26 community ratings

Donna Karan Essence: Labdanum

2005UnisexClassic

Votes lean masculine

7.5/ 10

Community score
26 ratings

DKNY Donna Karan Essence: Labdanum is a unisex scent that sets a sweet, spicy resin against a leathery, smoky and earthy backdrop, and it suits fall and winter evenings best.

Compare

Skunky's take: Sweet accords up front; to my nose, pure comfort.

How does it perform?

From 26 community ratings, all out of 10.

Longevity

7.2 /10

Holds up through the day and fades gently toward evening.

Sillage

5.7 /10

Leaves a light trail and stays polite in a crowd.

Bottle

6.7 /10

Looks good without trying too hard.

Blind buy risk

Low risk

85% of votes are positive and opinions barely differ.

Notes

They open one after another, from the first spray into the evening.

Top notesfirst 15 minutes

Leather Green notes

French labdanum

Musk

Accords

From most dominant to most subtle.

Sweet
Spicy
Woody
Oriental
Animal
Resinous
Earthy
Smoky

What does Donna Karan Essence: Labdanum smell like?

Most voters pick fall and winter, with spring well behind and summer barely chosen. Evening, night out and leisure lead the occasions, while business comes last. Longevity is rated good and sillage moderate. Masculine and feminine votes sit close together, with classic also common, so it reads balanced between the two. It has been discontinued.

The notes are leather, green notes, French labdanum and musk. The sweet, resinous warmth of the labdanum meets the leather, the green notes lift that weight slightly, and the musk softens the animal, oriental side and ties it together. The overall feel is woody, dark and a little smoky.