The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Myrrhe 55 is Le Labo's City Exclusive for Shanghai, one fragrance, one city, each iteration tied to a place rather than a season. The number in the name marks its position in the collection, but the substance is all myrrh. The resin was once considered more valuable than gold. In Chinese traditional medicine, it's known as a "blood mover", something that circulates, activates, gets things moving. The perfumer, Daphné Bugey, built the composition around this idea: myrrh as the pulse at the center, with jasmine and patchouli as its partners, anchored by oud, ambergris, and musk. It's understated elegance, the brand says. Hard to ignore and forget, they add. That contradiction, quiet yet commanding, is the whole point.
The jasmine opens solar and bright, almost blinding in its clarity. The myrrh doesn't compete with it, it waits. For the first three to four hours, jasmine, green herbal patchouli, and a sweet musky quality hold the composition together with an almost grape-soda lift. Then the myrrh arrives. Licorice-dark, resinous, ancient. It doesn't overpower the jasmine, it undercuts it, adds gravity, turns brightness into something with depth. The oud and ambergris arrive as the jasmine fades, anchoring the drydown in warmth, animalic presence, and a powdery resinous quality that stays close to the skin long after the florals have gone.
The evolution
The opening is solar jasmine, bright, almost blinding, with a sweetness that reads almost like grape soda as the white florals, musk, and green patchouli join forces. It's the kind of first impression that either pulls you in immediately or feels like too much before it settles. Three to four hours in, the composition shifts. The myrrh arrives with its licorice character, the oud darkens everything down, and ambergris adds a warm, animalic depth that changes the fragrance's entire personality. What started as luminous becomes something with weight. The drydown is close, intimate, oud, ambergris, and musk projecting quietly rather than filling a room. Powdery, resinous, with a warmth that lingers on skin and fabric well into the next day. It's the kind of presence that doesn't announce itself but gets remembered.
Cultural impact
Le Labo's City Exclusives each capture a city's spirit in scent form, Myrrhe 55 for Shanghai is no exception. The brand describes it as understated elegance with a dark, electric character that reflects the city itself: old and new, classic and contemporary. It's a fragrance that rewards attention, evolving across the day in ways that keep wearers engaged long after the first spray.
