Welcome Osmanthus 19* to the Le Labo family! Released in 2024, Osmanthus 19 is officially the Kyoto City Exclusive scent, meaning that (except for August and September), you can only purchase it at a Le Labo shop in Kyoto. Personally I think that is just fine because my Osmanthus 19 review is that I personally did not, in fact, like it that much. Here’s why.
* Due to the City Exclusive rules, this link is only operational for sales in August and September. See below!
The Best of Le Labo (non-City exclusive edition): In order of excellence
What Does Le Labo Osmanthus 19 Smell Like?
According to Le Labo: “First impressions are notes of incense and aromatic lavender, before the titular flower emerges… creamy and uplifting, with woody, resinous tonalities close behind. The composition is pure Kyoto, a nuanced scent for a town where traditional machiya houses sometimes harmonize with concrete and neon, where video game arcades can be found a stone’s throw from the gardens of emperors long past.”
That is some lovely copywriting!! It is not, however, what I smell when I smell Osmanthus 19. I’m not familiar with the IRL version of osmanthus, which is a collection of 30 flowering plants native, mostly, to eastern Asia. (More from Le Labo: “In early winter when most plants have gone dormant, gardeners await the arrival of the Osmanthus flower. Let your eyes wander and you’ll miss it: the momentary bloom of this delicate flower, treasured for its ethereal, sensual fragrance. Until it can surprise us again, we offer Osmanthus 19.”
So I can’t really saying if I smell osmanthus or not, never having had the pleasure. What I smell is:
- a short-lived blast of something peppery — to the extent that I actually thought I’d sprayed London (Poivre) by accident
- followed quickly by spring flowers (like lily of the valley)
- literally nothing
This last part is the real problem.
Longevity and Projection
The only way I can justify the cost of Le Labo fragrances is by focusing on their longevity: One spritz of Poivre or Vanille 44 (my all-time favorite, though sometimes I’ll say the same thing about Poivre) and I’ll be smelling it on my clothes the rest of the day. I want a perfume with staying power. Twenty minutes after I sprayed it, I literally could not smell any trace of Osmanthus 19.
I really wonder if this is a physical limitation of mine, rather than the perfume’s. While I’ve generally had excellent luck with Le Labo fragrances, I simply cannot smell Another 13. I have gone to multiple boutiques, talked with the shop staff to be sure I hadn’t encountered a bad batch, etc. etc — I just can’t smell it. I wonder if Osmanthus 19’s second-stage scent is just outside of my own personal range.
That opening blast is nice enough but certainly no reason to spend into the mid-three figures.
Le Labo Osmanthus 19 vs Other Le Labo Fragrances
As I said above, the opening notes reminded me quite a bit of London/Poivre, though it doesn’t stay there.
This is the only City Exclusive I would not accept as a gift — I find it generally underwhelming. (Here’s a review of all the City Exclusive fragrances.)
If you’re shopping through Japan and South Korea, here’s a side-by-side comparison of the three available scents. I love Citron 28, like Gaiac, and — well, I think I’ve said my piece re: Osmanthus 19.
| Fragrance | City | Key Notes | Vibe / Style | Longevity & Projection | Availability | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osmanthus 19 | Kyoto | Osmanthus blossom, jasmine, suede-apricot nuance | Delicate, airy, soft floral | Light; skin-close | Kyoto exclusive; global online access in Aug–Sep | Lovers of subtle, ethereal florals |
| Gaiac 10 | Tokyo | Guaiac wood, cedar, incense, musk | Minimalist, meditative, woody | Moderate; close to skin | Tokyo exclusive; global online access in Aug–Sep | Fans of quiet, grounding woods |
| Citron 28 | Seoul | Lemon, ginger, jasmine, musk | Bright, energetic, citrusy-woody | Moderate; fresh lift | Seoul exclusive; global online access in Aug–Sep | A lively citrus with depth for daily wear |
Price and Availability
The pricing goes like this:
- 15 ml for $175
- 50 ml for $382
- 100 ml for $545
- 500 ml for $1780
Who Will Love Le Labo Osmanthus 19?
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Primarily someone who can smell it (pas moi)
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Maybe you really love osmanthus?
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City Exclusives completists
Final Review: Osmanthus 19
It’s hard to review something I can only smell for a few minutes — and which costs as much as this does. I hope that other people, with a more rarefied sense of a delicate fragrance, love this perfume so much. It is not, however, for me.
