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

So many mentions of this fragrance being animalic, yet I don't smell that at all. I get a scent that's mostly aromatic & tobacco with a hint of leather at it's heart. The elemi is really prominent here and the comparisons with Cuoium are really surprising to me. That scent is a much dirtier and and animalic leather, whereas this one is clean and moody. Think leatherface VS Frankenstein. Still a great scent, super high quality and long lasting, it projects leaving an enormous trail. Just very different to what I expected IMO.

So I’ve smelt this on a testing strip but I haven’t had the opportunity to try it on my skin to properly discuss the notes. But Noir Kogane is by far the most exciting new offering between this and Blanc Kogane and I can see this becoming a very popular indeed. It’s bold, stunning, dark, smoky and masculine and it lasts! The power coming off of this testing strip hours later. Lovers of Diaghilev will appreciate this glossy black luxury.

It's a good fragrance, i like the dry down which reminds me a bit of Aswan from Widian, after an hour or two. The opening is a bit challenging and not so pleasant to me, a bit animalic. But a good one overall. Performance seems to be really good, i sprayed it on my wrist from a little decant and it keeps projecting like if i've done 2 full bottle sprays.

Beautiful, soft woods, cold tobacco. Just slightly powdery. Wearable in summer. Not at all what I was expecting based on the presentation.

Great original composition Similar to Interlude Man?...are you trolling or just plain stupid?

This fragrance is smoky and leathery, with a strong leather presence in the base. You have to be a true fan of leather to truly appreciate this fragrance. It is definitely not a blind buy. I received a sample and decided to give it a try, even though I am not particularly fond of leather. After showering, the fragrance still lingers strongly. It is very potent.

A black polished, smoked leather and heavy saffron combo with a potent, medicinal aspect found in many western ouds. Dry with no hint of sweetness, likely a bit too harsh for most.

Smoky, dark, leathery. I swear something in it reminds me of Dark Lord by Kylian but a more elegant, less strong version (although this is strong enough already)

Sophie Labbé is the nose of this perfume

Noir Kogane opens very animalic, to the point where I was about to wash it off. After a few minutes, though, it became much more pleasing. The dry down is again leather centric, with grassy, almost hay-like tobacco. Unfortunately, due to the opening I could not like it, wouldn’t buy. If you like really masculine scents, give it a chance anyway.

The leather is so strong for my liking, this one is not for me.

Armani Prive #4 – Resinous leather? Yes please! Many designer houses have a private line of fragrances but unfortunately i wasn’t able to dwelve into them yet. Only with Armani i’ve had access to some of their scents, this being the fourth. I don’t know if all the private lines of other houses are this good but all the Armani Prive’s ive tried so far were nothing short of stellar and im not someone who flaunts praise words easily. After Sable Nuit, which is probably my favourite Incense scent of all time, came Musc Shamal and Oud Royal as two other grand creations. Now comes Noir Kogane, as an even more impressive perfume, one that suits my tastes in perfumery. If Sable Nuit was my favourite incense, Noir Kogane turns out to be one of my favourite leather perfumes i’ve smelt. Im picky when it comes to leather because its not a note i actively seek. I don’t dislike it, on contrary, but its not in my top five eighter. Noir Kogane is another one of what i like to call “clear cut” scents. The perfume is dry, crisp, characterful but also smooth and high quality. I called it clear cut because the scent comes across as angular rather then being rounded or blurred. Often perfumes feature multiple layers such as soapy or musky layers that smooth out the edges, give complexity but also blurr a perfume to a degree. Its a positive thing in the majority of cases except one: leather. Leather should be bold, dry, obvious, unadultered. Thats what made me fall in love with the Irish Leather DNA and thats what i love about Noir Kogane too. The tobacco note helps dry out the scent and there is a prominent resinous tone from the elemi, but they only caress the main leather note without taking away from its character. The leather is not entirely animalic because its not hide-like but its still natural. Its no suede or faux-leather that’s for sure. For me to consider a leather note animalic, it has to be accompanied by some dirty musks or again, hide like / barnyardy elements and its not the case here. There’s another perfume that im reminded of, and that is Amouage’s Myths Man. Myths Man has a slightly spicier but also smokier profile which fits the contexts of Amouage. Noir Kogane is more aired out and less oriental but the leather accord and the elemi are similar. The elements Myths Man adds into the mixture maintain the general thematic revolving around leather so it works there too. Problem is, Myths Man is discontinued and not only that, its highly covetted and fetches a morbid price tag on alternative markets. I believe Noir Kogane is a satisfying substitute, not a cheap one eighter but on grey markets, with some luck, it can be had for a managable price.

