Le Labo Ylang 49: fragrance review

Ylang 49, newly launched by Le Labo this summer, is more treacherous to its assumed floral disposition and deceptively crepuscular: like murder-experienced, gold-digging, vacationing in Hawaii for one last trick Theresa Russell in 1987's "Black Widow", there's a bit of that Seattle rainy weather she just escaped from accompanying her sunny blonde exterior. The fruity sweetness of the ylang and the tropical tiare gardenia (the Tahitian Pua Noa Noa) are underscored by a green and resinous backdrop rich in mossy, earthy tones, that casts a long, long shadow.

Perfumer Frank Voelkl, who was also involved in the creation of Le Labo Santal 33 Iris 39, Musc 25 and Baie Rose 26, created with Ylang 49 a deceptive composition that zigs when you expect it to zag. Not exactly the "New Chypre it's touted to be (we're a long way from the perfume-y, lady-like, strict ambience of the classic chypres), it's all the same further removed from the scrubbed 18-year-old faces of the "floral woody musks" with their cleaned-up patchouli & vetiver under fluorescent florals that we affectionally call "nouveau or pink chypres" on these pages (you know, Narciso for Her, SJP Lovely, Idylle, L'Eau de Chloe, Chypre Fatal etc).

Not the typical ylang floral with jasmine-like sweetness (an inherent part of the ylang ylang absolute itself), much like Theresa Russell isn't your typical blonde American actress, I'm instead discovering a richly nuanced tapestry in Ylang 49 where every thread is shimmering with full conviction that they're contributing to the mysterious whole, just like the tiny clues federal agent Alex Barnes, obsessed and under the seductive spell of the murderess, collects to get to the heart of the Black Widow's fatal game.

Just great!

Notes for Le Labo Ylang 49:
Ylang ylang, Tahitian gardenia, patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, sandalwood, benzoin

Stills from the 1987 Bob Raffelson film noir "Black Widow" (recommended) via thefancarpet.com

Disclosure: I was a sample directly by the company. 

Le Labo Lys 41 and Ylang 49: new fragrances

Florals are never taken lightly in perfumery and even less at Le Labo where it has taken three intense years to add to the brand's floral chapter. Le Labo is thus proud to present imperfect twins, the result of a long creative process and the birth of two new floral statements - LYS 41 & YLANG 49.

LYS 41 is an overwhelming white floral - a blend of jasmine, tuberose absolute and lily, bewitching in its noble, warm and sunny approach yet treacherous once caught in its web of noble woods, vanilla Madagascar and musks. LYS 41 rewards those looking for a statement with an addictive floral buzz that is as potent as its wake and as insistent as the people following you around. Good luck. Lys 41 has been created in collaboration with Daphné Bugey. Daphné is one of Le Labo’s iconic noses, she is the perfumer behind Rose 31, Bergamote 22 and Neroli 36.

YLANG 49 is a chypre floral, where Pua Noa Noa (gardenia from Tahiti) completes the floral voluptuousness of ylang ylang... Patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, sandalwood and benjoin follow to tip the blend into darker sensual undertones... Ylang 49 is a walk in the woods, a lush floral bouquet in your hand, listening to G. Gould's well-tempered clavier and realizing that a floral composition can go beyond flowers, in the same way a fugue in D minor is way beyond the D... Ylang 49 was composed with Frank Voekl who was also involved in the creation of Santal 33, Iris 39, Musc 25 and Baie Rose 26.

LYS 41 & YLANG 49 IN A NUTSHELL

	Lys 41	Ylang 49
Notes	lily, jasmine, tuberose absolute, warm and sunny notes, woods, vanilla Madagascar, tiare, musks	ylang ylang, pua noa noa (gardenia from Tahiti), patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, sandalwood, benjoin
Concentration	25% (Extrait de parfum)	30% (Extrait de parfum)
Perfumer	Daphné Bugey	Frank Voekl

Prices & Sizes:

15ml: €€45 (boutiques & online)
50ml: €€110
100ml: €€170
500ml: €€560
travel tube kit: €€105
travel tube refill: €€105 .
perfume oil: €€90
amulet: 57€€
ceramic oil: 37€€
body oil: €€50 (available in Fall)
body lotion: €€50 (available in Fall)
shower gel: €€38 (available in Fall)

Date of release: 8th June 2013
Availability: Le Labo stores, corners and online: http://storeinternational.lelabofragrances.com

A new city-exclusive (San Francisco), Limette 37, is also in the cards, to be officially announced on May 20th (my announcing post on it of May 14th has since been retracted at the request of the company)