Cuir de Russie
Bienaimé (1950)

BIENAIME – CUIR DE RUSSIE (1950)

The following excerpt of Bienaime and his Cuir de Russie are from the writings of perfumista and collector, Alexandra Star. I agree totally with her review of the scent and cannot improve or dissent from her exemplary writing style and content. I therefore present her words (slightly edited), with her permission:

As perfumer for Houbigant from around 1910 to 1930, Robert Bienaimé created one of Houbigants all time best sellers, Quelques Fleurs, a floral bouquet. He continued to create for this house until sometime shortly after the 1929 stock market crash.

In 1935, Bienaimé launched his own Paris fragrance house, where he began to create fragrances under his own name. Bienaimé fragrances continued to appear during the 1940's and existed until 1950, but it would appear that the house did not survive for long after WW II.

Among Bienaime's most successful scents was his Cuir de Russie. The"Russian Leather" theme was popular, having been used to great effect by Chanel, Guerlain, and others. Unlike today when fragrances must carry unique names, in France in the first half of the 20th Century, a number of marketers might hit on the same, or a similar, name.

After five to ten minutes Cuir de Russie recalls fumed rawhide, the soft scraped skin, smoked to a light brown color but not soaked in birch tar. Resinous notes of cistus and styrax, smooth and transparent, appear cautiously, and if smoked birch tar is present, it's in a very minor quantity. The animalic character is complemented by a very natural soft musk and warm civet. Later, beneath the resins are found bitter woody chords: notes of oakmoss and vetiver, with smooth warm balsamic notes and possibly orris.

In the last gasps the perfume gives a slightly sweet warmth, but not that of flowers. Instead it's the warm underside of a leather belt, just taken off the body, and a thin benzoin sweetness. The composition starts with aldehydes, moderated by a mild nectar of the classical trio of rose, jasmine and ylang-ylang. The ending comes as a smoky, animalistic note of dark leather.

Top notes: Orange Blossom, Bergamot, Mandarin
Heart notes: Rose, Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Iris, Labdanum
Base notes: Oak Moss, Vetiver, Cedar, Styrax, Cistus, Leather, Amber, Civet, Musk, Vanilla

JackTwist notes a surprising carnation note that is not listed but that provides the "new leather" impression in the opening, soon settling down to a darker leather.