I like perfumes that take a chance. They try to step outside of the box, either in the actual scent (which can be risky) or in design, style, distribution or what have you. The name A Lab On Fire conjures up a dramatic mental picture for me, and makes me think about the process of perfumery. It is a very small perfume house, with 3 scents, each designed by “the brightest talents in the industry”.  They have three scents, and if you like to step outside the perfume box, I really suggest you give these a try. I love the modern aesthetic of the packaging and the pitch. Elegant, I’d call it.

L’Anonyme (the anonymous) is what I would call a soft woodsy scent, with soft & sexy musk base that I could almost describe as mouth watering. That doesn’t mean it is foody or gourmande, rather,  it plays tricks on your senses. I find some musk molecules can make me wonder if I am indeed sniffing or tasting a fragrance. The Lab on Fire website describes it as “deep, unique” and “an enigma”. I have to say, I almost prefer this to a laundry list of perfume notes. Yes, maybe there are notes of woods, suede, bergamot and geranium, but tossing those notes around doesn’t really help to describe this scent.

The perfumer, Olivier Polge, most recently known for his Balenciaga scents (Paris and Florabotanica), really knows his way around a perfume. Amazing to me that he could create the baroque confection known as Flowerbomb and then use his magic on this minimalist and elegant scent. But, he also created Dior Homme, which is one of best woodsy iris scents out there. Seriously, so elegant. And I suppose I can detect a hint or shadow of  the Dior Homme impression here, without it being identifiably masculine. L’Anonyme could be worn by a man or a woman, easily. There is something so delicious about the woodsy notes – I had my nose buried in my arm while the dry down of the scent progressed. The dry down on the skin is simply beautiful. Soft, clean yet sexy- that is the magic of those musk molecules. I love L’Anonyme- it is everything I wanted Escentric Molecule 01 to be and more. If one could describe a perfume as urban and otherwordly at the same time, L’Anonyme would be that perfume.

I got my A Lab On Fire L’Anonyme from MIN New York