Baikal Leather Intense

Very feminine-- I would not want to smell this on a man, unless he's some sort of nubile forest sprite emerging from the birches to tell me a riddle. If I assigned a folk figure to this scent, it would be Sneguroshka, the Russian Snow Queen. This is my PERFECT anthem for White Woman Winter, but specifically the final snow, turning to ice in the sun as the first violets peek through. There is a snowy wet aspect. It smells even more beautiful caught in furs and woolens. This is the only feminine leather I've ever smelled that I like. Most female leathers are just "what if sausage smelled like pink candy?" but this evokes a very buttery smooth handbag or evening glove, possibly lined in fur that catches a wisp of violet incense or fine herbal cigarette smoke.

This one is an amazing scent. Someone below mentioned how this is a leather scent, and I agree. It is leather, with it's caustic, acidic-plastic elements toned down, muted and restrained. The leather is at the right level, and the purple florals are tuned in perfectly to capture all the best parts of the leather, and they just compliment each other PERFECTLY -- I've tried out a LOT of leather-iris/violet scents, and nearly all of them feature one the elements in too high a concentration -- not this here, both elements are in PERFECT harmony with each other, and it's just this perfect balance that shines through. I love this scent -- big fan!

I adore this fragrance. The yuzu at the top brings a pop of brightness to an otherwise deep and grounded fragrance. I felt so smooth the whole way through, like every ingredient blends seamlessly into the next. I picture a mid century office furnished with dark solid wood & rich leather and brass fixtures, with pipe tobacco on the desk and a nice bottle of cognac in the drawer. There were a whole lot of heavier florals in the heart, but I felt like they supported the leather and wood accords very nicely. I’d say this fragrance is unisex leaning masculine.

Name is for sure misleading saying "Intense", it's definitely not. It's very delicate leather, iris and saffron combination. Nothing groundbreaking but still love from me. Unisex but slightly leaning feminine to my nose. I can compare it to CH Men Prive but without boozy feel. So if you like that one and are looking for something nishe and little bit softer go for it. If you are looking for something complex and heavy look somewhere else. Out of 6 fragrances from this house Baikal Leather Intense is my fav. 8/10

A very wearable and enjoyable leather. Natural soft leather from a very high end store like Hermes, not dark or harsh, but smooth, soft, charming, with a brightness to it. A prominent woodiness...reminds me of long days hiking through birch and pine forests through wind swept Maine islands. I'm not usually a leather fragrance fan but I am of this one. Scent: 8 / Sillage: 8 / Longevity: 8

This one is totally intriguing... The leather is muted and does not dominate, and the iris/violet combo really shines through -- I can really appreciate how 'unfloral' both are, and I am really enjoying it. I dunno how far I would go with this (decant/bottle/etc), but I am enjoying what I'm getting thus far, and I think I might just have to get a little more some time soon...

No chicken poo detected in my bottle. Just faint “watercolor-like” and slightly smokey leather framed by violet and iris. It’s a very feminine-leaning perfume to my nose, where florals overpower the leather. This creation by Patricia de Nicolai really stands out from other perfumes by the house but it’s quite wearable and unique. Not a crowd-pleaser, so test before you buy.

A beautiful, authentic smelling yet soft leather. Great fresh, citrusy opening, leather starts to come through fairly quickly and accompanying it is a very nice floral heart that polishes the leathers rough edges. The performance could definitely be a bit stronger but I find that this is definitely meant to be a softer more gentle smell.

I was looking forward to saffron and I get it, but I am excited about the leather more. It is soft! So pretty, spicy combination with iris and tonka! And when this combination settles into the woody base, I fell in love.

Feels like you're at church on Sunday morning, very sweet and cozy!

The Chauffeur by Duran Duran in a bottle!

