It's rare that a brand founder would have mixed feelings about a best-selling product that's essentially sent sales into the stratosphere. But that's exactly the case with Santal 33, Le Labo's uber-popular perfume that, "you smell everywhere" according to The New York Times.
Le Labo has been owned by Estée Lauder Companies since 2015 but its co-founder, Fabrice Penot, has spoken out about his heady fragrance – one of the most ubiquitous among young, fashionable guys and girls.
Speaking to Fashionista, Penot said that while the brand owes a lot to Santal 33, it would also be very happy without it. "We have a family of scents we are proud of and are sometimes overshadowed by Santal," he says.
Articles as far back as 2015 have bluntly suggested that consumers give up Santal 33 in favour of similar but smaller-batch fragrances – The New York Times and Into The Gloss to name a few. Many brands would baulk at commentary like this from such prestigious media outlets, but Penot says he too has mixed feelings about having created something simultaneously cherished and scorned. Eight years after its launch, he feels a certain amount of detachment.
"Santal is unleashed by now, our child has become an adult and lives its own life. It could very well become the next Chanel No. 5 in the history of perfumery. That's not being pretentious — it has nothing to do with us anymore, and frankly tells more about luck than our own talent."
While Santal 33 continues to divide, Penot continues to develop fragrances with Le Labo's co-founder, Eddie Roschi, and says he doesn't tend to worry about what's happening on the outside. "We are in our bubble, focusing on our craft. We can imagine critics out there for sure, but that doesn't affect us — not because we despise them, just because it doesn't matter. What matters is to stay with our beliefs."
