Sniff Test: Malin & Goetz Leather Perfume Oil

Sniff Test: Malin & Goetz Leather Perfume Oil, 9 ml

She says:

Perfume and leather go way back. Today the picturesque Provençal town of Grasse is known as the heart of the French fragrance industry but the main industry was once tanning leather. The evolution began after Molinard presented Catherine de Medici with a pair of perfumed leather gloves (scented to cover the strong scent of the skins). The trend caught on and aromatized gloves became big business. That history inspired Leather, which is one of those literal scents (think Demeter, but upscale) that delivers exactly what the name promises. But there’s also a facet in the smoked leathery notes, like birch tar or exhaust fumes, that’s unpleasantly harsh—what the 16th century was at pains to disguise. 1 out of 4.

He says:

Malin + Goetz co-founders Andrew Goetz and Matthew Malin may be based in New York City, but their aesthetic is very California. Their Leather perfume oil is a scent of choice for a good portion of women walking through Fred Segal Los Angeles on a Saturday afternoon or sipping mimosas by pool at the W West Hollywood Hotel. I remember walking around West Hollywood on vacation and smelling this fragrance as women walked by. It’s a sensual and subtle scent that isn’t overpowering but reveals new layers of character over time. Warm and intimate, Leather is a clever and layered blend of softly worn leather, sensual sandalwood, sueded amber, lotus flower, clove, pepper, muguet, green violet, iris wood, orchid, cedar wood, cashmere musk, amber and incense. 3.5 out of 4

Malin & Goetz is available at Sephora and Sephora.ca