Cuir Noir

Leather, Rose, & Violets. This is one of the sweetest & gentle takes on leather. Cuir Noir (CN) is dominated by a very sweet, but not cloying, rosey vanilla scent. Almost like a sweet rose drink: floral, creamy, sweet. That sweet rosey smell is made powdery with soft sandalwood. Then the scent is Arab-icized with woody notes (oud, supposedly). The benzoin enhances the sweet vanilla facet of the scent. There is very light spiciness to liven up the scent. Finally, very late in the dry down you get some incensy leather. Soft, powdery, rosey, vanilla, very sweet, leathery. I like this fragrance but the leather does take its time to come out. Also, the oud is barely there, just to Orientalize the scent than be detectable as a note. You really can not trust Fragrantica votes when it comes to oud. CN is sweet, rosey, & powdery. That powdery accord is very reminiscent of violets' floral powderiness. CN is a still is a good fragrance but the name "Black Leather" is misleading: the leather is a second to the sweet vanilla and rose, & there is nothing black about CN's sweet roses. In fact, gourmand lovers are likely to love this. There is no wonder it is voted to smell like Elie Saab's "Cuir Bourbon". I haven't smelled Saab's but looking at it notes, CN can easily have the exact same 4 notes. Unisex, leans feminine with its sweetness. Suitable for cool weather. "Like"

Starts off straight up leather mixed with slightly medicinal dirty oud. I’m a big oud fan, so I really like this. It’s a little rough around the edges and I mean that is a good way, it’s smoky and dark, the way a true oud should be. It softens downs nicely and becomes slightly sweeter, at least on my skin. This is when the rose and vanilla come to the surface. Not obviously sweet, but sweet in a dry, nutmegy spicy way. Finally the wood notes come out in the dry down giving this a soft, natural and slightly musky finish. This stuff is pricey and I bought blind because I saw a deal on eBay I couldn’t pass up. I paid just enough to take a gamble, thinking if I hate I’ll just sell it to someone...long story short, I really really like this. It’s got a definite expensive high quality air about it, total sophistication and elegance from beginning to end of the dry down. Can be unisex, but veers more to the masculine side for me. Only flaw is the longevity. It’s not as horrible as some reviews say, but it’s got about 3-4 hour life span. Not a good fragrance to spray heavy either because the opening is so strong. Still, it’s a truly beautiful scent.

#1022 in my "Tour de Fragrance" I have so many woody leather scents, but as I was comparing them note-for-note with this I realized the notes this has that all my others lack are benzoin and vanilla, and it's quite a difference. Comparatively scents like Dior Homme, Afnan Rare Carbon, Rasasi Shurah, Shaghaf Oud Aswad, Lattafa Ra'ed Oud, Ford Ombre Leather, and I can name another dozen or more, all come off dry and arid compared to this. Fruitier leather scents don't have that issue, but I actually prefer not to have raspberry for instance as at times I find it nauseating. I think this scent is more likely to encourage intimacy than any other scent I have on the shelf as all the women I go out with are into vanilla. You could wear this to the office if you're involved with or trying to get involved with a co-worker, but I'd save it for date night. Otherwise if you're going to be in tight spaces with a non-partner I'd choose a different scent. This is long lasting, projects beyond arm's length. Pricey like the entire Prive line. For me, since I have them on hand, I'll layer Grand Soir and Ombre Leather and get pretty close to this.

At first when sprayed this had me excited a dank, mouldy Oud woodiness with almost sweet top notes that are perfectly complimentary. I thought this had the quality and balance of MFK Oud but sadly as it develops past the opening couple of minutes or so, it shows it's true colours. It's not bad as such but just very weak and longevity is poor. This is odd because I would've thought they'd use the same quality of Agarwood for all this collection (with the gold stoppers) and Oud royal is good and Myrrhe imperiale (although doesn't have Oud) is a favourite of mine. The leather in this is there but not very pleasant and luckily not very strong when it emerges, nor does it stick around for long. Cuir noir is certainly not smooth or luxurious and does evoke more of a rough tanning vibe which is supposed to be Armani's intention. This fragrance is not bad just lacking in originality and strength at this price point. The dry down is subtle but pleasant if you like Oud...That's all I can say really.

