African Leather

Wow, this is fantastic. It opens warm and spicy, then smooth leather, dry wood, and camphorous patchouli take over. The oud is very tame and more woody than raunchy or animalic, which is good since it would overpower the balance between the other notes, turning this into an oud scent versus a leathery-ish one. A word on that leather accord - it doesn't smell raw, unprocessed, or animalic. It's tame just like the oud, but it's definitely present. It kind of reminds me of a small leather good, like a wallet or belt. What surprised me most about African Leather is on paper the fragrance has a ton of dense, warm, and spicy elements in it, but the final dry down is actually dry smelling...I absolutely see the "African" influence here, it reminds me of an arrid, desert-like climate. I will wear this mostly in the fall and winter, day or night. Summer nights and spring are also easily doable because this profile is so versatile. Overall, this is my new favorite leather scent. 9.3/10 - Get your nose on this one.

Let me start out with i am not a fan of leather fragrances and I love this banger. Not really sure why this is called African Leather, I wouldnt consider this a leather fragrance at all by any means. Its very subtle in the background. This should be called African Cardamom Awesomeness lol. I put this off for a while because I thought it would be more of an in your face leather, so if your like me and also not a huge fan of leather dont worry about it and at least get a decant of this and I assure you youll more than likely going to want a full bottle. I havent smelled tuxedo but this is how I actually imagined it would be. This just makes me think all black suit dressed to the nines. This is an all year fragrance for sure, in summer though go lighter on the sprays.

In Greece, they have this very strong smell herbal and slightly minty pharmaceutical gel/cream against muscle/body pain. This fragrance gets very close to that aromatic mess. And almost as potent too. Keeping in mind I'm testing in the summer and my thermostat reads 25°C, i'll give it another go wintertime.

The hype on this one seems fully justified from where I'm sitting. African Leather is one of several MEMO Paris bottles I own and arguably their most popular and best known work. It goes down with a burst of denatured ethanol lofting some heavy spices and for about a minute or so it is chaotic. Like landing at Lagos airport for the first time, it takes a few minutes to get your bearings and figure it all out. But then it dries down on your skin and the spices change as the florals in the heart emerge into the sunshine. The base is a beautifully judged, lush patchouli, amber and oud that keeps the leather accord here in some semblance of balance whilst offering the whole thing a unique vibrancy and richness. It is a lot nicer than I'm making it sound. Let's think a little now on the idea that some things can be more than the sum of their parts. I'm a lot more than a bald head, sarcasm, bad skin and tattoos, for example. Africa is not just a landmass made up of 54 different countries. African Leather is not just a series of accords; it is the way they are blended and the way they come at you off the skin in certain way. There is some kind of juju magic here. It has a feel akin to watching a pride of lions or a troupe of giraffes in the wild, but it isnt animalic or challenging. It doesn't smell dangerous. Think watching the Atlantic surf break on the deserted sand dune beaches of the Skeleton Coast. It has that kind of majesty. They say some people fall in love with Africa when they visit and African Leather is similarly beguiling. YSL's Tuxedo is my favourite patchouli fragrance of all time but African Leather runs it mightily close despite being as different a scent as it is possible to imagine. If Tuxedo is a hyper-refined, musky, ambery patchouli that sits on the skin like gossamer, African Leather is akin to getting run over by a battered 4x4 of patchouli, spices, old leather and smoky oud. It is resolutely masculine. I don't know any women who would wear this but I am thinking I would like to meet one, one day. The way African Leather dries down is how I imagine watching the sun come up over the Okavango Delta must be like from a plane. It gets better and better, more and more majestic as it dries as the amber comes in. This is signature scent worthy. Interestingly, the silage is mostly spicy leather whereas up close you get a lot more of the patchouli. Ignore anyone who says you cannot wear this to the office: this is an absolute banger of an officer wearer if you don't overspray. Three Word Summary - Majesty Of Africa Layering combination - Soleil Blanc by Tom Ford to push the spices a little sweeter, or Jovoy’s Remember Me if you want to focus on the vanillic facets. Outfit suggestion - Levi 502s, thick brown Prada belt, tan suede chukka boots from Drake’s, fitted white t-shirt tucked in, tan Ralph Lauren or Cucinelli textured field jacket, brown Ray-Bans. Scent - 10/10 Sillage - 8/10 Drydown - 9/10 Bottle/packaging - 8/10 Performance - 7/10 41/50

it smells to me just like a turkish delight

This is a MASTERPIECE! smells better in the air! You can wear it summer evenings as well.

