Rose 31 doesnt smell the same

[persianprince]

I wanted to see if anyone else has had this experience. I have a decant from a 500ml flacon that i purchased back in May, and it smelt great and i went through it recently. So i decided to buy a full bottle, which i did roughly 8 weeks ago and i can honestly tell you the new bottle doesn't last at all or project. My original decant which i still have roughly 10-15ml left is much stronger.

I'm just confused, if they use the same "recipe" which is all made by an employeee at the store, how can these smell so different. I'm really annoyed.

One thing i did notice, is the le labo sprayer doesn't really kick out that much juice, and my decant has a much better spray, so maybe i'm getting more juice out of my sprays?

Just smelling each from the sprayer, you can notice a difference in scent.

Feel like i may have just waisted 150 bucks

 

[jamwires]

it's the sprayer.

The fragrance smells the exact same as my sample. I just got a bottle via trade here that was made in December. The sprayer shoots like 1/4 of a Creed spray. The juice is good though, just spray more.

 

[alfarom]

I've already heard this story on some LeLabos a couple of times in the past few days. Hedonist is complaining that Patchouli 24 is tamer than it used to be (is it correct Hedonist?), another friend of mine returned a full bottle of Poivre 23 because he said it was much MORE tamer than the decant he used to own...hmmm, what's happening?

 

[PradaG]

Diluting to save $?

 

[persianprince]

I just got in on a Baie Rose split. I'm praying that i don't have this same issue...fk!

 

[Jack Hunter]

I wonder if there is something to that rumour that Le labo create their fragrances to degrade on purpose after the expiry date they place on their bottles for repeat business. Surely not.

 

[persianprince]

I've heard that le labo fragrances need time to "mature" and get better over time. So i wonder if that experation date holds any value.

 

[jasonx]

It is not a strange case for inconsistency of Le Labo fragrances, I remember this issue was discussed a while ago on youtube. The hypothesis is that the quality is different because the juice is composed by different people and sometimes inexperience SA

 

[DNT]

I think I have the same problem but need further testing to make sure.

A good friend gave me a decant of Rose 31 and I like it a lot. So I joined a split. When it came in a I eagerly spray it, it smelled predominantly of incense. The juice from my friend's decant was a balanced scent of cumin, rose and a little incense to make it deeper. I'm guessing each shop's employees will mix them differently, and a small variation in material leads to big change in the scent itself.

 

[hednic]

I'm guessing each shop's employees will mix them differently, and a small variation in material leads to big change in the scent itself.

I think you're right about that.

 

[hedonist222]

Yes alfarom. I feel my p24 to be too restrained. I'll pass by the boutique soon just to confirm. But my iris and rose are just fine. Same with my sisters Le labos.

 

[Pour_Monsieur]

My rose 31 " expired " last may and I swear it has gotten way better over time ???

 

[persianprince]

My rose 31 " expired " last may and I swear it has gotten way better over time ???

And this is what i've heard and am hoping for!

 

[DNT]

I hope mine ages well too.

 

[Indaco]

My rose 31 " expired " last may and I swear it has gotten way better over time ???

Mine seems to be pulling itself together into something more cohesive as it gets older, if that makes any sense.

 

[Dorje123]

I think I have the same problem but need further testing to make sure.

A good friend gave me a decant of Rose 31 and I like it a lot. So I joined a split. When it came in a I eagerly spray it, it smelled predominantly of incense. The juice from my friend's decant was a balanced scent of cumin, rose and a little incense to make it deeper. I'm guessing each shop's employees will mix them differently, and a small variation in material leads to big change in the scent itself.

I seriously doubt they are mixing oils, just diluting them so I think all that could vary would be the concentration, and that only by a tiny amount.

 

[Dorje123]

You are supposed to let frags sit for 4-6 weeks after diluting them with alcohol... I don't understand Le Labo's deal with freshness and having an expiration date...

 

[MJM_77]

I have tried multiple samples from The Perfumed Court only to go on a roller coaster ride of longevity to purchase a full bottle which surprisingly enough seems to have gotten better over time?

 

[taint it sweet]

I thought the expiration date was a gimmick. If it's real, I better hurry.

 

[Jer350]

I just got a 45 ml decant of this from a fellow basenoter. I believe it was a new 500ml bottle that just got in. I have no issues with longevity and the stuff smells great. I will buy a bottle after its gone for sure...hopefully it smells the same though.

 

[Oupavoc]

it's the sprayer.

The fragrance smells the exact same as my sample. I just got a bottle via trade here that was made in December. The sprayer shoots like 1/4 of a Creed spray. The juice is good though, just spray more.

So the sprayer on the full bottles are crap?

 

[Beranium Chotato]

Le Labo employees do not mix the perfume. They just add the alcohol.

I also do not believe they are using cheaper ingredients or diluting the juice. Patchouli 24 is using a new cade oil, and they were very forthcoming about it. I only sniffed the previous version a few times, but the smokiness in the new version is still uncompromising to the point that my coworker found it almost shocking.

 

[persianprince]

I decanted some of my juice into a bottle with a good sprayer, just to see if the issue was amount of juice, since 3-4 sprays on the le labo bottle and my other decant are not equivalent. Yes, i could of just sprayed more from the bottle, but i wanted to compare apples to apples. I did 4 sprays, 2 mid chest one back of the neck and just one on my forearm to check it throughout the day. So far i'm 2 hours still can detect it, however the smell just isn't as rich, but its there. I purchased this over 2-3 months ago, but i'll let it sit even longer to see if it gets better over time.

