Description
Labdanum de Seville is the second fragrance from the Voyage en Mediterranee collection and it brings us charm and magic of Andalusia and highlights opulence of labdanum, wild and robust plant which produces dark brown resin with intense scent. Cistus Ladanifer or Rockrose is a bush growing in the Mediterranean and blossoming with beautiful, gentle, fluffy, white flowers. Its intense aromas of resins can be described as animalistic, woody-sweet, dry musky, leather-like or similar to ambergris.
A top of this opulent composition awaits us with sparkles and freshness of citruses which make a refreshing overture to this oriental fragrance. A heart introduces accords of labdanum, while a base includes benzoin and vanilla. The fragrance arrives in a flacon characteristic for L’Occitane brand (similar to Notre Flore collection), made of glass, with a golden, cylindrical stopper. The stopper and outer carton feature a decoration, compass – rose of the winds, which has magical powers, protects mariners on their sails and suggests knowledge and experience.
Voyage de Mediterranee Labdanum de Seville, the second fragrance from Voyage de Mediterranee, was presented together with Mimose de L’Esterel, and is available as 75ml EDP.
Labdanum de Seville was launched in 2009.
kesha2011 – :
My favourite from Loccitane, and one of my favourite fragrances in general. Labdanum as a note in perfume is very dear to my heart. It reminds me of cistus flowers I used to pick as a child and inhale untill I felt dizzy. White cistus flowers and their leaves have a soft, warm peppery aroma which isn’t easily detectable but it is definitely there. I can only imagine what the pure resin smells like. Labdanum essential oil is sweet, sticky, earthy, woody, peppery.
This fragrance is very autumnal with genuine labdanum in its heart. Benzoin gives it more depth while vanilla sweetens it and gives it a cozy vibe. The winter citrus note is a perfect touch with a squeeze of freshness.
Overall this is the type of fragrance to be worn on a cold day sprayed on a warm fuzzy scarf.
It’s never overbearing though, only cozy and comforting.
I recommend it to anyone whose favourite season is autumn and who’s looking for a fragrance that mirrors that.
Wersoaltboara – :
Is there anything out there that smells similar to this?
seddoy2008 – :
Of the frags in this particular collection, I think the Corse (Immortelle) and this Labdanum were the standouts.
I’ve got one full bottle that I’m selling. I just posted it on eBay today, but would rather sell it direct to one of you Labdanum fanatics. Drop me a note if interested.
Pinnacos
dadi1 – :
I love this perfume and it’s definitely unisex and can be layered with something lighter and sweeter. Too bad L`Occitane discontinued it. I would love to know what the flower note actually is since it’s faint, just like the citrus. Why Oh why do they always discontinue the good ones??!
deded – :
se il labdano ha questo odore allora amo il labdano 🙂 mi piace molto questo accordo molto balsamico senza essere esageratamente dolce (la vaniglia compare nella piramide) tantomeno medicinale. probabilmente l’effetto resinoso dato dalla giustapposizione di ladbano e benzoino è smorzato da qualche sentore agrumato che rende il complesso morbido ed elegante. peccato che la sua persistenza sia piuttosto bassa e che non sia più in produzione! molto buono.
semllllllll63 – :
A very sweet candied apple type smell. The amber and benzoin vibe dominate throughout the duration of the scent which is wonderful. As mentioned, after a couple hours or so the scent is so faint and is basically a skin scent after that. I have worn this about 10x over the last few months hoping that the performance would be better but it does not. If it lasts on your skin then go for it!
Binom – :
I have smelled many a fragrance over the years, this and 3 others are the most amazingly seductive scents a man could wear to me.
This opens with warm deep resinous slightly woodsy labdanum and benzoin- that unique vanilla like characteristic of it adding to the note of vanilla itself. Beautifully warm scent. Such a shame it was discontinued 🙁
Alexandra_fromAD – :
Got this today, a very nice oriental warm scent. It starts very strong, implied that it would be like those 80’s power horses, but sweet and oriental. Took me a while to detect the citrus notes, their only in the first few sniffs just to lighten up the sweetness of vanilla and benzoin.
I was surprised to know there is no Amber notes in this, in the first hour I can definitely smell amber along with the benzoin, labdanum and vanilla. There is also one note than I can smell, apple! I can definitely smell apple mixed with amber here, somewhere in here may be after an hour, this smell a little but like Ambré by Baldasserini.
The sillage is good for the first couple of hours then it starts to become a skin scent. Longevity is not what is expected from an EDP at all. 7/10 for me.