You can replicate the same smell for free and save money by not having a shower for 5 days! Extreme body odor in a bottle. There's nothing manly about having smell body odor at all

To me this fragrance smells a lot like tuxedo off of my skin. I saw a reviewer here State that they wore in the summertime and it smelled very good. I’m going to try that and I will report back.

Close to Ivory Route from Xerjoff, and I prefer Ivory Route to African Leather. The dry down of the Xerjoff is nicer.

African Leather is an amazing, cozy, warm fragrance. It opens with beautiful warm spicy notes and dries down into a rich, spicy leather base. On my skin, it has excellent longevity and projection, and it easily lasts up to two days on my clothes. In my opinion, it’s definitely worth the money.

A sumptuous scent that immediately brought me back to my time living in the Middle East. Smells like something an Emirati woman would wear, but isn't overpowering or heavy. Complex, warm, inviting, and evocative, it reminded me of scurrying across the lobby of the Emirates Palace hotel trying to take a sneaky pic of the gold vending machine.

Interesting. So just got a full bottle and sprayed it on my left arm. Sprayed a very matured sample (not sure how old) on my right arm and there are some big differences! My sample is so much more rich and dense. The amber and woody oud screams off my skin and the leather note some people claim not to get is definitely there loud and clear. The blend is so smooth. The new bottle smells similar but so much more light and airy. The pink pepper is more prominent making it more spicy and less smooth. The leather note is hardly detectable. I don't think this is a reformulation but simply the sample has oxidized and become more concentrated over time. So, if you are disappointed with a new bottle, it seems like it could benefit from the middle eastern fragrance treatment: Give it a few sprays and let that baby sit and get richer. Fingers crossed my new bottle matures quickly.

Selling this in old bottle dm me on instagram; teoman.blt

falls flat on my skin. no depth, just spicy, piney wood. it becomes somewhat enjoyable on the dry down but I am sure something is missing and my skin is the culprit.

Wow.... speechless! What a beautiful scent this one. Added it last week in my collection and cannot stop wearing it! And it is summer in Greece, if you know you know. 35 degrees Celsius and this performs like a beast, people around me love it, I adore it, straight up to my top-5!!!! Such an easy perfume to ear on, leans heavily masculine, but wouldn't be out of place in a daring woman's collection as well.

I usually keep this for cold weather only, but i wore it yesterday in Arizona when it was 110F out and it completely surprised me. It went from a creamy/warm/spicy leather to a piercingly fresh/citric/woody iso e super summer BEAST! In the same vein as Terre D Hermes, replacing the dirty orange citric note for a slightly yellow and leathery citric note. Love it!

African Leather by Memo Paris is clearly a favorite of many by the house. I find the opening and heart of the fragrance to be a nice experience with the spice and geranium but to my nose, at least on my skin it all falls apart during the dry down. I haven't heard or seen this from anyone else but changes into a clean laundry scent after the mid point. Maybe it's due to some changes from the reformulation but I can't speak to that because I've never experienced the OG.

Only time ive been chased down for wearing a cologne. An older lady caught up and asked what I was wearing so she could get it for her husband So this is another sugar mommy magnet for the books

Truly a signature scent worthy fragrance. This was my first introduction to Memo Paris and man I am so glad it was. Everyone says this is their top favorite and I can see why. It’s so addictive and warm with a touch of floral and leather. It’s inviting you in and you won’t stop smelling yourself. The warm spices dominates the opening and the soft leather comes in with a little floral rose note and some slight oud. It’s just a fantastic fragrance that I find myself wishing I got a full size. After getting a travel size I need to have this in a full bottle. Truly amazing fragrance and it makes me want to try all the other leather lines from this house. 9/10

WoW but... The opening is perfect for my taste, heavy on spices, vibrant, strong. Cardamom, pepper, and off course saffron to introduce leather. Maybe there are more spices but I can't pinpoint them exactly. At this point for me is just WOW, I need this! Then the leather accord emerges without overcoming the spices, well blended, it is not a dark leather, biker jacket like, more a saddle leather, quite soft, where saffron meets labdanum with an hint of flowers. Beautifull stuff, still want it but... ... the leather starts to fade out and lay down a vanillin sweet ambery thing and a flat woody base going sweeter and sweeter to fall flat on vanilla. And this is the point when it becomes boring for me. I expected much more punch from the oud or some more complex texture in the dry down but nothing of this happened, just vanilla. What a pity. It could be so good and it failed during last lap. Well, I suppose that it is what it is and this remains an overall good fragrance, but not a stand out and not full bottle meterial. Practicalities: slightly more masculine, long lasting and with a very good sillage, won't pass unnoticed, more suitable for the cold months and quite mass appealing. Probably it is blind buy safe (I can't imagine many persons hating this).

