Corpus Equus

I understand that equus is standard Latin for "horse", therefore corpus equus translates to "horse body" - or "body of the horse", more eloquently - but whenever I hear equus I cannot help but think of the 1973 Peter Shaffer play by the same name that has been one of my favorite stage presentations for a long time. How many others have this association, I wonder.... The play certainly seemed to take humanity's collective psyche and associate the word "equus" to it, rather than just simply being a Latin word; as popular as "horse" themed fragrances are there are virtually none that use equus in the title. This is very likely why, I believe, equus is rarely used in titles. The word is now just a hair too dangerous by association. The play is about a worn-down psychiatrist, Martin, who takes a young man into his care, Alan, to try to understand and treat the deeply disturbed psychology that manifests via Alan's religious-like idolatry and sexualization of horses, which led him to violently blind six of them. Not exactly a feel good story. And it's quite a mental bias/preconception to have prior to experiencing a perfume. Corpus Equus isn't violent, maybe not religious or sexual, but there is a carnality to it that doesn't quite allow me to strip the play from my mind when smelling it. I acutely know what horses and horse leathers smell like. I've been around them a lot for the vast majority of my life. There is a very unique smell to them, and the leather saddle, when the horse has been pushing itself hard and for a good period of time either by work or by performance. The body heat that comes off of the horse and what that heat does to dirty and sweat stained leather is an olfactory experience unlike anything else. When people say "oud" I fight a near-autonomic reaction to hurl the nearest object within my reach at their direction; they do not know what they are talking about. The body heat is extraordinary, like standing next to a radiator, and horses produce sweat - and a lot of it - that is very heavy with fat molecules. Take these two factors and subject a massive amount of them to a leather saddle, and with the rider's own sweat no less, and you have what Duchaufour executes perfectly in the opening: it is salty, sweaty, and body odor like, but not cumin-like at all; incredibly musky and oily/fatty; and smoky, hot, chemically, yet well-worn-in leathers. It is a genius mixture of superb musk, birch tar, and leather materials. Carnal. A bit dangerous. The horse is standing still, seeming to be relaxed, but the heat coming off of it and that massive heart thudding away in that gargantuan muscular body gives an impression that the beast is a rubber-band fit to snap at any moment. Whatever happens next stands a chance of being terrifying - what will happen next? Equus. As we head towards the dry down the horse does actually seem to relax and cool off, and instantly at that. The carnal, the dangerous, the unknown, and the tense heart and muscles dissolve into a calm and meditative rose and incense scent. It's a turn-on-a-dime, a standing-on-the-brakes, type movement that is almost as jarring in its suddenness as the top was in itself. There is still a tension here, but it’s tension - not alarm. The rose note is fairly dramatic; deep red and diva-ish - a bit peppery, fleshy, a bit fruity, a bit woody, a very well-rounded and photorealistic rose - though not loud. The gently loamy patchouli and aged aromatic woods create an expansive breadth underneath the rose that lends to a sense of grandeur and restrained power. And... it’s a bit sensual. Romantic, maybe. Not sexual, but... I still cannot shake that potential connection to Equus. Maybe the incense is a link I’m missing in the creative connections my mind is piecing together; perhaps this is the religious/spiritual aspect instead... or in addition to? It wouldn’t be the first time the spiritual has been sexualized, just ask a nun or a priest. Corpus Equus is full of surprises, some expected, some not, but all of them well done and thought provoking. Yet also confusing. Strictly speaking from the brand’s creative brief, it is supposed to evoke a “fiery and impetuous horse”, “a gallant steed, noble blood, broody, spirited, wild ride”, and indeed it does but there is a secret emotion in here that might be a bit taboo in nature. The lack of violence further concealing that which is to not be named in public nor in private. Stellar work.

I so appreciate @trabuquera's review. Really made me laugh, well-written, and I can see what she (or he?) is saying. I'll keep mine shorter, as I have less to say and I smell less in this perfume overall than trabuquera does. I don't find this to be a very complex fragrance. However, it did grab me by the proverbial balls (since I don't have any) and for some reason, it really got its claws into me. At first spray, in the shop, I wasn't sure, but there was something that intrigued me and I asked for a sample. I kept cautiously spraying at home. The birch tar is the main, and honestly, only player, in this perfume, for me and my nose. That's pretty much all I get. And yet, it makes me think simultaneously of glossy, smooth-as-glass black leather riding boots and the sweaty, damp hair of a horse who has just been very well ridden, sides heaving, hair stuck together in that dappled way that happens after her long exertion. And if I see the rider's boots, I go up the figure and see jodhpurs, riding crop, English helmet, braided hair and turtleneck. Names are entirely suggestive. I'm sure if this was named Birch Rose, or Satin Jacket And Tobacco Stained Fingers, I'd smell that. I initially thought that the longevity on this wasn't that great, since I kept spraying it at night, right before bed, but I really sprayed only a small amount, which I wasn't really smelling when I woke up in the morning. I wore it today for the first time, properly, out in the world, and I have to say, I'm smelling it 12 hours later. No, it's not as strong as it was this morning, but it's certainly there. I sprayed the back of my neck, and it's definitely still tangled in my hair, and it's still on my torso and in my shirt as well. Three sprays to achieve this. Also, I was smelling it very well and easily 4 hours in, and decently at 6 hours in. Is it a pricey, one-trick pony? Yes, I think so. However, I really like this trick. A lot. Sometimes that's all you need or want. Even with all of my fiery, smoky things, I don't have any other perfumes like this in my collection, so it fits a corpus equus shaped hole in my wardrobe. One more note: I don't feel like this is about the middle of the ride, mega sweat and turf flying, or the shit smells of the barnyard - it's after the ride, the saddle leather and reins are warmed, the boots are scuffed, the horse is being walked to cool down. She's about to get cleaned, curried, fed and watered. The rider is warm from her exertions and cooling down likewise. It's a clean path under the boots, not muck and mud. Birch tar, smoke, leather, the suggestion of damp sweat. Yes. Entirely, yes.

