Some of the most masculine scented colognes for men are leather based scents. The note of leather has been used as a base note and as a primary note in perfumery for decades.
Leather notes in perfumery are often attributed to masculine scents, and there are many different styles of leather accords to smell.
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What Is A Leather Fragrance & How Is It Used In Cologne
Leather fragrance is a synthetic component that is added in perfumery to mimick the scent of a leather accord. There are a lot of different leather accords just like there are different scents of leather.
The smell of leather car seats is different than the smell of a leather saddle which is different than the scent of suede.
Leather is used as a heart note or base note, but due to its potency it is usually smelled throughout the life of the fragrance.
We have reviewed the best leather fragrances for men, and hopefuly our list will help you pick out the top smelling scent for you.
Top Picks For Leather Scented Colognes
- Tom Ford Tuscan Leather
- Bentley For Men Intense Eau de Parfum
- Dior Homme
- CH Men Prive Cologne
- Dark Rebel Rider Cologne
- Guerlain L’Homme Ideal L’intense
- Acqua Di Parma Colonia Leather Cologne
- Tom Ford Ombre Leather
- Aoud Montale Leather Perfume
- Bottega Veneta Pour Homme
- Tom Ford Fabulous
- Polo Supreme Leather Cologne
9 Of The Best Leather Fragrances
1. Tom Ford Tuscan Leather
Tuscan Leather is one of the top smelling leather fragrances. This cologne is incredible on so many levels which makes it the best.
For a review of this fragrance in a simple way, it is smoky leather with the smell of raspberries. The scent is unique, and your nose won’t be able to stop sniffing it once you wear it on your skin.
Tom Ford Tuscan Leather is a sweet smoky leather fragrance. Do women love to smell this on a man? The majority of ladies that we talked to absolutely love to smell this on a man.
Make no mistake, this is an alpha male scent, and if that is what you want to project, then Tuscan Leather should be in your fragrance collection.
Best For: This fragrance is more suited for evening wear or formal events.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Raspberry, saffron
Middle Notes: Olibanum, Jasmine
Base Notes: Leather, amber, suede
2. Bentley For Men Intense Eau de Parfum
Bentley Intense is a great leathery fragrance. This Eau de Parfum smells like a boozy leather fragrance.
Overall, this scent mixes leather with notes of incense and smoke. In addition to that, you can smell woody accords that mingle with everything else.
The sillage is strong, and this cologne is powerful and masculine.
Bentley Intense will be suited for the 30 and over crowd. If you like more mature scents as a younger guy, then you should go for it as well.
Best For: This boozy leathery fragrance works great for evening wear.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Bergamot, bay leaf, pepper
Middle Notes: Rum, cinnamon, woods
Base Notes: Leather, cedar, incense
3. Dior Homme
Dior Homme opens with a strong projection of leather, iris, and cacao. The leather note is more aromatic as opposed to animalic.
Best For: This leather fragrance is best for cooler weather and the winter months.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Lavender, bergamot
Middle Notes: Amber, iris, cacao
Base Notes: Leather, patchouli
4. CH Men Prive Cologne
CH Men Prive is a great smelling fresh and boozy leather cologne. This smells sweet, masculine, and leathery. You can’t get more manly than whiskey and leather.
The notes of lavender and cardamom brings some spiciness and balance to this leather fragrance.
The leather accord is added as a base note, but it is present throughout. This is a lovely and sexy fragrance.
The sillage and projection are moderate, but that is to be expected for a fragrance at this price point.
Is this Carolina Herrera worth a blind buy? Yes, if you like boozy and leathery fragrances. It doesn’t compare to the exquisite scent like Tuscan Leather, but for a leather based scent in the $50 range, it is a solid cologne to add to your collection.
Best For: CH Men Prive is a versatile scent that can be used for clubbing, dates, casual, formal, or at the office. It works great for cooler weather settings.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Grapefruit, whiskey
Middle Notes: Lavender, cardamom
Base Notes: Leather, tonka bean, benzoin
5. Dark Rebel Rider Cologne
Dark Rebel Rider is a great leather scented fragrance from John Varvatos. This fragrance was launched in 2016.
This can be described as a leather, chocolate, and resin scent.
This is the best leather scent on our list if you want something to wear close to your skin. Dark Rebel Rider does not have a lot of projection or sillage, and it wears close to the skin. This would make it great to wear around the office, or you could use it as a cologne to wear to bed.
This cologne may be hard to locate, but if you do find it out, be sure to grab a bottle of this leathery scent.
Best For: Dark Rebel Rider should be worn if you want to smell like a manly man. Due to its projection, it can be worn most for most occasions because you won’t project too far.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Bitter orange, saffron
Middle Notes: Resin, rose, orris
Base Notes: Leather, cacao, vanilla
6. Guerlain L’Homme Ideal L’intense EdT
Guerlain L’Homme Ideal L’intense is a leather scented flanker from the Ideal collection. This leather fragrance is designed to be intense with notes of chile pepper and cardamom.
The leather notes are combined with smoke and spice which smells great. This leather cologne is more on the smokey side compared with some of the other sweeter scents on our top list.
