The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Geranium 30 was created for Thierry Boutemy, a floral artist known for cutting-edge arrangements that push past the ornamental. The fragrance is a collaboration in the truest sense, Boutemy's motifs adorn the bottle's label, and the scent itself reflects his sensibility: structured but alive, dramatic but grounded. Only 100 pieces were made, available exclusively through Opening Ceremony. Barnabé Fillion composed it in 2014, translating Boutemy's floral world into something you can wear.
Geranium is an unusual lead note in modern perfumery. It carries a rosy, minty-herbaceous character that sits between floral and green, with a slight camphor edge that can read medicinal if handled poorly. Fillion threads jasmine through the heart to soften that sharpness, then anchors everything with pink pepper and long pepper, spices that add warmth without pushing the composition into territory that reads masculine or smoky. The result is a fragrance that smells green without being aggressive, floral without being sweet, and spicy without being loud.
The evolution
The opening hits first with geranium's cool, sharp brightness, that minty-herbaceous quality that reads almost medicinal at first. Green notes amplify the effect, giving it the intensity of freshly crushed leaves. Pink pepper appears early, a subtle warmth threading through the top notes like a whisper. Within the first hour, jasmine emerges and softens the geranium's edge, bringing a quiet creaminess to the heart. Long pepper builds slowly, adding a warm spice that becomes more pronounced as the floral notes settle. The drydown is where Geranium 30 holds its ground. The green, rosy character of geranium lingers longest, that minty-herbaceous quality doesn't fade so much as it evolves, settling into something quieter and more intimate. The warm spice from the peppers stays close to the skin. On most surfaces, expect four to six hours of wear with moderate sillage. It doesn't fill a room. It stays with you.
Cultural impact
Geranium 30 never aimed for mass appeal. Limited to 100 pieces at Opening Ceremony, it became a collector's item before most people knew it existed. The scarcity wasn't a marketing tactic, it was the point. Le Labo has always made fragrances for people who seek rather than settle, and Geranium 30 is for that person. Fillion's composition stands apart from the brand's more famous scents, less polarizing than Santal 33, less austere than some of the aromatics. It's quietly distinctive, the kind of fragrance that rewards attention rather than demanding it.
