Travel The World And Visit Mexico With Le Labo’s New City Exclusive

Fragrances have the ability to transport us to another space and time. Its makers utilize notes, oils, essences, and other ingredients to bottle moments and memories. As with high fashion or fine jewelry, the scents we wear are subtle expressions of who we are–our personality, lifestyle, aspirations, and dreams. Similarly, the rows of fragrances that sit on your beauty or vanity shelf each tell a story. There are floral vials that capture the blossoming of romance. Other flacons filled with heady notes of amber or essences of grass mark the turning of a new leaf. My favorite perfumes are the ones discovered and brought back home for trips around the world.

Le Labo’s City Exclusives brings together the travel experience and the power of fragrances to transport. It was conceived in 2006 as a homage to the cities loved by the brand. On the same year, the brand launched Tubereuse 40 for New York City and Aldehyde 77 for Dallas. Other cities that followed include: Dubai, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Chicago, London, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Seoul, Miami, Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, Moscow. For each of these destinations, a special edition perfume is made. These scents, known as City Exclusives, are only sold only in the labs of the city they belong to. The Le Labo team emphasizes, “This means no online orders, no shipping, no exceptions. Some beautiful things are hard to get.”

Once each year, the cult luxury fragrance house makes an exception for 30 days only, allowing the City Exclusives to roam the world. For the full month of September, these elusive eau de parfums are made available online and in labs worldwide. Deborah Royer, Global Brand President and Creative Director of Le Labo, explains, “Every year, we look forward to September and the release of the City Exclusives. For us, this month is a time to reconnect with these fragrances and places we treasure around the world… and to be reminded of the ways anticipation can renew our appreciation, how patience unfolds into new beginnings.”

A new city has also been added to the collection’s 16 this year. In true Le Labo form, the latest fragrance, Mexico, is a refreshingly unconventional yet authentic depiction of the city known for its rich history, natural splendor, and mosaic of contrasts. Deborah shares, “Coriandre 39 was crafted as an ode to Mexico City. Its namesake, the humble and at times divisive cilantro plant, lends a vegetal lushness… Both grounding and surprising like the city’s intoxicating blend of vibrant aliveness and deep history.”

It comes as no surprise that the team behind Le Labo would zero in on an herb that you either love or dislike with all of your being. The brand has always been predisposed to challenging the norm, which has factored into its status as a cult favorite. Le Labo’s founders, Fabrice Penot and Edouard Roschi, have built a brand on the tenets of slow perfumery, infusing every bottle with the artisanal spirit. Creativity, storytelling and attention to detail are attributes that tie together fragrances from Le Labo, no matter how diverse and different they may be.

The team at Le Labo describes the newest City Exclusive, Coriandre 39 as: “[Something that] will surprise you. With the first spritz, a zing of spicy lime and aldehydic cilantro leaves (coriandre in French) set the stage for quieter crispy notes to peek through. Fresh green floral enter, then stick around for an intoxicating musky dry down. It’s a sensory experience that teeters between tranquil and vibrant. Think forest bathing in El Bosque de Chapultepec… or sipping mezcal in the shade at a humming café in La Condesa” This September, we get to visit Mexico and other vibrant cities with our olfactory senses.”