Crème de Cuir
BDK Parfums (2018)

Lovely, soft spoken suede-centric fragrance. I get zero pineapple in the opening; this review is from the second wearing of a sample. To my fickle nose this is an absolute dead ringer for Bois d’Iris by Van Cleef & Arpels, which I already own. Very easy to wear, I’m still getting whiffs 4-5 hours after two “tester squirts” to the base of my throat. My VC & A Bois d’Iris already wears these shoes, so I won’t be pursuing this one any further. However, it definitely merits a thumbs up.

Creme de Cuir is a really nice fragrance by BDK that is appropriately named. The heart of this fragrance is a sweet vanilla, musk and suede that wears very light and powdery Opens with a citrus accord that didn't last long on my skin and fades to the vanilla-musk. It gets sweeter as it wears and the powdery nature never really dissapates. It never comes across as a strong leather in any way, maybe because of the sweetness. Could easily be worn year round and is totally unisex. I like it, but because it does not project or last more than two hours on my skin, I would never consider it FBW. Neutral for me.

Oh, this is nice! A beautifully-blended opening of citrus and pineapple is just right, not oversweet or the least bit synthetic, and segues gracefully into the soft, luxurious heart of suede and sandalwood. Vanilla in the base ensures an aura of creaminess for the whole. Rich, elegant and rather delicious, with a slightly masculine lean to my nose. Devastatingly gorgeous on a man. Not too heavy, but plenty of presence and some nice low key sillage. A handsome scent. Alas, longevity is fleeting on my skin, which is especially sad given how much I like the smell.

BDK Perfumes Crème de Cuir (2018) is a soft sweet unisex fragrance that is meant to smell like the cream one can apply in the care of leather goods, and the effect it has on the leather itself after such a polish/cream has dried. Obviously the real stuff is going to smell a lot more chemical and harsher, so this perfume is more of a romanticized take on that aesthetic, for the same folks who see Dior Fahrenheit (1988) as romanticized petrol. All told, Crème de Cuir completes the given task admirably, and the end result of the skin wear is pretty good, but I'm not so sure it's "niche good" at the price point of $200 give or take. If you like the idea of a smooth oriental with "modern" leather elements in a throwback 90's clubber treatment with less volume so it can be pulled off in more sedate surrounds, this may be for you. I like the late-stage surprise when this scent dries down in particular, but more on that a little further down.

The opening is sweet and fruity, with a lucid pineapple mixing with citrus like bergamot and orange. The pineapple is not like your typical Creed Aventus (2010) "flattened" variety, but closer to a juicy cocktail fruit in can, and that sets up the oriental heart notes. Some form of aromachemical sandalwood and suede leather note mixes with a slug of pink pepper in the heart, and the whole thing comes across to me like a version of Romo Uomo by Laura Biagiotti (1994) that seemingly fixes or removes everything I disliked about it. Base-wise, this is a swirl of vanillin, white musks, and ambrox super with touches of birch tar smoke, ironically smokier like older batches of Creed Aventus, giving Crème de Cuir something in the late stage of the wear for the "FragBro" set to latch onto, although they likely won't because BDK gets no influencer or YouTuber love. Wear time is over 10 hours, projection is moderately high, and versatility is almost year-round, so this is signature worthy for the right person. As for the leather cream theme, you sorta forget about that after the first 30 minutes.

BDK Parfums Crème de Cuir is a hard one to peg, and perfumer Violaine Collas doesn't have a rockstar portfolio, so it's difficult to ascertain if this is par for the course or a fluke. What I can say is the stuff enters your awareness in a way that makes you want to write it off as another Johnny-come-lately niche market exploitation, settles into something a little more interesting than that, then finally finishes as an engaging, confident, if somewhat pricey contender as underdog generalist juice for someone looking to step up their "game" from designers without shooting all the way into Creed/Amouage/MFK/Parfums de Marly/Roja Dove territory. Calling something "mid-tier niche" seems like a death sentence in the hyperbolic environs of the online fragrance community that demands everything be a "masterpiece" or a "banger", but that's what this is, and Crème de Cuir wears that beauty-in-moderation badge with confidence. Thumbs up.