 

[Beranium Chotato]

I would take it back to Le Labo and ask them what's up. You've done more than enough at this point.

 

[persianprince]

I would take it back to Le Labo and ask them what's up. You've done more than enough at this point.

I'm not sure If that's an option since I purchased this back in January I believe it was, and online since I'm not local to any le labo store. Not sure if I can contact them with decent dent on the juice and it being 3 months ago to get a replacement.

 

[Oupavoc]

I would take it back to Le Labo and ask them what's up. You've done more than enough at this point.

I'm not sure If that's an option since I purchased this back in January I believe it was, and online since I'm not local to any le labo store. Not sure if I can contact them with decent dent on the juice and it being 3 months ago to get a replacement.

I agree with Brian here, but since it's not an option like you've mention, how about calling them?

 

[persianprince]

I just called and they directed me to email the individual in charge of quality controll.

I have her email and will send one tonight to her. I am even considering providing the link to this thread, so they can see others have similiar experiences and I'm not crazy

 

[dollars&scents]

BATCH VARIATIONS ... Oh no ..................

 

[Beranium Chotato]

it never hurts to ask, and Le Labo strikes me as the sort of company that would care about this. I will be disappointed if they don't respond to you.

 

[Trebor]

I've been coming across various stories of inconsistencies myself. It's not encouraging.

 

[dollars&scents]

shoddy business practices and/or workmanship, so to speak, seem to belie a perceived concern for the ultimate user ... No?

 

[Beranium Chotato]

shoddy business practices and/or workmanship, so to speak, seem to belie a perceived concern for the ultimate user ... No?

What?!

 

[hedonist222]

What?!

Nows your chance LOOOOOOL

 

[persianprince]

Spoke to the representative again to get the email info again since i was driving when i originally callled. He said to go ahead and ship the bottle back to the store and they will either refill it or add more oils to resolve the issue. I sent an email to the Gaelle at the NY boutique, sicne i wanted to get confirmation that this is fine to do, since the individual who requested i send the bottle is frmo the LA store, and he said sending it to NY is fine. I just didn't want to send a bottle to the store and they wonder what its for lol

I have a good feeling Le labo will handle this the way i expect them to...we shall see.

 

[dollars&scents]

yes !!! good luck ... I certainly think they should ... after all, continued, batch variations would not sit well with the consuming public ... you'd have to second-guess if you are getting the sampled fragrance or a mutant mixture ever time you make a purchase ... next time, smell it before you leave the sales outlet ...

 

[Anť1]

How odd. For a company which prides itself on clinical pretensions you'd hope they'd be able to maintain some consistency across batches.

 

[persianprince]

I will keep everyone posted as soon as I hear back from le labo, I will say both sales associates I spoke wth in LA and NY stores were extremely helpful and did not blow off my my concern, which is what I was afraid of. So that's a good sign.

I love rose 31 and had it been a frag I didn't care for as much, I might have not gone this far but this is in my top 10 all time list.

 

[persianprince]

I figured you all would be interested in Le Labo's response to my inquiry. Here is the response i received from

Thank you very much for sharing your concern with us.

My guess is the difference you notice may be related to the maceration process. Perfumes just like wine change over time and need to macerate for a few weeks after the bottling process. While you can wear your perfume as soon as you leave the store, it will be at his best after a few weeks, after the ingredients "sit" together for a while and gain volume that way.
In our case, the maceration process starts when we compound the perfume (we mix alcohol to essential oils) in our boutique when a client places an order ( versus maturation which is the process of aging of oils together, before the alcohol addition).
It means that you are comparing 2 bottles of Rose 31 with different periods of maceration. If you have a very good nose (as seems to be the case) and know the perfume quite well, you might notice a subtle difference. It should however be less and less noticeable over time.

Also, our teams follow the same strict protocol when compounding a perfume therefore the concentration does not vary from one location to the other.

Yet I would be happy to have one of our founders check your perfume’s olfactive integrity if you still think our explanation about the maceration would not explain the drastic difference you are experiencing and your guess is that there is something else wrong in the formula.

Please feel free to send your bottle to:

Le Labo fragrances
Attn.: Gaelle
233 Elizabeth Street
New York, NY 10012

We hope you will find this option convenient and we thank you again for contacting us.

All the best,



I agree with her comments and have heard of this line getting better over time, however I have had this bottle for almost 16 weeks, so that suprasses the 2-3 week maturation process. It may get better over time, who knows, but there is also an "expiration date" listed of 12 months. I emailed her back asking for an explanation on the experiation date, and if it really goes bad....I cant imagine that being the case, since my Rose 31 from previous flacon is over a year and smells great.

I'm not sure at this point if i'm going to go through the trouble of sending it back, unless i knew i was going to get a refill or a new bottle. I would be pretty upset if i sent them the bottle and they send it right back saying it was fine. So i'm not sure...

 

[Dorje123]

I think maceration has a lot to do with claimed batch variations (Aventus) but if they are saying "a few weeks" you are past that point.

 

[Anť1]

From the responses you've received I get the impression they take customer service seriously.

It wouldn't surprise me if they sent you a new bottle even if their opinion was that there wasn't anything wrong with it.

Good luck whatever you do.

I shall be wearing Rose 31 tomorrow as a show of solidarity!