I am extremely sensitive to leather. So a perfume called “Cuir Noir” (Black Leather), you can imagine that I smelled it without much conviction. And big surprise; it is sublime. Here we are not dealing with an animal leather, nor dirty or invasive, but with a very soft, warm, attractive, sensual and comforting leather; we want to snuggle up close. For once, I agree with the appellation; It’s perfectly unisex. Cuir Noir is primarily a scent of leather, sandalwood and benzoin. This sandalwood/benzoin combination with its cocoa scent is delicious. After several days on textile (by the way, very good staying power - at least on fabric), I find it has a smoky smell. A wonder, a real crush. It's a shame that the price is so high because, as someone who doesn't usually like leather, I would have bought it straight away. In reality, I will never buy it...

I don't know if I am reviewing the same fragrance? The one I bought yesterday is phenomenal! It is sweetly mysterious. Not gourmand, but the opening does trigger visions of sugared brioche and other delectable creations in a French patisserie. Then the scent mellows into the most delightful incense. Smooth, rounded, bodied, blissful. Wow. I fell in love and bought a bottle immediately and I can't stop sniffing myself where I have sprayed this amazing scent. For me, this is the fragrance I have been searching for probably my whole life. It is like liquid poetry, telling the tale of Arabian nights. It is what I expected all other noir fragrances to be. Sophisticated. Mysterious. Alluring. Addictive. Makes me feel powerful. I'm sorry to all those people who aren't able to experience this enticing fragrance in all its glory.

Wow, this is really different than any other leather. I am extremely impressed by this mixture of leather, vanilla, sandalwood and guaiac wood. Is smells so pillow soft, and beautiful that this is the first time I've ever considered leather as almost a gourmand. This is addictive and extremely versatile. This is my favorite from the Armani Prive line. However, performance on this one SUCKS. I spray the hell out of this and carry a decant that quickly drains just like my wallet 😕 Scent 9/10 Performance 2/10 (very bad) P. S. Draws lots of compliments if that's something you're interested in. I've been told it smells expensive 😄

For the last year this has been my favorite scent, the one disappointment being that it fades so quickly. To me the coriander, leather, and vanilla are the most obvious impression, fading to vanilla and a hint of leather after an hour. The salesperson recommended this after I had already purchased Ombré Mercure...he thought I might be intrigued with the masculine leanings of Cuir Noir as well. I actually hesitated to buy such a non-feminine fragrance, but the test on my arm was all it took. Almost ready for a new bottle of this one.

By no means is Cuir Noir beast mode. Comparably, other leather scents tend to be extremely nuclear in its strength. However Cuir Noir lasts a long time. I’ve sprayed it on my coat and I still get warts of it three days later. Perhaps some people are going nose blind to this scent as it is a bit sweet and persistent. The smell also dries down to something that’s almost human skin like. A creamy suede... Which is why I enjoy this scent so much! It’d appeal to those that like gentle leathery musk scents like White Suede by Tom Ford

I went to Armani Boutique in Dubai with my mind set on Oud Royal as i had sniffed and really liked it and almost decided on buying the same then I tried Cuir Noir and i was blown away with it. Cuir noir is sexy Leather frag and it does the same thing to leather note as Tom ford NDN does to rose note which is it makes Leather very metro sexual Leather is soft and very wearable it projects for about 4 hours and longevity abot 6-8 hours I am very sure everyone will love its opening . I love this frag :) 8/10

My father used melted stannary and resin to glue together small metal parts of broken machines. I used to love to see how the metal melts and the resin melts and evaporates into a wonderful perfume. The melted resin is what this perfume reminds me of. It smells a little bit like a toned down incense blended with sandalwood and rose oil. It's a beautiful oriental, not as powerful as I would expect of it but is has good staying power. If only it were a little bit cheaper... :-

nonostante il nome rimandi ad un accordo cuoiato, io ci sento tutt'altro. ed è un tutt'altro che mi piace moltissimo. si tratta di un profumo molto mediorientale, con una prima fase di rosa e oud che rasenta il gourmand, grazie anche al benzoino che conferisce all'insieme un bel calore resinoso. col tempo si assesta su sentori assai simili al mio amato ameer al oud di lattafa (che è quasi medicinale) ma con un fondo più morbido di cuoio. molto bello!