No pun intended, but I bucked when I first smelled this. My partner even crinkled their nose because it filled our entire bedroom when I put it on. I began to wonder if the sample I had would be a scrubber, but I also know that perfume is art and that is precisely what this ended up being. By the end of the day, I had purchased an entire bottle. As usual, I put this on clean skin, early morning, post-shower. It was a cooler day and it was not humid. It was leather. BIG leather. Slap-you-in-your-face leather. It was a distressed, leather Bomber jacket I had in 4th grade that would smell oddly good after I'd accidentally had it out in the rain. It also reminded me of horse stables I used to play in as a kid. They nailed it. But later, it bloomed into this sweet, magical scent that conjured up, for me, for some reason, Christmas mornings with the fireplace going and cozy wool pajamas. It's not spicy or "pine-y". It's comforting in a way: in the best possible way. It begins to get sexy and soft at some point. You won't be able to stop sniffing your own skin. This is another one of those "memory motel" scents. It will transport you to another place, another time. I imagine an author spritzing this on and then writing an incredible love story about cowboys or jockeys. It is inspiring. It lasts a very long time on the skin and will make itself known to passersby and close company. I wouldn't suggest you wear it at work or a doctor's office. Wear this to impress someone or to seal a deal. Wear this to woo a partner. Wear this to an art gallery, where it'll fit in among the paintings on the wall. If your nose isn't well-trained, wait a while and then try it out. Give it time on your skin too. Let the magic happen.

#1435 in my "Tour de Fragrance" Naming a leather scent "Body of the Horse" was probably not targeting the PETA and ASPCA folks. But it does smell more like the horse than like the saddle. Fine by me. I have never not liked how a horse smells. But it also kinda smells like a well used baseball mitt, one that's gotten a lot of your favorite leather softener. For me leather and birch always works. I won't bore everyone with a list but I stopped counting at thirty scents I have with leather and birch notes. Add in incense, or olibanum, or myrrh and you'd have to really mess up the other notes to make me not like it. I love this scent. Reminds me of Boadicea "Mayfair" which I think is now discontinued and was $450. This is potent but still pricey at $215 for 50ml. Also very similar to Boadicea's "Complex", priced roughly the same, but no birch note. It does not smell like D&S Durga "Leatherize" to me. That scent smells like Jacques Bogart "Bogart" an EDT I like much better than Leatherize. I don't really have good guidance for you. You can't go wrong with this scent, but it's not cheap. If price is a problem there's nothing wrong with something like Montale "Arabians Tonka" at $105 for 3.4oz. Heck, you can get a leather woody Jacques Bogart EDT under $20. But if money is no problem, this is a scent worth owning.

What an experience! Absolutely bodily leather at the top. I would almost say it’s too much if I didn’t find it so skanky and brave. Literally smells like a dirty, leather handed farrier who’s been trimming horse hooves and hammering over a smoking forge all day. Some real Thor type stuff. Just when you’ve had enough fire and brimstone the sweat rolls away and a dry sweetness hits you right in the back of the throat. Deep floral and oiled leather coalescing for a hot and heavy roll in the hay. It’s muscular, tender, and crisp. You’re reaching through the bleak midwinter haze and brushing a dry layer of snow off the very last full bloom damask rose of the year. Incredible. Sporty types and celeb frag lovers beware. Not for the faint of heart and I do believe this would be just horrible in the heat. 100% the Beast from Beauty and the Beast wore this. Blackbeard wore this. Meat Loaf wore this. It’s daring, dirty, absolutely beautiful. Perfect for a BDSM party, adventure to Mordor, or perhaps a dual (but for the love of all that’s holy, not the office). My husband misted some on before our walk on a freezing, snowy day and oof what a MOMENT. Tough yet tender, smokey and sweet, maybe the most mysterious, sexy, enchanting thing I ever smelled on him. Just a work of art and a treasure.