Unlike Cuir Cuba Intense, another Nicolaï scent from my discovery set, Baïkal Leather Intense is, in fact, a leather scent. That said, it is an unusual take on leather - there is a lot going on here, and I'm not always convinced that it works. Patricia de Nicolaï is a talented perfumer who tends to approach her perfumes with fearless creativity, taking risks with unusual accords while managing to keep her compositions balanced and cohesive for the most part. However, BLI, while interesting, is not for me. BLI has a fresh, spicy opening, thanks to the yuzu, adding bittersweet freshness, and a sprinkling of saffron. Saffron typically melds nicely with a leather accord, but the yuzu is an unusual addition here. While it adds freshness up top, it feels discordant alongside the leather accord, but the saffron helps to bridge the gap. The leather accord comes to the fore as this scent develops, and is smooth and worn, like an old leather jacket, a comforting, realistic take on leather. The leather accord is easily the best part of this scent. The violet follows, green and powdery, joined by iris after a while, adding depth to the powder. They meld beautifully with the leather, conjuring up the image of an old-fashioned powder compact in a leather bag. However, the yuzu overstays its welcome, and I feel that BLI would be a better scent without it. As it develops further, woody notes creep in, complemented by peppery spice. There is a turpentine-like quality in the background, perhaps due to the pine tar note, which, while it marries well with the leather and woods, isn't what I personally would want to smell like. This is the dominant note to my nose during the second half, despite the smooth tonka bean and dry woody notes, and ultimately, BLI is disappointing to me as a result. It becomes increasingly dry and musky as it fades, with the leather remaining, but the layer of turpentine seems to be as indelible as it is in reality. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is a masculine-leaning scent, best worn in colder weather. While BLI isn't unpleasant, it feels a little strange and ultimately doesn't work for me. I appreciate the creative risk, and it is objectively a good-quality, interesting scent, but I would choose a more wearable leather. 3/5.

Although I do not personally own this fragrance because it doesn’t suit my personal taste, I have gifted Baïkal Leather so many times; to my partner, my sister, friends, and relatives. It has an ethereal, airy quality to it that I feel suits people with this sort of personality and aura. I would also recommend for those who enjoy wearing iris to try this. On my partner, the powdery and woody notes of purple flowers blend beautifully with the leather, making it both assertive and incredibly elegant. On my sister it is more creamy and woody, whereas my cousin relayed that he smells of refined, leathery saffron. Baïkal Leather is so smooth and seamless in its transition from powdery florals to a clean suede on my own skin, and though it is a well behaved and understated fragrance, it lingers around you leaving a trail of grace and intrigue; so pleasant and sophisticated. Whenever I catch it on my partner I have to comment on how incredible they smell every single time. The only reason I don’t wear it myself is because I prefer my leather scents more rough and dark. But I love that I get to smell this on so many people around me.

I probably shouldn't have let fragrantica sway me so much as I had avoided this one given the low score and the comparison to Sauvage as a category. I got a carded sample thrown in with a recent order however and this is actually very nice. I do agree it might not be completely in line with something like NY Intense or Fig Tea in terms of what you might think of from PdN but that doesn't make this a bad scent. It is bright and does have that "generic woodsy" aspect I will agree, but it also has some nicely blended leather and violet here that does indeed invoke a sense of what you might think of around a lake like Baikal. I have Baikal Gris from Areej le Dore and there are some crossovers here with that, but obviously way less depth and pungency given the types of houses these are; Artisinal vs more mainstream niche. Is this the best frag PdN do? No I wouldn't say that for sure, but I'll be picking up a 30ml of this as I think it will fit well in spring and summer evenings.

I like this stuff. At spray, this is bracingly sour for a moment but rounds off almost immediately. Overall impression is really nice, typical Nicolaï in being well-blended and hard to classify. It's sweet and round but not too sweet, woody, leathery, floral, and resiny. The backbone feels primarily woody-masculine but with leather and florals mixed in, rather than a leather-forward or floral-forward fragrance. Perhaps it's the pine tar or perhaps the synergy of other notes, but the qualitative impression to my nose is quite similar to a resin-forward fragrance like Amyris Homme from Maison Francis Kurkdjian (but I like this more than Amyris Homme). I tested it meeting my friend for brunch in mid-September, and it was lovely first thing at 62 F/17 C but smelled a bit heavy later at 73 F/22 C - a clear fall/winter fragrance. At 12 hours, the fragrance is diminished but still noticeable, woody with a bit of sweetness, really nice.

I received this as a sample when I bought a full bottle of another perfume. To me, this is Byredo's Black Saffron "light." Black Saffron is pretty much the only of the Byredo frags I've liked as its so unique- but even then, I find it very heavy and overpoweringly strong. Baikal leather definitely has the saffron edge but is slightly sweeter and more floral than BS. As others have said, I don't get leather from this, even on the drydown, but I do get pepper and musk. Its quite nice actually and again, would be perfect for those who like saffron, but don't want to wear something as heavy as Black Saffron.

Opening is a leather jacket. Dry down is a leather purse. Both of equal quality and craftsmanship. Superb, nuanced, leather-forward blast of iris, violet, rose and saffron from Nicolai. Nuanced by wood, like the type of wood you'd find in a wooden peg, for example. Totally unisex, but I envision a hot feminine pirate wearing this fragrance better than anyone else could. She is so hot and badass while boarding between our ship's riggings. What a smelly fox.