Over the years Armani Prive has released several wonderful fragrances with leather as a starring note: Cuir Amethyst, Cuir Noir, Cuir Zerzura and Cuir Majestie; but with the release of Noir Kogane (in my humble opinion) I think Armani has given us the perfect leather scent. In the best possible way, this really does smell like a brand new black leather jacket. While the Vetiver note lends this a crisp lightly woody feel, the additions of Elemi, Saffron and Tobacco notes soften the fragrance somewhat and add a touch of spicy sweetness to the leather. Although incense is not listed as a distinct note, the overall impression I get when wearing this is that it also contains a touch of Frankincense. If you enjoy leather forward fragrances, I would highly recommend giving Noir Kogane a try. The bottle is gorgeous too! 😊

If Herod (PDM) turned horny and more serious it would be this. A commanding leather, incense and saffron accord; quite linear, just vetiver comes late in the end of dry down (6hours). Addicting and very sound; can’t help sniffing it to feel invigorated. Quite pricey. Sure there s some Arab that’s very close to it. If not hope they ll make it EDIT: owned this for almost 6months now. It seems to be a lot more vetiver forward, for better or worse. More versatile and green, less deep/dark, soul touching. More fresh resin and less saffron leather. Not sure it’s batch related or what. Also I had learned it contains a cumin note (not a fan) and I couldn’t unsee it anymore, but don’t hate it either. Overall it’s not that dark juice I fell in love with, but still enjoy it

Kind of reminds me of interlude man, but not as 'in your face!' Its not as beast mode bjt rather the Armani DNA. Just smokier, more burnt, charred like ... but becomes non descript very quickly. Just like onenof those that need to grab your attention the moment you atep in and purchase worthy off the first sniff. That is why it is really important to try them on skin and let it breathe for atleast 2-3 hours but 6-8 hours for morw complex wearimg scents. However, worth jt if you are a die hard Armani Prive fan or perhaps a collector like me may make it worthwhile. If it is value for money the earlier creatiions were far better!

The completely absurd "This reminds me of" strikes again. Noir Kogane is nowhere similar to Interlude. In fact I don't event even think they share a single note other than leather. Noir Kogane is a masterfully blended mixture of three notes: Leather, Vetiver, Tobacco. That's it, that's all, no incense, no animalic, no smoke. I have +90 bottles in my collection and have never come across anything remotely similar. Maybe, just maybe, Memo Irish Leather bears some resemblance, as it is created around a green-herbal leather accord. Around the same ballpark, but that's all.

Very strong aromatic leather spicy fragrance and there’s definetly CUMIN in it. I know it’s not listed, but I have a low tolerance for this note in fragrances and I spotted it right away. It gives it the “dirty socks” smell how I often perceive it and it’s totally offputting for me. In the drydown the cumin is gone, remains the leather very intense and the spicy saffron. It’s a pass for me, but it’s definetly very masculine .

I’m a lady and own this one and every time I wear it I get compliments from men and women. Yes, it’s full on leather and it’s tobacco and it’s dark but I like to layer it with Fenty Perfume to bring in that fruity and sweet element. I prefer this over the other leather fragrances.

This is a safe perfume to buy, unique but not in general, if you love soft saffron and soft leather and the Elmi controls the whole perfume notes in a fantastic way this is for you because it's not noisy and harsh, it's smooth at all levels with good longevity. 8.5/10

This honestly reminds me of Bvlgari Man In Black, what with the high pitched, slightly scratchy leather with a full fat tobacco note, together with a few strands of sweet saffron. I like this, but it is not envelope pushing and not worth £290.

A gorgeous smoky and only mildly fresh accord, not entirely reliant on vetiver, on a slightly dirty yet somehow still regal leather that has a very natural sweetness to it, creating a lovely tobacco accord.

Not sure if there is an unlisted cumin note or something in this... I can’t put my finger on it but it reminds me of Chipotle. Please someone affirm

Noir Kogane was launched in 2024 !! All aboard the time capsule :) Joke aside, this looks amazing & can't wait to try it in the near past lol

First wearing I smelled nothing but muscle rub. Next couple times got better. Still not great though, definitely not worth the price.

I blind bought this one. Tried it but it’s too strong for me. If anyone wants a new bottle with box for discount DM me.

Very dark and sexy. If you like leather and tobacco and smelling like a 90’s Chicago detective then this is your jam

This is quite similar to ysl rue 37. Both feature Elemi prominently. Leans masculine and is quite long lasting.

I like the saffron in this one which makes it a bit oudy and incensy! Rose hints.

Not oudh here? Dark , smokey frag. Not a resemblance with Interlude.

Buy Amouage overture man. This is more complex and luxury