Reviews of Cuir de Russie (1924)
by Chanel

I love the complexity of Chanel classics and this is no exception. Greener and more floral than contemporary favorite Cuir Pleine Fleur, CUIR DE RUSSIE is a gloriously beautiful leather-inspired scent which finds a rightful place among such illuminaries as Chanel No. 5, Guerlain's Shalimar, Lanvin's Arpège and Patou's Joy. It seems to me the 1920s was indeed a golden era for fine fragrances.

I do not know how the original smelt but this is so good I only feel safe enough to wear it for him.

I'm forever grateful to my friend Jimmy for introducing me to this fragrance. It is really quite special. It has a deep, sensual warmth that gives the feel of slipping into a fine leather coat. The musk, leather and spice definately entice. Want to buy a reserve bottle in case the rumors are true that they will stop making the perfume and only offer the EDT.

Chanel Cuir de Russie

Chanel has all of the history that Guerlain does as a House and it also had its early 20th-century genius of scent in Ernest Beaux. In 1924 he created Cuir de Russie, what was daring about this was he chose to use leather as the center of a women's scent for the first time and created a classic. Flash forward to 1983 and Jacques Polge takes over at Chanel and looks to revive this Ernest Beaux classic as one of "Les Exclusifs". Cuir de Russie had to be reformulated because the birch tar that Beaux used in the original was no longer allowed as an ingredient. The beauty here is Polge shows he is up to the task of restoring a masterpiece to life by understanding how to hold the previous structure. At the top there is a burst of aldehydes and jasmine that tickle the nose. They are like an amuse bouche for the nose as the animalic business of Cuir de Russie comes in straightaway as the leather comes in and stays at first underneath the jasmine and then in combination. There is a moment of pure olfactory bliss as the sweet jasmine and the sweet animalic leather reach a balance that is just magic to my nose. It is a fleeting moment as the leather takes over the heart of this, rich and supple. As this develops further into the base I get a little of the clean lines of cedar, some warm amber and a hint of vanilla but mostly it stays leathery and gorgeous. I've had the opportunity to compare the original Beaux composition with Polge's and outside of what seems to be a slightly more intense leather phase in the heart Polge's reformulation is a smashing success at recreating a masterpiece of perfumery. One could only wish some of the other Houses would treat their classics with such respect.

Reviewers' descriptions of this scent always alarm me and I keep sniffing my wrist to try to make some connection - plastic? manure? danger? naughty? improper? urinous?! Huh. Well, these sensations do not apply to my bottle of Cuir de Russie, anyway.

As a vegetarian I should be repelled by the thought or smell of leather, and am; this thankfully smells like no leather I have ever encountered.

It does smell rich, warm, sensual and wonderful. It evokes the same feelings in me as Hermes Amber Narguile. It is beautiful - and I feel wrapped in a cloud of privilege and pleasure when wearing it.

OMG!!! What have I been missing? Chanel used to really not excite me...not even No. 5, but now,it seems my chemistry and/or my nose have changed. I absolutely adore this intoxicating and perfectly blended leather chypre...and it loves me!! Who would have ever thought? Unfortunate that it is now officially Spring and this is definitely a Fall/Winter scent. What a rich, wonderful ride she is. I am definitely buying a bottle. Need to try the EDP and extrait, too. I only have a small samples of the EDT... I can not expand on the wealth of information and kudos other reviewers have so eloquently stated. I can't stop smelling myself...help!!

Chanel Cuir de Russie parfum

On first application from a dabber sample, I smell what seems to be strongly chemical leather tanning compounds. This type of leather scent is very refined, and has a sort of "new car" edge to it. Mingling quietly with the leather are light florals, some powder, and hints of manure, hay and antiseptic (castoreum) which gives a horse stable quality to the leather. Also lurking below the surface is some smoke which smells like tarry, plastic resin. It is not unpleasant like some fragrances that smell like burning plastic, but this is probably the birch tar note which gives a slight petrochemical slant to the leather. I am pretty sure there are some aldehydes also, as I smell some very faint soapyness. By far, though, the smoky tar note is the most prominent, and separates CdR from the more castoreum-heavy leather scents which are evocative of leather horse tack and saddles. Despite the barnyard quality of the castoreum, the birch tar makes the fragrance seem more industrialized, such as the smell of a freshly made pair of gentleman's boots or fine ladies' gloves.

