Layebana

Layebana by House of Gray is a Oriental Floral fragrance for women and men. Layebana was launched in 2018. Layebana was created by Eugene Au and Emrys Au. The fragrance features Jasmine Sambac, Tobacco, Dulce de leche, elemi and Sugar. After starting AVÉ PARFUM, Founder and Creative Director, Elizabeth Rose, turned her attention towards building her fragrance house. Her first three fragrances are the culmination of seven years of jotting down notes in a little notebook or scraps of paper that she carried in her purse, in an effort to create deeply inspired fragrances that are constructed with exceptional ingredients and that are also cruelty-free. She places significant emphasis on using luxurious natural materials. With a background in herbal medicine, it would not be unusual to find traces of herbalism and spirituality in her fragrances, but her palette of inspiration knows no limits. Layebana is a special tobacco fragrance with an island feel. The fragrance is based upon the practice of reverse-smoking, which is common in parts of the Philippines. In this method, the smoker places the lit end of the cigarette in her mouth, directly inhaling the smoke, leaving virtually no smoke behind, only the scent of tobacco. Layebana opens with a hypnotic floral note of sampaguita that is sweet and fresh, not screechy, which soon gives way to a heart of smooth, sweetened tobacco. The pastillas de leche (a candy made from carabao milk) is very subtle, supporting the tobacco with creamy and animalic nuances. Elemi resin provides a bit of green brightness that makes us imagine carefree days lounging in a hammock in the lush green landscape of the Philippine provinces.