Julien Rasquinet created Cuir Velours in 2012 for Naomi Goodsir Parfums, the indie niche fragrance house started by milliner and handbag designer Naomi Goosdir and Renaud Coutaudier. Since its launch, it has become a modern cult classic.

Cuir Velours opens with a warm, spicy crackle of cardamom and coriander, creating an atmospheric prelude. A fleeting waxy, floral flash quickly gives way to a wave of bold labdanum that’s animalic, sweet, and deeply resinous. A splash of rum infuses a boozy, intoxicating depth, while immortelle weaves a rich, maple-honey sweetness through the heart.

As it transitions to the base, the leather dissolves into a supple, buttery suede. A gorgeous whisper of hay-soaked blond tobacco and earthy patchouli drifts through the base, perfectly rounded out by the creamy, almond-vanilla warmth of tonka bean and a soft, finely powdered layer of warm myrrh resin.

The drydown is deep and tactile, where leather caressed by tobacco, rum, and immortelle transforms into the velvety, supple elegance of suede. This is no crack-of-the-whip leather fragrance. On me, Cuir Velours seems to bond with my skin, so it feels like part of it, not just sprayed on it.

That seamless bond to skin is what makes it so sensational.

Notes: Cardamom seeds, coriander, incense, cistus labdanum, rum, immortelle flower, patchouli, suede leather, blond tobacco, Tonka bean and myrrh.