Le Labo The Noir 29 Eau de Parfum Review

I bought The Noir perfume around the end of last winter but have only just started wearing it again.

The Noir 29 is Le Labo’s interpretation of a black tea fragrance. And indeed, “The Noir” translates to “black tea.” It’s my favourite that I’ve tried from Le Labo, and it’s so much more than a simple tea fragrance. I believe a lot of hotels use this in their lobbies as it has quite a sophisticated and inviting scent profile. It retails for £172 for 50ml so it is pricy.

About Le Labo

Le Labo is a niche fragrance house founded in New York in 2006. They focus on handcrafted, slow perfumery and their bottles are usually minimalist in design.

If you’re interested in niche fragrances and unsure where to find them, I’ve put together a guide on where to buy niche perfumes in the UK.

Le Labo The Noir 29 fragrance notes

This has fig, bergamot and bay leaf in the top notes. Cedar, vetiver and musk in the middle, and tobacco and hay in the base notes.

It opens quite aromatic with the bergamot and bay leaf being at the forefront. It then dries down to a more earthy fragrance thanks to the cedar and vetiver.

Throughout the majority of wear, I get a sweet fig on top of a earthy, woody base. While there is some smokiness from the tobacco, it avoids overwhelming the other notes and so The Noir stays relatively “clean” despite its composition.

Occasions to wear Le Labo The Noir 29

Season

This is a strong perfume that cuts through cold air. It is very earthy and woody, with a slight booziness running through it as well. Because of the strength and overall scent profile, I’d recommend this one for cooler weather. In high heat it runs the risk of feeling a bit too rich.

I mentioned it in my Winter Fragrances post here.

Place

I think this could be worn during the day time, although I’d probably not wear it in an office setting. It really shines on a night out though, it’s one of those scents you know will catch people’s attention and they’ll be asking you about it all evening.

The Noir 29 performance, longevity and projection

While this fragrance isn’t “beast mode”, it is definitely quite strong and distinctive, and lasts a good 8+ hours on the skin. I think anyone can wear this and I don’t think it strays either too “masculine” or too “feminine.” It smells completely androgynous to me.

It’s not really a scent you go nose blind to either. Whenever I wear it I can always smell it on myself, but it never irritates my nose. The next day I can usually smell it on the clothes I wore the night before.

It has a moderate – strong projection. People will definitely notice you when you wear this.

How I feel wearing The Noir 29

Some people say that wearing this scent is like walking through a forest and I do get that due to the earthiness and woodiness. But the sweetness from the fig and the tobacco note really give it some depth and transform it into something more than a simple “forest nymph” type scent. It has more body and power. It’s definitely a scent unlike any other and makes a statement when you wear it.

Have you ever tried The Noir 29 by Le Labo?

*This post contains affiliate links

How to buy perfume for less

I’ve built my fragrance collection by stacking discounts, cashback and referral credit – and you can do the same.