Reviews of Private Label by Jovoy

Private Label together with Incident Diplomatique constitutes, in my opinion, the best of the Jovoy house. It is a wonderful perfume, in which vetiver and patchouli work in unison to give a perfume as intense as it is virile, masculine, serious, dry (less dry than Incident) and austere. A mature perfume that also shows the creamy side thanks to the sandalwood and the leather that help to soften what otherwise would risk being an excessive "earthiness" also due to the papyrus. It is a masterful perfume, a truly masculine perfume (like Incident) and not feminine or metrosexual stuff, no dociumi, no vanilla, no fancy stuff, just the scent of an adult male, serious and composed; reserved for those who have a nose and are able to appreciate classic creations, of course.

Private Label conjures a magical mystery tour of a rich amber blot floating over the terrestrial, the vegetal, the balsamic that haunts every nook and cranny of the olfactive… Collectively a leather bound trail toasting a holy communion of dark green and resin, Private Label opens with a naturally parched papyrus and its masala scroll inked by a grand design of spicy Java vetiver and deeply zesty patchouli, morphing into a petrolized vinaigrette deepened into the crease of a moist sandalwood, lit up in birch, sharpened in cedar edges and touched up with the tasty vanille facet of cistus, merely climaxing into an inebriated coriaceous fume; one that is tastefully direct and not for the faint. Simply, here is ‘presence’ and ‘intrigue’ as main ingredients for a unique label that may appear challenging yet is so seductive in its assertion. Truly more than a cimmerian beauty, Private Label pulses with a golden brown core that is shimmering, illicitly welcoming, naturally beckoning and waiting to be unleashed for a harvest moon… Ahh, fetching!

Dark, brooding, gorgeous take on leather, vetiver, and patchouli. Those three notes are present from top to bottom, a dragon's breath concoction of near-total darkness. Certainly not for everyone, but I can't get enough of it. The vetiver in particular is outstanding - in the deep dry down, it turns into a nutty brown vetiver note that makes me think of a richer, much longer lasting take on Givenchy's classic Vetyver accord. Lovely stuff.

Comparisons to Gucci Guilty Absolute are appropriate, though Private Label lacks the shrieking bandaid/plastic note that makes GGA unwearable for some of us. (Not hating; I suspect it's a note sensitivity not everyone shares.) While I'd never say Private Label is easy to wear, and it's much stronger and more intense than GGA overall, its composition is better balanced and more to my taste. Different strokes.

Performance is pretty close to nuclear. A single spray lasts all day, gets in your clothes, survives a trip through the laundry, and might wake your neighbors at odd hours. It's clearly an oily, resinous scent; your skin will glisten after application, so apply carefully. Definitely not a work or date night scent, but that's half the fun.

Not for kids. This one's for ones who seek adventure in perfumery...like when profumum released fumidus Or parfumerie generale bois blond and such.

Smells of intense dried leaf with hints of green left in it. Dry, gritty, dark and warm in its projection. A scent truly meant for the woods..It won't disturb the environment, rather blend with it.

Drydown is almost barnyard like oudh

Not for the faint hearted.. Sample.

Jovoy Private Label is wonderful. It smells like a tan-colored field of dried, dormant grass on the soggy ground. The aroma of rustling leaves invites you to sit in the sun and inhale. It smells like smoke and leather, like when my cats come in from outside on a cold winter day, and I bury my face in their fur. Papyrus creates airy smokiness carried on a breeze -- not a charred campfire at close range, but wisps of cigarettes smelled from a distance. The effect is expansive and diffuse. A bittersweet, wild aroma develops, like black walnut hulls ripening on the ground. To me, Private Label is the ambient aroma of the outdoors, of camping and hiking. It makes me supremely happy to be able to carry it indoors and wear it on my skin. People don't register that I'm wearing a fragrance at all. They think I've picked up the aroma of the outdoors. Such fun!
The last time I felt that outdoorsy thrill was from vintage Caron Yatagan. Possibly Lorenzo Villoresi Yerbamate. Maybe even Nasomatto Hindu Grass. I also enjoyed Jovoy Incident Diplomatique. Jovoy Private Label is a stand-out, and one of the very few fragrances I have fallen in love with in the post-apocalyptic IFRA-approved era.

Everyone to their own taste I suppose, but I simply can't stand this stuff. Sharp, grim and dystopian is how I'd describe it, and far from anything natural or pleasant .

Obviously it was intended to smell this way, so it must be appealing to some folks. But I prefer perfumes that with their fragrance, put me in a good mood, and this is certainly not one of them.

But at least it lasts forever.

Now this obnoxious fragrances opens with a dirty oily black leathery birch tar accord that smells thoroughly unpleasant. It's woody and gets heavier with the vetiver and patchouli and starts to remind me of some dark medicinal ouds.

