The best leather colognes, like the best leather jackets, do something special when you put them on. Immediately you feel cooler; you’ve got more swagger, more heat. You could wear either to work, though they can feel a little bit brash in a conservative space—which might be exactly what you’re going for.
Our favorite leather fragrances radiate intensity and a slightly primal allure, seamlessly blending notes of tobacco, wood, and spices—often with sweetly seductive hits of vanilla and chocolate. They tend to be more stereotypically “masculine” than spicy colognes, and heavier than the best floral and fruit-based colognes. Interestingly, the actual “leather” isn’t some natural distillation of actual calfskin, but a product of perfumers’ synthetic wizardry.
Lab-concocted or not, a great leather cologne can’t be missed. It might not end up as your year-round signature scent, but it will absolutely become your go-to bottle for the darker, moodier months, particularly for date nights and late nights. (Which explains why we’ve always got a few leather scents on our lists of the best fall colognes and the best winter colognes.)
Below are our nine favorite leather colognes for keeping you warm and cool at the same time.
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In This Guide
Best Leather Cologne Overall: Malin + Goetz Leather
Malin+Goetz
Eau de Parfums Vegan & Cruelty-Free
Sometimes the inherent sexiness of a leather-forward scent is exactly what you want. Sometimes, though, you just want the swagger without the sensuality. The contrast of powdery and floral notes with woody and spicy notes keeps Malin + Goetz’s scent feeling grounded and approachable. Wearing it will make you feel more powerful, less on-the-prowl.
Best Intense Leather Cologne: Tom Ford Ombré Leather
Tom Ford
Ombré Leather EDP
In Tom Ford’s catalog of scents (which, let’s be honest, might be the industry’s best), Ombré Leather is often overshadowed by the also-spectacular Tuscan Leather. But Ombré earns the nod here because the leather has fewer notes to compete with, so gets to own the spotlight. It’s also the most pure expression of leather on this list, too—meaning if you love leather, you can stop scrolling.
Best Date Night Leather Scent: Ferragamo Spicy Leather
Ferragamo
Spicy Leather EDP
We almost put this scent in our “best spicy scents” roundup because of the pepper, nutmeg, and saffron notes. But ultimately they’re here to round out the sexy musk of leather, and help make this cologne more smooth and sophisticated than most cold-weather scents. It’s a perfect date night spriz: rousing and warm, but never dominating the conversation.
Best Black-Tie Leather Scent: Bvlgari Man in Black
Man in Black is as suave as its name suggests. In this case, leather isn’t the top bill, but its presence is felt. It plays evenly alongside some of perfumery’s warmest notes, like resin, rum, and tobacco—all hints that this is an evenings-only cologne.
The Most Relaxed Leather Scent: Valentino Uomo
Valentino’s beloved Uomo is tailored for low-key coziness, its leather cut with food-centric notes (a.k.a. “gourmand” notes in the perfume industry), like hazelnut, coffee, and chocolate. Together, they create an enveloping fragrance that wears like a warm, toasty henley under a (luxe, perfectly cut) flannel shirt.
More Leather Colognes We Love
Common Fragrance Notes
Meaning “wood” in Arabic, oud smells exactly like you think it would: woodsy. It’s a commonly beloved fragrance note for men, but when paired with something sweeter or more floral, it helps to add a depth that’s great for all people.
What’s bitter in taste is actually quite sweet and delicious on the nose. Bergamot offers a fine citrus note that’s fresh on the nose, and when it’s paired with something like oud, there’s a wonderful dissonance that makes you think about your fragrance all day long.
Often considered a “manly” scent, vetiver has a distinct smoky aroma to it that’s often compared to incense or cigar smoke.
Why would you want to smell like leather? The same reason that “leather” is a positive attribute when describing wine. Think more vintage sofa than ratty old handbag though, and that’s what you’ll get when you douse yourself in this intoxicating scent.
Musk, which was once harvested from the glands of the musk deer, is now created artificially, and it’s often described as earthy and sweet.
Another citrusy scent, neroli offers more of a “green” tinge than bergamot, so it smells like freshly cut grass that might’ve seen an accident of spilled orange juice.
With a bit of a spicy-sweet aroma, patchouli is often associated with bad smells. But these days, patchouli-forward scents are a complex blend of wood, musk, and spice.
One of the more floral fragrance notes there is, orris has a sweet flower-like aroma that can be balanced out by some darker, heavier notes to cancel out any reminders of grandma’s old perfume.
We describe a lot of scents as sweet, but between florals and citruses, that can mean anything. When it comes to tonka bean, you’ll get something that leans more vanilla, with a hint of baked goods.