Corpus Equus evokes memories of my tack room in the horse barn where half of the tack is recently cleaned and the other half is recently used. Upon opening I get a waft of the smell you get when you remove the saddle from the horse. Its really hard to describe the scent without using the images it conjures. It has a horsey musk but doesn't smell exactly as a horse does. Its the residual of the horse smell on the leather headstall and cinch. There is a pungent pungent accord that smells rubbery to some and fuel-like to others while others think of it as a saddle soap accord. Outside of the tack room a cowboy smokes lights a smoke before saddling the next colt. While the virile opening impresses me, I enjoy the transition through the dry-down even more. It is pregnant with the future like a fecund mare. The strong opening gives birth to a brilliant rose which, to my nose, is not detectable early on. The change is so stark that I questioned whether I had layered this with a rose fragrance. This is such an artistic fragrance and is not for everyone. I haven't experienced anything like it and I am very happy that its in my collection. I wear this one for me mostly and as such don't wear it to the office. I do, however, enjoy having my friends test it to see their reaction.

I’m done. This is all I want. Please don’t buy this scent; I want to be the only person wearing it. In the original 1942 horror classic, Cat People, the following scene and dialogue occur: “When Irena opens her apartment door, her male guest notices the perfumed scent of the interior, and she admits to using it excessively: Irena: That's Lalage...the perfume I use. I like it, perhaps too well. Maybe I use too much of it, living alone like this. Oliver: It's hard to describe. It's not like flowers exactly. It's - it's like something warm and living.” Corpus Equus isn’t exactly that- and I wouldn’t want something seemingly so overpowering. This is the smartest scent I’ve ever smelled; alone it isn’t enough. It requires YOU to complete the scent. It’s an augmentation, an amplification of a human smell, a mammalian smell. It has the warmth of hay where an animal has lain for hours. Its slightly rank and lived in like the worn armhole of a moleskin shirt. It’s part of you when you wear it- not a covering- an intensification of what’s already there; it simply makes you smell better than you would without it.

Smoky leather love. Great saddle smell, has some suede qualities as well. Not quite a stable. No hay. No horsey smell. (Which would be cool if someone could recreate but oh well) Husband says it smells like a test tube. First spray smells like straight up birch tar. Then the leather/suede hits you. Its really great as it mellows out bringing out some woodier qualities and a barely perceptible floral that accents it nicely. I blind bought this but I love leather scents. Would not recommend doing this if you aren’t absolutely an oiled leather lover or lover of birch. Im not sure under what circumstances I will wear this in the city, it is a bit out of place here - but could absolutely see using this for outdoorsy activities, sitting by a campfire, or chilling at home. I love how rich the scent is - full bodied. Great for fall or winter but I am going to go against the grain here and say summer as well provided it is not suffocating.

A pure, focused leather scent that is clean and corporate without being chemical or excessive in any direction. I’m not getting the raw, animalistic elements others are. Inaccurately named. This smells exactly like the leather upholstered interior of a new SonShip yacht, to the extent that I bought a bottle for my dad who just sold his beloved boat. There are faint diesel/oily connotations to that milieu that are found here. This is dark in the psychological sense -- unyielding, severe, even sinister. I have seen it classified as a leisure night scent but, if it works for your personality, I see it having enough dignity, refinement and legibility to work just fine at the office. While it is a powerful scent the silage is not excessive. It does mellow out in the base, but I’m not convinced that’s not a reflection of the wearer getting used to its strange power.

When I first put this on I got a blast of tire shop rubber, which isn't terrible but also isn't particularly appealing for me. Pretty quickly though it turns into leather, a touch of cigarette smoke, and sweet dry grass at the end of summer. To me this smells like August in the US-- golden fields and sticky tarmac. The sweetness is clean and naturalistic. I've been impressed by the authenticity of the Naomi Goodsir scents I've tried even if they aren't wearable for me but this is my favorite. I would consider this a great summer scent for people who don't want a tropical/fruity smell but I could definitely see it working in other seasons, especially fall. The contrast of the soapiness and slightly animalic leather is pretty addictive.

I bought a sample of this a while ago and wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it at first. It doesn’t smell like horses to me at all, but rather smoky leather. It brings to mind saddles, boots, and the lingering smoke of a woody ranch, if that makes sense. Even so, I find it incredible and eventually bought a full bottle, alongside Arabian Horse by Pierre Guillaume Paris, which was a blind buy and smells exactly like how I initially imagined Corpus Equus would. To me, it is the most photorealistic equestrian scent I’ve ever experienced. So, if you’re looking for a truly photorealistic scent, Arabian Horse is absolutely worth trying, but if you want the smoky leather vibe, then Corpus Equus is the one.

