The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Karma landed in 2019, a year into The Lab's Singapore operation. The name arrived first, that word carries weight in Southeast Asian philosophy, the idea that what you put out returns. But the fragrance itself had a simpler brief: build something warm that didn't collapse under its own sweetness. Mario Galindo worked with a small palette, amaretto, vanilla, amber, oak, orchid, the kind of short ingredient list where every choice shows. The amaretto opening was deliberate. Not bergamot or citrus, something with body, with the slight bitterness of bitter almond that cuts through sweetness before it can turn syrupy. TheLab's philosophy has always been substance over spectacle, and Karma is the proof: one note that announces itself, one that cushions it, one that grounds it. No decoration.
What makes Karma interesting isn't any single ingredient, it's the ratio. The vanillin sits high, which would be dangerous in other hands. Galindo paired it with oak, a wood that adds tannin and dryness rather than the usual creamy sandalwood warmth. The orchid in the base is unusual, typically relegated to niche florals but here working as a quiet textural element, not another floral punch, just a softness that prevents the drydown from becoming too austere. Amber acts as the bridge between the gourmand opening and the woody close, giving the composition its oriental character without heavy resin or spice.
The evolution
The amaretto opens bright and present, bitter almond, marzipan, the moment before the sugar kicks in. It lasts maybe twenty minutes on most skin, sharp enough to announce itself but not to dominate. Then the vanilla arrives. Not the sharp synthetic vanillin burst of drugstore scents, something rounder, creamier, closer to warm milk than extract. The amber follows within the hour, turning the composition from almond-forward to warm-golden. This is where people get hooked. The drydown is oak's territory. The sweetness softens, the vanilla becomes a memory rather than a statement, and the orchid surfaces as a quiet powder-floral whisper. Six to eight hours is the range, with most finding it closer to seven. The next morning, on fabric or skin, there's a faint warmth, vanilla-adjacent but woodier, like the smell of a room that had a fire in it the night before.
Cultural impact
Karma emerged from The Lab, a Singapore-based niche house founded in 2017 with a philosophy of substance over spectacle. The brand represents a movement toward minimalist perfumery in Southeast Asia, where short ingredient lists and restraint challenge the industry's tendency toward complexity. Perfumer Mario Galindo's work with The Lab reflects a broader shift toward transparency and intentional composition in independent perfumery, particularly in markets where oriental fragrances often trend richer and more elaborate. The 2019 launch arrived during a period when niche perfumery was gaining traction in Asia, offering an alternative to the larger European houses.
