Leather

Lether in fragrances covers a wide range of olfactory experiences, from smooth, floral and velvety suede, to smokey and rough leather. It is usually rendered by smokey birch tar, juniper, aldehydes or other synthetics.

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The link between leather and perfumery is rooted in the tradition of the glove-makers in Paris who fashioned gloves for the aristocracy as war back as the 15th Century.  The leather tanning process has a very repulsive smell, so gloves were treated with oils, musk, civet and ambergris, to mask the smell of the animals’ skins.