Opens smelling like burnt rubber, smokey and heavily animalic Definitely some burnt leather in there as well but it's quite good to experience not the choking you kind of smoke you get in t-rex I imagine an apocalypse rider smelling like this, coming to greet you on a horse with a dirty animalic leather saddle, smoke and burning rubber surrounding him When it's been dry for a while the smoke and rubber tone down and rose becomes very prominent, it's soft and delicate and sweet surrounded by falling ashes The rose later turns sweet and powdery like the preserved rose kind I was a bit hesitant with the opening as im not particularly fond of the smoke note but i am obsessed with this, love it so much

I'm addicted. I was exploring the best fragrance shop in the city for something new and exciting and it was pretty boring, to be honest. Until I reached for a small bottle on the highest shelf. I was immediately hit like by a freight train. It was love from the first breath. I have never smelled something so extraordinary in my 59 years. I don't even care, what is its effect on others, it's all about me. It is like opium and completely enough that i can smell it myself... that smoke, leather, animalistic darkness. I even joined this fragrance club just to share my feelings. Where can i get it in industrial amounts and cheaper price?

This is the smoky scent from the brand I prefer. Bois d'Ascese is fine and dandy but this one is filthy and not too much of any one good thing. Now, this is from a sample, but I think that I sprayed the equivalent of one spray from the sample and I think it's lasted fairly well so far (can still smell it strongly after 7 hours). This is definitely not for everyday use... I'm trying to think of a good time to wear it, honestly. Maybe a date, but not first date... All I know is that this is the bee's knees. Strong, bold and sexy. Q80 hit the nail on the head with their description. Love the inkiness.

I got the sample pack and sprayed this one and was immediately repulsed. I decided to try it on skin just to see what happened. If you can get passed that strong, smoky, earthy opening what follows is truly surprising. It rounds out into an ink stained paper that has been yellowing in the sun. A waft of incense from the day prior while enjoying a hot cup of Lapsang. Theres also a hint of tobacco in the background. I was pleasantly surprised and reach for this on a gray cool morning when I want to feel cozy and bookish.

I dislike horses, but like the smell when the gardener has spread their plops on the rosebeds. Disappointingly, that smell is not really reflected here, roses aside. I pretend this is the smell of Werner Herzog’s freshly-cooked shoe and carry on. As it passes through its various phases, this smells of raw smoke and photorealistic leather, before a mildly glandy, urinous slide down through damp straw to a final, calm and marvellous rose. The clever bit’s over quickly but it’s still very nice.

You walk into the barn and there's a sweaty horse with an opened petroleum canister setting fire to a haystack. Loving it, but would hardly recommend, I reckon. Certainly not for the fainthearted. The onset feels wildly unrefined, but intriguingly so, and states strongly that "not giving a damn" is its second name. Feels better when applied in the evening to my "worn" skin than when I apply in the morning after shower. A very good spray nozzle!

I thought I didn't like this, and then today an odd whim struck me, and I wore it again-- wow. This is what it claims to be, "body of a horse," plus hay, smoke, and saddle sweat. It's borderline unpleasant, but somehow incredibly sexy. It's dark, deep, fascinating, honestly I'm somewhat at a loss for words to describe it-- the review below mine does a better job than I'm doing. I think I need the full bottle.

Opening smells like a brand new pair of leather shoes doused in olive oil with some sort of barnyard smell in the background. After 30 minutes it starts to lighten up with a fresh yet mature rose note that comes through. After about an hour it turns into some sort of rose, violet, and leather concoction. 8/10 Wild ride, unique smells, great projection.

If I understand latin (which I don't), the name translates as Horse Body. It opens as such, then rapidly dries down to a sligjty underwhelming violety, pungent leather affair. I'd prefer it if it had a barnyard oud element because as it stands the animalic, horsey bent is switched up quite quickly for a generic, albeit high quality leather.

I am wearing it. Now. I love it. I can’t say what others will feel. I don’t imagine it will get compliments. I love it. I’m afraid to say what attracts me about this. It has aspects of sweat. Of urine. Of meaty flanks. It’s both rank and warm. It’s being close to an animal. Somewhere a mammal has lain and slept.

Dark, tar-y and smoky leather with a gorgeous animalic (in an oudy, stinky way) opening. Settles down to a remarkable suede accord with jammy rose undertones and dries down to much less remarkable woody-earthy base. One of the best recent releases from Duchaufour imo.

Beautiful and flawed. I don't find the cedar fits within the whole. But I only have a small sample vial, which I've worn a handful of times. Still, I continue to want to wear this. It's interesting to wear with vintage Anais Anais.

I like this a lot. Smoky and leathery, yes, but the rose gives it elegance, refines it, and adds mystery. Enjoyable to wear, especially in the evening.

Not for everyday use however it has magic. Feels very animalic and flowery with some ink ✍🏼. Can be use for special moments or ocations.

corpus equus enables my lifelong childhood dream of huffing gasoline without sustaining brain damage. i can’t get enough

i love love love naomi goodsir and this is such a nice animalic balsamic woody and smoky fragrance that lasts sooo long

It is masterpiese of Bertrand Duchaufour. Real raw leather smoky bomb, brave and very unusual. I really enjoy!

