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Leather, a seductive smell
Old leather smelled like smoke because it was tanned by burnt birch bark. The leather gives off notes of tar, tobacco, sensual notes, dry notes but notes of character. The fragrance of the leather olfactory family is frank and atypical. The leather accords are mainly divided into notes of animal leather, smoked leather, supple leather, rich and round leather, Middle Eastern leather and greedy leather, such as red leather. The best years of leathery perfumes are between 1920 and 1970, notably with the very famous perfume Cuir de Russie, created by Chanel in 1927 For many, this perfume recalls the smell of leather boots worn by soldiers. Russian.
The olfactory marriage of the leather family
Thanks to its many facets, leather is associated with all olfactory families. It is often discovered in woody, chypre and amber accords, but it sometimes surprises and is found in an aromatic fragrance, like Jules by Christian Dior. Here, the leather is positioned as a base note, accompanied by oak moss and tonka bean. Jules is perceived as a sassy fragrance with a full-bodied fragrance. Initially, and because of its particularly imposing, even animal scent, leather was mainly incorporated into perfumes for men. Today, women are proud to also have their perfume with leather notes. Among the greatest feminine perfumes, we note Cuir Béluga by Guerlain, Kelly Calèche by Hermès, or even Cuir de Lancôme by Lancôme. In these perfumes,we notice the association of leather with floral notes such as jasmine, lily of the valley, rose, narcissus or even ylang-ylang.
Initially, leather was obtained from the skin of an animal. Since the scented gloves of Catherine de Medici, leather has survived the ages with success. Essentially present in men's fragrances, leather has conquered the hearts of women. It combines judiciously with woody, amber, chypre, fruity, aromatic or floral notes. Today, leather notes are back, and with them, the noble materials of perfumery.