Exploring Labdanum

Labdanum is a rich brown gum resin that’s sourced from the cistus shrubs of the rockrose and much like its resinous cousins benzoin and myrrh, labdanum helps to extend and anchor the impact of more fleeting notes. But labdanum’s real and exceptional worth lies simply in the way it smells.

A key ingredient in any amber based perfume, labdanum is a truly multifaceted thing. Both the spice and the sweetness it’s honeyed and still enriched with oriental elements.

It smells truly exotic yet comfortingly familiar. It’s leathery and yet woody at the same time conjuring up ideas of far flung luxury as much as it does dusty carpenter’s workshops and bustling shipyards. We’ve selected six perfumes from our range that use labdanum in decidedly different ways to give you a better idea of the manners in which it’s used in perfumery today...