This leather fragrance is about opposites. On one hand you have the notes of sweet vanilla, almond and tonka bean. On the other hand you have leather, smoke, and patchouli.
This is a dark fragrance, but it includes some softer notes which makes it unique and very enjoyable.
Best For: This leather fragrance for men is unique smelling. If you like to wear colognes that are not mainstream, then this should be in your fragrance collection.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Chile pepper, cardamom
Middle Notes: Leather, labdanum
Base Notes: Tonka bean, smoke, vanilla
7. Aqua Di Parma Colonia Leather Cologne
Colonia Leather Eau de Cologne Concentree is the best niche leather fragrance. This is a unique and well blended scent.
This leather fragrance has a bright and fresh opening due to the citrus notes, and it is something that can worn year round. A lot of leather based scents are dark and rich which makes them more suitable for winter wear, but Colonia has a lot of balanced notes for year round use.
This is a sophisticated and elegant leather cologne, and if you are a fan of Tuscan Leather then you really need to try this scent out. The sillage and projection are incredible, and you will get a lot of compliments on this fragrance.
Best For: If you are looking for the best niche leather fragrance, then Colonia Leather is the scent that you should be considering.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Orange, lime
Middle Notes: Rose, petitgrain
Base Notes: Leather, cedar
8. Tom Ford Ombre Leather
Ombre Leather is a unisex fragrance from Tom Ford with a nice smelling suede scent. This is truly a great scent for both men and women.
If you compare Tuscan Leather to Ombre Leather, TL is more masculine scented. OL is lighter, more cool, and it could be worn in more seasons.
Ombre Leather also has a little more floral accords that come out.
This leather fragrance still commands attention, and you will get noticed when you walk into a room. This fragrance smells incredible, and it is unique.
If you want to have some edge, get compliments, but not be mainstream like Dior Sauvage, then grab a bottle of Ombre Leather for your collection.
Best For: If you want a fragrance that will get you noticed due to its edgy vibe, then you should consider this leather scented cologne.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Cardamom
Middle Notes: Leather, jasmine
Base Notes: Amber, patchouli, moss
9. Aoud Leather Montale Perfume
Aoud Leather Perfume by Montale is a fragrance that is similar to Tuscan Leather without the raspberry.
This leather fragrance is a fresh citrus cologne with leather notes that are prominent.
The leather accord is soft and not animalic or musky. This scent is wearable and easy.
The oud is not pungent, and this note is blended well with the leather and bergamot.
Best For: If you are looking for a lighter version of Tom Ford Tuscan Leather without all the sweet notes, then you should pick up a bottle of Aod Leather by Montale.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Bergamot, iris
Middle Notes: Cardamom, pepper
Base Notes: Leather, Oud
10. Bottega Veneta Pour Homme
Bottega Veneta Pour Homme is a great leather scented cologne. When you spray this fragrance, you will experience a green, dry leather scent. It has woody notes with spices which makes this a great smelling masculine cologne.
The leather and fir resin really stand out, and it makes Bottega a very manly leather scented fragrance.
Best For: Due to its woody and resinous notes, Bottega Veneta Pour Homme will work great in the Fall and Winter.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Cedar, cardamom
Middle Notes: Fir, pimento
Base Notes: Leather, tonka bean
11. Tom Ford Fabulous
Tom Ford FF is an almond leather fragrance that smells great. This scent is supposed to make you feel fabulous when you smell it, and for many, it does.
Due to the note of cashmeran in here, this fragrance smells more like a suede scent as opposed to Tuscan Leather which is more sharp.
Best For: This leather fragrance by Tom Ford is best for almost any occasion. This is not a harsh or overbearing cologne, so you should be able to get by with it most anywhere.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Lavender, clary sage
Middle Notes: Leather, vanilla, bitter almond
Base Notes: Amber, tonka, cashmeran
12. Polo Supreme Leather Cologne
Polo Supreme Leather is a smooth and elegant leather fragrance. This masculine Eau de Parfum blends leather accords with notes of honey, spices, and tonka bean.
This is sweet, sticky spicy goodness wrapped around some fresh leather.
Best For: If you want a leather fragrance that is on the gourmand side, then Polo Supreme Leather should be on your radar.
Fragrance Notes
Top Notes: Nutmeg, cardamom
Middle Notes: Leather, iris
Base Notes: Honey, tonka bean
What Do Leather Fragrances Smell Like
Leather fragrances smell like leathery scents, but they do not come from leather. Leather fragrance accords are synthetic components, or they can use other natural components that may smell similar to leather. Birch tar is one example.
Sometimes you can combine multiple essential oils to mimic the scent of natural leather.
what notes do leather colognes use
Most leather fragrances are not plain leather accords. They are often mixed with a wide range of fragrance notes.
Some of the most common fragrance notes mixed with leather accords are
- Bergamot
- Iris
- Vanilla
- Tonka Bean
- Nutmeg
- Cardamom
These are just a handful as you can see there are a lot more just from our list of the top leather colognes.
A lot of these scents are on the sweeter side, and that is because those notes seem to balance and mellow out the leather scent. Sometimes, that note can be a bit harsh.