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Leather fragrances

In perfumery, the leather family is a little bit different. It is an olfactory family much appreciated by connoisseurs and lovers of character perfumes. There are very few perfumes that can be classified in this family. Indeed, these notes are quite segmenting and difficult to tame, but there are many perfumes in this family in the so-called niche perfumery.

Historically, leather and perfume were already associated. In 2000 BC, in Asia, leather was treated and perfumed with the bark of the Kumquat tree. Spanish hides were perfumed with various precious scents such as rose water, amber, camphor, cedar oil and musks. In the 17th century, Italian leather was perfumed with the sweet almond scent. There are several theories as to the origin of the word frangipane, but it is at least agreed that it comes from the Italian patronym Frangipani. Was he a pastry chef, a botanist, a marquis, a marshal or a monk? That we don't know. But the most prized extracts were: violet, iris, musk, amber and civet.

 

Grasse and leather

The Tanners settled in Grasse in the 12th century for their trade in hides and skins. They made trade agreements with Genoa and Pisa where they exported their hides.

The reputation of Grasse for its quality leathers grew, but there was still a shadow in the picture: the leathers did not smell good, which strongly displeased the nobility. In the 16th and 17th centuries, gloves, indispensable accessories, were perfumed with various scents: ambrette, musk. Under the reign of François I they were scented with civet, ambergris, and rosemary. Where did the idea of perfuming leather, and in particular gloves, come from? It is said that Molinard offered a pair of gloves to Catherine de Médicis with orange blossom. She was particularly taken with it, which is why she was nicknamed "La Nérola".

The product then spread to the Court and throughout high society. In 1614, the king introduced the title of "Master of the Gantiers Parfumeurs" and the town of Grasse acquired a reputation as a perfume tannery on a worldwide scale. This was the great era of the "Gantiers Parfumeurs" corporation. Under the reign of Henri III, people even wore gloves to sleep.

The profession of perfume maker is a craft and requires a great deal of know-how. Indeed, it takes 4 years of apprenticeship and 3 years of companionship to reach mastery. But around 1759, taxes on leather and competition from Nice caused the leather industry in Grasse to decline and perfume took its place. The community of glove makers and perfumers was dissolved in 1791.

In the 19th century, Grasse became the Perfume Capital, the artisanal production of the early days gave way to a real industry and the surrounding countryside was covered with flowers.

 

 

All the perfume houses had a perfume with the name Cuir de Russie (Guerlain 1890, Chanel 1927, LT Piver 1939, Creed 1953). It was inspired by the boots worn by the Ballets Russes dancers, which were waterproofed with birch tar.
In 1919, Tabac Blond de Caron was created with the leathery notes. Then came Knize ten de Knize in 1925, a chypre leather that winked at Guerlain's Heure Bleue.

Leathery fragrances became less and less popular and declined from the 1980s onwards along with the animal notes. During this period other notes were introduced such as marine and clean notes. There were a few exceptions, however, where the big houses still dared to use real leather: Bel Amis by Hermès in 1986 or Cuir Mauresque by Serge Lutens and others. Cuir Beluga by Guerlain is more of a white vanilla daim than a leather fragrance! But oh surprise, you will soon have at the House of Guerlain a real masculine leather in the collection of exclusives that I think will delight my readers. Jean-François Laporte was the founder of L'Artisan Parfumeur and the creator of Mûre et Musc. He then founded the brand Maître Parfumeur et Gantier in 1988. And you can still find perfumed gloves in his shop.

 

Other examples of perfumes with a leathery facet

Feminine

  • 1931 Scandal by Lanvin
  • 1944 Bandit by Piguet
  • 1959 Cabochard by Grès
  • 1963 Diorling by Dior
  • 1985 La nuit by Paco Rabanne
  • 1986 Parfum de peau by Montana
  • 1999 Dzing by L’Artisan Parfumeur
  • 2004 Daim Blond by Serge Lutens
  • 2007 Kelly Calèche by Hermès
  • 2007 Cuir by Lancôme

