Leather in perfume: what it smells like and which FAAN bottles use it

What leather smells like (and what it does not)

There is no leather in a bottle of perfume. A leather note is built to remind you of tanned hide: dry, a bit smoky, slightly sweet, with a warm animal edge. Some leather notes are rough and tarry. Others are soft and suede-like, close to a new glove.

It does not smell like a shoe shop or a car interior in summer. Done well it is dry and quiet, and it adds depth rather than noise.

How perfumers use leather: top, heart or base

Leather is usually a base note, where it can hold its shape for hours and give a dark, dry floor to sweet or floral notes. It can also sit in the heart, where it works as a warm spine between a spicy top and a resinous base.

It often travels with smoke, resins, woods and spices, because they share its dry character. Our guide to the perfume notes pyramid shows how those layers fit.

Leather in the FAAN range

Four bottles list it. The position is from the product pages.

• Qasida Sahm: base, as a leather accord, with oud, nagarmotha and musk. Written for him, projection 3, longevity 4.
• Qasida Bakhour: base, with sandalwood, cistus and vanilla. Unisex, projection 4, longevity 4.
• Qasida Dunes: heart, with patchouli and cypriol. Unisex, projection 4, longevity 4.
• Qasida Bidaya: base, with vanilla bean, benzoin and white musk. An Extrait, unisex, projection 3, longevity 4.

All four sit in the Qasida line. None of the Amjad bottles lists leather.

What it is paired with in these pyramids

• Sahm: leather appears late, after mango, raspberry and lavender, and works with oud to make the dark end of a fruit-first scent.
• Bakhour: leather meets saffron and clove at the top, rose and incense in the heart. It is the most dressed-up leather of the four.
• Dunes: leather in the heart with cypriol and patchouli, under olibanum and two peppers. It is the driest and the most direct.
• Bidaya: leather with vanilla bean and benzoin, so it reads softer and warmer, closer to suede than to saddle.

Wearing advice: season, sprays, who tends to like it

Leather scents suit cool weather. Bakhour, Dunes and Bidaya are listed for autumn and winter. Sahm is listed for autumn and spring.

• Two sprays of Bakhour or Dunes. They project 4 out of 5.
• Two to three sprays of Bidaya or Sahm.
• A spray on a scarf or jacket collar helps leather notes last.

People who enjoy smoky, woody or incense scents usually like leather. If you prefer sweet or floral, Bidaya is the gentlest entry. Try it on skin, because leather notes take an hour to settle.

If you like leather, where to start

Start with Qasida Dunes if leather and pepper are what you want to smell. Start with Qasida Bidaya if you want leather soft and warm, at a lower price. Choose Qasida Bakhour for leather with rose and incense, and Qasida Sahm if you want leather arriving late behind fruit.

See which FAAN perfume to choose for more routes, or all fourteen bottles in one place. If one shows as sold out, ask to be notified on the product page.

FAQ

Does leather perfume contain real leather?

No. A leather note is a created impression of tanned hide, built from other materials.

Which FAAN bottle has the softest leather?

Qasida Bidaya, where leather sits with vanilla bean, benzoin and white musk.

Is leather a masculine note?

It is often marketed that way, but it is unisex in practice. Three of the four bottles are listed as unisex; Sahm is written for him.

Related reading

• Notes map of the FAAN range
• FAAN Qasida Sahm review: notes, strength and wear
• The perfume notes pyramid explained