Noir Kogane

Managed to source a bottle, and what a fragrance this is. The opening hits you with a dry tobacco and ever so slightly animalic leather. The saffron also contributes to the leathery and aromatic feel. As the scent dries down, the Elemi starts to shine and brings forward this element of sweetness that just binds the whole fragrance together, creating a very unique and alluring profile.. What you ultimately end up with is a subtly sweet, leathery tobacco scent. I truly appreciate the craftsmanship of putting this fragrance together, and I tip my hat to the Armani Prive line for creating yet another incredible fragrance. I personally feel that this scent is quite masculine, because this is a very leathery and tobacco forward fragrance. As much as I’ve loved it, I cannot genuinely say that this is a safe blind buy by any means; though I could see how many men (ages 30+) would appreciate this scent. Definitely recommend trying! P.s, I honestly don’t see any resemblance to Clive Christian’s X or TF Oud Wood here.

Thick, tannic, inky leather is the dominant note here; sharp, dark, and bordering on tarry at first sniff. It's balanced out perfectly by just the right amount of smoked, salty wood, and just a touch of resinous balsamic sweetness. It's dark, dark, dark, and seductive as hell. Forceful, ruthless, and persuasive. Incontrovertibly masculine, and attractive in that, "If evil, why hot?" kind of way. Fictional men who might smell like this: the TV series version of Lestat, Superior Iron Man, Rhett Butler, Oliver at the end of Saltburn , the dude who killed Inigo Montoya's father. I could keep going, but you get the picture. If there's a particularly sinister sounding Hozier song, it probably sounds exactly like this smells.

When I first tried Armani Prive Noire Kogane, I wore it to work. As I walked past a colleague, he asked what I was wearing because, according to him, I smelled like how he imagined Batman would. And honestly, I agree. This scent has a vibe that's both dark and luxurious—like a black leather and rubber suit, but refined and expensive, something Bruce Wayne would pull off. It's smooth and mysterious, perfectly capturing the essence of Batman. Despite its depth, it's surprisingly easy to wear. The bottle itself is a work of art, with a presentation that matches the sophistication of the fragrance. All in all, it's another masterpiece in the Armani Prive collection.

Very dark, intense, brooding, masculine, syrupy. Leather, wood. Significantly darker than Tom Ford Black Orchid. I don't know that women could pull this off. This is for a successful, well put-together man, who says only what he needs to say, and only what he means. Imagine an aura of quiet, visceral, intimidating power. That's what this is. I did get a female compliment on this the first time I wore it after purchasing, two weeks ago. Expensive, but then, I don't know of another fragrance like it. So I bought it. No regrets.

Great leather-forward fragrance with a solid complexity coming from the resins and the saffron, a bit of smokiness and a definite presence of vetiver. Kind of reminds me of Sicilian leather from Memo Paris, if Sicilian Lemon didn't have the citrus notes in the top. A bit overpriced for its performance, but definitely a great scent, will be picking up a full bottle sooner or later.

Very mature and almost animalic in a way. The leather is very prominent and it's amazing. Tobacco is more in the background but it really compliments the leather note. Possibly the best use of tobacco I've smelt in a fragrance. It is quite pricey, but it's really special, for the right guy this is amazing.

Elegant yet animalic leather, daring, superior quality, beautiful tobacco and saffron. For me, it's a masterpiece from Armani Prive. I would really suggest to try it out before it's discontinued. It's one of those that make you see what an awesome thing perfumery is. 5/5 Pls Armani, keep this one. :D

Definitely one of the best Armani Prive offerings, absolutely delicious autumn/winter scent. Very masculine indeed; I suspect this one wasn't intended for women at all. For me it was a blind buy (10 ml decant), and now it's one of the best modern-day fragrances in my collection.

I find this quite underrated. Yeah it's nothing super original but it does a great job at what it's going for, which to me, is a fresh spicy leather fragrance. Performance is more than adequate. Reminds me of Clive Christian C for Men with a better price tag.

I’m with @dilettante. A resin and leather bomb. Slightly citrusy to open, keeps its sharp edge while the leather and tobacco combine. Resin and leather through the drydown off my skin. An absolutely stunning fragrance. Wow.

This is incredible! As a man in his 30s that DOES NOT like leather, this really took me by surprise. This is grown up sexy, masculine, robust, sweet leather. Wow this is easily niche level ish right here!

Best fragance I've ever smelled. The quality is on another level. The refinement and the easy to wear of this are astonishing, very gentle. Sadly, the price is on another level too. For me is a solid 10.

Sexy Smooth Tobacco & Leather scent! Worth every dime. The tobacco is done to perfection and I usually can't stand that note. This gives boss vibes, perfectly unisex imo. 10000/10

If you like the notes then this is top of the class. Excellent execution and outstanding performance. Superior to all the “reminds me of”

Formal perfume, strong oud and leather, very suitable for date nights, parties, and formal occasions. I love it.

I'd love this on a man (only!). Mysterious, sexy, almost and carnal (to my nose). Panty dropper.

Full bottle worthy signature scent. What a superb release.

First impression on skin: a mixture of Interlude and Oud Imperial Extrait, for the beginning and heart. The drydown reminds me of Tuscan leather except the leather is distinctly black and oily, like something along the lines of Kilian Pearl Oud or Gucci Voice of the Snake. I forgot to mention to sprinkle in some tobacco. But to me, this is ultimately about the rubbery smokey oud, and the leather. Reminds me of so many different fragrances, I personally don't feel the need to buy it because I already have this type of fragrance category covered. However, if you are looking for 1 fragrance that has characteristics of the ones I've mentioned (and probably many more that haven't come to my mind as I write this review), then this is a solid option. It's backed up by good performance as well. ---------------------------------------------------- Scent 85/100 Performance 85/100

Noir Kogane is a rather brave scent for Armani to release in a time like this, with a market so saturated with cotton candy sweetness and uber-fresh amber molecules. I commend this scent’s outward step into the limelight, despite not actually loving how it smells. This is a serious leather, one that packs a hefty punch to those not prepared to smell it. It’s incredibly dense, pungent and oily, with a birch-y smokiness underneath. Tobacco makes this incredibly dry and earthy, whilst hints of saffron add a metallic sweetness. When I first sprayed it, I thought I was smelling some kind of oud accord, and it only clicked that it was actually leather once it had settled a bit. Very interesting and definitely not boring, but not a love for me.

Based on a sample. A Gothic, decadent, smokey, sensual, bomb. If this was a Creed they'd claim it was Bram Stoker's signature, and the inspiration for Dracula. Anyways, the experience: Think PdM's Herod, TF Noir de Noir, and Amouage's Interlude, all mixed together. Potently vampiric, possibly weakened by thoughts of wooden stakes, crucifixes and direct sunlight. Finally, even though this is quite an experience, these sort of frags are ultimately variations on a theme, so at £3/ml, way too expensive. My (lower) mark reflects the current pricing for a really good, moody fragrance. 3.5/5