Крут2010 – :
It is a stunning perfume!
It is earthy (amber, labdanum, spices),deep with a hint of honey.
You, and your beloved ones will have an exotic yet sweet, sexy and elegant feeling when you are wearing this perfume.
The entire line from the Voyage en Mediterranee collection is from a great NICHE quality.
why on earth is this line no longer in production is this line discontinued?
votoniRF – :
This sounds amazing but it’s been discontinued for a while…does anyone know where/how to get it?
Thanks!
lovelas tj – :
On my skin this starts off smelling like a light, zesty, peppery vetiver rather than labdanum (which I am quite familiar with so I was expecting full-frontal labdanum blast from the name). Light vetiver and saltiness, and something, somehow, fresh… it reminds me of being near the ocean faintly. (freshness must be the citrus though I can’t ID it as such?)
It is uplifting. I find it very unisex. Will continue to write more as I wear it today if it merits more feedback.
UPDATE: nope, seems pretty linear. Nothing to write home about and appears to be very close to skin to me (but that’s always difficult to judge on your own). Pleasant. Will see if it works some magic on male skin instead, if not may trade rest of my 10ml decant.
Still kinda reminds me of being near the oceans in NC where there are lots of woods/driftwood; those types of beaches seem to have a more woodsy +salty scent than others and that’s what I keep thinking of when I smell this. Actually… you know what, I’m going to keep it out of a sense of nostalgia for visiting those beaches up the east coast as a child in search of lighthouses w/ my great grandma. It’s really bringing me back so that’s worth hoarding an otherwise so-so decant. 😉 Maybe it’ll have that effect on others too, who knows! (*clicks ‘like’*)
algositesse – :
LOVE IT!
Although, it does not last long, this verifies its natural oils composition! The less it lasts the more natural it is!
pavlyuk4 – :
I have no idea what labdanum smells like, but I love this. I got it buying a bulk lot of partly-used perfumes, and I am very happy I did get it, as I never would have considered it otherwise (I have a looong list of ‘wants’). I do love the smell and its uniqueness. Being a female in my early 20s, I am often drawn to sweet fruity floral scents (probably more through advertising & price than personal preference)and after a while they all end up smelling indistinguishable. This is a lovely refreshing scent, and I love it. It is strong but not too strong on first spray, but I must agree with other reviewers that it doesn’t last very long. I would say it lasts about two hours.
TK.Kochet – :
BEWARE! Weird Analogy:
Have you ever seen a film that was wildly entertaining but was shot entirely in one location (e.g the movie Misery)? The likeness really comes to life once you engulf yourself in L’occitane’s installment from their Voyage en Mediterranee series. Why the comparison? Seville is linear and if your skin is favored for this savorous ride, you will definitely enjoy the chunky flower/amber combo throughout its duration. When wearing this, I can’t help but to think of plaid shirts, orange leaves falling or maybe a coniferous setting. For the record, certain scents from L’occitane smell pretty close to niche. This is one of them. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your true October fragrance.
zoya1937 – :
this beauty is an enchantment…and a huge disappointment.
it is really a pity that such a voluptuous, rich and complex fragrance has a longevity close to zero!
I sprayed it on my skin, and on my clothes, but it just wouldn’t last. I don’t know how other women think its lasting power is good.
I wanted this perfume so bad and eventually got it from ebay for a very good price. I was captivated at first sniff, but one hour later the magic…vanished.
it breaks my heart, really…
HrvojeKnepo – :
Hello…can anyone tell me where can I buy it. I absolutely love it. I am from Slovenia where it can no longer be found 🙁 … help please…
stendek – :
I was walking by the O’ccitane today and the sales person introduced me this. I was undecided until she told me that this scent was discontinued. I picked up a bottle and already have layered it with Coco Black. I love it so far.
ofo440speagoessenda – :
I bought this a couple of years ago for winter, and have enjoyed it ever since. It’s definitely for cold weather, and projects a dry, warm, slightly resinous, wholly approachable scent. Unlike some other l’Occitanes, this projects a sillage, and lasts all day. As it is a relatively simple scent, it layers well with single note fragrances such as rose.
