Cuir Grenat is a unisex leather fragrance that launched in 2023. Created by Christophe Raynaud, it features a top note of raspberry, a middle note of leather and a base note of Ambrofix™.
As perfumer Christophe Raynaud explored Morocco, he stumbled upon a leatherworker's workshop. The air was thick with the aromatic fragrance of genuine leather as he watched the craftsman's meticulous work on vibrant red leather. The dim room was in stark contrast to the bright light outside. Struck by inspiration, he knew he had to create a fragrance that explored the interplay between light and shadow with a duo of leather and raspberry. With Cuir Grenat, the perfumer aimed for a fragrance that gave the sensation of touch. Thus, the raspberry and leather can be seen as well as smelled; they are both aromas and scents, possessing unexpected oppositions and similarities. Cuir Grenat is an eau de parfum, edp.
L'ARTISAN CUIR GRENAT REVIEWS
Alex (Sane-Witch Osipov) for Fragrantica: This is a shockingly beautiful, concise (and very simple) noble scent, in which there are no retro or old-fashioned vibes, but from it, in the mind's eye, silken trains, hunting horns, oak trunks crumbling into coals in fireplaces, greyhound dogs, and long-necked theorboes start to dance on their own. This is what I call a truly artistic fragrance. Ah, yes — the name. It's leather of the color of garnet stone or claret, which is dark, dramatic, and even gothic, with a reddish or purplish undertone. The fragrance has no formal connection to the pomegranate fruit, but in reality, it's there, and I'll gradually get to it. The first impression: a divinely beautiful scent. It overwhelms me with nobility and intensity. It's like listening to a truly eloquent contralto after a series of identical lyrical sopranos. The first association, in fact, is Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone, though there's very little in common between them. Perhaps just the coloration, which is crimson with overtones of coal-black and pine-green, and the grainy rough patterned texture, like embossed leather. It's precisely this leather that Cuir Grenat displays first, but this leather is closer to parchment, vellum rather than rawhide or suede. Out of this leather, they don't make boots, harnesses, or gloves. They make books. Its scent is more dry, cardboard-like, and in some ways, flat — even as if light and brittle (although new parchment is the softest to touch). Much like in Voleur de Roses where patchouli intertwines with rose in an almost coital passion, here one can admire a similarly fierce union of leather and fruit notes. They remain distinguishable individually, but separating them becomes impossible. And specifying the fruit's exact type is the most delightful challenge. The lover of leather here is an obvious fruit, but which one remains unclear, leading to an exciting guessing game: Is it raspberry, as mentioned in the annotation? Absolutely not. A slightly overripe plum? Perhaps. Pomegranate? Very likely. It's a kind of fruit fantasy that feels utterly alive, real, and mischievously ambiguous. It's something from the fairy gardens beneath the hills – touch it with your fingers, bite it, eat it, wipe the juice from your chin, but do you really need to know what this thing is called? The main thing is it's delicious. The flesh, the juice, the sweetness, the tang – it's all there, and it's all perceived through the scent. It's not easy to say where Cuir Grenat looks better — on the skin or on paper. On the skin, it's more voluminous and soft, but on paper, one can distinctly smell a wonderful note I adore: turpentine used in oil painting, a parchment-like, piney, resinous note, yet devoid of any oriental incense. This only strengthens the association with Caravaggio. In reality, the three leading shades — parchment, turpentine, and pomegranate (I like seeing it here) — dominate the entire olfactory canvas, but they breathe so vibrantly, and the chiaroscuro is so pronounced that nothing else is desired or needed.This scent doesn't evolve vividly over time. It doesn't move linearly. Instead, it resembles a snake in a basket, coiled and circulating within its confines, shimmering with three shades of mosaic-like metallic scales. This dynamic ornamentality has something hallucinatory about it. Yet, at some point, it smoothly lets go of the turpentine and remains as the softest, sweetest fruity leather. In this duet, both elements aren't naturalistic but mythical, imagined, straight out of an elven castle in the underworld, where if one looks up they can see the sky. Cuir Grenat from the bottle (what a surprise!) smells sour, astringent and vegetal. It's so unexpected that you can't help but grab the bottle and bring it closer to your nose: what exactly did they put in there? And then, ecstasy begins. Don't forge to wear this scent in the cold. It will become abundantly clear how sharp its style is and how powerful its presence feels.
Nose Fragrances: Cuir Grenat is almost a one on one copy of TOM FORD TUSCAN LEATHER. Very similar opening with the raspberry and the luscious, dense leather. Quite loud and sharp, with a semi-refreshing tinge to the leather. I always picture Tuscan Leather-esque scents as new, almost shiny non-grain leather couches. Heavy on the wear, although maybe a tad lighter than Tuscan Leather itself, but the differences are negligible. If anything, I’d say the raspberry is a little bit more pronounced.
Fragrantica: The leather and raspberry go so well with skin, it blends together to create something natural and carnal.
Fragrantica: More Ombré Leather than Tuscan leather for me. It’s more fruity but they are almost identical. I have TF as well and actually prefer this as seems to project more and last longer. Price wise it’s on par with TF.