The florals take on more of a supporting role in this fragrance in the beginning and middle stages. I am almost sure there is some iris in CdR, as there is a faint powder note which increases through the development. There is also a urinous note that becomes more intense. It seems to be very much a part of the leather, but could also be a sharp, indolic floral such as jasmine. As the parfum unfolds slowly during the middle stage, I also notice a creamy and spicy wood accord that reminds me of a similar accord in Bois des Iles or Egoiste. It is not a particularly recognizable wood, but is soft and warm, somewhat like sandalwood mixed with subtle amounts of cinnamon.

In the drydown, the floral and powder become much stronger, and the leather is mostly faded. The soft and spicy wood persists also, but the powder is the main note. Although there is really no overt leather note at this point, the floral and powder continue to evoke the memory of leather. The sharp white floral note seems most instrumental in maintaining the leather sensibility--it has been present throughout the whole development of the fragrance, and has morphed in character depending on the varying contexts of the other notes. In the drydown, the floral note is considerably softer, having lost much of its urinous edge. In the late drydown, CdR is mostly sweet vanilla, powder and perhaps a sweet musk, with a whisper of the floral and creamy wood notes still remaining. The leather is completely gone at this stage, about 4 hours after application.

With a fragrance like this, I fail to understand why Chanel tries to limit distribution. There is nothing particularly dated nor any age/gender limitations. CdR is a beautiful, classic, well-composed scent that seems appropriate for any age, man or woman, and probably any occasion, too. I am not a leather fragrance collector, but I think if I could only have one leather fragrance in my collection, CdR would be it.

Not everyone can wear Cuir de Russie! I have been wearing it since the 1960s when leather, wool, and being a lady with a naughty side was a plus! I like the woodsy expensive leather smell it has....it is my signature scent and I wear it daily! This scent is rare and unique.

I find Cuir de Russie to be MORE feminine than Caron's Tabac Blond, or rather elegant, civilized and understated. I could envision Catherine Deneuve wearing this in Belle du Jour, but never Tabac Blond, for instance. This is a soft leather with a soft floral veil, a beautiful skin scent that wears like a quiet, luminous atmosphere. I would enjoy wearing this anytime , anywhere. Beautiful and appropriate without being boring or necessarily conventional. My very favorite leather fragrance to date.

deep and warm fragrance.
Very sensual and feminine.

Stays a loooong time on the skin.

It is a perfect fragrance rich and wonderful...

I think Vibert says it perfectly about this fragrance having a perfect balance of glamour and danger.

I feel it's tipped more towards danger, adventure and a love of masculine things (horses and their saddles, cigar smoke, classic citrusy cologne). I heard this was even MORE animalic originally... Wow, I can't believe this was the kind of scents worn by women then... and can only imagine the kind of wonderfully classy and adventurous women that would wear them today.

I wouldn't mind wearing this, but it personally feels strange to smell like this just from a bottle because the scent is so very very authentic smelling to me. I feel like I'm wearing some kind of costume, that is damned convincing but if I were to be brutally honest with myself could not wear more than once a year. Unless you are an equestrian outdoorsman with royal blood lineage, expect this scent to make a (potential over-) statement.

Supposedly described by Chanel as: “a very improper perfume for nicely brought-up young ladies,” I was expecting something interesting from the current EdT formulation of Cuir de Russie. I would have to say that Chanel’s supposed description has little to do with the current EdT. To my nose it is a floral with some leather that shows Polge’s hand.

The leather is neither a saddle just removed from a horse after a hard ride, nor a leather jacket exposed to tobacco smoke, sweat, and beer in a dark bar. Instead, it is a piece of high fashion leather gracing the form of a Russian oligarch’s daughter or mistress on a shopping trip to Paris.

Cuir de Russie EdT opens with a far too subtle combination of citrus that is quickly overwhelmed by ylang-ylang, iris, and jasmine. Within half an hour the heart of jasmine and rose takes over, followed by a base of squeaky clean high fashion leather, a tinge of vetiver, and very soft cedar and amber.

It is a beautiful floral with some leather, but Russian leather it is not.

EdT.

I recently read a fresh interview, where Jacques Polge told that Cuir de Russie was his inspiration when he created Egoiste, and for me that is very easy to see. I`m suprised no one hasn`t compare the two in anyways. (btw, in that same interview Polge reveiled that he actually never uses any scent as a personal fragrance, but he likes to scent his car with Egoiste)

Of course the top notes in these two are very different, but to me the basenotes resembles each other quite obviously. Still not the same for sure, but they both share that rich balsamic floral note (carnation), smoky styrax and vanilla base with full bodied amber and a fruity ylang-ylang accent.