After a while it settles into a dark woody earthy oily leather with a black rooty vetiver and it lasts and projects forever.

Not my cup of tea at all!

I'm rarely one to care about presentation, but as Man of the World said, JOVOY has really got that covered. Big beefy bottles that make you want to own it, hold it, and spray away. The bottle could be used as a weapon.

PRIVATE LABEL snuck up on me. Not the kind of scent I would ever expect I would like. Strong, earthy, kind of grimy vetiver is what sticks out. Leather and patchouli contribute, but the dirty vetiver dominates to me.

For me, it's kind of a solitary "Covid confinement" kind of scent. I enjoy wearing it around the house, but doubt I would wear in an office, on a date or out socially.

Nothing sweet or inviting in this one. Dark, brooding, austere. Inordinately masculine.

I had to wear Private Label for a week to be able to understand it enough to write a review. This is a very well done fragrance, deep, masculine and complex in structure. From the start I get leather, patchouli, an earthy vetiver and hints of cedar wood. The patchouli starts dirty but slowly turns chocolate-like, the leather goes from dark and dry to rich and wine-like. It seems that each note adds texture to the others. There's a oak barrel booze tone underneath through the heart which had me huffing my wrist to get as much as I could of the scent. Dry down is less leather and more patch, vetiver and wood. I loved Private Label but am not certain it's FBW, as I'm unsure of how often I could wear it. Colder weather, evenings perhaps, but I don't feel it's an office scent, a bit too brash perhaps. Deserves a certain Thumbs Up

Niche GGA

Hoo hoo boy. I like this one. Its a leather patchouli wood. Its got vetiver, dry and stark. The labdanum gives this a bit of a booze aspect. In the heart, I don't see the note, but I feel some tobacco, or something interacting to give me that impression. Birch gives her a little smoke. Its good. Good strength, nice bottle. I'm impressed. My first Jovoy I've tried, and its a winner. Thumbs up.

One of the best nishe frags .high quality .very manly.
Its deep rich a little dark masculine fragrance.
Kinda boozy quality on dark vetiver over smoky leather, patchouli gives spicy herbal feel to it .so glad find one here in my collection.

For the first hour this stuff is stunning. An absolute beast. Lots of vetiver, patchouli and even though it isn't listed there is an incense note of some kind?? It's deep, dark and resinous. After the first hour it does tame. It is no longer the wild beast. But still projecting off the skin for several hours before becoming a strong skin scent.

Jovoy are a grown up fragrance house that makes opulent fragrances for the refined frag head. Here we have another success that just radiates off my skin.

On a separate note, I will add that Jovoy have some of the best presentation in the game. They are also super generous with samples.

Being number 15 in a series of 16 reviews on critically acclaimed and noteworthy scents.

Private Label opens with an accord of what comes across as blackcurrant, incense and/or resin, and very dry woods, which might be a result of the vetiver or "papyrus". At this stage, it is nothing special and even somewhat medicinal. Once the heart notes are revealed, though, things pick up discernibly. There is a much better balance of the sweet and dry, with patchouli and leather coming to the fore and begging comparisons with the great Hermes leathers.

Unfortunately, the final act once ahain becomes medicinal and somewhat "meh". The overwhelming impression at this stage is of the somewhat dry sourness that a leather patchouli can reduce to. For those that like comparisons with their reviews, the fragrances that come to mind are Arso, Bottega Veneta, and Je Suis Un Homme. In fact, I'd rather go with any of those rather than Private Label, which suggests that, if this is niche, it's liable to stay niche. A fragrance for tryers rather than buyers.

As a rule, leather smells good, but some leather has a chemical smell as if something harsh was used instead of traditional processing, and that's the kind of leather smell I get from Jovoy Private Label, off-gassing chemical leather, and this is mixed with woody notes similar to what I smell marketed as oud in 2016. In the base, the best of the composition comes out, a light, woody soapiness.

I bought a bottle on the strength of a sample.

The sample had a cleaner smell, more woody. The bottle may have been stored differently - it's definitely more boozy liquorice note that I didn't initially like as much, but which dies down after a while into something still sweet but more woody and dry.

The first thing that struck me about this scent is how strong and distinctive it is.

I fairly doused myself with it this morning (about 6 or more sprays) because nothing I wear projects and usually dies within an hour or two. This is an exception. I was reaching across the room with this thing. So maybe not so much next time.

It is a lovely fragrance, very masculine to me. Very dry and yet sweet at the same time.

One comment was that it smelled like cedar balls placed in a cupboard. I hope it was that rather than naptha mothballs, though I could kind of get what he was saying if it was the latter.

Sandalwood was another comment.

I wouldn't blind buy this but for me it's highly recommended.

