Laboratorio Olfattivo Limone Review (Jean-Claude Ellena) 2021+ Viaggio in Italia Draw

June 8, 2021June 9, 2021

Laboratorio Olfattivo Limone via Laboratorio Olfattivo apped by Michelyn

Sweet the memory is to me
Of a land beyond the sea,
Where the waves and mountains meet;
Where amid her mulberry-trees
Sits Amalfi in the heat,
Bathing ever her white feet
In the tideless, summer seas. ~ Amalfi by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1875

Here I sit in the midst of a Massachusetts heat wave – when fellow native poet and professor (Portland, Maine was actually considered a ‘district of Massachusetts’ at that time) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow comes traipsing across my memory palace. It’s 1875; at this writing, he is 68 years of age and recalling his youthful trips along the Amalfi Coast with immense tenderness. Pray tell: how could he not? Between the brilliant Mediterranean blue of sea and sky, unrelenting sunshine and extraordinary abundance of lemon cultivation, one envisions it clearly and can even smell it. All of this streams forth, triggered by a single spray of Laboratorio Olfattivo Limone Maître Parfumeur Jean-Claude Ellena, created as part of his Italian trilogy for Laboratorio Olfattivo and the newest in the Master’s Collection.

Jean-Claude Ellena image via Laboratorio Olfattivo

Maître Ellena possesses an uncanny ability to capture terrain and evoke a specific locus. His Les Parfums de Grasse Collection created for Perris Monte Carlo illustrated that in no uncertain terms. Recently he has turned his gifted nose and hand towards Italy: Laboratorio Olfattivo Limone, Bergamotto and Mandarino. I’ve had the joy of experiencing two out of three (Mandarino, you’re next), and assure you that these are truly a delicious summer adjuvant. They will prove a magic wand in winter, as they transport you somewhere warmer and more welcoming, hospitable.

Lemon via unsplash

Confession time: lemon and I are embroiled in an ongoing love affair. I don’t wish to be crude, but there is precious little that I won’t eat – providing you put lemon on it. I feel similarly about lemon in perfumery, knowing full well that due to its low molecular weight, natural lemon notes are highly volatile and quick to disappear. Along comes Laboratorio Olfattivo Limone. Its radiant citrus fruit appears tonic and somewhat floral at first; eventually it evolves into a Muscular Lemon. Limone’s first flush resembles a first love: it illuminates everything it touches – expansive, generous, unaffectedly lovely. There is a jolt of ginger in it which seems perfectly natural (yes, I’m particularly partial to a lemon-ginger pairing in most anything as well) and companionable. The orange leaf note which is present possesses a bitter greenness, a touch of sweetness and even a marine facet.

Amalfi lemons in Ravello stock photo

What surprises me is what follows white musks – those which we’ve come to associate with a baby-soft character, a pillowy-ness. Somewhere along the line, I smell a potent cedarwoody/slightly scratchy musky wood note which anchors the fragrance. At this point Limone assumes a more linear character; I feel that it also assumes a more yang-like attitude – which is where my impression of a ‘muscular lemon’ arose. There is nothing fluffy about Laboratorio Olfattivo Limone’s drydown – and it gives rise to the distinct image of a swarthy-skinned, dashing dark-maned male replete with hairy chest. You might not envisage this way, and if so – there it is. Any comparably forceful person with a strong personality will suffice.

Audrey Hepburn at the Urso’s Villa in Almafi Andrea Dotti in1969©.

My point is that Laboratorio Olfattivo Limone is no giggling, lemony vanillic musk; it’s a cologne to be reckoned with, a fragrance rooted in gravitas. I think that this aspect makes it far more intriguing and sophisticated. Maître Ellena refers to this quality as aristocratic, and I’d be hard-pressed to disagree (were it not that I am a bit contrarian and tend to bristle at concepts such as aristocracy, privilege, and the notion of being deserving). Let us say that Limone is endowed with a degree of nobility of spirit – and one cannot be born into that nobility which is open to all. It’s a revivifying elixir – elegant and suitable for everyone. Notes: Italian lemon, ginger orange leaf, white musk

Bottle of Laboratorio Olfattivo Limone generously given me by KAON distributors for Laboratorio Olfattivo – many thanks! My nose is my own…

~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor

photo via the brand

Thanks to the generosity of Laboratorio Olfattivo and KAON, we have a 100 ml tester bottle of Laboratorio Olfattivo Limone for one registered reader( you must register or your comment will not count in the EU or U.S. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what appeals to you about Limone based on Ida’s review, where you live and whether you have tried other Laboratorio Olfattivo fragrances. Draw closes June 12, 2021

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