Soft, sweet woody-leather opening. Like there is leather, but it's soaking in yuzu juice infused with floral notes and just kinda meekly peeking through. This is more about the rose-iris combo, uplifted by the powdery violet and watery yuzu, the leather adding just a hint of darkness. Moderate projection fades over ~3hr, catching faint whiffs through 5-6hr, longevity 10-12hr.

I don’t know what exactly happened, but man, I cannot get the name-juice connection. Zero Baikal associations, but maybe it’s not the lake :) It smells like a lush and expensive makeup used to, so I’d say, that iris and rose are the main contributors here, not the woods. Utilisation of spices is masterful: subtle, yet character-defining.

This fragrance has a leathery undertone with a hint of soapiness and sweetness. The delicate flowery notes, particularly the distinctive iris, give it a feminine touch. It emanates a warm and inviting aura, making it suitable for everyday wear. This perfume feels safe and comfortable, making it a reliable choice for various occasions.

For leather lovers. More for a man, I can smell leather with a touch of iris & wood. More for fall and spring. It is a fresh leather (thanks the pine, yuzu and pepper). A feeling? Indiana jones, an aventure in a bottle... where? Siberian forests near Lake Baïkal of course! Original, intriguing, don't blind buy. A piece of art... 8/10

This is gentlemen in a bottle. It starts with slight floral top notes before settling into its soft leather, woody notes with lasting powdery musk. This is a dignified masculine (but could also easily be unisex) scent that would suit Monday through to Thursday in the office.

It's got a refreshing opening, but the floral notes overpower the leather and wood scents to a large degree, which makes it not very suitable for people who prefer masculine scents. It's blended wonderfully for a feminine scent, however.

smells like a driving a new car with a passenger wearing a light citrus-floral perfume. Actually pretty nice, unobtrusive and soft.

The leather is front and center! But not too overwhelming. It's calm and slightly sweet with a definite zesty nature...... unfortunately it's super boring and way overpriced although I can detect naturals being used it's just ok........ absolutely NOTHING intense about this fragrance. The best part is the leather note it's very well done it's the same leather used in Tuscan leather. It doesn't smell like TF TL but the leather note being utilized is quite similar just not nearly as present in Baikal Leather. You absolutely must love leather as a note to enjoy this! I would buy a bottle if I got a deal just to have it in my collection.

Oy. This makes me a little nauseated, unfortunately. It feels like one too many elements. Almost as if an extra note accidentally spilled into the formula and pushed the whole thing over the edge. Iris? Violet? Whatever it is, it has kind of made the whole thing extremely heavy and unpleasant to my nose. Again, it's an "ok" instead of a "dislike" because I wouldn't hate it if I got a whiff of this on someone walking by. But I wouldn't want more than that.

A rival to Bronze Leather, maybe Gucci — a slightly softened leather, quite original. With some beautiful floral, violet notes. Gentle, classy. A nice scent. It behaves well on me, so it can’t be simply dismissed. Those flowers combined with added leather weights are interesting. Nice, but too rounded, valuable, yet very smooth. It’s like a lighter, more friendly version of Bronze.

I happened to go to Nicolai boutique visiting Moscow Russia with my friend. Knowing the name I was very intrigued and ready to shop, since it is not easy to find or sample this brand in the States. Out of 8 fragrances I sampled I only picked this one as the one I would like but it still was not what I expected. Try Molton Brown's Russian Leather , it has way more character.

Ok This is a strange leather fragrance The opening is definitely annoying with the yuzu it’s sour and unbearable In the mid it gets better but not enough to enjoy The dry down is the best thing about it though not good enough for my taste It’s a hard pass Performance is good I noticed it reminds people of cuir cannage by Dior to my nose not even close

I like the opening of this fragrance. It’s fresh,fruity, spicy and quite unique however the dry down is disappointing for me. I don't get any leather, mostly sweet musky-notes with some florals. Nothing unique and just not for my taste It smells (to me) like a more powdery version of CH man or CH Central Park 4/10