It’s a pity that l’Occitane has phased this perfume out, as it is far more interesting than the florals and colognes they’re marketing now. The only fragrance in their shops that I still find interesting is the men’s cologne, Eau des Baux.
kmx286intitytek – :
This fragrance has much better longevity than others I’ve worn from L’Occitane. I wish I knew what real labdanum essence smells like in order to compare. This is a rather dry, resinous ambery scent. It has a note which reminds me very much of pipe tobacco. In fact, to me the tobacco note here is more discernable than in many fragrances that are explicitly meant to have a tobacco note.
This is simple enough that it could be a layering scent, if anyone is crazy enough to layer in these puritanical times we live in.
zoriaassero – :
I love the rockrose/cistus shrub’s scent, which is called labdanum in the perfume world, and I had to buy this after smelling a friend’s bottle of it. It doesn’t actually resemble the shrub too closely, but it has the right feel for it: resinous, warm, dry, and sweet, all in an attractive balance. As with the other L’Occitane scents I’ve smelled so far, it’s very approachable and wearable, not too crazy, but it’s pretty enough that people have complimented me while I’m wearing it. A keeper.
erurlertyg – :
In line with the previous revievers account, this will be my second review about Labdanum de Seville.
Indeed the very reason I bought this perfume was that it reminded me of an Egyptian mummy’s smell. Did I smell one, no, but what I’m sure is how a resin smells on a piece of cotton cloth (that type of used in embalming). It’s sweet and could be cloying, but is quite a unique smell nevertheless.
However as the perfume progress on your skin, the “Ancient Egyptian embalming room” smell leaves its place to something merely ambery and sweet. Maybe this is what labdanum really is, but not as I imagined it to be…
Could I have been expected something different here? Maybe beyond the concept of this perfume? Seems yes.
Certainly a different scent though.
Edit: I don’t understand in which way this frag resembles Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle, but hey, don’t I like the expressions of such different perceptions!
Soognilborn – :
just got this yesterday for about 100 us dollars..i love labdanum scents..but i am a bit confused about this one ..it reminds me of the old market streets in mekah and madina which are holly cities ..as a child, i used to go there, and there will be incense burning, and old perfume shops.. and smells coming from all directions..when i smelled this perfume, i instantly was taken back to those days.. but it carries a heart tightening sensation and memory.. in Islam, after a person dies, they wash him or her with certain scents that reminds me of this one..as we used to walk on those narrow streets, we used to see people carrying covered corpses in green,on their final journey to be prayed upon, and then to their final resting place.. and the aroma of their covered bodies smelled a lot like that.. sorry for the description but i just couldn’t help but describe the scent.. don’t get me wrong, its not a horrible perfume.. but it just takes a heart that did not connotate it with such scenery..
back to the perfume its self, it just smells like lo-ban or resins that were poorly soaked in water not even alcohol..its a very old fashioned perfume, very simple ,very minimal ..you can find a lot from this kind and much cheaper in Arabic old perfumery markets and actually it resembles the cheaper ones not the finer ones..
it first smells nice. .as if its a spicy ,oriental then you feel something missing.. as if its a perfume not completed.. its an excellent base for other perfumes.. while in the shop, i mixed it with amber and de pari and it was amazing ..i wanted to buy the 3 but only got it and amber the parisian was out of stock.any way came home ad showered and used it this morning on its own..was kind of disappointed.. ..but i guess i have to give it time.. its not lingering ..its almost gone half an hour after use. i can no longer smell it.i keep spraying it on my wrist to find it ..i love the old reminiscent labadum it reminds me of my grandmother, and some of my old fathers perfumes.. its a dry, woody, harsh, almost sour.. scent that is reminiscent of the old time classics like opium ysl coco ..but with no longevity what so ever .its not multidimensional.very bland..yet beautiful in its own simple way..it has heritage, and a history of its own.. it feels like you ve just opened the mediterranean.. route to the middle east ..it probably smells like Jerusalem.. and all the holy cities.. and the temples..there is something definitely.. holly about it ..
rating 3.8 out of 5
popovish200933 – :
If you like benzoin as I do, certainly try it; sweet, feminine and warm, slightly reminiscent of Eau de Baux, with a hint of vanilla, amber… and quite longlasting. I already tried it long ago, but didn’t like it as I did today. Perhaps it lacks depth, I still think it’s a great choice for winter.
edit/ Labdanum and Benzoin…all mixed as a warmest sensation on your skin, has a tenderness of L’occitane Ambre, like the skin exposed to the sun, same vibe…more balmy and quite longlasting.
tgm110speagoessenda – :
This has been discontinued now so I just stocked up on another bottle. I really like it, it’s fresh and warm at the same time because of the citrus. It is quite masculine and sometimes I layer it with Vanille Gourmande (Laura Mercier. My husband thinks it’s really sexy, he prefers it when I wear it on its own as he’s not that keen on vanilla.