A delicious smooth leather perfume with no harsh edges. This is ultra-refined and sophisticated. Like a leather scent for someone who don't like the animalic sharpness. It reads like 'White Suede' by Tom Ford, but even smoother and rounded. The scent also gently hovers around the wearer and it doesn't insult your nose. Just a soft cloud of yumminess. It lasts 24+ on me, in particular on clothes, you get wafts of it days later.

Okay brief re-review as I've started on my second sample. I pretty much agree with my original sentiments a great smelling, resiny, Oud opening, quite sweet actually, which matures to a rough leather and vanilla this could be so fantastic if only it lasted. I must say I'm really enjoying the second wear this sent is right up my street and I'd even put up with the longevity & projection issues if it was significantly cheaper.

Cuir Noir is a beautiful and elegant leather with a sweet oud background very well structured, with a marked European character, giving a refined and even magnetic sensation capable of catching you between your nets in a matter of minutes. Perfect and discreet to use during the day as it projects well without hazing. It is as if you smelled a nice portfolio of the best skin, yes, a little expensive. Rating: 8

Un parfum aux notes oriental, rêveur et chaleureux, le coté cuir mixer avec la vanille lui donne un aspect unique, une projection et fixation modérer, peut se fixer plus sur d'autres personne si jamais il en mettent un peu plus ( si vous êtes gourmand comme moi :) ) ressemble un peu a l'arabian oud Kalimat, juste que ce dernier se ressens plus noble en terme de valeur de composition... bonne expérience

A delicious and refined saffron suede like scent. It smells like skin but better, and has a velvety leather feel. Not a harsh or handbag like at all. Just soft suede like vanillic leather that floats like a veil. It doesn't project too far I don't think. But it does last over night and 12 hours+ on clothes. Highly recommended.

Very nice. Friend's comment: "You smell like baby powder!" Yes, but baby powder noir or baby powder intense. Reminiscent of L'Instant Magic but a touch darker and more floral. I was expecting something a little more dramatic. Lasting power not great.

This is one of the best beautiful blend of leather and vanilla with touch of agarwood...😌 Its so smoothly blend 👌🏻 perfect for winter with leather jacket and leather boots kind of vibe...😎👍🏼 Nathalie Lorson never failed to amazed us 💟

Sweet woody oud. So beautiful! Smells like sweet burned incense. Still however, the price is unjustified, just like the rest of Armani's Prive series. Such a shame really, & the lasting power makes it worse.

Such a delicious yummy leather. Very smooth. Though unlisted, the Armani counter has a photo of saffron in front of this perfume with the text ‘saffron accord’ written under it

Top Notes; Rose, Australian sandalwood, Nutmeg, Coriander. Heart Notes; Leather, Guaiac wood, Oud. Base Notes; Benzoin, Tahitian vanilla absolute.

sandalwood oud rose and spices, very good perfume to compliment whose longevity and the trail are correct, a unique smell which leans masculine

I am a female and I think for a woman this is absolutely a dark, sexy scent. Would smell also sexy on a man!

Completely Unisex Very Alpha Perfectly Blended Unique Masterpiece

Very nice scent profile. But very very weak !

i like all the leather scents!

