Clean Suede

Strange. The way this perfume opens I could've sworn it was with an orange liquor and new leather accord. I could've sworn it was! But no, apparently, according to ELDO it's lemon and aldehydes at the top; pine, pepper, birch leaf, saffron, cypress, and galbanum at the heart; suede, vanilla, ambergris, tonka bean, and iris at the base. Well, ok. The opening smelled quite hot, alcohol-like, with a new leather smell (like the birch) that together sort of gives you the impression of leather you bought cheap off of Amazon that isn't really leather and the manufacturer tried to infuse a chemical into it that smells of leather. Not exactly a welcoming opening; weird and intriguing, but a bit off-putting. Fortunately this dries down very quickly to reveal the heart and base notes that are very... very... I don't know! It's definitely a leather scent but it's just so unique that I don't know where to begin to describe it, but suffice to say I'm really liking it. It's so dry and "hot" - like a dry heavily-spiced dish - but the leather pulls it all together, equally dry and hot, well worn but still new. This somehow manages to be dirty and animalic but without the wet skankiness that comes from dirty and animalic leathers; it manages to be spicy, but a dry and hot spicy, not a steamed spicy; it manages to be fun and cheerful, but not slapstick, and a bit raunchy. Clean suede? Hardly. There's a reason this fragrance used to be named Tom of Finland. If you aren't familiar with the cartoon author look it up, just don't do it at work. Perhaps this is ELDO's signature cheeky wit coming into play again; not clean, not suede, but hot, raunchy, leather in a somehow tasteful way. It's fantastic.

I got this as part of a discovery set and at first I did not like it at all. It was very faint and smelled like wet paper / cork to me. I forgot about it and then a few months later I wore it again. The smell appeared to be completely different, almost intoxicating, I kept reaching for my wrist to smell it again and decided to buy a full bottle. To me it opens very pine and citrus forward (sort of like the lemon fresh and pine cleaning products if they smelled good), clean and sweet, and then in the drydown I get mostly vanilla and tonka bean. Sometimes I get a whiff of leather but it is not as present as the name would suggest. I can't seem to get the earthy notes other reviews are alluding to, and I would not characterize the perfume as "dry" in the slightest. I think people who describe this scent as dirty, murky, animalic and "the scent of poppers" may be getting carried away by the (previous) marketing as Tom of Finland, because I'm not getting any of that. People around me have compared it to the aroma of lemon pies, a coworker thought it was Acqua di Gio (yes, I sometimes wear it to work because, as I said, it is a very safe fragrance, it is not musky, rubbery or unpleasant in the slightest). Overall I think it is a nice pleasant scent in the clean musk family. Nothing too crazy out there.

On the opening this fragrance smells almost entirely different from the listed notes on Fragrantica. The leather note is pleasantly mild with a combination of clean notes of lemon (not citrus), wood, and pine. As it dries down there is a creamy note that starts to make its presence known. All of these notes combine into a clean, almost out of the shower, smell with a pleasent leather note mixed into the background. The performance here was so so. It lasted about 4 hours on my skin and under 3 on my clothes. It was entirely gone by the end of hour 5 on my skin even if I pressed my nose to my skin. 4/10 for longevity. The projection was surprisingly good, it radiated within my arms length for 4 hours in a very pleasant manner. 7/10 for projection. Overall this is a very pleasant and unique fragrance, it has a clean out of the shower scent with some unstandered notes mixed into it. I greatly enjoyed wearing it today and I can see it being an easy enjoyable reach for spring and fall. 8/10 overall even with the mid longevity due to my enjoyment and the uniqueness of it. An after note: the atomizer on this sample spray from Etat Libre d’Orange was one of the best I’ve ever gotten on an official sample.

Although I really like ELDO’s originality, I couldn’t find any of their fragrances that wouldn't smell synthetic. This is one gorgeous exception though! Clean Suede is a beautiful realistic sweet pine-suede fragrance. Suede is here, from the start. Immediately followed by light and airy sourness becoming fresh, nearly green. That green side takes up space, I'm suddenly transported in a pine forest. But it's not wood pine I'm smelling, it's pine needles. Realistic green pine needles in the middle of the forest. And then, it's fading away. The pine sweetens. A sweet suede wakes me up. Suede again, but this time perfectly balanced with pine, slightly woody and sweetened by the vanilla. The name Clean Suede perfectly fit this perfume. A gentle, soft, lightly woody, realistic sweet suede that has now become my signature scent.

"CLEAN SUEDE is a fragrance that is clear in its intentions, a sweet and aldehydic leather, bold and honest, narrating a playful man, carefree, with all the freedom money can buy. A masculine scent, yet not devoid of a sweet and sensual feminine aspect (I would even say sexy), unsuitable for those burdened by fragile masculinity or unable to keep up with its charisma. An excellent signature fragrance for everyday wear, distinctive and refined without losing its modernity and youthful charm. P.S.: If I had this fragrance, I would spray it inside every bag I own. It's exactly the lush scent I would want to experience in a leather accessory."

