Le Labo

I’m a guy that appreciates pure, clean scents. Never was very impressed by typical commercial colognes. I’ve used Armani Code & Acqua di gio before that. Those are way too pungent up front and short lasting. Labo’s product and customer experience is unique, authentic and all quality, as well as pricey… plan on dropping $ 175 for a bottle. I have used the rose shower wash and the scent is amazing and transcendental. So I had to go to the shop and within a short time found Santal 33, their sandalwood inspired scent. The scents at Labo are a bit like wine, you get the first whiff which is one sensation-​and then it mixes with your skin chemistry and changes over time, like the finish of wine it richens and transforms. The scents stay with you too, well into the day. Even if you don’t buy, it’s really worth a visit just to experience the range of wonderfully pure and unique scents. Good customer service, ambiance and awesome gifts if you’ve got the jack.

I love my Santal 33. The smell last for hours, sometime even after shower. I can only spray once since during the day it could be a bit strong, over all Le Labo is my new favorite perfume. I used to be in love with Bond #9 but after using Bryant Park for 4 years I needed a change. Santal 33 is pretty much everything I like in a perfume, best of all my husband enjoys the smells as much as I do!

I’m somewhat of a perfumista so I finally broke away from my usual scented haunts (mainly Tigerlily and the Internet) to venture into Le Labo.
First: yes, the scents are expensive, BUT they blend it with an extremely high concentration of scented oils.
Perfume primer break: perfume is a combination of perfumers alcohol and scented oils (what you smell). The higher the concentration of oils, the longer it’ll typically last, but also the closer it’ll wear to the skin. That is all dependent on the type of oils used too. For example, citrus oils do not last for very long bc the molecules are very small and burn off quickly. Cologne, eau de toilette, eau de parfum, parfum (sometimes called extrait or extract), perfume oil are designations the concentration of perfume oils from least to greatest. Often in Sephora you will find eau de toilette (EDT) strength fragrances and they tend to fade faster (so you need to reapply more often) bc of the lower concentration of oils. However, it’s all dependent on your own unique chemistry!
Anyways, Le Labo’s scents are marketed as eau de parfums, but are often parfum or extrait strength. I read that some of them are 30% which is high!
Also, the brand names their perfumes by taking the oil that’s in the highest concentration and combining it with number of fragrance oils used. So for example, Lys 41 has a high concentration of lily and 41 scented perfume oils. As a result, the naming convention can be a bit misleading bc it isn’t always indicative of how the fragrance will actually smell.
Le Labo also kind of came about early in the «niche» perfumery but has since been acquired by Estée Lauder. As true to their niche roots, the fragrances can be a bit «challenging» at first; meaning they don’t always smell great at first. Again, perfume is chemistry and you have your own unique chemistry so how something will actually smell on you is different, but know this: perfumes have different phases as certain oils wear off. What you first smell are «top notes», then a while later the top notes burn off or fade away to the «heart» of the fragrance and what you smell hours later is the dry down or «base notes.»
I tried Cuir 28 the Dubai city exclusive and on paper it smelled interesting, but when I sprayed it on I didn’t enjoy it at first, but an hour or so later when it started to dry down, it smelled amazing! Very strong animalic notes right away (think civet), but the animal notes faded to a wonderful woodsy vanilla base with cedary Iso e Super.
Anyways, this is why it’s important to try it on on your skin first! Also, resist the temptation to buy right away. How it smells a while later is important bc you may love at first or hate later and vice versa.
The fragrances are high quality and those bottles are T H I C K glass. I do have an issue with the fact that Le Labo blends your perfume on the spot bc often when perfumes are made, they combine all the ingredients and then they sit and macerate in vats for weeks to months. That time can def affect your fragrance. I had a custom perfume made for me (elsewhere) and it was obviously blended on the spot, but it definitely took on a different character over time.
Anyways, definitely worth checking out. It is a bit spendy but they are def made with a very high concentration of oils (thus driving up price). I showered hours after trying some on and could still faintly smell them afterwards!

Consistent brand experience – everything in the store is solid, heavy, deliberate.

What a treat! My sister and I stumbled in here on our day off. We were familiar with the brand but not to the extent we are now. Everyone was very helpful and explained a lot of the products to us. Jeff the manager went above and beyond to explain the choices that were available. He was knowledgable and gave us samples to challenge out side of the comfort zone choices. Everything in there is really lovely. I know I’ll be back to collect more of the «city» choices as well as scents for your laundry. Excellent customer service from the whole team. Thank you!

