The Leather facet

The leather facet is particularly appreciated by perfume connoisseurs. This article will familiarize you with this emblematic facet. Discover its history, definition, notes, molecules and iconic fragrances.

What is the leather facet? History and definition

In the 1920s to 1970s, leather was an olfactive family and was very present in both men's and women's fragrances. 
They were often accompanied by animal notes. During the women’s rights movement between 1940 and 1960, women particularly liked leathery perfumes with strong character. The leather family ended up disappearing and became an olfactive facet instead. 

In perfumery, the leather facet is apart from the other ones. It is appreciated by connoisseurs and lovers of perfume with character. This leather note often refers to the legendary perfumed gloves. 

Leather and perfume

In Asia 2000 BC, leather was treated and scented with kumquat tree bark to mask the powerful odors of the skins.
In Spain, leather was perfumed with various scents such as rose water, amber, camphor, cedar essence and musk. Italian leather in the 17th century was scented with almond.

Tanners, Grasse and leather

Tanners are those who process animal skin and transform it into leather. Grasse, during the 12th century, started trading leather and skin.
They made commercial agreements with Genoa and Pisa in Italy where they exported their leather.
The master tanners of Grasse are renowned for the exceptional quality of their leather, recognizable by its greenish color obtained from myrtle maceration.

Perfumed gloves from Florence

Gloves were an indispensable accessory in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Leather gloves were perfumed with various scents such as ambrette, musk, civet, ambergris and rosemary. Under the reign of Henry III, people even wore gloves to sleep.
The idea of perfuming gloves came from a perfumer from Florence who offered a pair of gloves perfumed with orange blossom to Catherine de Medici.
The product then spread to the Court and throughout high society. King Louis XIII in 1614 created the Master glovers-perfumers corporation and the city of Grasse acquired a worldwide reputation.
This was the golden age of the Master glovers called "Gantiers Parfumeurs" in french.

Master glovers-perfumers

The profession of glovers perfumers is a craft and requires a great deal of know-how. Indeed, it takes 4 years of apprenticeship and 3 years work to become a master. 
But around 1759, taxes on leather and competition from Nice caused the leather industry to decline in Grasse. 
The community of glovemakers perfumers dissolved in 1791. In the 19th century, Grasse became the "Capital of Perfume"and the surrounding countryside became covered with flowers.

 

 

Leather notes: birch

The first leathery notes are the result of leather waste infusion made by glover perfumers in Grasse. 
They took leather waste from Russian army boots, then tanned it with burnt birch bark.

The perfumers replaced their infusions of leather with birch bark essence. 
Birch thus became one of the main raw materials to give a leather note to the perfume. 
A few years ago, birch wood was banned to be replaced by a birch accord, each perfumer has his own recipe. 
Some use cistus labdanum with its warm and balsamic scent, or cade oil with its leathery and smoky notes, others use saffronal.

Raw materials and leather notes 

Other raw materials can be used to give leather facets, such as :  

  • Styrax (resin) and pyrogenic styrax
  • Cistus labdanum (resin) and all its derivatives
  • Agarwood or agar species which is the main constituent of oud wood, a very rare tree found in India or South East Asia. Its essence is used to give leather notes and is obtained by distilling the resin produced by agarwood. This resin appears on very old trees in reaction to parasites. The essence of oud is not used in perfumery because it is very rare and very expensive.
  • Pyrogenic incense
  • Everlasting flower
  • Cassia 

 

Molecules and leather note 

This leather facet can also be obtained by molecules such as : 

  • The Sudéral of IFF, a soft suede scent
  • Symrise's Tabanon and Aldron 
  • The Givaudan Madrox 
  • The beta ionone, with notes of violet 
  • The saffronal (saffron note)
  • IBQ (IsoButylQuinoline), which makes a dry leather with a rubber facet, green

 

Some leather or leather facet perfumes

All the perfume houses had a perfume with the name: Cuir de Russie.

  • Cuir de Russie by Guerlain in 1890
  • Cuir de Russie by Chanel in 1927
  • Cuir de Russie by LT Piver in 1939
  • Cuir de Russie by Creed in 1953


In 1918, the house of Caron created Tabac Blond, a leathery perfume with tobacco notes. Knize Ten by Knize, a chypre leather makes a nod to L'Heure Bleue by Guerlain, in 1924.

Then, leathery perfumes became less and less popular and declined from the 80's onwards along with animal notes. Notes such as marine, clean or floral notes became popular during this period.

There were a few exceptions:

  • Bel Ami by Hermès in 1986
  • Cuir d’Ange by Hermès
  • Cuir Mauresque by Serge Lutens 
  • The "Vuitton parfums" collection offers many leather facets in its fragrances (with leather infusion).


You can find a large offer of leather facet perfumes in niche brands :
Cuir Beluga by Guerlain is a soft, powdery, vanilla leather co-created by Olivier Polge and Sylvaine Delacourte.
Ozkan from the Orange Blossom Collection by Sylvaine Delacourte is in the same register, a soft leather associated with orange blossom.

 

Other examples of perfumes with a leathery facet

Feminine fragrances with a leathery facet

  • 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
  • Cuir by Lancôme


Men's and unisex fragrances with a leathery facet 

  • 1781 : Royal English Leather by Creed
  • 1955 : Doblis by Hermès
  • 1959 : Tabac Original by Maurer & Wirtz
  • 1964 : Aramis by Estée Lauder
  • 1976 : Yatagan by Caron
  • 1978 : Polo by Ralph Lauren  
  • 1980 : Macassar by Rochas 
  • 1981 : Quorum by Puig 
  • 1985 : Derby by Guerlain
  • 1989 : Parfum d'Homme Montana by Montana
  • 1998 : Rocabar by Hermès 
  • 1999 : Tabarome, Millésime by Creed
  • 2002 : Cuiron by Helmut Lang
  • 2003 : Duel by Annick Goutal 
  • 2004 : Daim Blond by Serge Lutens 
  • 2005 : Cuir Améthyste by Armani privé
  • 2006 : Rien État by Libre d'Orange
  • 2007 : Ambre Fétiche by Annick Goutal
  • 2008 : Serge Noire by Serge Lutens
  • L’eau du navigateur by L’Artisan parfumeur 
  • Van Cleef & Arpels pour Homme by  Van Cleef & Arpels
  • Jules by Dior 
  • One Man Show by Bogart
  • Antaeus by Chanel 
  • Kouros by YSL
  • Bulgari Black by Bulgari
  • Cuir Ambre by Prada  
  • Feuilles de Tabac by Miller Harris
  • Black For Men by Aigner
  • Cuir D’Oranger by Miller Harris
  • Fumerie Turque by Serge Lutens
  • Cuir Pleine Fleur by James Heeley
  • Cuir Ottoman by Parfum d'Empire
  • Dzongka by L’Artisan Parfumeur
  • Tuscan Leather by Tom Ford
  • Japon Noir by Tom Ford
  • Luxe Patchouli by Comme Des Garçons
  • Ombre Leather by Tom Ford
  • Leather by Acqua Di Parma
  • Crème de Cuir by BDK
  • Cuir Cannage by Dior
  • 2 Man by Comme Des Garçons

Amongst the classic Guerlain perfumes, the leather facet is present in Djedi (1925) and Champs Elysées (1904), Vol de Nuit, Shalimar and Habit Rouge.
 

Sylvaine Delacourte fragrances

Discover Sylvaine Delacourte's brand with her Orange Blossom, Musks 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.