With several dozens of bottles small or big from Nicolaï, I think I qualify as a big if not huge fan. I had really high hope for their anniversary release, especially something called "leather" and is said to be inspired by the Cuir de Russie genre. The first few times I smelled this new release I was confused, disappointed and infuriated, that an atrocious thing such as this could come from my beloved house, from the great Patricia de Nicolaï, that a disgusting thing like this could be their anniversary perfume. An Exsence report on Cafleurebon mentioned this new release months ago and called it a “modern spicy fougère” that should appeal to the “younger generation”. At the time such descriptors had me worried already and I hoped it wouldn’t turn out to be another of those disgusting sharp woody ambers so popular nowadays. But it’s a nightmare come true. Several wearings later, sorry nope, I still really dislike it, but I’m ready to entertain the idea that this is PdN’s (perhaps cynical?) naturalistic take on the currently popular GMS genre (Generic Man Scent - coined by @persolaise and his audience), a genre that I would sum up as having the structure of dihydromyrcenol + synthetic woody amber molecules, represented by Sauvage et al., perfectly corresponding to the manspreading culture, crude, offensive, barbaric, things I’d be glad to see eliminated from the face of the earth. If all that official blurb is to be trusted, PdN is trying to replace that crass and overtly synthetic structure with more natural ingredients: yuzu and spearmint substituting for dihydromyrcenol, and guaiac wood and smoked pine replacing those woody ambers. Sadly though, the end result is as horrible as the imitated, because after all this is not a genre worth replicating, at all. It just smells generic, like “supermarket deodorant aisle burning”, to quote a perfumista friend whom I asked to blind-smell this. This is a bad movie script played by award-winning actors. This is a sculpture of cr*p made in diamonds. It’s just not worth doing. And forget all that mention of leather or Cuir de Russie. This has nothing to do with the leather family. Perhaps Bois Piquants Intense would be a more suitable name. For a brand who prides itself on their creativity, on their freedom from market considerations, coming out with a thing such as this which is blatantly aimed at the Sauvage generation is really disappointing to longtime fans. It feels like a betrayal. To whoever made the choice of this thing as their celebratory release, from a long time big fan: next time, just don’t. But of course I’m no perfumer. I can’t say for sure if these are really yuzu, smoked pine and guaiac wood as they say. This could be, really, just another carbon copy of those dihydromyrcenol + woody amber GMSs.

On paper I really enjoyed this, fascinating mix of a shoe shop (the leather and iris) and a hairdresser (the yuzu?), the fizziness of hairspray. Sounds strange, but it found it really intriguing. On skin (both mine and my boyfriend), especially when it comes to projection/sillage, I get a lot of birch and guiac wood insteead; much less pleasant and much more generic in my opinion. A pass, unfortunately.

I m soooo surprised that no one mentioned the linkage between this one and Tom Ford Ombre Leather. It is a derivative of TF OL and also Nishane Suade et Safran both of which are better in my opinion. Thank God I bought a tester first. This is a pass for me

This is giving me a 50+ lady in a fur coat and vintage leather boots with a glass of whiskey in her hand. Expensive, extravagant but not very interesting for me personally. Something that needs to stay in the past.

Vetiver is the most prominent for me here, its very fresh and bright. Surprised me quite a bit. Masculine leaning, not for me

Did I get a wrong sample? I remember when smelling it from a bottle, the saffron is noticeable, but when applied on hand, the first thing I noticed is a heavy sweet note, it's probably tonka and some other heavy shit(spice?), and I really f* hate this combo. Some sort of floral is also quite noticeable at the beginning, not quite sure what it is, it has a little bit Fahrenheit's abstract violet element. Except for a bit tarry edge probably made up by my head, I didn't get anything resembling leather so far--unless, that obnoxious heavy shit is what they call 'leather'. Then the sweets get more 'pure', losing the unpleasant heavy shit, only a slim-downed tonka left. Although still sweet, a brighter, lighter and more elegant side turned up. There is something very 'perfumery' about it, which reminds me of Galop by Hermes, perhaps a bit like its quince note? The perfume basically stays this way——a half elegant sweet 'perfumery' tone—— till the end. Still, leather is nowhere to be found, at least no signs of heavyweight players like styrax (wait, is that the spice?), castoreum, or IBQ. Maybe a tad imaginary Suederal?? really I'm stretching here. Considering the gone-with-the-wind saffron top, perhaps by leather they mean Safraleine? I truly wish I got the sample wrong.

I rarely review fragrances but now I have to make an exception. Im sorry but this fragrance smells like poo to me. Like when you walk into a chicken coop. I could not even spray it on my arm a little just to give it a try because I was afraid I was not goin to be able to wash it off later. Thank God I only got a 2ml sample size of this.

Yak! No leather, hardly any wood. What I sense is musk, plenty of musk! In the opening Yusu can be sensed, this is followed by more musk paired with rose. I thought I bought a intense leather scent, but this was something else, a musk. Quite disgusting to be honest.

Horrible! Un me it smells like pencil shavings and suede bag. Very dry and object-like smell. Why would I want to wear that. I will sell my bottle. No flowers, nu sweetness. Just dry leather and wood and very long lasting also!

