Le Labo’s City Exclusive Collection Returns With Shiu 25
Beauty · 29 August 2026
This September, Le Labo’s City Exclusives return worldwide, joined by SHIU 25, a new fragrance inspired by Beijing’s traditional spaces.
- Words
- Alisha Azuddin
Beijing By Scent
Come September, one of Le Labo’s most anticipated fragrance rituals returns. For one month only, the Maison’s City Exclusive Collection leaves its respective hometowns, bringing together scents that are otherwise reserved for the cities that inspired them. From Tokyo to Paris, Seoul to Shanghai, each fragrance offers its own olfactory interpretation of place.
This year, the journey leads to Beijing with SHIU 25, Le Labo’s newest City Exclusive. But this is not a straightforward interpretation of the city you might expect. Rather than capturing Beijing through its most familiar sights and associations, SHIU 25 looks inward, drawing inspiration from the city’s traditional spaces of artisanship, quiet courtyards and hidden gardens. It is an ode to stillness and contemplation, reflecting the sense of pause found within these historic spaces.
At its heart is shiu, the Ho tree, chosen for its quieter expression and association with balance and inner peace. Ethereal iris and olibanum lend the composition a sense of airiness, while warm woods ground the fragrance with a softer, more enveloping character. It’s a less a literal portrait of Beijing than an impression of its quieter side—centred, introspective and deeply atmospheric.
The new fragrance also finds a fitting home at Le Labo’s Beijing He Yuan Fragrance Lab, housed within a historic, culturally protected site and inspired by traditional Siheyuan architecture. The space itself is designed as an invitation to pause and immerse in sensory discovery, making it a natural setting for SHIU 25.
From September 1 to 30, SHIU 25 will join the full City Exclusive collection, with all 19 fragrances available worldwide for the month. Consider it Le Labo’s annual invitation to travel by scent with no passport required.
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- beijing
city exclusives
fragrance
le labo
shiu 25