Armani's Cuir Noir in the Prive line is a leather/vanilla combination that while pleasant, as these main notes play off of one another, is not terribly unique. There's a hint of oud, as well, but it's mostly a leather/vanilla pairing that I could see being a crowd-pleaser, as it's unoffensive, but it isn't particularly special. It starts out heavier on the leather and oud and dries down more heavily on the vanilla. Its name is apparently, as Cuir Noir lends itself to the night use--dates, parties, etc.--not something to be worn casually or during the day. Usage-wise, then, it lends formal, and it makes for a good option in that respect. However, it's difficult to justify the cost (nearly $300) when the uniqueness is limited, and the performance is decent but not strong for an EDP, especially of this price, though it is less than $200 on BeautySpin. The only Prive line I've purchased is Rose d'Arabie, which I regarded as far more special and unique, though I'm told Myrrh Imperiale and Oud Royal are both strong entries. Cuir Noir merits trying, since this could certainly be the signature night scent of many men. Even women might enjoy it, given that the leather and oud are softened greatly (and overtaken in the dry down) by the vanilla. 7 out of 10

I sprayed this at the Armani counter today as I was interested to try a saffron fragrance. As previously mentioned, I'm also stumped that saffron isn't listed here. At the Armani counter, the picture in front of this fragrance is of saffron strands, and it says "saffron accord" under it. Oh well, these things get missed sometimes. Anyway... while it's a really nice soft, cosy snuggly jumper kind of scent, I just don't feel like spending the $$ on it. So I've just gone for a blind buy of the Korres Saffron one recommended by Lauren Da. The Korres reportedly doesn't have huge staying power, but the Armani has lost most of its projection after about 3-4 hours anyway, so it's not like I'd be getting that much more bang for my buck. The Korres is sold as a man's fragrance, while the Armani is very appropriate for either men or women. I'm hoping the Korres is femme-friendly too. (Update - it is!)

This is immaculately beautiful stuff. The opening is sort of like a woody spice cake with a nice rose icing on top. The coriander and nutmeg both are prominent but there are definitely hints of whats to come. The dry down is a delectably smooth vanillic leathery oud combo that I instantly fell in love with. 20 minutes after spraying I decided that I needed a bottle and I felt like it profoundly spoke to me. Thankfully i waited a few hours because it almost entirely vanished on my skin :(. For the money it is extremely hard to justify these kind of performance issues. Talk about wasted potential. If this had at least average longevity I would absolutely drop everything and buy it instantly. All it gets is a like from me. A somber like.

Another rose/oud, this time accompanied by sweet vanilla to open. The rendering with leather is unsuccessful and with a better emphasis on this note, could have differentiated Cuir Noir from so many other standard rose/ouds on the market. This is a slightly drier take with pepper and guaiac, finished with warm sandalwood. It's a shame that oud in perfumes has become so commonplace because it is a beautiful, exotic note. Just overdone and not worth the exotic price for what has become a common scent.

Sooooo disappointed in this one. No leather, No oud. Only vanilla. That's it. Nothing special about This vanilla either. Boring and too vanilla-y with nothing else! Update: Tried this fragrance a few more times and I am now smelling a very pleasant, mellow oud along with the vanilla. Strange how the first few sprays from my decant did not have any smell but vanilla. Much nicer than at first!

Another great work from Nathalie Lorson! The base of the scent is the special oud-leather-resin combination you maybe familiar with and I also love but the additional notes make this very sweet and feminine, partciularly the vanilla and the rose. If you are a she I suggest you definitely try this but only if price doesnt bother you beacause it should be sold for 100 euros and not for 200+.

Vanillic leathery oud - this one does what it says on the tin. I was curious what I would think of it because I don't possess the most refined of noses, and oud is a very polarizing scent. I have only tried one other fragrance that prominently features oud, Valentina Oud Assoluto, which is very pungent to my nose, revolting even. This one I find dark and lovely.

Does no one else smell Iris?!?!? To me the opening is lipstick Iris and then leather with soft woody with vanilla. Soft projection but really lovely silage. I sprayed my arms before food shopping and I got wafts of it each time I moved. Will report back with more wears

INSANE. Armani Prive has incredible quality and this is another great example. Elevated sweet leather scent. The Oud isn't strong in it - it's westernized and blended beautifully with the leather and spices. More masculine but a woman can definitely pull it off!!

