Every year, Le Labo’s City Exclusives collection breaks its own rules. For one month (September), the fragrances usually locked to their home cities travel the world, finding new wearers. This year, Kyoto joins the journey with OSMANTHUS 19, a scent that mirrors the city’s quiet elegance.

The fragrance captures the fleeting bloom of the osmanthus flower, a winter surprise in Kyoto. It opens with incense and lavender, then unfolds into creamy floral notes backed by woody depth. Like Kyoto itself, where ancient machiya houses sit beside neon-lit streets, the scent balances tradition and modernity.

Japan has long inspired Le Labo. Their first lab outside the U.S. opened in Tokyo in 2007, followed by GAIAC 10, Tokyo’s City Exclusive. Kyoto’s turn came in 2020 with a lab at the Ace Hotel, then deepened last year with a restored machiya in Shimokorikicho. OSMANTHUS 19 is their second tribute to Japan, echoing wabi-sabi: beauty in imperfection and transience.

From August 1, samples will be available online and in labs. Full bottles arrive September 1, then vanish again, except in Kyoto, where the scent stays year-round. Like the osmanthus flower, it’s a brief encounter. Catch it while you can!