Patty, exactly! Ridiculous.
17. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Elle, yes, it’s quite pricey. Something like $230 for 50 ml. Ugh!
18. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Judith, I guess we do have our own ways of getting a hold of it, don’t we? I’m thankful for my decant.
19. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
March, yes, the lasting power is indeed excellent.
20. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Marina, I have to agree!
21. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Christina, glad to be of help, as always.
As for online sales, I doubt it. Argh.
22. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Marina, maybe we should ask them?
23. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Robin, I agree! It is extremely pricey and impossible to get outside of Dallas. What’s the flipping point? Fine, make it local but allow online/phone sales at least.
24. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Vika, it does, doesn’t it? Especially for those of us addicted to perfume. We would buy it, were it more easily available. Hence, poor business decision.
25. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Tom, it seems like their original idea got lost, as we’ve discussed above. The choice of the city is based on Barney’s location. But Barney’s customers shop in store as well as online and over the phone. This is what puzzles me.
26. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Tom, you take good care of yourself! Yikes!!
27. Tamara | February 27th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Sounds like a marketing gimmick and that is all. Although the scent itself sounds beautiful, I’m not down with the whole gimmick thing. I’ll pass. Thank you Ina for bringing my attention to it.
28. Ina | February 27th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Tamara, you’re welcome! I hope this changes.
29. Gaia | March 1st, 2007 at 5:51 pm
It’s a marketing thing. They hope that doing something so exclusive would instantly place them at the same level as The Big Ones. and it creates a much-needed buzz when all of us go a-running to ebay and write about it. But it takes more than a nice scent that can only be bought in Dallas to make you JAR…
30. Ina | March 1st, 2007 at 8:12 pm
Gaia, agree! Very short-sighted.