I feel like this is the older brother of Santal Royal by Guerlain! It has a very soft leather, vanilla and oud for the darkness. You get instantly hit with balsamic nuances from the benzoin. Also, gorgeous warm spicy feeling for sure.

The opening was all licorice and benzoin, but within ten minutes it has settled. Very leather, vanilla, oud. Anyone who wears this, male or female, would smell a little dangerous to me. I like it ;)

this isn 't a classic retro leather fragrance the vanilla and rose touch tend to subdue and gourmandize the result in a very particular way i would prefer to smell this on women skin . 6/10

drydown is surprisingly similar to ScentStory 24 Gold. (one third of the price), so for me does not justify the marked-up pricing

This has been a disappointment for me. Because at this level I don't simply expect quality materials but mainly innovative compositions. In this case this is neither cuir nor noir as it has too little leather for being a proper cuir and is too safe to be effectively noir. The opening is rosy sweet (the sandalwood) something that made me re-check the sample I had used (in fear of it being Rose D'Arabie) and although I expected the heart and dry-down to offer the thrill, the thrill never came. Instead I got the same rose and the sweetness coming now from different players (benzoin, vanilla) hovering the small amount of leather in there. Hopefully the oud helps the composition keep its dignity and saves it form drowning into gourmandishness. All in all, it smells to me more of woody vanilla with lots of rose than what it is supposed to. Mainly though, I dislike it because it's a fragrance that lacks character and if I want a friendly safe composition that doesn't intrude or makes a statement I can choose much cheaper ones. There also are better oud and rose perfumes out there form this one (here its is I write about rose and oud instead of leather and that says it all).

It was a blind buy and another misnamed fragrance. With the notes, some reviews here and the dark leather name, I was expecting something leathery and oudy. I don’t get oud at all. If there is leather, it is the smoothest and unrecognizable leather ever. All I get is sandal. Very smooth, creamy and slightly nutty sandal. It is so smooth and so boring. Also feminine. Maybe hint of rose. Vanilla and benzoin give some sweetness but it is not gourmand like sweetness. It is just helping the sandal. I think sandal is the main note responsible of the sweetness. It reminds me of valentino uomo noir absolu. But that one is stronger, potent, heavy and manlier, this one is easy to wear and feminine. So there is nothing dark about it. Maybe a little bit shady. It is just ok. I would call it santal ombragé or santal moyanne

Wear Only When You're Getting Ready To Do The Oooh Ahh! I purchased while in Ireland. I have never seen it in the states. What I can tell you is this... it's a beautiful cologne the leather isn't yelling but is quite subtle. The vanilla compliments it BUT it has NO longevity and NO sillage.. Projection is about as long as a watermelon seed. So this means you gotta be close to someone so that it can be smelled by them. If you're considering it, I would only purchase this cologne if you are planning to wear it and get right into bed with your special someone. It will start out good and within 60 min it will become a skin scent and then go away until the next time use it again for the same purpose.

This fragrance is blended incredibly with it’s leathery and sweet opening, perfect for cold weather. But for that price it’s just a joke, skin scent in an hour just shows how much Armani didn’t care with this one. Thankfully I got it as a gift , I don’t advise anyone to buy this if you don’t plan to carry it around and spray it every hour!

Quite powdery and sweet. To me this leans more on feminine side

Won an auction and scored this for an extremely cheap, $97! mind you, being a blind purchase. So the following day i sampled this at the shops on paper and was bitterly disappointed because all i could smell was a prominent Rose & Oud combination. I had nowhere to spray it on my skin as i had already sprayed multiple scents on both arms but knew that it would play out much differently on skin and boy was i delighted once it did! It was a completely different experience. Cuir Noir is a soft leather which is well blended with the Oud, Rose, Guaiac wood and vanilla. As it dries down the Rose falls deep into the background and the woods and vanilla come through. A very charming and alluring scent perfect for a night out and should be sampled on skin as with ALL fragrances. Edit: As other have mentioned projection and longevity are disappointing for the retail price that they are asking for, you'd certainly expect better. Other than that i believe that this one is the more underrated from the 1001 nights collection.

