Leather Malaki

This is the fourth of my Chopard Malaki review series and of the four, I found Leather Malaki the most difficult. I went into it blind and was expecting a nice rich leather-centric DNA as befitting the name and the bottle. This one opens with a cedary greenness I wasn't ready for. I find verdant aromatics occasionally a little challenging and this one is a good example of why. I'm a child of the 80s and grew up in cars with Magic Tree fresheners and that is what I associate the scent of cedar with. This is brighter and airier than that, but it still gives me that vibe that a very pleasant black pepper and some slightly-too-sweet bergamot addition to the opening do not fully address. I get very little leather off this in the beginning. It takes its sweet time to dry down and it becomes (slowly) apparent that nothing about this fragrance is in a hurry. It is very relaxed and relaxing, but I think if you're expecting strong leathers and a bit of intensity then this will not be the Malaki for you. If this came in the Cedar Malaki bottle I'd understand it a bit more. I just think Leather Malaki doesn't know what it wants to be. Honestly, I get very little leather in the heart of this either. What I do get is that smell of vegan Alcantara you get in new cars sometimes. Like suede but not as rich. I cannot escape the feeling that the cedar and bergamot (again, a bit synthetic feeling and too sweet) are trying to cover up the eponymous suede vibe, as if apologising for the lack of leather. This is a strange one. For about an hour or so I wasn't sure what to make of it. Then, right when you are losing hope and about to write Leather Malaki off, there emerges some slightly salty amber in the base that rescues this. Not only does it add some much-needed richness and texture to the whole shebang, but it does address the sweetness in the top notes. It adds context, as much as anything. I believe the brief here was to create a very easy, rather languid fresh aromatic fragrance that sits close to the skin for people who don't really like strong leather and suede notes in their perfume. Not for the first time in my fragrance reviewing journey, I find myself recalibrating my view on a fragrance based on what it is, not what I thought it was before I sprayed it. So what have Chopard and Dora Baghriche created here? An old school, slightly evocative chypre that doesn't project much, with a very pleasant salty amber base with a hint of suede. It is actually quite good. Like a more mature, more feminine, warmer take on Himalaya by Creed but with better performance as a skin scent. Unlike Himalaya you need to wait for this one to warm up and dry down for it to come to life and when it does it is very pleasant. Not really something I'd reach for over Amber, Black Incense or Oud Malaki, but I can absolutely see someone who isn't in a hurry, who doesn't mind waiting, who likes restrained mountain fresh cedar with a richer base enjoy this a lot as reach for days when they want green skin scent performance but not the sillage. Layering suggestion: Santal Wood by Ajmal or Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel by Molton Brown. Three Word Summary: Forest Walk Suede Scent - 6/10 Drydown - 8/10 Sillage - 5/10 Bottle/packaging - 8/10 Performance - 7/10 34/50

#1247 in my "Tour de Fragrance" I see some people smell Nuit d'Issey Parfum. Close. It's Nuit d'Issey Polaris, which is now only available from the eBay scalpers at prices from $150-400. No Issey Miyake fragrance is worth that, including Polaris. And this is a mildly spicy version of Polaris, launched very tactically just as Miyake discontinued Polaris. But there's a lot to choose from in this category, some fruitier, some greener. Kilian "Dark Lord", Ralph Lauren "Polo" and "Polo Cologne Intense", Tom Ford "For Men", "Beaufort "Absent Presence", O Boticario "Zaad Expedition", Molton Brown "Black Pepper Re-Charge", all close enough that if you have one you don't really need another unless you're an impulsive collector like me, so i'd choose on price. This Chopard is $75 on Jomashop.com. Zaad Expedition $69 on Purebrasil.com. The Zaad is fruitier than this. Dark Lord is more complex like the Zaad, but $200 for 50ml. Not worth it. Black Pepper Re-Charge is $180 for 100ml. Also not worth it to me, but I confess to having the shower gel. I wouldn't bother paying a Tom Ford price for this kind of scent either. For me it's a toss-up between the Leather Malaki and Zaad Expedition as to which I like better. Expedition is more complex, The Malaki is more leathery. For business wear I'd probably choose the Chopard Malaki and for date night I'd probably go with the Zaad Expedition. There is BTW a Zimaya called "Braveheart", a Memo Paris "Irish Leather" wannabe, that isn't bad for $20, though it's a little less spicy, and kinda synthetic. This scent is fine for close spaces and everyday wear. Not going to overpower or offend anyone. It's a blind buy I'm happy with.

Leather Malaki the latest flanker from this line is probably the best if not second best. This is an aromatic classic incense leather that's very wearable and non offensive. It's well blended and suits all occasions and both day and night. I'm quite impressed by it as I think I'll wear this more often than it's counterparts, mainly because of the nice soothing incense and the aromatic Leatheryness of how the scent becomes on my skin. Maybe some ladies might pull this off because yes it is definitely very musculine but it seems more unisex. Reminds me of guerlain's encens or incense too. This ought to be more popular if it's under a very known brand but in fact it's so much under the radar that hardly anyone know or want to try it. Once again, the smokiness, the amber, the incense and the leather. I find it irresistible to keep smelling my arm/hands. It was this irresistible that I had when I tested a spray and told myself 'Must Buy' and than this full wear. Very good longetivity here with nice silage and decent projection. However you'll need to like Incense to like this. they can't call this incense Malaki because they already have a black incense malaki but this is a more wearable incense Malaki to me more than a leather malaki as smoky Ambery incense stands out more than the leather. Really good and nice. I think this is one of the best I've tried and used in 2025.

Nose Note #949 I have Oud, Cedar, Black Incense and Leather Malaki and the latter is my favourite. It's funny, because Cedar Malaki smells like leather to me and Leather Malaki smells like a ton of cedar! The cedar is sort of like Burberry Hero and Montale Full Incense, but ultimately different. This is also definately sharing similarities with Irish Leather, but no nutty leather here, but there is a slightly similar tea-ish note in here. All these Malaki fragrances fry my nose if I approach skin too close, I don't get this, almost never, even with the strongest scents. I don't know what they put in there... Man, this cedar accord is good. Very special. Again, sort of a mix between Irish Leather and Full Incense, but without incense. I don't like Irish Leather at all, but I really like this. Mind, whereas Burberry Hero is super mass-apealling, super easy, weak, Leather Malaki is not mass-appealing per se, it is a more sophisticated fragrance for a more mature audience. Men only. Strong, but not crazy at all, probably weakest of all Malaki. Similar story with sillage. Still absolutely worth the money. Chopard put good prices. The bottles represent the style of the perfumes well. 8.2/10, good cedar

I bought this blind and am quite pleased with the purchase. The bergamot and pepper in the opening are very well executed in a style I would describe as mature: an assertive presence without being garish. The projection is modest but durable. I was getting lovely whiffs of cypress and cedar nearly twelve hours after spraying, with NDS (nose-down-shirt test coined by sniffer 65) still delivering the full pallette of notes. As it dries down to a skin scent, one is left with a pleasant labdanum that lingers into the next day.