I have been following Rajesh’s work for a few years now. Most of his portfolio has been a hit overall. It has helped me to try houses that I otherwise wouldn’t have. Over the years, he just keeps getting better. His blending has become smoother, his accords more vivid, and even his pricing has become more accessible. My favorite is still Keman from Di Ser, but his collaborations have created some memorable fragrances for me.
This time, he has partnered with Lost Tribe, a small American indie house that is relatively new and focuses on natural oud-based scents, for the most part. It’s a beautiful thing to see American houses exploding onto the scene and defying the status quo.
Pan’s Labyrinth was a fragrance a year in the making. It was delivered as an alternative fougere that wants to be seductive instead of fresh. The fougere genre has been done to death, so can Pan’s Labyrinth stand out? Let’s take a seat and explore the depths of this indie release.
Read More: Fragrance Reviews
The Scent:
By all means, Pan’s Labyrinth is a fougere through and through. It begins its journey not with sparkling bergamot or lemon, but with a French lavender that is deeply herbal and powdery. To me, the key player the bitter almond. It’s intellectually executed to cast a creamy, nutty veil over the composition with a silky sweetness that summons up the jamminess of rose to balance the softness of the scent.
Coumarin’s hay-like sheen folds into warm moss and ambery patchouli with a slight chocolate-dusted earthiness. Honeyed, slightly earthy labdanum adds to the ambery backbone of the scent with the resinous density of oud, which has an almost mossy forest floor warmth that sings in unison with the patchouli. Take note: neither the oud nor the patchouli is strange in this Pan’s Labyrinth, as they are both natural, but lack any animalic or musty facets that normally turn people away.
What you end up with is a slightly sweetened and silky vanilla fougere with tones of warm earth and resins. It feels almost spiritual in a way, like a cross between European luxury with ancient monastic rituals from the east. Think of it as an enthusiast from the west wearing a fougere experiencing ancient tradition grounded in earth and resin for the first time. This is simply what comes to my mind when I smell Pan’s Labyrinth.
The Notes
Top – Bergamot, Rose Otto, Powder Accord, and White Ambergris.
Heart – Lavender EO, Coumarin, Rose Absolute, Ylang-Ylang, and Patchouli.
Base – Sri Lankan Santal, Siberian Musk, Malaysian Oud, French Oakmoss, Pine Tree Moss, Fir, Labdanum, and Bakhoor Tincture.
Perfumers – Rajesh Balkrishnan and Matthew Schmuelian.
The Wearability
Pan’s Labyrinth is a surprisingly long-lasting wear. It’s likely due to the inclusion of oud and resins in the base, but most modern fougeres simply don’t last. The perfume clings to my skin for around 9 hours with moderate projection and sillage.
The collaborative scent leans masculine, as one would figure from the fougere backdrop. Women who love fougeres and oud would love it as well. It can be worn casually or to black tie events, but it favors cooler weather or warmer days. This scent is not nearly as mature as classic fougeres, so you can safely wear it at any age.
My Verdict
Honestly, I have tried or own many legendary fougeres such as Rive Gauche, Invasion Barbare, Azzaro Pour Homme, Fougere Royale, and more. However, I believe that Pan’s Labyrinth is better than all of them. I know some of you will probably block and call that statement sacrilege. Pan’s Labyrinth does something they don’t do; it presents a fougere in a clean and spiritual way with smooth naturals and a long-lasting trail.
It’s simply my favorite fougere that I have, even more than Arc, which I also love a lot. Don’t get me wrong, those classic fougeres have earned their stripes and I love them as well, but Pan’s Labyrinth just feels more like me. It’s simply stunning, and who would have thought that adding almond and oud to a fougere would make me fall in love, but here we are. I can’t wait to see what Rajesh has planned next, and I need to try some more from Lost Tribe if its quality can match this.
