The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Lesli Wood released Veil in 2019 as a composition in the La Curie catalog, the perfume house credited with her work. Where broader storytelling often carries the weight of mythology or historical reference, Veil strips the narrative back to material itself. Three resins, no ornament. The title gestures less at concealment than at what remains when everything louder has faded. Veil is the trace left behind on skin and sweater and the back of a chair the morning after. The labdanum arrives first, sticky and almost animal, pressing close with a warmth that reads as physical rather than aromatic. Frankincense then cuts through that weight, lifting the composition with a cool, slightly mentholated brightness that opens up the air around the wearer's wrist.
Labdanum, amber, and frankincense form one of perfumery's oldest triads, the backbone of ancient incense and temple rites for thousands of years. Each material carries its own weight: labdanum brings a sticky, almost animal warmth; frankincense lifts everything with cool, slightly mentholated brightness; amber ties it together with a sweet, resinous gravity. The triad's endurance in ritual practice speaks to something elemental in how these three materials interact, each one drawing out qualities in the others that would stay hidden if they appeared alone.
The evolution
Veil opens with a dense, almost waxy press of labdanum, the kind of texture that reads as warmth before you register any individual note. The first 20 minutes feel heavy, closer to furniture polish than perfume, a sticky richness that sits close to the skin and demands attention from the wearer more than anyone nearby. Then frankincense starts threading through, lifting the density with a cool, faintly peppery resin note that gives the composition air. The two resins begin their slow negotiation, labdanum pulling everything down into warmth, frankincense pushing back with brightness, and the wearer sits inside that exchange without needing to parse it. By the two-hour mark the amber has integrated fully, and what remains is a smooth, golden warmth that sits close to the skin.
Cultural impact
Veil sits comfortably beside other resin-forward compositions like Comme des Garçons Series 3 Incense: Avignon and Amouage Gold Man, fragrances that treat amber and frankincense as primary characters rather than supporting notes. Within La Curie's own catalog it represents the house at its most restrained, a reduction to material after compositions that often layer narrative and spice. The three-resin structure places it in conversation with a long tradition of devotional and meditative scent, from the kyphi of ancient Egypt to the church incense that shaped European perfumery's relationship with resin.
The House
La CurieLa Curie is a Tucson-based artisanal fragrance house founded in 2013 by Lesli Wood. Operating from the Sonoran Desert, the house creates small-batch unisex perfumes inspired by culture, mythology, and historical themes. Each fragrance carries a narrative rooted in stories, symbols, and the natural world, reflecting Wood's stated passion for history and myth as creative muse. The collection includes named works spanning over a decade of output, from early releases like Faunus and Ossuary through more recent compositions such as Dégagé in 2024.
The Creator
Lesli Wood PetersonLesli works slowly, one fragrance at a time. That patience shows in the complexity of her formulations, where ingredients interact rather than simply coexist.