Damn it is GOOD! It is POTENT It stays, on you and your clothes. It’s Uber feral ! I adore it 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

العطر روعة ريحته جلد على ريحه سموكية مع ايحائات نوتات حيوانية بسيطة لكن جميل ويستحق الاقتناء

Saddle up, folks: if Naomi Goodsir is going to issue such a literal-minded approach to the theme of a horse's body, then get ready for me to flog the equine puns to within an inch of their life. Yes, it's a thoroughbred - and yet, like your average racehorse, a very very expensive way to throw your money after a worryingly random result. Its pedigree promises greatness (reins handed to Duchaufour for a leather? yes please, I'll ride along...) and it's in keeping with its other high-cost, high-class stablemates from the house of Goodsir. Limited budget means I can only be a smalltime gambler, so I paid big bucks for a tiny sample and this will be my only turn on this particular mount. Why? Let's take a run at it: It does - even if only for a few furlongs - REALLY fulfil the brief, of a real classy classic leather with a bit more of the authentic animalic grunt 'n sweat added for more interest. That central leather accord is so well handled - the birch makes it bracing but not too sour or stinky, striking happy middle ground between outright, butch rawhide and something a little more refined; the patch & musk also do great things in quickening its step and making the skin seem sweatier, more animalic and more alive than many perfume journeys to the tannery. It does manage to smell like a living being, rather than just like dead handbag or a greasy garage or leather garment. So, fresh out of the gate it struts handsomely like something sired by Pierre Guillaume's Arabian Horse, out of Mona di Orio Cuir, with faint genetic traces of Knize Ten, Tauer's Lonestar Memories, Mancera Wild Leather and even Hermes Kelly Caleche somewhere in the bloodline. All of those are respectably kickass ancestors. And yet for me this one still somehow doesn't make the heart race - and it does not go the distance. Interestingly I get no dung-like reek of oudiness at all (this aristocratic animal lives in manicured luxury quarters, not some stinky peasant barnyard) - and it lacks the gorgeous hay/paddock earthiness which was such a big part of the PG Arabian Horse's turf appeal to me. So fear not if - for some reason - you don't want to smell like manure; it's just not part of the strategy here. The rose is worn very lightly indeed (like a teeeny tiny jockey in pink silks perched atop some towering steeplechaser?): almost imperceptible, but does squeeze a little fresh-airiness in between all the rougher stuff. There's a nice ashy edge to the smokiness, which tickles me too. And yet it's all a bit ... civilised. Not nearly unbridled enough. Even its true animal spirit is well reined in. This is no breakneck, breathtaking, frothing muck-sweat adventure ride as you hold on for dear life and gasp for air - as in, say, Knize or Durga's rodeo-beast Amber Kiso. Instead it's much more sedate and easy going - proceeding at a steady well-controlled canter rather than a wild gallop to the extreme. (And given the good Goodsir precedent for going to extremes - as in Bois d'Ascese's definitive 'sauna on fire' smoky wood which I love, or Nuit de Bakelite's wild tuberose, which I fear intensely - that seems a bit like balking, a failure of nerve at a crucial hurdle.) Worst of all, I couldn't help thinking of just how far the price outstrips humble Molinard Cuir, which is a very respectable budget-niche leather, when the Corpus Equus reminded me so strongly of its cheaper competitor. And for the last kick in the teeth, or the final pound of horseflesh: sillage only makes it to the near middle distance and longevity is weak - it ran out of legs after 4-6h on me. That's a whole lot of lagging in the bang-for-buck stakes. It should definitely not be happening at the dizzying price point of nearly $5/ml. I'd pinned such high hopes on it but it can't carry off the winner's rosette. Perhaps my fault for stereotyping it, but I'd aspired to some huge thundering war-steed stallion, almost scarily massive and right out there at the very edge of wearability, to justify its expense. Instead I met a friendly, glossy, neatly-brushed show pony with pretty little ribbons braided through its mane, all ready for a safe circuit round a risk-averse mini gymkhana. £150 for 50 ml of this? I say NEIGH! One for the millionaire aficionados in my view - although I genuinely do LIKE it all the same. If you earn in the six figures, really really love both leather and animalic notes, and don't own any of the other scents mentioned, then take it out for a turn and see if trots in sync with you. For me, only, starts out like a barnstormer, but lacks stamina so it soon flags ... and ends up as an also-ran.