After trying this, I was struck by a couple of very clear thoughts. First is that this adds nothing new to the Oud conversation that either hasn't been tried before in a more refined, better executed approach. The second is how absolutely synthetic the leather accord was in this -- let's just call it "rubbery" and leave it there. Finally, the longevity and endurance behind this fragrance was horrible, fading into the sunset within perhaps 2-4 hours after being sprayed. I'd best describe this as another "me too" designer attempt at packaging a high-end fragrance collection (Tom Ford, anyone?), bowing to the trends, and expecting a very selective customer to accept what is an otherwise moribund and mediocre experience. Not very noteworthy, not terribly fascinating, and poor execution made this one worth missing. Though now I can say I've given it a fair shake to see what the fuss was about, but I'm still missing the substance behind the hype.

FAIL by Armani! The leather (if there is any) fades fast and is gone in 30 Minutes. It seems hidden under lots of Caramel Clouds that CUIR. No strong oud accords i get, more like old almonds in the Sun. Amber and Vanilla smell come up and dominate. Like a milk-toffee candy. Sweet and Cheap. This one stays about 4 hours. Maybe less. Stays very close to your skin. That's it. Nothing special. A little bit like AMBER by MARC JACOBS mixed with ROCHAS MAN. Not worth the money. Sorry. scent: 2/10 longevity: 3/10 sillage: 3/10

A very creamy, rich yet light woody oriental with saffron topnotes and a very smooth benzoin and vanilla drydown. I'm actually flummoxed as to how saffron is nowhere mentioned in its list of accords; perhaps the leather accord is supplanted in people's minds and the clean, watery, and almost chemically identity of saffron is being misinterpreted? Or maybe I'm all wronng; if there isn't saffron, then somehow the floral elements blended with the guaiac and sandalwood evoke a strikingly similar semblance. But instantly, saffron, and it's wonderful. It's watery cleanness lends a balance to what could potentially be an overwhelming mixture of rich and intense accords. Very gender mixed. I'd say gender neutral, but here I think the genders are more mixed like a salad than a homogenous mixture—the sweet vanilla and benzoin with the floral leather speaks to femininity, but the darker oud, guaiac, and spicy notes add an intense richness that can come across musky and animalic. Thus, it is a gender mixed scent best for those who speak strongly to both genders, as both femininity and masculinity hold an affirmative rather than passive identity here. Moderate sillage, although I never like to spray this one too generously but rather keep a dab on my wrist to revel in throughout the day. Its tenacious, but only through the benzoin—however the dry down at the end is one of most delicious creamy vanilla scents I've smelled! Go get your sample!

I agree with "blaiseantoine" that it's not your classical leather fragrance. Maybe b/c of a slightly higher level of sweetness? To my untrained nose it's suede - the vanilla and ambergris add depth and almost peach fuzziness, sort of cashmere feel to the perfume, which you can smell in a super-soft, good quality suede jacket/bag. But despite the softness and sweetness, there is no much warmth to it, especially in the drydown. Makes me think of a dark, sophisticated, slightly distant, rich italian woman. I was reading "majestic mammy"'s comment about similarity to Cuir Beluga from Guerlain (which I also have) and I thought I agree with her (partially). I went to check the Cuir Beluga notes and indeed it has suede in the base. But Cuir Noir has a bit more sourness/coldness in the opening, coming from the oud/rose, I believe. This is my first review so please be forgiving, that's how I perceived it :) Now a question to whoever uses this perfume on a regular basis and/or doesn't care for the box: do you have one to sell me PLEASE? I started my own collection recently, but in the meantime I thrown away the original box, and it bothers me so much to have the bottle without box. Some will say OCD and I might even agree! :) But please sell me a box! I have quite a bit of perfumes now and it'll take me some time until I buy a new bottle of this fragrance. Thank you! Please send me a private message.