Osmanthus 19 attracted crowds of eager guests upon its Kyoto launch last October and for a limited time only. Fans can now shop it worldwideAugust 01, 2025
When Osmanthus 19 launched in Kyoto almost a year ago, the store welcomed an onslaught of excited fans. Guests queued under the “blazing sun” (according to Instagram documentation) for hours before doors opened and offered exiting shoppers triple the price for their wares. All this, despite an old-fashioned approach to marketing that eschews today’s commonplace viral buzz tactics: “When we opened our machiya last year, the specialness of the space travelled organically and by word of mouth,” says Deborah Royer, global brand president and creative director of Le Labo Fragrances.
Courtesy of Le Labo
A machiya is a traditional Japanese townhouse, usually made of fire-treated hinoki wood and used as both a place of business and a home. Le Labo’s Kyoto outpost is nestled in one such dwelling, teeming with natural light and raw, unfinished textures. “Guests come to experience our creations but also to pause, have tea in the café, to spend a moment in the garden, to slow down,” Royer continues. “When Osmanthus 19 was released, it felt like an expression of that spirit.”
That slow spirit is encapsulated in each spritz: a frankincense-derived woodiness quickly dries down to a soft, sleepy floral, thanks to notes of lavender and its titular bloom – whose tiny trumpets of white flowers stud Kyoto’s winters while most plants lie dormant. The resulting juice is grounding, akin to the garden of Le Labo’s machiya. It’s like shinrin-yoku (the Japanese term for forest bathing), bottled.
Courtesy of Le Labo
“Breathing in this fragrance brings me back to a specific stillness I associate with Kyoto,” muses Royer. Though far from somnolent, she says this quiet stillness is “awake, clear, and deeply alive.” The city, she adds, teaches her to be present, which is what makes the osmanthus flower such a perfect muse. “It emerges almost imperceptibly, then disappears just as quickly. There’s a tenderness in that fleeting timing.”
Courtesy of Le Labo
As part of Le Labo’s City Exclusive Event, Osmanthus 19 is available outside of Kyoto for a short amount of time – discovery sizes are available in all stores from 1 August until 1 September, when full-sized bottles can be found for one month only. So too is the full City Exclusive collection (including Mexico City’s Coriandre 39, Amsterdam’s earthy Mousse de Chen 30, and Seoul’s sharp Citron 28). After 30 September, you can still refill your existing bottle online and at select Le Labo labs.
Discovery sets of the City Exclusives collection are available at Le Labo now.
AloJapan.com