- Naomi Goodsir, as a niche perfume brand, is a miracle. It's started by an outsider, a person not related to perfume industry in anyway, but EVERY work in this very small collection deserves to be called a "niche". They're not all "pleasant", (some smells quite challenging even), but there is always something — the ingredients, the idea, the perfumer's skill — at least one of those things stands out, telling me this is not something the mass market can produce. This one is no exception. Major Notes -Smoke -leather -sweetness -rose IN SHORT An intense smoke punches you in the face, followed by a novel type of leather, which resembles "air-tight faux leather bus seats", these two entwined with each other throughout the journey; an unnamed sweetness and a rosy aura add a touch of softness to the smokey leather. IN DETAILS The smoke got in your eyes —— then swallow your nose, your face, your whole body. The composition of the smoke is quite complex: first comes the birch tar , like a smoke bomb blast on your face, for a moment it resembles Hiram Green's Hyde; then the smoke turns "matte", more like that extreme peaty-ness found in Lagavulin or Laphroaig whiskey, along with a nutty hint . What follows closely is perfumer Duchaufour's trademark "faux leather note": it resembles the faux leather seats in a fully enclosed air-conditioned bus, also like that leather air freshener which is cycled hundreds of times inside the bus. BTW, You can find similar leather in Jasmin et Cigarette by the same perfumer. Don't get me wrong, although it sounds not so pleasant, this leather note actually smells pretty good, and it goes exceptionally well with the nutty-peaty-smoky scent . Out of nowhere, a hint of unnamed sweetness suddenly appeared, like a red silk floating over the bleak battlefield. I still don't know what it is, a bit amber-like , probably this is just a sweet dream during fiery wartime. In the second half, the smoky note becomes even drier, the base at bottom seems to have a sandpaper-like texture; the sweet scent starts to have a creamy rosy hue; the leather becomes more elegant, and seems to be tinged with a hint of "flesh" like some old-time leather classics. But it is near the closing time, all the notes mixed into one, quietly comes to an end.

- Major Notes SMOKE, leather, sweetness, rose IN SHORT An intense smoke punches you in the face, followed by a novel type of leather, which resembles "air-tight faux leather bus seats", these two entwined with each other throughout the journey; an unnamed sweetness and a rosy aura add a touch of softness to the smokey leather. IN DETAILS The smoke got in your eyes —— then swallow your nose, your face, your whole body. The composition of the smoke is quite complex: first comes the birch tar , like a smoke bomb blast on your face, for a moment it resembles Hiram Green's Hyde; then the smoke turns "matte", more like that extreme peaty-ness found in Lagavulin or Laphroaig whiskey, along with a nutty hint . What follows closely is perfumer Duchaufour's trademark "faux leather note": it resembles the faux leather seats in a fully enclosed air-conditioned bus, also like that leather air freshener which is cycled hundreds of times inside the bus. BTW, You can find similar leather in Jasmin et Cigarette by the same perfumer. Don't get me wrong, although it sounds not so pleasant, this leather note actually smells pretty good, and it goes exceptionally well with the nutty-peaty-smoky scent . Out of nowhere, a hint of unnamed sweetness suddenly appeared, like a red silk floating over the bleak battlefield. I still don't know what it is, a bit amber-like , probably this is just a sweet dream during fiery wartime. In the second half, the smoky note becomes even drier, the base at bottom seems to have a sandpaper-like texture; the sweet scent starts to have a creamy rosy hue; the leather becomes more elegant, and seems to be tinged with a hint of "flesh" like some old-time leather classics. But it is near the closing time, all the notes mixed into one, quietly comes to an end. - Smell good? 4 —>6 /10 Smell interesting? 7/10

Corpus Equus is an animalic leather scent that is challenging, especially at its opening. Naomi Goodsir scents are consistently avant-garde and creative, and CE is no exception. I don't find it distasteful or offensive, as some reviews below have suggested, but it sure doesn't have mass appeal. While it isn't the kind of scent I personally would choose to wear, there is much to admire here. CE has a very musky, animalic opening, bordering on skanky. It settles into a smooth, leather-dominant scent which, alongside the animalic opening, is somewhat evocative of the horse of its title. It isn't quite that unmistakable warm, horsy smell of stables, but the smooth equestrian leather is very on-theme. As it develops, powdery rose emerges, melding beautifully with the leather. A pinch of patchouli adds earthiness, complementing the rose beautifully. It becomes increasingly dry and smoky as it progresses, with the animalic musk giving way to the incense note, which makes for a nice development of the leather accord. The birch tar note also contributes to the increasingly dry leather. It becomes a primarily woody scent as it dries down, smoky and ashy, with just a hint of musk remaining. Sillage is strong and longevity is long-lasting. It is a unisex autumn/winter scent. I adore this house, and appreciate the artistry and quality here, but CE isn't to my taste. Still, it is a great leather scent with points of interest, well-composed and of the high quality I have come to expect from this house. Olfactory art. 4/5.

first impression: car tires, autoshop with squeaky floors, inside of a chainsmokers sports car. drying down slightly: ashes in a cold unlit fireplace, winter night in a horse barn, more leather than rubber now, faint rose, cigarette fingers I was hoping for something that would evoke memories from my childhood at various horse farms. This isn't quite what I was hoping for in that regard but it's very interesting. The animalic notes are subtle to me. There's something cold about this scent. The car dealership smell subsides into what you might expect opening the door to an empty cabin in the dead of the winter. You can smell wood and the lingering smell of smoke from a wood stove. Its cold but there's traces of a lived in human/animalic smell. update: after 1.5 hrs this is a soft woody skin scent with a clear cedar note and a slight inkinesss update 2: wearing this months later my impression is quite different. I'm struck with incredibly nuanced and realistic leather. Each sniff evokes another memory: a leather chair at my childhood friend's house, a tack room in a horse barn. I imagine myself as a child in my grandparent's SUV, my cheek sticking to the white leather cushions. Every facet of leather is here.. Smokey, green, petroleum, soft, inky, chemical, rubbery, animalic.

