The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
The myrrh tree bleeds a different way. Cut into the bark of Commiphora myrrha, a thorny species native to the Middle East, the sap weeps in slow amber tears, then hardens into translucent clumps the color of dried blood. For thousands of years, those tears traveled the incense routes, burned in temples and carried along trade paths that stitched together distant civilizations. LabSolue's 205 Mirra, composed by Alexandra Carlin and released in 2023, takes that single material and builds an entire world around it. Not a fantasy of antiquity, but a study of what myrrh actually is, up close, when you stop treating it as background noise and let it lead. The resin's character is stranger and more particular than its reputation suggests.
The composition works in two registers, each handled by a different extraction of the same plant. Myrrh oil brings a volatile lift, something bright and almost citrus-edged that registers quickly on skin before the heavier material settles in. Myrrh absolute anchors the base in dense, bitter warmth, the part that stays close and persists for hours. Paired with Tolu balsam and fir balsam, the resin finds contrast rather than company. Tolu balsam introduces a sweetness, soft and faintly confectionary, softening the austerity without disguising it.
The evolution
The opening moves fast. The fir arrives first, greener and sharper than expected, almost piney, carrying the snap of fresh-cut wood and cold air. The myrrh sits just underneath, waiting its turn. Within minutes the dynamic shifts: the fir's sharp edge rounds off, the Tolu balsam begins to assert its sweetness, and the myrrh steps to the foreground, no longer a background hum but the structural center of what's being worn. The resin itself is difficult to place. Slightly bitter, slightly medicinal, warm in a way that feels closer to stone heated by sun than to anything edible. For several hours that warmth holds at a steady register, neither expanding nor retreating, while the fir recedes into a distant green shimmer at the edges. Eventually the fragrance pulls closer to skin, quieter, drier, more intimate. The projection fades but the composition doesn't disappear.
Cultural impact
205 Mirra sits firmly inside the resin-forward tradition of niche perfumery, the lineage where myrrh is treated as a complete material rather than a background accent. Resin-focused compositions have always asked more of the wearer: patience for the bitter, the medicinal, the slow-developing, the devotional. Within that lineage, 205 Mirra leans into clarity rather than embellishment. There is no oud scaffolding beneath the resin, no rose lifting its edges, no saffron pulling it toward the exotic. The fragrance is content to let myrrh speak for itself, supported only by the neighboring balsams and the fir's green counterpoint.
The House
LabSolueLabSolue is an Italian niche perfume house that blends artisanal craft with modern lab techniques. Based in Milan, the brand offers a curated line of fragrances that draw on natural ingredients and a family tradition of scent making. Each scent arrives in a bottle that references historic apothecary vessels, while the formulas emphasize balance and depth. LabSolue also designs home diffusers that echo the same amber‑glass aesthetic, extending the olfactory experience beyond personal wear.
The Creator
Alexandra CarlinAlexandra favors a modular construction that begins with a single anchor note, then layers supporting accords like chapters in a story. She reaches for natural extracts that retain a tactile quality - wet moss, cracked amber, or sun-kissed citrus - while pairing them with synt…
