Le Labo Rose 31 is a dark, dry, spicy rose scent intended for men but perfect for a women. Launched in 2006 and created by Daphne Bugey, it has notes of Centifolia rose, cumin, pepper, clove, nutmeg, olibanum, cedar, amber, gaiac wood, oud, cistus, vetiver and animalic notes. Rose 31 is an eau de parfum, edp.
Le Labo Rose 31 has quickly become a signature fragrance in Le Labo's line. It is distinctive how you get hit with cumin - brace yourself for it - then pepper, pepper and more pepper, then the rose (this really isn't a big rose perfume!) shows up along with woods and incense and a few hints of spice. It is charming. Well, eventually. My favorite way to get Rose 31 is to get the Laundress Rose 31 Laundry detergent and wash my sheets in it. OMG, heaven.
From EauMG - "Rose 31 opens as a green, dewy cottage rose but you can tell immediately this won’t be the usual rosey-cheeked rose soliflore. Underneath there is a sweaty cumin that is trying to be masked by a hefty dose of laundry musk. Does the laundry musk mask it? It really just depends on your skin chemistry if it will or not. For the most part, Rose 31 is a tea rose with cedar."
From Now Smell This - "The rose itself is subdued, and I tend to notice it more from a distance, especially after the fragrance dries down. Up close, Rose 31 is all deep, dry woods with earthy undertones and soft spices. It has a slight medicinal edge in the early stages, perhaps from the oudh, but that calms nicely. It is a dark scent, more warm than cool, but it is not particularly heavy, and I find it only mildly animalic. It is not too masculine for a woman to wear, but there is nothing at all feminine about it, and certainly it is more likely to appeal to someone who likes spicy woods scents than someone who is looking for a ros"e soliflore."
From Basenotes - "Le Labo's Rose 31 is quite possibly the best unisex rose fragrance on the market. Rose fragrances have a reputation of being either very demure tea rose snowflakes, or brash and garish in-yo-face hello kittys. Rose 31 is expertly blended with great ingredients- its light but still full-bodied rose note is filtered through a dash of cumin, dusted with cedar, and softened by a base of woody oud and musk. The overall affect is of a medium-rare woody and spicy accord softened by rose water. If you find something such as Czech & Speake's No. 88 as too much of a good thing, this is a fantastic alternative."
spicy opening, cumin (but not BO) with cedar, florals in the background at the start. Ambery rosy, not sweet, kind of chilly smelling. "manly rose" - flower is still there but it's not at the top, which is nice sometimes. I like it but don't love it, and I'm kind of glad I don't love it since it's so expensive. The drydown is a warmer spice, not as harsh. I’m finding I like this more the more I wear it. I really like the cumin note, which is polarizing I guess.
Lovely rose scent. Very clean, not at all powdery or cloying. There is no 80s tuberose here. Very easy to wear, can imagine you could wear it to office daily without offending anyone. Also lasts very long!
spicy opening, cumin (but not BO) with cedar, florals in the background at the start. Ambery rosy, not sweet, kind of chilly smelling. "manly rose" - flower is still there but it's not at the top, which is nice sometimes. I like it but don't love it, and I'm kind of glad I don't love it since it's so expensive. The drydown is a warmer spice, not as harsh. I’m finding I like this more the more I wear it. I really like the cumin note, which is polarizing I guess.
Lovely rose scent. Very clean, not at all powdery or cloying. There is no 80s tuberose here. Very easy to wear, can imagine you could wear it to office daily without offending anyone. Also lasts very long!
Nice clean smell. Not an over powering cologne. Last from mid morning application to early evening. I’ll definitely by this again.
This a lovely, spicy, dirty rose that is NOT for good girls or boys. It is sexy and alluring, long-lasting and one of the best Le Labo has to offer. I mix it with Santal 33 when I really want to go crazy!
I was really intrigued by the idea of taking rose- a traditionally feminine scent- and making it more masculine. I don't tend to like overly fluffy, feminine scents and this wound up striking the balance perfectly. You get the initial floral hit but it mellows to something spicy and dark. It's not too masculine though either, and feels like it can be used year round, not just in the colder months. It would feel totally at home on a woman in a sexy black dress, drinking a scotch on the rocks.
Sexy, clean, rose fragrance, you'll love it！
Ever since I fell in love with Frederic Malle's Portrait of a Lady, but can't afford the hefty $ tag, I've been on the hunt for more unique rose scents. This has a nice mix of rose with spices, very unisex, less sweet, more of a "manly" leathery scent. It's not cheap either, but less $$ than P of L. I think I would like this on my hubby.
This is a dirty rose cedar scent. The cumin is blended nice with rose to help offset the "BO" effect of cumin. There is a great cedar note at the dry down. This is perfect for the spring and cooler summer days or nights.
I'm a guy. I hadn't worn a scent since high school ... more than 30 years ago. I sprayed this on my wrist at Barney's one day, mostly because I was impressed by the Le Labo display. Hours later I couldn't keep my wrist away from my nose. By the next day I was obsessed! It's the first scent I purchased since high school, and it started me on an exploration of scents that may never end. By the way, women love it on me.