Masculine and unisex

  • 1781 Royal English Leather by Creed
  • 1955 Doblis by Hermès
  • 1959 Tabac Original
  • 1964 Aramis by Estée Lauder
  • 1976 Yatagan by Caron
  • 1978 Polo by Ralph Lauren
  • 1978 L’eau du navigateur by L’Artisan parfumeur
  • 1978 Van Cleef&Arpels pour Homme
  • 1980 Macassar by Rochas
  • 1980 Jules by Dior
  • 1980 One Man Show by Bogart
  • 1981 Quorum by Puig
  • 1981 Antaeus by Chanel
  • 1981 Kouros by YSL
  • 1985 Derby by Guerlain
  • 1989 Parfum by Homme Montana
  • 1998 Rocabar by Hermès
  • 1998 Bulgari Black by Bulgari
  • 1999 Tabarome Millésime by Creed
  • 2002 Cuiron Helmut Lang
  • 2003 Duel by Annick Goutal
  • 2003 Cuir ambre by Prada
  • 2003 Feuilles de tabac by Miller Harris
  • 2004 Daim blond by Serge Lutens
  • 2004 Aigner Black for men
  • 2005 Cuir améthyste by Armani privé
  • 2005 Cuir d’oranger by Miller Harris
  • 2005 Fumerie turque by Serge Lutens
  • 2006 Rien by Etat libre d’orange
  • 2006 Cuir Pleine Fleur by James Heeley
  • 2006 Je suis un homme by Etat Libre d'Orange
  • 2006 Cuir ottoman by Parfum d'Empire
  • 2006 Dzongkha by L'Artisan Parfumeur
  • 2007 Ambre fétiche by Annick Goutal
  • 2007 Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford
  • 2007 Charogne by Etat Libre d’Orange
  • 2007 Japon noir by Tom Ford
  • 2007 Luxe patchouli by Comme Des Garçons
  • 2008 Serge noire by Serge Lutens

In this important list of leathers, I have some “darlings": Royal English leather, Knize Ten and Prada Men for their proximity to Heure Bleue, and also Black Bugari which I find very sexy!

In Guerlain's classics, leathery facet is very present in Djedi (1925), also in Parfum des Champs Elysées (1904) and in general in all the very old Guerlains. We also find it in the fabulous Vol de Nuit and also in the "Joconde" of perfumery, Shalimar, which would not exist without its leathery facet. A note of agarwood was added to Habit Rouge eau de parfum which gives it a really different inflection. I invite you to compare the eau de toilette with the eau de parfum, which is nothing like it! Personally, I find Habit Rouge eau de parfum terribly sexy!

 

What raw materials are used to make a leathery perfume?

The leather note can have different facets: smoke, tobacco, burnt wood, or tar.

  • Birch tar oil is obtained by slow distillation of the wood. Birch tar is used for tanning hides in Russia and for some pharmaceutical preparations. Some of its derivatives are also used as flavorings for chewing gum, toothpaste and drinks.
  • The Birch tree is native to Russia and northern Europe. It grows wild there. It is also called white birch. The oil obtained after distillation is dephenolised and washed in an alkaline medium to be used in perfumery (as birch wood is now banned as toxic, we use a composition).
  • Cade essence is also a leathery raw material that is obtained by distilling the wood and roots of the Cade tree or Oxycèdre Juniper. This tree is common in the Mediterranean coastal region (from Morocco to Iran), where it is one of the characteristic plants of the scrubland and maquis. Cade essence has anti-dandruff properties.

Other raw materials that can be used to give leathery looks:

  • Styrax (resin) and pyrogenic styrax.
  • Labdanum cistus (resin) and all its derivatives.
  • Agarwood or agar essence is the main constituent of oud wood (a very rare tree found in India and SouthEast Asia). Its essence is used to work leather notes and is obtained by distilling the resin produced by the agarwood. This resin appears on very old trees in reaction to parasites. Oud essence is not used in perfumery as it is very rare and expensive.
  • Pyrogenic incense.
  • Immortelle also has a leathery side.
  • Cassia.
  • Violet: beta ionone.
  • Sideral is a synthetic raw material that smells like a shoe shop. It gives soft leathery aspects like suede used in Cuir Beluga by Guerlain.
  • IBQ (isobutylquinoline) which is dry leathery facet with a green asparagus accent.
  • Animal raw materials can also provide a leathery facet, such as compositions giving a castoreum effect, like Danan.

Paul Valéry was not mistaken when he said "what is deepest in man is the skin".

 

Sylvaine Delacourte perfumes with leather notes

Discover Ozkan from the Orange Blossom Collection.

Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musk and Vanilla Collections. You can try them thanks to the Discovery Boxes (5 Eaux de Parfum x 2 ml) and rediscover these raw materials as you have never smelled them before.