Clean Suede (Tom of Finland) to me, lives in the Bvlgari Black scent profile but comes off more creative and artsy. At times it pulls a sparkling clean almost minty suede accord. Other times it's a dose of warm sexy rubbery vanilla. But, the aldehydes, birch and pine notes along with a sugary lemon zest bring this into otherworldly category. The perfumer here was highly creative with this profile. I will never not have a bottle of this. Unreal good. The idea of "Clean Suede" may be a little on the nose especially compared to some of the other great names from the brand. Cuir Scintillant 9/10

wasnt expecting to really like clean suede but i loveeeeeeee the mix of of clean cold aldehydes, stiff leather, and lemon altogether, especially how it lands on my skin. spraying this on paper, clean suede was more sweet than i was expecting from it and i never got that deeper, almost earthier tones of leather that i was wanting, but as soon as this hit my skin those deeper tones came out. very new car smell or professionally cleaned and oiled leather car or couch. beautiful beautiful, very masculine and deep scent. almost woodsy with the mix of birch and pine in there

I did not expect to love this scent since typically I find leather or suede fragrances to be more masculine leaning and sometimes a bit harsh, Clean Suede is neither of those things. Starting strong with the suede, pine and pepper it fades nicely into a vanillic suede with the lemon, pine and aldehydes keeping it a bit fresh. Very unisex and something that I will be adding to my collection as soon as possible. I can't sum it up any better @cielito "making out in a new car with a delicious stranger."

Gorgeous simple linear fresh suede as suggested. Negatives here are undeserved. Its not synthetic. It indeed reminds me of a fresh car leather with cream protectant rubbed in. Warm and inviting without a dark or animalic edge. It reminds me of Thameens Regent Leather that is supposed to represent a Rolls Royce car seat - one of my fabourite leather scents.A nice vanilla finish that ironically outperformed the Thameen in both performance and value.

It is with great sadness that I confess this fragrance doesn't last long - which is a shame because it's so, SO beautiful. However, good news if you're looking for a 'second skin' scent because I feel like it's a bit that. Sexy yet serious (I wear it a lot in the office), smells luxurious but effortless at the same time. A more laid-back and playful alternative to TF's Ombre Leather thanks to the sweetness of the vanilla note. 9.5/10

Citric peppery birchy/incense opening that goes straight to clean grey suede with pine undertones. Definitely not dated or overly mature, bit modern, carnalic and moderately sexy - good signature fragrance that is not too much intense to cause nausea or disgust you after few applications. Dry down is powdery soft, unsweet vanilla with large portion of cumine. Interesting, original, nice to have in your collection.

The leather in this is very light, not animalic at all to me. The opening makes me think of a softer, airier cedar, like taking the cedar-scented crayon and softening it with something a little powdery, a little green. There's a note or accord in the middle act that is exactly the way my mum smelled when I was younger, nestled among the threads of other notes, and it almost made me tear up a little.

Love the way this smells! Just like the title suggests, clean scent that has maintains surprising depth. Certainly comes off more masculine. I usually don't gravitate towards overly masculine types of scents, as I honestly do enjoy the sweeter stuff but this one is a beautiful exception. Tried this as a part of a discovery kit, but this is definitely one I want to add to the collection.

A clean suede scent? I have no idea how they made aldehydes and suede mix but this is really smooth. A clean & musky-lactonic but also faint woody-suede scent. I also pick up some iso-e-super but overall it's a gorgeous well-blended second-skin profile. This might be the night-time non-leather leather scent I have been looking for. I actually really like this one. Edit: got a bottle.

Oh wow! It's fueling my soul right now, its beautiful, I am attracted to this mystic perfume... I dont have a precisely review because 5 minutes ago I tested it for the first time, but trust me, the notes that are mentioned, you can feel all of them in one. I already love this perfume, maybe just for this moment, but, I think this will be my main fragrance for autumn.

Citrus, Saffron, and Vanilla. Simple, elegant, and charming. Previously 'Tom of Finland' now rebranded, and all the better for it imo. It really didn't evoke cruisy leather bars in its previous incarnation. Good to see ELdO dialling back the 'shock' factor a little and focusing on the actual perfumery. An easy wear and competent year round signature scent.

This stuff is absolutely gorgeous. Such a clean, leather fragrance. Perfect for the office. Not offensive whatsoever. Very masculine and clean and leathery, best way to put it. More clean & woody with leather in the background. It's not a leather bomb like Ombre Leather but it's definitely there. Highly recommended!

I’m glad they moved this to a dark bottle. I was always worried that my Tom of Finland juice* was darkening to a caramel brown over the years. * which gives me a great idea for ToF’s next tie-in. If you’re in product development at Nestle, call me!

As a fan of this perfume house, I’m really disappointed with its longevity. I absolutely love the notes and wish it would last longer. On my skin, it fades after just an hour or two, and even when I ask others, they can hardly detect any sillage.

This scent feels like me. It's rugged yet clean. So elegant yet masculine. It's not mass appealing imo and it is fairly unique. Great beginner leather fragrance. Starts off a bit aromatic fresh and then heavy suede. Later some vanilla pops up.