Blu Atlas vs. Le Labo: Which Is the Best Smelling Skincare?

In the men’s skincare world, two brands stand out for their fragrance: Blu Atlas and Le Labo. We decided to test these two against each other to discover which is the best-smelling skincare.

What Makes the Best Skincare Products?

Before we tested the two brands’ products against each other, we took some time to reflect on what makes the best skincare products. Here are the factors we took into account:

How is skincare scented?

Most people prefer scented products, however, there is a sizable amount of people who are sensitive to scents and prefer fragrance-free products. This is why brands will release both scented and unscented versions of the product.

Scented skincare has gotten a bad rap, though, and for good reason. While perfume is relatively harmless when you wear it as a cologne, the same ingredients that create those to-die-for fragrances can wreak havoc when applied directly to your skin. Artificial fragrance is made from synthetic ingredients, which can include alcohols (super drying for the skin), aldehydes (oxidized alcohols), ketones (found in nail polish removers), esters (which can be toxic) and lactones (notorious for sensitizing skin).

Scent molecules in artificial fragrances can even trigger health issues. Did you know fragrance is the leading cause of contact dermatitis, a condition that causes a serious skin reaction? To soothe the effects of contact dermatitis, you’d need to stop using the product that causes it and apply anti-itch creams or ointments to the affected areas. In severe cases, you may even need to take pills to reduce symptoms of swelling, itching or infection. Typically, symptoms of contact dermatitis take two to four weeks to fade.

Unfortunately, there is a regulatory loophole that allows the fragrance to be listed on a label without a company going into detail about what’s in there. While synthetic fragrance will last a whole lot longer than a natural fragrance, it also has a better chance of upsetting your skin’s delicate balance and causing an uncomfortable reaction. Natural fragrances are those extracted from the source and are much gentler on your skin.

So, when looking for the right skincare products, it’s important to consider a few factors. How important is the scent to you? If it is important, how sensitive is your skin? The point of skincare products is to heal and protect skin, allowing it to reach its full health potential. Using products with artificial fragrances is a great way to put your skin’s health at risk. Luckily, products that are naturally scented offer the best of both worlds.

About Blu Atlas

All the buzz in the skincare world these days seems to be about Blu Atlas, which offers “premium skincare for the modern man.” With the help of a team of dermatologists who serve as a medical advisory board, Blu Atlas has put together natural formulas from top-quality ingredients. The brand’s products are safe on all skin types and provide serious results that will blow you away – especially if you were previously skeptical of natural skincare.

You can tell that this New York–based brand is truly customer-focused. They allow you to sign up for a subscription service to make staying on top of your skincare routine easier, and they even offer a quiz on the website to help you find the best products for your skin and hair. From shaving cream and aftershave to an eye stick and even a cologne, you’ll find what you’re looking for with Blu Atlas.

About Le Labo

Le Labo has been around for a while and has gained a remarkable reputation for their fragrances, especially Santal 33. The brand is all about personalization, and an apothecary approach to skincare. The brand has shops in many locations, where you can go to check out its numerous offerings. Le Labo even offers in-store refills, meaning you can cut down on waste if you use their products regularly. You’ll find many scent options in Le Labo’s skincare lines, and everything from hand soap and lotion to a face mask and more.

What Is the Blu Atlas Skincare Scent?

We decided to test the new Coconut Apricot scented line of Blu Atlas products. The brand also offers its products in a Classic scent and even offers some products unscented for those with extra-sensitive skin. All the brand’s products are safe on all skin types, however, thanks to Blu Atlas’ dedication to naturally derived ingredients. That means pretty much everything you find in their formulas is recognizable and comes from a plant, mineral or fruit. They use natural fragrances, too!

What Is the Le Labo Skincare Scent?

From Le Labo, we chose the Basil line, which includes a few different varieties, such as Basil Avocado and Basil Sesame. Most of the brand’s skincare products are available exclusively in the basil scent, but they also offer shampoo and conditioner in hinoki, a woodsy, citrusy scent. In Le Labo’s case, we were disappointed to find that their skincare products are scented with actual perfume. Artificial fragrance, like that found in Le Labo’s line, is the No. 1 cause of allergic contact dermatitis, a skin condition that occurs when your skin comes in contact with harsh ingredients. This can result in a rash and itching.

