Truth is, Baie 19 should have been called Water 19. Not that it smells like nothing (though nothing smells like it), but it has this crisp, wet, drenched effect that water gives to the earth after the rain… and there’s a word for that, by the way: petrichor. It’s that magical feeling during heavy rain after a long dry spell, and it’s one of the most beautiful olfactive phenomena in nature. There are many reasons for this, including the ozone in the air, the negative ions, but most importantly the release of oil secretions from certain plants, accumulated after a long dry period.
This is what Baie 19 is about: the dry juniper berry (baie is berry in French), the patchouli, the green leaves… all soaked by a beautiful, luminous, magnetic rain after a long drought. And the joy that comes with it.
“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Le Labo refers to its artfully crafted perfumes as ‘soulful fragrances’ – each unique scent is hand-mixed in the brand’s studio using high-quality ingredients sourced from Grasse, France. This ‘Baie 19’ version is inspired by the scent of rain after a long, hot spell. It’s infused with Patchouli, Juniper Berries and a heady base of Ambrox, Cade and Musk.
Cult-favorite fragrance house Le Labo debuted in 2006 and gained immediate renown for its subtle, striking scents, apothecary packaging and distinctive naming convention. Each name consists of a word and a number: the most prominent note and the quantity of notes in the composition. Freshly compounded and hand labeled, these handcrafted creations are often unisex and always irresistible.