8/10

This is about as woody a fragrance can perhaps get. Jovoy Private Label opens up with an intense woody vibe upon application on the skin, with just a hint of peaty booziness. This vaguely boozy nuance is very fleeting. It soon bids goodbye as a very mild woody sweetness surrounds the central woody theme. It is deep and dark, but not brooding. Patchouli is the most prominent note, apart from cedar and sandalwood which are well-blended. Leather is listed as a note, but is very much in the background; so is the vetiver. It pretty much stays the same throughout from the heart to the base; towards the very end of its lifespan on the skin it is soft, sensuous, even alluring.

Picture yourself seating in a wooden chair in an old wooden room stacked with old books on an autumnal evening. You walk up to the shelves, picking out and placing back one book after another, as time stands still. Maybe you even sip the occasional dram of bourbon.
But nothing happens. And that, to me, is the issue with this fragrance. It is missing something. Perhaps some spices, or some moss, or woods, or an adjustment in the blend. There is a spark that is needed, and is absent. I respect it for what it is, but cannot appreciate it much. I almost feel I'm wearing it for the sake of wearing it.

Projection is moderate and longevity is good. If you're a collector, or a lover of patchouli or woody fragrances, this might be interesting. Otherwise if you look elsewhere, you are not missing out on a lot.

What a deep, rich fragrance. It opens up with a bitter blast of vetiver, some patchouli and green notes. This is a nice dry patchouli that doesn't have that “hippy” smell that is often associated with it, but rather one that adds to the dirt/earthiness of the overall scent. As another reviewer said, I get a distinct oud note that is present throughout the duration, but is tamed down significantly by a buttery sandalwood that emerges as the fragrance begins to dry down. Over time the leather and papyrus notes come out to really give the fragrance an incredible “old leather-bound book” feel that pairs wonderfully with the now smoky vetiver and sandalwood. Excellent sillage and longevity.

Finally a good – even great – Jovoy. All the scents I have tried from this house until now were just "ok", all with a "good" quality and a shy personality. This instead takes a step forward and just makes its statement - with a lot to say. The opening is unique and much interesting and captivating: fruity and sweet, but also boozy and dark, pungent, balsamic, sticky and oily like warm thick asphalt. It made me suddendly think of the cover of the album "Crazy Love" by Mj Cole, where you see this champagne bottle with thick sticky dark asphalt pouring out of it. Quite the same initial feeling here. A sort of archaic, alchemic syrup, with a black, beautiful, liquid and almost rancid note that floats in the very deep of it. Vetiver and patcholi are there, liquified and rounded, rubbery, sticky, sensual, balsamic, moreover you get them more dry and earthy. It all slowly dries down becoming more smoky and leathery with a more bold waxy/rubbery vetiver note – always much dark and morbid without being cloying, meditative, really thick and beautiful. The drydown is surprisingly more "open" and aerial, silky and dusty, with a vanillin note and the balsamic accord which gets almost mentholated and refreshing. Close to some Liquides Imaginaires at some point. Really unique, but also safe to wear. Great persistence and projection.

8/10

Superb woody/leathery potion and frankly one of the most beautiful olfactory creations I had the pleasure to test in the last two years. An incredibly hypnotic and austere dark vetiver with the entry card in the clan of my favorite obscure vetivers as Sigilli Athunis, Les Nombres d'Or Vetyver, Eau d'Italie Bois d'Ombrie, Gianfranco Ferre For Man, Vintage Etro Vetiver, several O'driu' creations and few others. Private Label by Jovoy, in spite of the not listed oudh's presence (in its recipe), conjures me by soon more than vaguely several By Kilian Pure Oud's nuances due to a stout leather/woods/resins basic agreement. The beginning is surprising and opens soon by an almost boozy blast of resinous/damp woodiness (woods and papyrus) in a while encompassed by a sort of leather/boots polish velvety vibe of irresistible beauty and depth. I feel in this opening phase the aroma really close to Pure Oud, just Private Label appearing far less medicinal (equally smoky) and anyway more velvety and rounded. I'm sure several animalic patterns (castoreum or fur) enrich the almost liturgical intensity of the exhalations. There is a subtle burnt incense sort of undertone which probably is afforded by smoky labdanum in association with moss, birch tar, bucolic vetiver and dry sandalwood. I still detect (in the central stage) a marvellous boozy/incensey undertone which joins itself to the general leathery/rubbery silkiness. The consistency is surprisingly velvety and smooth despite the determinant presence of smoke, dry spices, dry incense and arid woods (which work as stout holy undertone uncompromising the general silkiness in an almost miracolous olfactory process of balances). Vetiver and patchouli play their central role in this marvellous orchestra enhancing darkness and soft earthiness which seem anyway to partake in a different olfactory parallel level (uncompromising the general olfactory fluidity). In particular the vetiver appears finally dark and rooty with serious conjurations about the wonderful Vetiver by Etro, dark and rooty but not utterly harsh or wild, anyway its "agricole" vibe is perfectly presenved by a dominant purified and polishing silkiness in an elevated sleight of hand by a refined olfactory craftsmanship (How can I say? May be something like...polished but not too much). The note of sandalwood is just a tiny step under vetiver in the hierarchical order, influencing the whole dry down with its deep woody starkness. (It conjures me more than vaguely the Etro Sandalo's rich spicy/dusty burnt woodiness and the Montale Dark Aoud's stark intensity though in a less arid and more leathery way). The final outcome is a really uncompromising woody/smoky leather with a vetiver notable label. This fragrance, with its hardly paralleling olfactory beauty, jumps in a second among my personal wish list top fives. Fantastic work by Jovoy.

