Cuir de Russie

Cuir de Russie is a deeply animalic, musky leather scent with a powdery, smoky-creamy drydown that evokes vintage chypres and military leather garments. The opening features dense birch tar and castoreum, creating a solvent-like, medicinal tinge that’s immediately intense and not for sensitive skin. Over time, it settles into a layered, romantic fabric of violet, blue lotus, jasmine, and rose wrapped in warm musk and amber. The scent performs best when sprayed on clothing or fabric, where it lingers for weeks with massive, long-lasting projection and sillage. Few find it wearable directly on skin due to irritation potential from unrefined birch tar and strong animalic notes, though some appreciate its rich, enduring character when worn cautiously. The fragrance is unapologetically bold and heavy—more garment than skin scent—with a balance that leans sweet and floral in the drydown, but never loses its feral, earthy core. It stands as a powerful, standalone fragrance in Areej Le Doré’s collection, distinct from its predecessors but sharing spiritual DNA with War and Peace and Ottoman Empire.