Dont be afraid, its not strongly animalic in any way and its maybe shame. The composition is nice, primarily dark black semi-matte leather accompanied with smoke and birch that makes it bit cold more than warm and in certain parts like 2h+ i do catch freshly cut stems of small kitchen herbs, parsley, slightly bitter, just winking its green lashes from around the corner sometimes. There is a space for something like Corpus Equus Noire where "some heat could be turned up" or "the game could be stepped up" to more daring phases. Leather accessories which you like on your loved one, when the righ atmosphere comes and you finally have some time for yourselves, but hold your horses,...nothing upright explicit no no! This is on the verge of walk to the town when you wont be undressing your coat but are holding hand of someone who knows what you are wearing underneath, who is looking forward when you stop on remote rest stop...you have some history with eachother...bit nauhty perfume, but no horse, no meat and no sweat in my nose, refined and safe to the maximum spot where it ends to be safe. Cold anticipation!

A serial killer has caught and dragged you into an auction barn packed with sick and dying horses in terrible condition. The killer starts suffocating you to death with a giant wad of raw leather. The police pull a Waco and set the barn on fire with you, the killer, and the horses inside. Your dying breath is full of leather, burnt hair, sweat human and animal, and dirty uncleaned horse stall. Congratulations, you've now smelled Corpus Equus. In the bottle it's absolutely revolting - an almost comically perfect horse shit smell, eye-watering. On the skin it cooks down to a very strong leather and hay, still with that foamy horse sweat stink behind it. It is better on the skin, and loses the eye watering and nauseating part, but its still insane - and doesn't come off. I washed my hands twice with dish soap and my dog still sneezes whenever I wave a hand near his face, and it's been four hours. I don't get any of the floral notes unfortunately, but it develops is a vague generic sweetness the longer it spends on your skin. 6.5/10, weirdly intriguing. Please don't blind buy.

Naomi Goodsir describes Corpus Equus as a tribute to a fiery and impetuous horse, but I imagine a horse which has become impetuous as a result of being overworked tirelessly day in and day out by his masters. It has the very essence of man brooding over natural facets which are so desperately trying to push through. The leather here reminds me of the thick, brown, hard leather used to make saddles - this particular saddle has been worn down and used for years on end. The overwhelming smoky notes of birch, frankincense and smoked woods draw imagery of said saddle sat beside a campfire, resting on an oaken branch as horse and its master rest beside it. I think it’s physically impossibly not to imagine an entire story and environment around you when smelling this scent. There’s so much depth and rich connections hiding beneath the surface. This is my first encounter with Naomi Goodsir and I’m definitely intrigued to try more, but despite how thought provoking this fragrance is I can’t see myself wearing something like this.

Charred animalic amber leather I was expecting much more of a beastly fragrance based on the reviews below, a burnt rubber banrhard bomb, which is why I sampled this one last from the set. What I got is much more smooth and mellow than expected, essentially what you might imagine as a 'hide' type smell, leathery and tar-like but also fuzzy, unprocessed with some trace animalic elements in the back, 'oudy' almost in the way it mixes with the amberwood base that adds sweetness and depth. Pleasant, but also fairly linear. Overall pretty standard, perhaps a good gateway to the world of leathery animalic fragrances, but not harder to wear than someting like AdP Leather or even Tuscan Leather in terms of edginess. Honestly Im a bit underwhelmed, not because it is bad in anyway, it just doesn't really hold up to the rest of the collection. Nuit de Bakelite is still by far the most challenging offering from the house, but also offers another level of artistic intrigue that I didn't find with this one.

On me, this reads as quite animalic. Strong smokey leather with a musky undertone. I only get a hint of rose in the back. Mostly I get an almost hay like topnote, with a very animalic leather and some smoke. If I really look for notes I can separate the smoke from leather, however to my nose and on my skin they come together to basically smell like a horse. I get some sweat. I get some dirt. I am not sure if other people would like this on me, but it smells very sexual to me. Not sexy per se, but sexual. A bit like being in a leather club (which would probably be a good location to wear this scent tbh). Like all the scents from Naomi Goodsir, I think this has a very specific story to tell and I find this one to be very successful in telling that story. It does develop slightly on me, but not as much of a journey as some of the other scents. I get more of the woods and floral notes as time goes on, but still I mostly get "horse". Definitely feels unusual and mysterious. I'm into it.