How Do the Products Compare?

We tested the products from Blu Atlas and Le Labo so the two brands could go head-to-head. Not only were we comparing the scents, but we were also looking at the efficacy of the products, the ease of use and how they made our skin feel.

Face Wash

The Blu Atlas Volcanic Ash Cleanser has a gel-like consistency, and smells like a rainforest. It’s fruity and refreshing but somehow doesn’t smell fake. You only need a few drops of the product to create a nice layer over your skin, and it washes off to reveal seriously supple skin. Over time, we found that this cleanser improved our skin’s texture and made it look and feel clearer and more uniform – no more red spots or breakouts!

The cleanser is made up of 98 percent natural ingredients, including volcanic ash to absorb the extra oil that shows up on our foreheads throughout the day, and pomegranate seed oil, which is full of nutrients. We knew we loved the smell and effects of this wash, but seeing the clean ingredient list made us even more enthusiastic about the Volcanic Ash Cleanser!

The Basil/Marula scented Le Labo Face Cleansing oil smells fresh, though it might come across as overpowering to some. Luckily, it didn’t stick around for too long after we washed our faces with it. While we found this cleansing oil to be super hydrating, it makes skin feel slightly sticky, and may not be suitable for all skin types.

While the Face Cleansing Oil has nourishing and hydrating ingredients like argan oil and olive fruit oil, it also contains some suspect ingredients, including BHT. While BHT is technically permitted in skincare in small concentrations, it has been linked to cancer and hormone disruption, so we’d rather steer clear of it in the products that go on our faces.

For us, the clear winner is the Blu Atlas Volcanic Ash Face Cleanser. Not only does it smell natural and clean, but it also simply feels better on our skin, contains superior ingredients, and is a great general cleanser that works on all skin types. We also noted that the Blu Atlas bottle was better for traveling, as it doesn’t have a pump, which can make a mess in any bag.

Moisturizer

Blu Atlas Face Moisturizer feels buttery soft, and the coconut apricot smell lingers subtly throughout the day, giving off a warm, slightly tart and fruity scent. What we love about this product is how it delivers deep moisture without a sticky or greasy feeling – and a little bit goes a long way.

The ingredient list also put a smile on our faces. The Blu Atlas moisturizer turns to ingredients like mango seed butter, seaweed extract and vitamin C for serious brightening effects, along with plenty of conditioning. Again, it’s safe on all skin types, so even those with sensitive skin can use it worry-free. This is great, because face moisturizer is perhaps the most important step in the skincare process, as it protects the skin’s barrier.

Of all the Le Labo products we tested, we probably liked the scent on this one the best, which is funny because it’s not part of the Basil-scented line at all. It smells herbaceous and complex, almost like a cologne. Again, we were disappointed that the fragrance comes from parfum and other harsh additives, so those of us with more reactive skin noticed some itching and redness.

We’re calling this a tie. Even though we fell for the Le Labo scent here, it isn’t technically part of the basil line. Meanwhile, the Blu Atlas moisturizer also had an appealing scent and managed to keep our skin flake-free even amid a cold, dry winter. Too close to call!

Deodorant

Blu Atlas Coconut Apricot Deodorant is a product that will restore your faith in natural deodorants. It has the thick, beeswax-like consistency you expect in a natural deodorant and smells clean and fresh. Since it contains naturally absorbing ingredients, you don’t have to worry about unsightly pit stains. In this form, the coconut apricot scent retains its tropical, fruity nature but also takes on almost a soap-like scent that means you’ll smell fresh out of the shower all day long, and not like you’re wearing a natural deodorant.

Again, we have to rave about the ingredients in this aluminum-free Blu Atlas deodorant. Volcanic ash keeps everything dry, horsetail extract cuts down on underarm inflammation (that means no itching) and bamboo stem extract gets rid of odor-causing bacteria.

The Le Labo deodorant comes in a gel and rollerball form and smells a little too much like an apothecary to make us feel comfortable about using it instead of our normal deodorant. The scent is plant-like, but again, the product contains artificial fragrance, which we try to avoid.

