Yazhini ManimudiSuede, the material, is a fuzzy kind of leather sourced from the lower, thinner layer of animal hide after the top-grain (highest quality) has been removed. It’s softer and hence not as durable as leather, but is useful for its more pliant nature. In a similar line, suede perfumes are softer and more palatable for a wider audience as compared to leather.
We owe a lot of thanks to synthetic ingredients in perfumery, and a good length of the letter of appreciation to the inventions of synthetic ingredients will be about suede and leather notes. So, what we see listed as suede in an olfactory pyramid is a suede accord.
Here are 9 of many sophisticated suede perfumes, each different through its partnership with other notes…
Burberry Goddess Parfum
Other notes: Vanilla, Raspberry, Lavender
Feminine
The addictive creamy vanilla of Burberry’s Goddess is made more interesting in the parfum concentration with fruity accords and a hint of suede in the background. It’s sweet, bold, and unique with the soft powdery and musky element of suede. I don’t think as many people would enjoy the parfum as they do the standard Burberry Goddess as it is more of a niche profile.
Dries van Noten Fleur du Mal
Other notes: Peach, Osmanthus, Jasmine, Amber
Unisex
Fleur du Mal is incredibly alluring. We open with a rich, juicy peach that balances beautifully with the soft osmanthus and its mild woody leathery accord. The suede is soft in the ambery base, delivering an agreeable yet strange fragrance profile. It’s a quieter fragrance and its beauty is understated rather than bold and out there. It can easily work for any season for those of us who need leathery fragrances even in the summer.
Memo Paris French Leather
Other notes: Rose, Cedarwood, Lime, Clary Sage
Unisex
If you think you love leathery fragrances the most on this planet, think again because that’s actually Memo Paris. While I like their leathers better, I believe their softer suede in the classic combo with rose is just so much more appealing to more people. It’s a green and dewy rose on expensive feeling suede that’ll have you feeling like you’re vacationing in France buying designer leather goods.
Byredo Animalique
Other notes: Tobacco Leaf, Amber, Mimosa, Violet
Unisex
While I’m usually partial to softer, more lived-in leathers, I found myself attracted to the new leather smell of Animalique.
Suede feels so otherworld in this Byredo fragrance with a sweetness of mimosa and tobacco that adds intrigue to the overall profile. There’s a hint of gasoline at first but it fortunately or unfortunately disappears after about 20 minutes. It does the job, though, making it a much more interesting fragrance. The longevity for this perfume is surprisingly good, going on for around 7 hours.
Etat Libre D’orange Clean Suede
Other notes: Aldehydes, Pepper, Vanilla, Birch
Unisex
Aldehydes and suede isn’t a combination I have come across often. The citrus and aldehydes add a freshness to the suede fragrance, earning the clean part of its name. It is, at first, sharp in a synthetic sort of way but that eventually gives way to something more comforting and natural suede and vanilla. The only issue is that it doesn’t last long enough, becoming a skin scent after just 5-ish hours.
Yves Saint Laurent Babycat
Other notes: Black Pepper, Vanilla, Olibanum, Elemi, Saffron
Unisex
We open at once with suede, its strength softened by vanilla. But it does take a while for the suede to soften. It’s one of the stronger suedes with smoky and incense accords. There’s a bit of a synthetic burnt feeling sometimes (before all the vanilla goodness takes over), and that can either be niche and appealing or too strange to wear.
So it’s not for everyone and as far away as it gets from blind-buy territory. In the same line, it is either something you’ll love or hate. The only way to know is to wear it.
Marc-Antoine Barrois Ganymède
Other notes: Mineral Notes, Violet Leaf, Saffron, Akigalawood, Osmanthus
Unisex
This would have you wondering what a perfume could have to do with a Galilean moon…until you spritz it on. The mineralic accords are most prominent and make this fragrance an otherworldly experience.
There’s a zesty brightness and gentle florals. The violet leaf has an aquatic green freshness with a metallic quality that adds to the mineralic character. The metallic facets aren’t at all screechy. More like a golden-ish metal like the bottle itself. All this contributes to the perfume giving such a clean suede. This is one of those perfumes that you can’t get until you actually try it because it’s so innovative.
Dior Fahrenheit Le Parfum
Other notes: Vanilla, Violet Leaf, Rum, Licorice
Masculine
Dior Fahrenheit Le Parfum is so interesting from the start with a strong suede and the curious sweet-spicy note of licorice. It’s a dark and spicy scent with boozy accords, cumin and coriander. There’s a dark, bitter edge to the sweetness. The market is oversaturated with a million flankers for everything, but every now and then, you get a flanker that is at least on par with the original. This is one of them.
Jo Malone Peony and Blush Suede
Other notes: Peony, Apple, Rose, Jasmine, Carnation
Feminine
A very unexpected suede in what you expect to be a standard feminine fragrance. Suede isn’t just there to add intrigue, but is ever present as you’re surrounded by a bouquet of pretty florals. It’s all soft and delicate but the suede is there to shake it up a little. It is quite light, true to the cologne concentration. Layering with the matching scented lotion with help with longevity.
Check out the best of other popular perfume notes on Perfume Mag.
Yazhini Manimudi
