The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
The concept paired jasmine with oud, taking the hypnotic, seductive power of the white floral and marrying it to the multifaceted depth of the resinous wood. The idea landed with perfumer Julien Rasquinet, who accepted the challenge. What resulted is a fragrance that honors both materials, giving each room to breathe while allowing them to amplify one another. The jasmine never disappears into the background, and the oud never dominates prematurely. Instead, the two engage in a quiet dialogue that unfolds across the wearer's skin, with the floral arriving first and the darker wood waiting patiently beneath.
Jasmine sambac absolute arrives as the protagonist rather than a supporting player, its intense floral presence anchored by osmanthus absolute, which brings a apricot-like softness that amplifies rather than gentles the white floral. Cedarwood bridges the heart and base, giving the florals something to stand on before the Cambodian oud finally surfaces. The labdanum and sandalwood that follow do not just finish the fragrance, they reframe the jasmine retrospectively, making it read as warmer and more animalic than it would alone.
The evolution
The opening presents a bright trio: pear peel, raspberry, and a CO2 ginger extract that reads as clean heat rather than spice. It does not announce itself, it refreshes. Shortly after, jasmine sambac takes the stage and establishes its presence. The osmanthus follows, adding a jammy apricot body that rounds the floral into something full and slightly exotic. Cedar arrives to ground what could have become too heady, providing a steady base for the florals to rest upon. The oud does not announce itself. It simply appears, first as a warmth, then as a quiet animalic whisper beneath the florals. As time passes, the jasmine softens, and the drydown reveals what was always underneath: dense Cambodian oud, French labdanum absolute with its resinous, slightly leathery warmth, and Ceylonese sandalwood that adds a milky softness. On skin, the fragrance remains resinous and close.
Cultural impact
Oud in White arrived as part of Laboratorio Olfattivo's ongoing exploration of contemporary Italian niche perfumery. The fragrance pairs jasmine sambac with osmanthus, creating a floral experience that extends beyond the more familiar jasmine grandiflorum territory. This combination brings together two white florals with distinct characters, letting the osmanthus add a jammy apricot dimension that rounds the jasmine into something richer and more layered. The result is a scent that speaks to those drawn to florals but looking for something with more complexity than the commercial standard.
The House
Laboratorio OlfattivoLaboratorio Olfattivo is an independent Italian niche house founded in Rome in 2009 by creative director Roberto Drago and business partner Daniela Caon. The house operates as a creative platform, collaborating with perfume craftsmen who work autonomously under the Laboratorio Olfattivo name rather than operating through an in-house perfumer. Each fragrance exists as its own standalone work, not part of a numbered collection. The house is recognizable by a characteristic dark amber, vetiver, and resin signature anchored by a consistent base structure across releases. Arancia Rossa stands out as a vivid, saturated blood-orange perfume built over that warm amber-vetiver foundation. The catalog spans orientals with deep burnished woods and resins alongside brighter citrus compositions. The output is deliberately unhurried, with one to three new fragrances arriving most years, and the two founders remain the sole creative force behind the label. Roberto's family background runs through the Italian perfume trade, reportedly through his father Luigi Drago's work running a perfume distribution house. By contrast, Laboratorio Olfattivo itself has never sought outside investment, remaining entirely founder-owned and operated. The self-funded structure means完全没有外部资金压力，创意方向不受投资者期望驱动。This shape shifting has translated into a genuine point of view that longtime followers recognize in the catalog. The founding story holds particular interest within the niche fragrance community because the label avoids the conventional channels of beauty entrepreneurism. There is no private label background, no pivot from cosmetics, and no celebrity angle. Instead, a distribution professional and a marketing executive with a shared passion built something from scratch in Rome and held to it for over a decade. The name Laboratorio Olfattivo translates roughly to olfactory laboratory. It signals that the house is understood as a working studio for assembling aromatic materials rather than a heritage brand performing its own mythology. The founder-driven ethos has also meant that the house has remained genuinely small in team size, operating with a long-term perspective rather than chasing market relevance. Every creative decision filters through the two founders, contributing to a catalog that feels internally motivated rather than assembled by committee.
The Creator
Julien RasquinetBold, unexpected combinations define Rasquinet's signature. He constructs fragrances that are simultaneously dramatic and harmonious, pushing material boundaries while maintaining wearability.