doctor_com – :
Just purchased this. Got it half off which is a wonderful score when used to spending on Gucci, Chanel, Hermes…The smell is very unisex, warm, enveloping. Longevity is long enough, especially on textiles, however on me it stays very close to the skin.
bear64 – :
I adore this offering by L’Occitane and have a lot of their male fragrances and other products. I initially bought this for my wife, but knew it could be unisex…and it most definitely is. It is a very natural EDP, with gorgeous notes. Vertigo wrote a great review and srimati offered some insight into where I took this. While it is very nice by itself, I find it to be more of an “essence”, which is exactly what this opulent composition is…the essence of labdanum rounded together with a nice warm vanilla and benzoin base. I have a very large collection of fragrances that have labdanum (the dark resin from the magical Rockrose shrub that is a main ingredient in making amber – a wonderful description provided here), and it provides a very nice, warm oriental vibe. Add a couple shots of this EDP to the mix and you begin the journey of ‘layering’ scents. I am not a perfumier, but I feel (after 25+ years of love for fragrance), that I can use the precious 75ml I have in the bottle I purchased to enhance and add depth to several other great fragrances that are missing what this offers. I will not go into all of them, but one that really stands out is CoSTUME National’s Homme Eau De Parfum (ironically) blended with this! My review there sums it up – stunning. This is an opulent composition in and of itself and a wonderful presentation, but it can also be used (if you trust yourself) to blend harmoniously. Be careful – strong orientals don’t need this…it is great with top-note heavy scents that need to enrichen their base. My rating for this truly wonderful offering, on its own merits, is 8/10. Very good!
Тупак – :
Absolutely sexy and gorgeous, but it only lasted 2 hours then the Chanel that I’d put on earlier easily took over. Really nice smell, though too pricey for the lack of longevity.
roman186. – :
just smelled this, and i’m loving it.
Ppl Heads will turn when u pass by.
Its a must buy if u like strong and loud scents. Unisex but i think a guy would pull this off better since it has that masculine vibe to it.
95$ here in india bit expensive but worth it.
Long-9/10
Sil-9/10
TeentHagGlall – :
a bit masculin but perfect,very similar with comme des garcons (1994),same style labdanum,i feel a little sandalwood but there is no at notes.stays so long and very good sillage,i mean very good for office,for feel cool and clean 😉
Patsy97372 – :
Very mysterious and oriental, very sexy. I like it a lot! Very long lasting, in my case. Not expensive for 75ml and really a nice perfume.
grotesk – :
I had high expectations of this one, yet it unfortunately disappointed me for the price and most importantly for the brand.
L’Occitane *were* doing fantastic fragrances which most of them I either owned or tried, particularly that now discontinued original Neroli, the dark orange juice.
Now what I see in this new range of Voyage en Mediterranee are watered down and uni-sexed formulations. I don’t have much problems with the unisex part but I do have problems with the more chemical and watered down formulations despite an increasingly higher price tag.
At first smell, I was in love with Labdanum, but that impression has been limited to my first time. This perfume does not have depth as I would expect from a labdanum fragrance. It is extremely light and I nearly smell nothing of a labdanum after the first two hours of application, rather what I smell is only some woodsy notes. It lacks longevity, enough sillage and most importantly a consistent character. This changes to something else on me, quite different from what it initially proposes. And this something is unfortunately quite dim and ordinary for L’Occitane.
For labdanum, I would go for Prada instead this one.
umbertijs – :
I am in love with this fragrance. I have never smelt a perfume where citrus and vanilla go together but with the labdanum it is the perfect bridge between the two. There is definitely something in this fragrance that invokes the Mediterranean when you smell it. It’s like being transported there instantly as soon as you spray it on. The benzoin at the base gives this further depth as it wears than just the labdanum itself. It has somewhat of an incense smell to it, which is delicious. I’m really very impressed with this and I believe I have found my summer fragrance! 🙂
voffka54 – :
Got it yesterday, finally, and just love the fragrance. It is definitely unisex so I like to layer strong scents. This one is great with a citrus note or the Mimosa also by L`Occitane en Provence, also Pink Sugar by Aquolina brightens this one up quite a bit and I get many compliments.
