Le Labo Another 13 EDP
What Does Le Labo Another 13 EDP Smell Like?
Expert Rating
4.3 / 5
Scent Overview
Another 13 has the strange familiarity of opening a new fashion magazine: clean paper, warm ink, dry wood and a trace of skin all seem to appear at once. A faint pear-like fruitiness softens the opening, but the fragrance is really built around diffusive musks and amber-woody materials rather than a traditional bouquet.
Jasmine and moss add quiet texture while the molecular base moves between clean, salty, woody and slightly animalic impressions depending on the wearer. That variability is central to its appeal and its risk. Some people find it smooth and addictive; others smell rubbing alcohol, plastic, sweat or almost nothing at all. It is highly versatile, but sampling is much wiser than judging it from the note list alone.
Quick Profile
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Fragrance Family |
Amber, Musky, Woody |
|
Gender |
Unisex |
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Gender Leaning |
Perfectly Unisex |
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Seasons |
Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter |
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Wear On |
Casual, Daily Wear, Date Night, Office |
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Vibe |
Airy, Clean, Intimate, Minimalist, Musky, Woody |
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Note |
Ambrette (Musk Mallow), Ambrettolide, Amyl Salicylate, Apple, Cetalox, Citruses, Helvetolide, Iso E Super, Jasmine, Moss, Pear |
Performance Ratings
Longevity
3.8 / 5
Sillage
3.4 / 5
Versatility
4.7 / 5
Opening
The opening is more about texture than a recognizable fruit accord. Pear, apple and citrus are listed in Fragrantica’s staged pyramid, but they register as a thin, cool brightness around the fragrance’s molecular core rather than as juicy pieces of fruit. Pear is the easiest to notice, adding a faint translucent sweetness against a clean, almost metallic background.
This is where the famous glossy-magazine comparison often appears: the scent can suggest fresh paper, ink, polished surfaces or a newly opened package. Other noses get rubbing alcohol or very little at all. That inconsistency is not unusual for a composition dominated by modern musks and amber-woody materials. Another 13 begins quietly in volume but can feel strangely persistent and expansive around the wearer.
Heart
Ambrette, jasmine and moss give the middle more warmth and texture without turning Another 13 into a conventional floral. Ambrette adds a soft musky, slightly vegetal quality, while jasmine provides a pale floral glow rather than a lush white-flower effect. Moss contributes a faint green-dry shadow that keeps the fragrance from becoming purely clean or sterile.
The scent remains abstract and skin-like. Depending on chemistry and perception, this stage can feel freshly washed, salty, woody, mildly animalic or even rubbery. That shape-shifting quality explains why community descriptions differ so dramatically. It also makes the fragrance difficult to evaluate from a blotter alone. On skin, the heart tends to merge with body warmth instead of announcing a clear sequence of separate notes.
Dry Down
Iso E Super, Cetalox, Helvetolide and Ambrettolide form Fragrantica’s listed base, creating a dry woody-musky halo with a smooth ambergris-like warmth. The remaining pear and jasmine become abstract traces rather than distinct notes. The finish can resemble clean skin, warm fabric, pale wood or glossy paper, with occasional salty or animalic facets appearing as body heat changes.
Parfumo currently rates longevity at 7.6/10 and sillage at 6.7/10, suggesting good persistence with moderate projection. Perceived performance is unusually variable because some wearers become partly nose-blind to ambroxan, Iso E Super and musks even while others can still smell the trail. Another 13 is refined and extremely versatile, but its price, minimal structure and anosmia risk make sampling essential before committing to a bottle.
Pros
- Its clean skin, paper and pale-wood effect is distinctive without relying on heavy sweetness or obvious florals.
- Good aggregate longevity allows the molecular base to linger even when projection remains controlled.
- The low-sweetness profile works across work, casual wear, dates and most seasons.
- Its genuinely unisex character adapts well to different styles rather than leaning strongly masculine or feminine.
- The shifting musky-woody character can smell subtly different with body heat and skin chemistry, giving it unusual intimacy.
Cons
- Some people are partly or completely anosmic to the ambroxan, Iso E Super or musk-heavy structure.
- The scent can read as rubbing alcohol, plastic, sweat or animalic skin instead of clean paper and musk on certain noses.
- Projection is less dramatic than the price and niche positioning may lead some buyers to expect.
- The minimalist development can feel repetitive or overpriced to wearers who prefer complex note transitions.
- Its abstract molecular profile makes it a risky blind buy despite the fragrance being easy to wear once it suits your nose.
FAQ
What does Le Labo Another 13 EDP smell like?
Le Labo Another 13 EDP smells like clean skin, glossy magazine paper and pale woods with a faint pear-like sweetness. Its ambroxyde-centered structure can also feel musky, salty, metallic or slightly animalic, so different wearers often describe the same fragrance in surprisingly different ways.
Why does Another 13 smell like a magazine or paper?
The magazine-paper comparison comes from the dry, smooth interaction of amber-woody molecules, musks, faint fruit and floral materials. Another 13 does not contain a literal paper note, but many wearers associate its clean woody-musky texture with glossy pages, fresh ink or newly opened packaging.
How long does Le Labo Another 13 last?
Le Labo Another 13 generally has good longevity, with Parfumo currently rating it 7.6/10 from more than 900 ratings. Many wearers get most of a workday or longer, but perceived duration can be misleading because nose-blindness to its molecular materials is common.
Does Le Labo Another 13 have strong projection?
Another 13 has moderate projection rather than room-filling sillage, with Parfumo currently rating it 6.7/10. It often creates an intermittent skin-and-clothing halo that other people notice even when the wearer stops detecting it, especially after repeated exposure.
Why can some people barely smell Another 13?
Some people are less sensitive or quickly become nose-blind to materials such as ambroxan, Iso E Super and certain musks. Because Another 13 relies heavily on this type of molecular structure, one person may experience a persistent scent cloud while another perceives only a faint trace or almost nothing.
Is Le Labo Another 13 for men or women?
Le Labo Another 13 is comfortably unisex. Its dry woods, clean musks, faint pear and soft jasmine do not strongly follow traditional masculine or feminine perfume codes, and community descriptions frequently emphasize its androgynous, skin-like character.
Is Le Labo Another 13 a safe blind buy?
Le Labo Another 13 is not a safe blind buy despite its minimalist profile. The same molecular materials can smell clean and addictive, animalic and sweaty, harshly synthetic or nearly odorless depending on the person. Sampling on skin for several hours is much more useful than testing only on paper.