Cuir Sacré

Cuir Sacré from the French house Atelier des Ors, composed by Marie Salamagne in 2015, is a dry, spiced woody leather. Wood is what nearly everyone notices, most also call it spicy, and about a third pick up amber warmth and leather.

Juniper berries and cypress open it with a cool, gin-like, resinous greenness, and cardamom adds a peppery lift. The heart is where it gets its temple-like character: saffron, slightly medicinal and warm, with cedar needles and incense drifting in a thin, dry smoke. The base of vetiver, cypriol and leather is earthy, smoky and a little rough, the leather more like a worn saddle than a soft glove.

It is worn by anyone, and it is a fragrance for cooler months and evenings, for someone drawn to incense and dry woods rather than sweetness. If you like austere, contemplative scents, this sits in that territory.

Cuir Sacré — unisex fragrance by Atelier des Ors (released 2015). Top notes: Cardamom, Cypress, Juniper Berries. Heart notes: Incense, Saffron, Cedar Needles. Base notes: Vetiver, Leather, Cypriol Oil or Nagarmotha. — Parfica open fragrance database