Aside from the ones named for specific collaborators (Another 13, the Colette ones), this is the only Le Labo fragrance I know of that isn’t named for an ingredient, which makes sense given how abstract it feels—to me, anyway. Baie 19 implies a bay of water, and it does make me think of the still, reflective surface of a cold mountain lake, with rocky, mossy shores under a silver sky. Rather than the moist earth of petrichor, it calls up damp stones. I get mineral, medicinal juniper and a combination of metallic, ozonic, herbal, green, and synthetic, almost latex-ish notes, and then some earthy musk as it settles down. It’s the natural world in vivid detail, but as if you were seeing it in VR, or a dream. It’s disorienting and magnetic, very subtle but continuously surprising—“What am I smelling?” I keep asking myself. I imagine this being what a mirror would smell like if it had a smell—the scent seems to arrive in my nose as if it was getting refracted through a lens, bent or inverted, like rays of light. Unlike a lot of other “molecular”-type skin scents, this one also lasts, though it doesn’t really project. I’m deeply intrigued by it. Maybe my favourite Le Labo fragrance? Certainly one of their weirdest. Expensive, of course, and it also suggests a mood I might only occasionally want to inhabit, so not an easy purchase. Incidentally, the first time I tried this, I also sampled Aesop’s Eremia, Tacit, and Ouranon, which I think aim for similar territory: understated, meditative, herbal, earthy, abstracted…and overpriced. Those three are all interesting and cool in their own ways, but if I was going to spend over $200 on 50ml, I think Baie 19 delivers more.
@IamdrinkingBeer oh god, I guess you're right. How embarrassing! 😅 Though, imo, they should have called it "Genévrier," then! This definitely doesn't evoke "berries" in general.
Baie 19 is an ozonic woody patchouli which celebrates the juxtaposition of dark and rich earthy notes with bright and sparkly refreshing notes. It’s not a particularly complex scent and it does come across rather synthetic, but I like it. The deep, earthy nature of green patchouli takes centre stage with this scent, reminiscent of the damp forest floor. To contrast this, vague ozonic accords brighten the air around you to lift and freshen up the scent profile, elevated by the clean juiciness of juniper. This is all then carried and boosted by a hefty dose of ambroxan too. This is a fairly simplistic yet effective clean masculine scent profile. It’s not particularly unique or memorable, but it does smell damn good in the moment. I wouldn’t buy a bottle for myself but I can see why people enjoy this.
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