P.S: the profound dry down enhances the dry sandalwood in all its woodsy magnificence and the aroma becomes deeper and even more austere as a huge millenary cavern appalling in all its musty immensity.

Another stunning fragrance from the house which is bottle worthy for me.
A really modern take on vetiver with extremely masculine aroma.
I don't know why they put this in the unisex group but for me it's definitely masculine!
This fragrance opens up with bitter herbal smell of vetiver, patchouli, some spices and some leather.
The scent is green and herbal but bitter and dark at the same time. it's not sweet at all.
The vetiver and patchouli notes are not earthy at the beginning. it's just dry bitter herbal smell that you can smell with a little smoky feeling from leather.
As time goes by and in the mid, you have that smell at the opening but now the earthy nature of patchouli and vetiver shows up.
I can clearly smell patchouli and vetiver (patchouli a little more) with their earthy aroma and there is a good support of leather to make it darker and a little smoky.
While the opening was great, the mid is even better.
I can smell a very weak sweetness too but it's completely in the background.
Both projection and longevity is great.
I will buy a bottle of this without any doubt.

Probably my favorite among this line...at least so far.

A no-compromise, extremely woody-earthy, peatchouli-vetiver concoction enriched by warm leathery undertones (castoreum?) and dry sandalwood facets. What's not to like? Absolutely assertive and straight forward. It has an overall "familiar" vibe which I can't currently put my finger on but the general feel of the composition, is of something "pushed to the limits".

If you like unapologetic, masculine, dark-&-dry fragrances, you have to try this.

Outstanding projection and extremely good lasting power.

unapologetic beauty Probably my favorite among this line...at least so far. A no-compromise, extremely woody-earthy, peatchouli-vetiver concoction enriched by warm leathery undertones (castoreum?) and dry sandalwood facets. What's not to like? Absolutely assertive and straight forward. It has an overall "familiar" vibe which I can't currently put my finger on but the general feel of the composition, is of something "pushed to the limits". If you like unapologetic, masculine, dark-&-dry fragrances, you have to try this. Outstanding projection and extremely good lasting power.

Hardcore Vetiver... Private Label opens with a whiff of carbon paper-like papyrus before quickly morphing into sharp woody vetiver that continues to build as the fragrance transitions to its heart phase. During the early heart, the sharp woody vetiver evolves into the sole star of the composition as it adds nutty and leathery facets with hints of lemon popping in and out from time-to-time. As it enters the late dry-down the still starring vetiver now melds with relatively dry sandalwood to soften its sharp sting as the composition slowly fades. Projection is very good and longevity is just shy of outstanding at nearly 12 hours on skin. Private Label is billed as a leather focused fragrance but to my nose it is much more a minimalist sharp woody vetiver with an underlying leathery vibe rather than focus. The vetiver is raw and largely untamed until the composition utilizes sandalwood late to counter the rough edges and forcefulness of the woody vetiver, allowing for a softer sendoff. Due to the unpolished nature of the vetiver used I can see Private Label being a bit polarizing where vetiver purists most likely will love it and those looking for a softer, polished presentation will be put-off. The bottom line is as a hardcore vetiver lover it's no surprise I love the 4 star out of 5 "excellent" rated Private Label and highly recommend this $180 a 100ml bottle composition to other hardcore vetiver purists for trial and prospective purchase.Pros: Superb sharp woody vetiver that pulls no punches.Cons: Could be polarizing due to its somewhat rough and unpolished nature.

Absolutely fantastic It actually starts off with a boozy, almost rum-like scent as you put it on. But that dries down to the most austere leather-and-smoky-vetiver I have ever smelled. I would swear there's a note of old paper in there, but I may be projecting as it smells like my Grandfather's study. Fantastic silage, lasts well. Quite strong. I bought a sample, but I am wearing this continuously for three days and then buying it if I still like it. An absolute must-have.Pros: Dry, leathery vetiverCons: None.