Clandestine Laboratories is the result of one artist's obsession with fragrance. It's a story of intentional obscurity and an uncompromising commitment to quality and creativity. Based in NYC, we represent only ourselves and are carried by no one.* If you want the good stuff, we've got the juice. We are an artisanal brand, meaning all fragrances are mixed by hand by the perfumer and produced in small batches.

Our fragrances are distinguished by their wearability, originality, naturalism, complexity and lastingness. They don't shout, they're about making you smell good and leaving a lasting impression while being comfortable to wear and to be around. Many people with fragrance sensitivities, or who don't like fragrances in general, find themselves drawn to ours. Then again, so do people who love fragrance and appreciate the unique combination of originality, wearability and performance.

Please note: Our gender categories are meant as descriptive, not proscriptive. While most are listed as “unisexy” and can comfortably be worn by anyone, it is informative to label some as masculine or feminine in style. Everyone is welcome here and we encourage you to wear whatever fragrance speaks to you.

*We’ve recently partnered with American Perfumer, simply because it’s such a great fit. I really respect what Dave is doing in terms of curating and promoting artisanal perfumery and he’s also a really great guy. Doing a limited edition with him (Lockdown, 2023) is a dream come true. Stay tuned for more in ‘24.

“100% pure natural essential oils”

We’re not like other brands. We’re preternaturally good.

Many fragrance brands promote themselves by touting the quality and supposed rarity of their natural materials or by representing themselves as “made from 100% pure essential oils, blended to enhance the quality of the all-natural ingredients” - by which they apparently mean to say that their fragrances, like ours, are a mix of natural materials enhanced by aroma chemicals. We’re honest about what we’re about, which is creating high-quality, lasting fragrances that don’t smell artificial and are pleasant to wear and to be around, but which also perform well over time and are original yet timeless. Our fragrances are composed with a keen awareness of the potential health effects of fragrance materials and, truth be told, some of the more iffy chemicals present in fragrances are only there because they occur in natural materials. Our perfumer is inspired by the beauty of natural odors, but also and primarily by natural perfumery materials, which are often selected for their performance and uniqueness. However, we are not wedded to the idea of creating “natural fragrance” - which, in our experience, most people don’t actually want, even if they believe they do - and often aren’t wearing, even when if think they are.

The quality and purity of fragrance ingredients is, of course, important. This is simply a given for any competent perfumer. However, there are many different qualities of lavender oil but there’s not necessarily one that is the best; which is best depends on what works best in the fragrance. At the end of the day, it’s the quality and originality of the finished fragrance that matters and that depends on both the selection of materials with appropriate qualities and on the skill and creativity with which they’re combined.

All fragrances are compliant with IFRA standards, which exceed compliance with US regulations. However, batches are currently so small that batch testing is impractical. Instead, levels of restricted naturally-occurring chemicals in natural materials are calculated based on information provided by IFRA. While many artisanal perfumers claim that the restrictions stifle their creativity, we find they simply present an additional challenge in composing original fragrances and actually encourage creativity, despite also being a lot of work to apply and the fact that they can swing wildly back and forth in some instances. So far it has been possible to modify and sometimes even improve fragrances in response to new standards but if they come for our vetiver oils we may have to reconsider.