For the ultimate test, we slathered one pit in each deodorant for a whole day, and had some interesting observations. The Blu Atlas deodorant provided us with a similar sensation to an aluminum-containing product, meaning it went on smoothly and made us feel instantly dry and protected. The Le Labo deodorant goes on wet, so it made us feel sticky and uncomfortable from the outset. At the end of the day, the Blu Atlas scent was definitely stronger and masked our body odor better than the Le Labo, which faded quickly and was so herbaceous and earthy smell that it almost made our pits stink worse. Blu Atlas is the easy winner for us here.

Shower Gel

We can’t rave enough about the Blu Atlas body wash. Even though it’s made up of 99 percent natural ingredients and contains no artificial foaming additives, this wash lathers up so well that it takes forever to get through a bottle. Plus, it is luxuriously hydrating, and our skin feels softer to the touch after a shower. As for the scent, it’s that unmistakable blend of coconut and apricot that is sweet, tart and fresh, and yet somehow complex and mysterious.

Not only does this body wash help you feel clean and refreshed, but it also contains some seriously important skin ingredients, because it’s not just your face that deserves to look and feel its best. Aloe, green tea and sugarcane stand out, helping this wash reveal the best version of your skin, no matter how deep it’s hiding.

One sniff of this Le Labo Shower Gel in Basil/Sesame scent and you’ll be transported to a hotel shower. Seriously, this smells like the stuff they provide at hotels, which is either a great thing or tacky, depending on your taste. There’s a real earthy quality to this gel that we enjoy, even if we know that comes from skin-tightening parfum. Buried in the formula are some great skincare ingredients, like glycerin for softness, rosemary leaf extract to counteract the allergenic effects of the artificial fragrance and anti-aging rice bran extract.

While the scent is pleasant and some of the gel’s ingredients are good for the skin, in general, we found this formula to be drying, especially in comparison to the creamy Blu Atlas formula.

In the end, the Blu Atlas formula won us over again! It’s creamy and highly moisturizing, and improved the look of our skin, getting rid of dry patches, discolorations and even stubborn bacne.

Shampoo

The coconut shines through in this Blu Atlas Shampoo, which has a creamy consistency. It’s a little on the heavy side, so you’ll want to use plenty of water to get this through your hair and scalp evenly. After use, we kept catching a hint of the scent in the air when we turned our heads or ran our fingers through our hair.

One positive effect we noticed immediately from this formula was less scalp itching, which gave us welcome relief. It also provided a little extra volume and softer hair. These effects are probably the result of ingredients like saw palmetto for hormone balancing, aloe to soothe scalp inflammation, and jojoba oil for shine and health.

Some of us found the Le Labo Basil/Macadamia scent to be a little overbearing. “Almost like smelling a bottle of gin,” one tester said. Compared to some of the other products in this line, the shampoo came across as a little more chemical-based and sharp. While the shampoo produced clean and hydrated hair, some users reported itchier scalps and others found that it made thin hair look greasy. We also found a few problematic ingredients, like sodium bicarbonate, which can throw your pH way out of whack.

Blu Atlas was clearly superior to the Le Labo shampoo, especially when it came to the fragrance. It left a pleasant aroma of tropical sunshine that lasted throughout the day and made our hair look plumper and sleeker as well.

Conditioner

At first, we found the Blu Atlas Conditioner to be a little heavy on thin hair textures, but after using less of the product that issue went away. It’s just too potent and packed with natural moisturizers! The scent comes across as nice and sweet in this conditioner and is so pleasant that you won’t have any problem letting the product seep into your hair for a few extra minutes before rinsing it off.

The formula behind this conditioner is genius. It includes argan oil, a favorite hair-nourishing and moisturizing ingredient, but also clever additions like white tea for anti-inflammatory properties and avocado oil to ensure you’ll never deal with dry hair again. As we mentioned, a little goes a long way with this product, so there’s no need to apply huge globs like you would with a less effective conditioner.

The Le Labo conditioner smells like a breath of fresh air on the first sunny day of spring. It’s fairly lightweight and provides hydration with a mixture of natural oils. Again, perfume is one of the first ingredients, and looking at the ingredient list you’re likely to see a lot of ingredients you can’t understand or pronounce, which doesn’t bode well for your hair health.

