If you imagine Tenerife, niche perfumery might not be the first thing that springs to mind. Perhaps instead you conjure volcanic islands, azure skies, and warm, sunny days. If that’s the case you could be entirely forgiven for not yet having heard of the latest niche perfumery line to be released from a brand which is now based on the island.

The creators of the dramatic and inspiring Angela Ciampagna line relocated their production house from Italy to Tenerife last year. They’re now back in style, with the release of Layering by Label which marks a significant departure from the Angela Ciampagna line – but don’t worry, the house is operating both brands now from its Canary Island base.

The vibe

Layering by Label is, as the name suggests, is a very different concept than we are used to from the more established Angela Ciampagna brand. Whilst the Angela Ciampagna scents are multifaceted, rich, opulent and studious, Layering by Label is altogether an easier concept to pick a scent from, chuck one on (or two, or three) and head out the door. They’re fun, easy, carefree and youthful, but without compromising on quality.

The brand

The creators of both Angela Ciampagna and Layering by Label have been around for a while now, both manufacturing and developing scents for themselves and for other companies who employ their services. They’re experienced in the business of perfumery so you can be sure that they know what they are doing when it comes to developing concepts like this.

The scents

The clue is in the name with this brand: Layering by Label are scents which are designed to be worn, either alone, or in multiples. One of the things that we found we enjoyed most about the concept is that the scents do seem to really work very well together and it is nigh on impossible to find a combination that isn’t pleasing (even when you spray them all on at once to try!).

Amber and Fig

Listed notes: Fig leaves, lemon, grapefruit, jasmine, almond milk, pink pepper, amber, sandal, benzoin.

Amber and Fig sounds like the sort of perfume which would veer towards too much sweetness, but it doesn’t here at all. The fig is green, astringent and bitter but it is beautifully balanced by the rounder and sweeter amber so they work rather nicely together. A milky facet whispers about in the background, whilst very delicate hints of pepper give a lift of liveliness.

Amber and Fig is such an easy fragrance to wear and it feels like it will be one of the most popular of the range. It’s so easy to imagine spritzing this on before the school run or dashing to the shops, but it is pleasant enough to also take you out on a lunch date with friends.

Salt and Cyclamen

Listed notes: Sea, honey, ylang-ylang, cyclamen, musk, patchouli, vanilla.

Prior to trying this scent, hopes were high that it would be interesting and it does deliver on that for sure. The salty, mineral note has an almost savoury quality to it which is matched by the watery cyclamen florals. The musky base ties the fragrance down and stops it floating away on a wave of salty water.

Salt and Cyclamen feels like one of the line which would stand up well to wearing on its own. It has a real fresh, salty zing about it that is really appealing.

Ylang-Ylang and Musk

Listed notes: Lemon, bergamot, jasmine, ylang-ylang, magnolia, ginger, musk, vanilla.

One of our personal favourites from the line, this fragrance has the feel of cotton dried in the sunshine about it. It’s clean, delicate and sophisticated and is a fragrance that is perfect for those easy days when you want to feel fragrantly scented but without the scent being very demanding or over stimulating.

Ylang-Ylang and Musk also seems to soften other fragrances when layered together. Layered with Juniper it makes an intensely green and spriggy formulation, but layered with Frangipani it becomes a cosy floral.

Maltol and Cinnamon

Listed notes: Caramel, maltol, walnut, cinnamon, blackberry, red currant, vanilla, musk, benzoin, sandal.

There wasn’t as much cinnamon in Maltol and Cinnamon as we would perhaps have liked (because who doesn’t love lashings of cinnamon?). That said, this fragrance is a deep and cosy base scent which lends itself towards wearing in the cooler months of the year. It adds a woody depth and warmth to the other scents that it is paired with.

Lily and Tangerine

Listed notes: tangerine, lemon, jasmine, lily, magnolia, rose, violet, musk, amber, sandal.

The tangerine is the star of this scent which is zesty and pithy. It reminded us of those flecks of juice that ping off when you try and peel citrus fruits. Juicy and fragrant, the tangerine is balanced by the lily which is slightly peppery and which never becomes too sweet, too cloying or too headache inducing. The lovely citrus keeps lily perfectly in check and makes this a very pleasing scent.

We enjoyed layering Lily and Tangerine with Salt and Cyclamen for an interesting burst of floral, citrus and saltiness.

Frangipani

Listed notes: orange flower, lily of the valley, plum, pear, guaiac wood, vanilla, honey.

Frangipani is another from this line that really feels like it will become one of their best sellers. Soft, delicately floral, this fragrance develops in a pleasingly powdery direction as it wears. It’s rather like falling into a fluffy duvet at the end of a long day, warm, cosy and comforting.

Frangipani layers well with almost any other of the scents from the line, but we particularly enjoyed it with Ylang-Ylang and Musk to make a floral burst of a scent.

Amber and Rosewood

Listed notes: Lemon, bergamot, nutmeg, cedarwood, rosewood, oud, vanilla, benzoin, amber, sandal.

Warm, woody, but also shiny and smooth, Amber and Rosewood practically glides from the bottle. It has hints of a supple caramel and a warm dusting of spice. Amber and Rosewood also pairs really well with many of the other scents in the line up, but we particularly enjoyed it with Ylang and Musk, or Salt and Cyclamen.

Juniper

Listed notes: Cardamom, lavender, black pepper, juniper berries, coriander, musk, amber.

Juniper felt like the fragrance that was the hardest to work with and layer from the collection. It’s a spicy, green wallop of a scent which pairs nicely with the green facets of Amber and Fig. This is definitely one to try if you enjoy a green note in scent, the greenery here felt dense and leathery but aromatic, a bit like pine needles.

The verdict

Layering by Label fragrances are much less complex than the Angela Ciampagna fragrance line. This is deliberate though, rather than a failing in the concept. These easy to wear scents have a liveliness about them which is youthful and invigorating. They’re great scents to wear when you want something to just chuck on and go, without agonising for hours over the mental demands of a challenging scent. Due to the fact that they are so friendly, they’re also nice scents to wear when you feel cosy and like you want to take care of yourself a bit.

The layering aspect of this line works really well. Other layering concepts can sometimes feel like you are wearing two different scents at once, rather than integrating together: a bit like having the TV on whilst you watch something on your phone. Neither is easy to concentrate on. Layering by Label manages to harmonise the individual scents so that they play nicely together, certainly for the most part, and you get to come out wearing what a creation you have customised yourself.

Buy it

The first release of Layering by Label also contains Olive Wood and Leather, which we haven’t included in our round up because we haven’t been able to try it.

A further four scents are due for release this summer. They are: Strawberry and Coconut (RRP 60 EUR for 50ml), Vanilla (150 EUR for 50ml), Neroli and Jasmine (105 EUR for 50ml), and Oud and Musk (105 EUR for 50ml).

The fragrances mentioned above can all be purchased from the Layering by Label web boutique. They are priced at 60 EUR for 50ml. The house also do a very reasonably priced discovery set at 18 EUR.

We were provided with no-strings-attached samples of this line by the brand, and we thank them for their kindness.

We also produced an article for Fragrantica on this brand.

Image by Gert Hautumm from Pixabay.