Le Labo Citron 28 Seoul Review: Is This Exclusive Scent Worth the Price?
A no-nonsense deep dive into the elusive, lemon-forward fragrance from Le Labo's City Exclusives collection.
Le Labo''s City Exclusives collection is a masterclass in marketing and desire. By restricting 16 of their fragrances to specific cities, they''ve created a global scavenger hunt for perfume aficionados. You can only buy Gaiac 10 in Tokyo, Vanille 44 in Paris, and, since its launch in 2020, Citron 28 in Seoul. This manufactured scarcity, combined with Le Labo''s minimalist aesthetic and high price tags, positions these scents as the ultimate luxury souvenirs. Once a year, for the month of September, the brand opens the vault and allows global purchases, an event that sends collectors into a frenzy.
Citron 28 entered this prestigious lineup as the tribute to South Korea''s vibrant capital. In a market saturated with citrus fragrances, Le Labo needed to do something different. Citron 28 is not your typical summer spritzer. It''s positioned as an intellectual''s citrus—a scent that uses the familiar to create something unexpected. It competes not with mass-market freshies, but with other high-end, niche offerings from brands like Louis Vuitton, Acqua di Parma, and Creed, where the quality of ingredients and the perfumer''s artistry justify the premium cost.
The inspiration was Seoul itself: a city of contrasts, where ancient palaces sit next to futuristic skyscrapers. The fragrance aims to capture this duality. The name itself is a classic Le Labo misdirection. While ''Citron'' suggests a straightforward citrus, the scent is built around lemon, but its true character is defined by a sharp, spicy ginger and a clean, structural base of musk and cedar. Le Labo describes it as a scent that aims for balance between the original and the traditional, a theme that runs deep in Seoul''s culture. It’s meant to be a clean, memorable signature, not a loud statement.
Within the fragrance community, Citron 28 is a topic of frequent debate. Its reputation is built on its exclusivity and the surprise it delivers. Most agree it''s a beautifully crafted, high-quality scent. The primary point of contention is its value. Is a subtle, clean, lemon-ginger-musk fragrance worth over $500 for 100ml? For many, the answer is no. For collectors and those who resonate with its specific brand of minimalist elegance, it''s a holy grail. Its cultural impact is tied to the larger phenomenon of the City Exclusives: it''s a status symbol, a wearable memory of a trip, and a testament to the power of scarcity in the luxury market.
The Nose Behind the Scent
Daphné Bugey. A renowned perfumer at Firmenich, Bugey is the nose behind many of Le Labo''s most iconic scents, including Bergamote 22, Neroli 36, and Rose 31. Her style often involves creating modern, clear, and evocative fragrances with a distinctive character.
Accords
Notes Pyramid
Scent Journey
A vibrant and surprisingly sharp opening. Photorealistic lemon zest is immediately cut with a spicy, pungent ginger note. It''s energetic and clean, not sweet. This phase is about brightness and contrast.
The initial lemon blast softens, allowing a clean, non-indolic jasmine to emerge. The ginger''s spice remains, creating an aromatic, almost tonic-like freshness. The fragrance feels more balanced and sophisticated in this phase.
A complete transformation. The citrus and spice fade into the background, leaving a minimalist and elegant base of clean white musk and dry cedarwood. It becomes a personal skin scent, subtle and refined.
Performance Dashboard
Lasts 6-8 hours on skin. Becomes a skin scent after the 4-hour mark.
Projects moderately for the first 1-2 hours, creating a subtle scent bubble. It is not designed to be a loud fragrance.
Leaves a light, clean trail that is noticeable only in close proximity. Inoffensive and office-safe.
When to Wear
Community Verdict
Receives compliments for smelling ''clean'' and ''fresh''. It''s a pleasant, inoffensive scent that garners positive but subtle reactions.
Pros & Cons
- ✅ Unique and sophisticated take on a citrus scent
- ✅ High-quality, natural-smelling ingredients
- ✅ Elegant, modern, and versatile for daytime wear
- ✅ The exclusivity adds to its desirability for collectors
- ❌ Extremely high price point is a major deterrent
- ❌ Limited availability makes it difficult to purchase and sample
- ❌ Performance is moderate, which some find disappointing for the cost
Price & Value
“A beautiful fragrance, but not worth the price for the average consumer. The value lies in its exclusivity and artistry, not its performance-to-cost ratio.”
📜 Reformulation History
As a fragrance launched in 2020, there are no known major reformulations. Le Labo''s practice of hand-blending can result in minor batch-to-batch variations, but the core scent profile of Citron 28 has remained consistent.
Who It's For
✅ Ideal For
- Unisex, ages 25+
- Fans of minimalist, clean aesthetics
- Individuals who prefer subtle, personal scents
- Le Labo collectors
⚠️ Not Recommended For
- Budget-conscious buyers
- Those who want strong projection and sillage
- Fans of sweet or straightforward citrus fragrances
The Family
Part of the same City Exclusives collection, sharing the concept of city-specific luxury scents.
Another highly sought-after City Exclusive, appealing to the same collector-driven market.
A fellow City Exclusive known for its complex, musky profile, showing the diversity within the collection.
Explore More
🔍 Similar Fragrances
Shares a similar bright citrus and clean musk DNA, but is simpler and more affordable.
A comparable ultra-luxury citrus scent with high-quality ingredients, though it focuses more on orange and aquatic notes.
Offers a very realistic, zesty citrus experience but lacks the spicy ginger and complex musky drydown of Citron 28.
💡 Clone Alternatives
An accessible ''inspired by'' version that captures the core lemon-ginger-musk profile.
A fragrance oil alternative that mimics the scent profile, often with enhanced longevity.
❤️ You May Also Enjoy
Shares a sophisticated, clean vetiver-citrus profile with a modern feel.
Appeals to those who enjoy classic, high-quality Italian citrus with a refined, woody base.
A fresher, lighter take on a famous DNA, appealing to those who like bright, masculine-leaning aromatic scents.
More from Le Labo
🧪 Layering Ideas
- Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 (Iso E Super) to amplify the cedar base
- A simple white musk fragrance to enhance the clean drydown
- Le Labo Another 13 to create a complex, musky signature scent
🏆 Final Verdict
Le Labo Citron 28 Seoul is a fragrance of quiet confidence. It is an impeccably crafted, modern scent that subverts expectations of a typical citrus. The journey from a sharp, spicy lemon-ginger opening to a serene, musky-woody skin scent is a testament to the perfumer''s skill. It is clean, sophisticated, and effortlessly chic.
However, it is impossible to review this fragrance without addressing its astronomical price. Citron 28 is prohibitively expensive, and its performance, while decent, does not justify the cost from a purely functional standpoint. You should buy it if price is no object and you are a dedicated collector who values artistry and exclusivity above all else. For everyone else, this is a beautiful scent to sample, but a difficult full bottle to justify.