Meh.
Came here after reading all the articles and reviews about this place. At first I was super excited and tried all the scents they had in the store. The girls in the store were talking when we just entered the store. Ok, I guess I will browse around first. The girls not only treated us like we were invisible, but also were indifferent and unhelpful when we had questions about the scents. Alright, I guess they hired you to ignore customers.
Cool concepts but bad service. Definitely not coming back.

RACHEL IS THE BEST.
A former employee made me a bad batch of my favorite scent — Jasmin 17. I brought it in today and after smelling it, Rachel remade it for me — no questions asked. Rachel’s mix was a million times better. I’m so happy to have my regular scent back! Thank you for saving the day Rachel!

Oh le labo how I love thee.
Oh tubereuse 40, you make me warm, butterfly in stomach, happy and giggly, like a young girl with a new love.
I could fall asleep and wake up to you and have a smile on my face. I could wash my clothes with you and bathe in you.
And for the service, Mary is so great and warm and friendly. It was also nice to see someone from back east but she knows her stuff and was incredibly helpful and goes over and beyond in helping out her customers.

All of the scents that Le Labo produces are high quality and handmade in the individual retailer centers worldwide. We are lucky enough to have a store right here at home in SF.
The scents are expensive but you cannot find anything like them at any Sephora or Macy’s counter. If you’re looking for a «signature scent,» you will find it here!
I first smelled this scent at the home of a popular celebrity. Now I can understand why so many beliebers swoon over him!
I knew I had to load up on Santal candles and home spray because I couldn’t get that scent out of my mind. It’s indescribable and lingers. I also have the laundry detergent and it’s amazing.
I need to go to Le Labo and have another home fragrance mixed up soon because mine is running low! I couldn’t imagine my apartment without it.

And now I know, I will never need to go to another perfumery again because I have found the best fragrances and most wonderful staff ever in Le Labo in San Francisco.
I’m bored of high-​end stores looking down at new customers or people they don’t know, which is I loved talking with Rachel and another wonderful gal about all the scents. They were knowledgeable and they were NICE.
I’m currently floating away on a dream that smells like irises.
Thanks for a wonderful experience!
p. s. Please don’t let the price scare you away. It’s worth every penny. every. single. cent.

Great service, and very friendly staff. I ended up burning 320 bucks here, it was worth it.

I was very disappointed with my experience at Le Labo this evening. I had purchased a city exclusive perfume last year at this location by Meg. She was the nicest. Unfortunately she is gone and the new manager is terrible. Worst customer service on the planet. I work in retail and go above and beyond for people, because I like people. Clearly the manager is not a people person and I was buying a very expensive perfume, she could not even bother to speak to me. Since I had received an email from the corporate office saying they would give me 20% off a fragrance bottle that I broke.
I waited until Xmas to ask for it, and my husband and I were floored by how rude she was about it. Very defensive as if I made it up. Once she saw the proof in an email, she didn’t get any nicer.
Needless the say the other girl who made my fragrance was nice. And I love the scent, only can get it there. And when I need my refill I will take my money and go Le labo in Los Angeles.

Since discovering Le Labo, I’ve pretty much sworn off department store fragrances. Le Labo’s fragrances are high quality and won’t cause you or those around you to feel like they are breathing in fumes.
I recommend purchasing samples first because the scent will change some time after being applied to the skin. Santal 33, Neroli 26 and Vanilla 44 are some of my favorites.

Best fragrances!
I love coming in here. They have such luxurious scents made w top notch quality.
The body washes are amazing. The perfumes are seriously good, made to order right there in the store.
There are a couple cool chicks that work there too and are really helpful and know their stuff.
Love coming in here and love all my Le Labo scents :)

This is the best shop in San Francisco for high end fragrances. Some of the smells are somehow very strange and bizarre, but once you sort of get used to it, you really start to appreciate the details. If you’re not used to spending a lot on soaps, candles, and fragrances, don’t shop here. But if you want something special for yourself or sig. other, check this place out for sure.

I love this place! I was provided with superior customer service by Rachel, who was very attentive and answered all of my questions. There are several scents to choose from, and you could even make it more complex by layering them. I liked so many of them, but I narrowed it down to a few favorites, and I ultimately purchased a couple of samples to try out. I have no doubt that I will return to purchase a bottle. This is a great little spot to purchase a unique fragrance of your own, I highly recommend it for the unique product and outstanding customer service.

