Cuir Ambré

Image: light beige leather coat

Description of notes: The fragrance starts with a fresh saffron note with light shades of green leather, fresh myrrh, and citruses highlighted with a light floral note of jasmine. The citrus note and green leather fade quickly, revealing an amber character that will continue to feel fresh thanks to myrrh resins. The fragrance leaves a fresh, woody sillage of myrrh and amber, while the aura is formed by voluminous, slightly powdery suede-like saffron and sweet vanilla with a touch of spicy cassia. On the skin, the fragrance feels leathery with a tobacco note against a backdrop of fresh, resinous-amber notes of myrrh and benzoin.

History of Creation:
I came to perfumery by searching for an oriental amber accord — a journey that meant studying and reflecting on a wide range of amber materials. The full story is described in the article In Search of Oriental Amber. That exploration led me to create numerous oriental and amber accords, often incorporating vanilla, benzoin, myrrh, and amber molecules like ambroxan.

My passion for leather began around the same time. While working with it, I discovered that leather can add depth, volume, and even sensuality to a fragrance. It’s one of those notes that confers a velvety, niche quality to almost any composition, sometimes rivaling even oud. Experiments with vanilla and amber inspired me to combine amber notes with leather. The soft woody facets of amber—reminiscent of wood shavings or sawdust when well-diluted—led me to envision a velvety vanilla leather. That alone, however, would be rather dull. Amber notes make it more intriguing and sensual, though they can easily overshadow the gentle leather, creating a challenge to maintain balance. This perfume emerged from my attempt to unite a bright amber sillage with a soft suede aura.