I just got my nose on this for the first time and I must say i was surprised. I thought this would be a spicy middle eastern style fragrance and I was wrong. This is a well blended fragrance and not over powering at all which is very nice. I cant be the only one that think during the dry down African Leather transforms into PDM's Layton but lighter. Price wise this would be a cheaper option than Layton but to my nose they share the same DNA in the dry down. 8/10

African Leather is a hidden-leather masterpiece that opens with a blast of spices, then settles into a refined blend of cardamom, vetiver, and a beautifully concealed leather, projecting strongly at first before becoming a mysterious, unique, and long-lasting scent trail that always gets attention in a positive way.

Stellar This is really nice, this is really overpriced too. Got a 10ml of this only but I would be inclined to buy a full bottle upon completion. But I struggle with the more expensive bottles. Will see if I get through 10ml before we cross that bridge. Maybe buy another 10ml. How to describe it? Dusty spices (cardamon), enhanced by mild oud in the dry down (heavenly), sweetened with some florals, and some warmth from leather/amber. It is a really nice signature/any time any place fragrance.

Despite my affinity for Memo, I avoided this popular frag for a long time because I am really sensitive to leather notes. Instead it’s a beautiful cardamom bomb. If you love cardamom notes (as I do), definitely try this.

Don't Let the Name Fool You: An Unexpected and Refined Spice Blend African Leather, one of Memo Paris’s most talked-about creations, masterfully subverts the expectation of a dark and heavy leather. When I first heard the name, an animalic, exhausting, and harsh leather came to mind. But the moment I sprayed it on my skin, I was greeted by a magnificent, vibrant, and warm breeze of spices instead. The intense balance of cardamom and cumin in the opening is incredibly well-crafted. The earthy, slightly green touch of geranium and vetiver allows the fragrance to breathe beautifully. The leather note here isn’t a screaming leading actor; rather, it acts as a high-quality, soft, and luxurious canvas carrying this entire feast of spices. It feels as though you are wearing a premium, buttery-soft leather jacket while carrying freshly ground exotic spices in your pockets. You can easily feel the smooth note transitions and depth you expect from high-end niche designs. An Unbiased Take: If you are looking for a pitch-black, smoky scent dominated solely by leather, blind buying this based on its name might lead to disappointment. However, if you are after a characterful, potential signature composition where spices take the lead, perfectly balanced by the freshness of vetiver, you should definitely give it a chance. Longevity & Projection: Highly satisfying, yet it doesn’t have a suffocating, synthetically loud nature. It has an elegant stance that creates its own distinct aura. Best Time to Wear: Perfectly suited for crisp autumn winds and the winter months. A high-quality, effortless, and versatile piece of work. It is a masterfully blended modern classic that even those who typically avoid leather can wear with ease.

This is well blended, it's hard for me to pick out notes. I am getting some pepper and coolness in the opening, it even feels cool on the skin? It's just a really nice spicy fragrance to me, and I can't see this offending anyone—but to me personally, that's a bit of an issue. Non-offensive fragrances are not really my go-to. 7.5/10

Impressive... I just love the notes in this. So wearable and easy to pull off. Love it from the openning till the dry down. Extremely recommended if you're looking for a "Spice" forward perfume, which is not that complex or hard to understand, but with enough evolution to keep it interesting. You're not offending anyone with this, a real crowd pleaser from my experience. Right now one of my favorites in my rotation. Also, do not expect any strong leather from this.. if you're looking for something more leathery this is not it.

Right off, spicy pepper with touch of camphorous cardamom and cool, minty geranium leaf. That said, it doesn’t read as green cardamom to me, and I cook with it a lot so know the smell very well. 30 minutes in, the opening is still strong, but I am starting to notice the rose a bit, and the patchouli and wood are becoming apparent. The leather is still elusive.

is it just me, or does this smell very similar to layton?

on my skin its mostly cardamom, very little leather. its very masculine not really unisex. i dont like it, i expected more leather. perhaps it needs to sit a bit more.