So Le Labo does not make custom fragrances, but rather, made-​to-​order fragrances with the most extreme detail and commitment to customer service.
I wandered in today with a list of perfume notes I liked and didn’t like, and Meg guided me through their perfumes based on what would match me best. Despite thinking I hated anything with amber, I ended up picking Ambrette9 because it was so light and clean. In an ongoing attempt to not be «that girl with all the perfume on», Ambrette9 is a quiet but lovely, clean and feminine, fragrance that only those who get close to me will notice.
The customer service here is really outstanding. They spent about an hour overall, taking me through all their products and explaining the notes and formulations. To ensure that I found something to match my body chemistry, then let me take an hour to go to lunch and decide which fragrance settled with me better.
It is pricey though; $ 170 for the smaller size bottle (1.7oz)
TL;DR — Meg is fantastic, the layout and design of the store is beautiful, and the fragrances are unique and fresh (you’ll never have to smell like someone’s exgirlfriend or a shitty celebrity’s box fragrance again!).

I love it here!
The place is very minimal in décor but the scents are to die for. I see a lot of people ask for Meg but Rachel is amazing as well.
Once inside you are allowed to sniff to your heart’s content. No one is ever pushy and they are always there to answer any questions one might have.
After you decide on what you want, they make it for you right there and put on a label with whatever you want to say on it.
Parking can be a pain and driving on Fillmore can be equally trying on one’s sanity, but once you’re here all is forgotten and a feeling of zen takes over.
Notes:
*You can get bottles 50ml and up refilled at a discount.
*Prices are stupid high but that’s the price one pays for niche fragrances.
*If you like a scent in an EDP and want to get it in an oil, try it on your skin. It can turn out to smell completely different.
*If you are unsure about a fragrance, try it on your skin and see how it dries down. There are a lot of scents I didn’t like on paper but loved on the skin.
*If you’re wanting to try a scent in the privacy of your own home, they will give you a sample to try out.

Go:
–Because you’re tired of Eau de Dept. Store Counter
–Because let’s face it, you’re already doing something hipster/​cute/​awesome on Fillmore. So what’s one more stop?
–For a unique personalized gift you can get monogrammed and/​or name-​printed
–For a fun shopping experience in a cool laboratory-​style boutique (PIC)
Get:
–Santal 33. (PIC) Really great blend of minty refreshing notes balanced with a not-​too-​strong woodsy backdrop. If you’re a girl, it’s going to make you smell kinda manly-​sexy in a really cool way. I always feel like it goes well with my leather jacket. If you’re a guy, chicks will be all, «what IS that smell you’re wearing?» :swoon swoon swoon: That’s seriously the best way I can explain it.
–Rose 31 (I got this as a sample and love it second-​best)
Bottom Line:
Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes. Is it the kind of gift that will drop panties? Yeah, I think so.
The staff is super nice and takes the time to talk to you about all the products and answer any questions you have. While you can’t make your own custom blends (boo), they do mix your perfume on the spot so it’s fresh. Bonus points for the super cool industrial-​style décor.

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING!!! Well, really I shouldn’t be yelling since this newly opened boutique exudes more of a zen-​like spa vibe. I absolutely love everything about this place from the bare bones warehouse/​lab-​like set up inside, to the simplistic packaging of the scents and candles which are hand assembled in front of you. Normally, I find perfumes too overpowering and headache inducing, but with the selections they have here, you can immediately tell the perfume oils are of high quality with the way they don’t assault your senses.
After some browsing and sampling, I ended up choosing a small purse spray sized bottle of the Santal 33 fragrance. The number indicates the number of ingredients/​notes comprising the scent. I watched the shopkeeper Emily weigh and measure out the oils and alcohol and blend it all together, bottle and box it. It was so awesome seeing everything put together in the mini laboratory that’s set up towards the back of the shop. There’s a comfy couch to crash on, while the mixing is done, but I was too mesmerized watching everything that I didn’t bother to sit down.
They also offer larger sized spray bottles that can be refilled at discount. I’m gonna see how long my purse spray ($ 58 for 15ml) lasts before I splurge on the larger size. I love that a fresh label is made for every bottle and you can name your creation whatever you like… I chose to be simple and just put my name (see pic).
I wish I had taken more pictures apart from the finished product. I’ll definitely be back here for more, and purchase a candle or two for the apartment!