I agree the name might be misleading: with leather in the title everyone expects leather to hit you in your nose like a brick (similar to Tuscan Leather). Instead, you get a very subtle blend of leather-inspired scent. This is a much softer take on leather, where leather puts smokey aspect in this more than the pungent leathers we know. Beautiful combination of leather accords from saffron and birch with soft woody base with green aspect and some florals. I have never being to Baikal Lake (which I understand kinda equivalent of American Great Lakes) but this definitely capture Baikal more than Leather, far from intense :) It is more of a nature inspired scent, very well done with high quality ingredients but if you are a leather frag fan looking for your fix, you will be writing a negative review on this one, I can see why. Nevertheless, beautiful scent in a mislabeled category. Try before you buy!!! PS Both projection and longevity are great and development is rather average leaning towards linear.

This is vintage yet complex with bits of chaos somehow! When i first sprayed it on i never got any leather! just complex of splattered notes. The drydown is bit different than the top notes! it goes yuzu with violets & huge doses of birch and some musk. It has something bitter and i think it's the vetiver mixed with the guaiac wood but the birch is overly conquering on the drydown. I don't know if i can detect the iris, and the saffron! but i feel i can sense their haze. Remains chaos but i was expecting this from Nicolai. No thank you.

A very complex fragrance. I usually smell a new fragrance before reading the notes and try to guess, and I usually do a very good job. But for this fragrance, I could not guess the notes. It’s a very woody fragrance, and it’s very unique. I think the perfumer added Yuzu to modernize the classic scent profile, but it’s still a classic type of fragrance. The scent can’t simply be described. Everything blends together homogeneously to create a unique, unfamiliar scent, so it’s not a safe blind buy but a well refined fragrance 7/10

The very opening is a pleasant moment of yuzu and pepper. It quickly fades away. The leather appears, sweetened by saffron and orris, and also lightly smoked, ...even that soft touch of rose is noticeable. Baïkal Leather is quite delicate and refined, compared to many leather scents. I'm enjoying this one more than most. The powdery sweetness is what saves it for me. I suppose the name Baïkal Leather is intended as a marketing theme meant to both invoke and update the Cuir de Russie style.

Opens with a cool sensation, like cucumber mixed with a lemon balm and soft musk. Very beautiful and pleasant. But after a few minutes, a medicinal metallic note appears. Smells like a harsh floor cleaner used to keep the hospitals sterile, very cold and antiseptic. Probably it’s the iris, pine tar and woods combo that’s giving this cold sterile sensation. Not sure if I wanna walk around smelling like a hospital floor. The vetiver and musk at the drydown adds some sweetness but still meh.

It smells a lot like Dior Cuir Cannage...... Probably, even better, as a smell. But, the projection is not as good as Dior's, and it has a bigger problem at the longevity, as after a few hours on the body, it is gone. The smell of lether goes well with the iris, with the violet, even with the rose. This is a joy for the nose. If I have to associate a colour to this smell, then I choose violet for it.

I enjoy the iris accord from Ambre Cashmere Intense in here. Not much else for me to say as this one doesn’t move me in any particular way. The front end is loud, potent and too formal and the drydown is familiar elevator muzak. That is atleast for me. I almost blind bought a small bottle upon hearing of its’ release which would’ve served me right since I should know better by now. 2 out of 5.

Though not a cynical as some of the previous reviewers, this is essentially a nicely done woody masculine, with hints of leather in the dry down. I don't have any problem with that, and it would be a good fragrance for occasions where one needs to play it safe. As with everything Nicolai, to my nose, the quality is there, but what elevates it, is very subtle.

Baikal leather intense is watery, slightly sweet perfume with some woods at the back but it has nothing to do with traditional leather fragrances. Nothing like cuir de russie, oro or tuscan leather, cuir intense or others. Closest relative to it is new Squid from Zoologist, however leather intense is much quieter and softer. Not to my liking.

Another one being tested from the Nicolai discovery set. The notes don't like, I smell sth bright, almost citrusy - yuzu, pepper, then light min of leather, iris, Woods. For me this onwle is too fresh and some momentu feel it to be too masculine for me to wear. But overall the scent is good, inckuding good longevity and average projection.

Man, what a let down. I was expecting a big leather-iris, but this is so... unremarkably confusingly boring? Like, it doesn't have a distinctive personality. It doesn't go anywhere. Opens with iris, a not-leathery leather and yuzu, clear yuzu. There is a weird musk, saffron, not-peppery pepper and guaiac wood thing going on. Big pass.