A Lab on Fire Sweet Dreams 2003 (2012): Notes on a Price Hike & the Curse of Luxury {New Perfume}

From New York City-based niche brand A Lab on Fire comes a new perfume called Sweet Dreams 2003, a reference to a moment in time bottled by perfumer Thierry Wasser, now the in-house nose for Guerlain.

What started out as a sympathico indie project: bringing the works of very established perfumers caught their hair down and ready to go downmarket to shake hands with pure lovers of perfume not necessarily big on cash ($31 for 15 ml), has turned into yet another prestige niche venture trying to squeeze the most money out of their followers. After getting Internet traction and critical creds, it all ends up being, once more, about the business side of the equation ($110 for 100 ml, one size only) -- shame, really, because they showed it could be done...

The 15 ml bottles sold at concept store Colette in Paris frequented by the young-in-spirit hispter, creative crowd quickly sold out.

And of course, it feels, once more, like the popularity of the Internet is being used and harvested to consolidate classic elitist models. When will they learn?

When a good quality perfume can be bought as easily as a movie ticket, then, that will be the day when it all turns into a real, worthwhile conversation.

The ad copy, once more, is all about convincing you that you have struck gold, or even platinum. Sometimes you just start thinking that luxury is the curse of perfumery and that snobs really have no idea how ridiculous they sound.

"Il était un fois [sic]... A talented perfumer in New York City drafted one of his most prized creations, then left it behind with a friend when he escaped the city for a new beginning in Paris. This ode to a better life captured the essence of stolen moments on a perfect beach, basking in the sunlight, listening to the Mediterranean lull. His creation was safe guarded, a priceless sliver of his past. Now, we can all visit that moment; we can all bask in his achievement."

Notes: bergamot, neroli, petitgrain, orange flower, jasmine, musk, amber, castoreum. 

Available at luckyscent.com