Resinous familyBase accord
Leather
Leather is a base accord from the resinous family: a cured-hide accord built from birch tar, saffron, or isobutyl quinoline, ranging from smoky to suede-soft.
- 01Family
- Resinous
- 02Pyramid
- Base
- 03Best seasons
- Autumn, Winter
- 04Type
- Accord
What does leather smell like?
Leather: a cured-hide accord built from birch tar, saffron, or isobutyl quinoline, ranging from smoky to suede-soft.
From our page: Resinous fragrance familyIs leather a top, heart or base note?
Leather is a base accord.
- Top15 minutes to 2 hours
- HeartHour 1 to hour 5
- Base4 to 12+ hours
Where citrus and floral compositions live at the top of a scent, resinous notes live at the bottom, providing the deep, glowing foundation that radiates off skin for hours.
From our page: Resinous fragrance familyBase notes are the memory: they are what lingers on a coat hours after you took it off.
From our page: Top, Middle, Base: How the Notes Pyramid Actually WorksWhat does leather pair with?
Styrax, a warm, slightly smoky balsam, is often used alongside leather accords; saffron is one of the materials a leather accord is built from.
Named partners
Also in the resinous family
The resinous family bridges to
Read more about leather
HistoryWhy Grasse Became the Perfume Capital: Tanners, Gloves and a LegendGrasse became the perfume capital as tanners who scented hides with local essences turned perfumers, its museum says; UNESCO listed the skills in 2018.
HistoryEau d'Hermès: The First Hermès Perfume, Inspired by a Leather BagHermès says its first perfume was Eau d'Hermès, made in 1951 by Edmond Roudnitska, who described it as the inside of a Hermès bag where a scent lingered.
DiscoveryBest Winter Cologne for Men: 20 Picks (2026)The best winter perfume for men: 20 woody, leather, spicy and gourmand picks, from Spicebomb Extreme and Tuscan Leather to Jazz Club and La Nuit de L'Homme.
Find the perfumes built around leather.
Fragnatique reads every perfume down to its notes and scores it against your own taste, with the reason behind each match written out. Start from a note you love and let the app do the narrowing.