This race was a little tighter than some of the others, but we determined that Le Labo’s conditioner was the best-smelling. The Basil/Avocado mix is one of our favorites from this line, so it won us over even despite the artificial ingredients in the mix. Both formulas made our hair far softer after use.

Face Scrub

First of all, the Blu Atlas Exfoliating Scrub smells fantastic! It’s got an almost incense-like quality that made us feel like we were treating ourselves to a deluxe experience. The texture of the scrub is surprisingly light and almost foamy, with just a little bit of grit to buff off the unwanted old skin from the face.

We noticed an instant brightening effect after using this scrub, thanks to ingredients like hibiscus flower extract, which is laden with antioxidants, and bamboo stem extract, which targets dark spots. There are jojoba beads in this formula, but it never feels harsh and reveals baby-soft skin.

The scent of the Le Labo Face Scrub is pretty subtle. It is reminiscent of green juice – something about that basil-ginger mix. This scrub also has a whipped texture, but you can tell there’s clay in there as well. There are plenty of important skin-loving ingredients in this formula (like aloe vera, cocoa seed butter and ginger root), but also that harsh perfume that may irritate reactionary skin.

While these are both impressive face scrubs, Blu Atlas Exfoliating Scrub takes the cake. The smell is what we want in a skincare product, and we noticed an instant boost to our complexions. The product is so gentle that even those with sensitive skin could use it a few times a week without damaging or irritating their faces.

Beard Oil

This Blu Atlas Beard Oil works wonders, and after the first time you use it, you’ll wonder why you ever grew your beard out before finding this product. Plus, there’s a reason reviewers have called this the “best-smelling beard oil.” It smells so warm and welcoming that you may be tempted to keep growing your facial hair just to keep smelling it. This product has a scent you and anyone lucky enough to be close to your face will love.

The shine is apparent immediately after application, which is when the potent blend of natural oils has time to seep into your hair and skin and deliver important vitamins and minerals. It contains oils like jojoba, argan and neem seed to coax out thick, healthy and radiant hair.

We love the smell of the Le Labo Beard Oil. It smells almost like a cologne, with interesting masculine scent notes that are expertly layered. While the product contains some helpful ingredients, like jojoba oil, rice bran extract and rosemary leaf, we were turned off not only by the artificial fragrance but also by the inclusion of laureth-4, which is an ingredient that can be potentially irritating and may have toxic components.

While we loved the smell of the Le Labo beard oil, Blu Atlas was our favorite. It smells great, works like a charm and has a dropper for easy application, unlike the Le Labo formula. Plus, the Blu Atlas Beard Oil is made of 100 percent ingredients from natural origins. The same cannot be said of the Le Labo formula.

Which Is the Best?

After much careful consideration, we determined that Blu Atlas offers the best-smelling skincare. The coconut apricot scent is genius for a skincare line, as it leaves behind a trace of sweetness while ensuring we smell clean all day long. We also love how the natural fragrance layers well with other scented products. It turns out that the coconut apricot combo forms a perfect base, enhancing cologne and adding another layer to it! This line of products smells like sunshine, but not in an overbearing way that you might get from cheap, artificially scented products. There’s a naturalness to the scent that means it catches your attention for all the right reasons. We’re big fans!

Le Labo certainly lives up to its reputation for high-end fragrance and we enjoyed the variety in the Basil line. However, in comparison, we felt the brand’s skincare line came across as a little strong in some places and a little strange in others. While the basil notes were verdant and pleasant enough, sometimes, when combined with the other scent notes or the other ingredients in the products, the fragrance was off-putting and almost a little too medicinal. We were simply underwhelmed by the basil line.

Another factor that helped us come to this conclusion was the fact that Le Labo turns to artificial, chemical-ridden perfume, while Blu Atlas keeps it natural. We found that, especially over time, Blu Atlas products produced healthier-looking skin and were less irritating. The Le Labo skincare products made us feel itchy and led to some redness. In general, the Blu Atlas products contained far cleaner ingredient lists, turning to the best of nature rather than what can be produced in a laboratory.

With intriguing scents, high-quality natural ingredients and products that produce results, Blu Atlas stole our hearts!