gnefomaner – :
This is amazing! So far the only fragrance from L’Occitane that really “speaks” to me. Labdanum de Seville is certainly a scent that would work on either a woman or man. On my skin it is resinous, ambery, rich, warm and just slightly sweet. This fragrance is perfect for fall and winter. There’s something about it that reminds me of rich, spiced apple cider.
skandalloffuck – :
This is a great fragrance and to me it has something in common with “Feminite de bois” but without that sweet note. It could even be as a sweet masculine fragrance. I enjoy it very much. Everytime i pass the local “L´occitane” shop i spray it on myself, so i think i might have used almost a whole tester bottle already on myself. I am definitly planning to buy it soon. Lasting power is good, but could be better.
nastradamus1 – :
I tried three L’Occitane scents today, and this one is my favorite. Words that come to mind are amber, chocolate, molasses, deep, rich, woodsy, sweet, exotic. This scent is amazing by itself, but I believe it could also make a great scent for layering with something floral or with other scents from the same L’Occitane collection. Something about this perfume is just so exquisite, mysterious, alluring, sensual. I think it’s a must if you love amber and resins.
maxik4444 – :
The Labdanum EDP certainly is interesting. While I enjoy the spicy resin scent that the labdanum and benzoin produces, it is difficult to smells the lighter citrus notes through the base of vanilla on my skin. I like to wear this when I step outside after dark on a late November to Mid-December night when I can still get away with a lighter jacket and a scarf to warm the rich, deep scent of Labdanum de Seville on my skin.
ofq189bedyWelty – :
I also tested it today and I got a lot of woody-spicy depth and it was hard to discerne any top notes. It is a tad masculine but still a gorgeous scent and could be layered with a lighter fragrance.
alena234 – :
I love this. I smell amber and spice. The vanilla is perfect its just enough to warm it up. I feel sexy wearing this. I think its perfect for every season. Its summer and Im lovin it. Perfect.
wowanw – :
I think it’s my skin — if there’s even a hint of vanilla in a perfume, it gets over everything else in the composition. Or maybe it was meant to be this way? Anyway, labdanum and benzoin is STRONG stuff, but when I smell my wrist it’s very tempered by vanilla. A result on my wrist is a deep multidimensional scent. It’s a vanilla that is neither foody, nor woody, nor spicy.
FriendSavannah – :
I received a sample as i bought Notre Flore Mytre which is my favouritte. I am regretting now that i did not dare to try it on me since so many months. It is a very distinctive and unusual scent first of all. Has to be tested on the skin to see the result. On me the result was surprising. It smells warmly and deeply sweet like vanilla or amber on me, but pleasantly sweet not fainiting. Absolutely a rich texture still being very naturally modest. I can not imagine on men for the moment, i feel very feminine with it. Strongly recommended who enjoys oriental mediterranian style. Would fit perfect for summer evenings. %100 mediterranian blood great.
MuhhooneEgoto – :
Definitely unisex! And gorgeous!
Don’t let the name and notes listed here deceive you as they did me. The voyage sounded like gentle shaking on waves while cruising around coast of Spain. Quite opposite. Labdanum de Seville is pure blooded oriental. Loud, long-lasting and spicy. What makes this distinctive is animalic, masculine notes, opulent and intense, much alike Dior Homme. Leather all over the place! Forget the cruise and join the encierro, also known as running of the bulls.
Strongly suggest!
Irkuz – :
I tested it today and liked very much!
I expected something sweeter and softer due to the presence of vanilla, instead I smell a good unisex fragrance. I have no idea how labdanum actually smells in spite of its Mediterranean origin! I couldn’t say: “Oh yes, this smells exactly like labdanum!” As far as I know it’s a poisonous plant.
Similar to ambergris? Well.. I hoped so, but my knowledge of amber scents is still about scents and most of the amber scents for women are much softer and powdery. Labdanum de Seville is a very warm and conforting scent, very interesting, complex and stimulating. It has an intriguing quality that keeps my nose to my wrist. It smells like resin and warm wood.
All in all L’Occitane fragrances from this line are more well made and refined than other lines.
For sure it’s a great choice for colder months. It could easily fit a man or a woman with strong personality.
lev1958 – :
Very distinct.
I don’t know how labdanum smells, but …
this fragrance is oriental, woody-spicy, thick, deep,
multi-dimensional …
‘Opulent’ is the right word to describe it.
And this beautiful bottle and the liquid in colour of caramel …
Like all L’Occitane’s fragrances, lasts many many hours.
I think it may be too masculine for me.
But I’d love my man to wear this!