On first spray, the scent doesn't suggest horses so much as the horse-y genre of perfumery, with a Hermès Bel Ami-like leather (meant to evoke saddle leather), which is further dried out with a varnish/engine grease-like accord familiar from Goodsir's Cuir Velours, but also lightly sweetened with a violet candy note. This "black rose" accord has more to do with purple flowers - iris and violet - than rose for me. As it dries down it becomes an increasingly attractive study in purple flowers over leather and a touch of smoke. There are very similar accords in Amouage Myths Man, though Corpus Equus remains drier and more leathery. But as it gets a bit sweeter and prettier in the drydown it reminds me of that scent. The Naomi Goodsir sample pack has been a total pleasure. They all have such a thoughtful balance of challenge and beauty, perfumes I would be eager to wear for myself but not too rough for those around me.

A very straightforward leather scent. Not carseat or gasoline type leather, more old leather couch or (as its creator seems to have envisioned) horse saddle leather. Put this on at 6am and could still smell it on myself 6 hours later. The other notes are really subtle and mostly serve to amplify the leather, only standout was the patchouli that added some needed funk, which i initially thought was hay or moss in the opening. Also enjoyed the incense which was SUPER smoky. Wore it for a hike and the cows on the hiking trail did not chase me for once so I think that means they liked it too:)

Well, when I initially smelled it, it really evoked too much equine-leather vibes for me. It was a huge drag for me, because I LOVE with how the leather is being presented here. I prefer it to lean more of a natural, BO/skin kind of bias. I really want to like this...but it's obvious this perfume was crafted intently to its name. I did after some weeks find it smelling of a colder, somehow less equine vibe (maybe from air exposure? maceration?). A great animalic like, very equine-leather forward fragrance--think of a treated saddle, this is pretty much close to that but with leather.

Corpus Equus might not be a full study in equine anatomy, but it still delivers an evocative mashup of leathery and animalic notes, especially in the opening which is very strong (but not offensive). I compared it side by side with Gucci Guilty Absolute pour Homme and Corpus Equus is far more sublime and wearable, while Gucci smells brutish and rough around the edges. The scent gets much softer as it develops, not because a lack of longevity, it just evolves into a very delicate and safe territory. Like a wild horse, unbending at first, but later broken and tamed by a human hand.

I'm a big fan of this house. Everything I've given a shot is super unique and well done, though they might not all be an everyday wear. That said, I think this is a work of art, and very well done, fitting in perfectly alongside Cuir Velours and Bois d'Ascese. This hits fairly heavy off the bat and initially leans almost too animalic for my tastes, but once it mellows down, it's a beautiful smoky and woody rose. I wouldn't expect it to be as loud as its siblings, but you can count on its avant-garde yet balanced composition. I think it's perfectly unisex and knows no season.

Interesting that iris isn't noted as this is mainly iris and leather to me. The leather is a smooth and mildly smoky version and the iris (or whatever it is im smelling) gives this kind of polish/leather oil like smell that you could apply to leather to give it shine and protection. There is just a drop of floral popping through to keep it fresh and new smelling rather than an old leather couch. Might be one of the best true leather scents out there, very good although I feel like this is a technical knock it out of the park blend and is perhaps missing some soul.

Many people have said that this perfume is extremely reminiscent of the smell of grime while horseriding, but I think it's also a hyperrealistic sheng puer tea extravaganza. I highly doubt it was ever intended to be representing sheng puer because of the obvious horse connotations but it's insane how close this smells to real puer tea. Especially the smoke note that veils around the perfume that reminds me of some dank smooth sheng. If you haven't had good aged puer before I highly reccomend getting a small amount and then comparing the tea to this perfume.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous review, I grew up with horses and have a lot of olfactory memories associated with them. To me, Corpus Equus isn’t the horse itself, but the tack room - aging leather and saddle polish, sweaty horse blankets and that dark, sticky-sweet hoof oil that no one really seems to use anymore. Hints of lapsang souchong. It’s equestrianism at its most stuffy and old-fashioned. Super evocative fragrance that reminds me why I became so interested in perfume in the first place

You get what the brand advertises: smoky animalic leather with birch. It becomes mellow as it dries with the rose, musk and amber combo but still with the animalic part and the wood becomes more evident with time, making it more sober. It's very sexy and naughty, but the rose and sharp woods polish it a bit, like a dandy on a Harley. I must say try this on skin because it smells way more gentle and natural than on the blotter.

A fresh leather that was lively and vivacious, with a musk and floral that smelled almost like a white floral, and birch shining through on the back end. Very subtle smoke scent to me as I feel it blends in with the leather in a way. Very pleasant not normally a fan of leather fragrance this is the best leather one I’ve smelled so far. Overall 6.9/10, very good just not wearable for me