Go ahead, make a side by side test and wait until the drydown comes alive.

Wonderful, unisex fragrance.

This is an androgynous scent to me. It smells much drier and more masculine than Tabac Blonde (with which it is often compared). They are both leather scents but the similarity stops there. It starts out with a lovely citrus. Then a smokey floral peeks through for about an hour; and the dry down which seems to go on for quite a long time is satisfyingly animalic (leather and civet is what I get). I have not smelled the original, but this one does seem to have a castoreum element in it (synthetic I'm sure), although it is extremely subdued and well blended. It's expensive, but worth every penny! It's so good, that I can't understand why it hasn't been discontinued.

Well, how extraordinarily different we all are! I bought a 4ml bottle of this at great expense on eBay expecting to love it on the basis of reviews. My favorite scent is Bulgari Black, so I am not nervous of odd or 'dark' smells. But Cuir de Russie works not on me. First it smelled like the horse, rather than the leather. Then turned to soap, then disappeared. Which was a relief. So now I will be selling a tiny bottle of it somewhere, with only a few drops gone.

I am not entirely surprised to have a divergent opinion to others around smells /tastes though... I seem to be the only person on the globe who doesn;t like red wine!

I had the wonderful opportunity of trying vintage Cuir de Russie parfum from the 1950s. It was the most animalic yet softest perfume I have ever smelled. The leather was incredibly realistic, like walking into the tack room of a stable, smelling the leather saddles and harnesses, and also the horses, sweet and fecal, and the cowboy, himself, with his can of chewing tobacco. The jasmine was exceedingly rich. I do not know what the modern version smells like, but the vintage was totally fascinating. It amazes me that women of that era wore such a bold fragrance. We should follow their lead.
Edited: I have now tried the new Cuir de Russie, and it is also beautiful, but not the same scent as the original. The new EDT is nowhere near as leathery or animalic. It no longer smells like a saddlery. If I had to guess, I would say that the missing component is castoreum.

This is my eau de vie! I could bathe in it, but haven't yet as I do not wish to intoxicate everyone about me in a combination of what would be a haze of 'ball room' sized tack room and a planitude of civets! CdR is my signature scent and has been since discovering those blissful depths during a trip to Paris three years ago! Now I always make a detour to top up my supply whenever I am there. It seems best to wear at night and from the start of autumn through to the melts of spring whenever! It is the best and most original of the vintage Chanel collection!

After the inital zing of citrus, the yummy buttery tones of warm leather gently emerge and lead on eventually to the spicy darkness of those recesses of a delciously inviting chambre de cuir. This scent conjurs up images of Chantilly, birch woods at dusk, Sobranie cigarettes, beluga caviar and vodka. It is sheer heaven and as a half Russian, I am utterly intoxicated by it! I am absorbed by how CdR challenges you, unlike other Chanel scents! With its near primeval edge, CdR has an intriguing and somewhat untouchable apsect that leaves me to always want for more!

I for one find the EdT rather sharp and its dry down a great deal less subtle and nuanced than the EdP, and my last bottle of EdT of 200 mls went off after only seven months in its box in a cool shaded spot! Needless to say, due to my preference for the scrumptious EdP I have not replace the EdT and shan't.

My only criticism of this, my fave, is that it has none of the lasting power of a Guerlain, which makes it a very expensive habit to indulge at 100 pounds a go for a 15 ml bottle.

Cuir de Russie smelled great on the tester strip and I was almost out of unsprayed skin from a morning of testing fragrances. I put it on the top on my shoulder and have been sniffing it every 30 minutes since then. I reminds me of high quality leather, like the interior of a Mercedes Benz or Jaguar, with smoke, light flowers and a hint of raw tobacco. I need to test this again; next time on my wrist.

Cuir de Russie offers an almost perfect balance between glamour and danger. Sharp leather, fruit, and sweet citrus dominate the opening. Strong florals emerge very quickly afterwards, along with some smoke. A sweet floral accord with a superbly integrated civet underpinning and the merest trace of lingering smoke makes for a rich, dark, seductive, heart that's vaguely suggestive of a more animalic Habanita. The leather submerges for some time under the exotic florals and civet, then reasserts itself strongly in the drydown.

Cuir de Russie's extended drydown reveals a smoldering animalic leather, amber and civet base. At the risk of redundancy, the civet note in Cuir de Russie is one of the best executed I've ever encountered. Bravo!

A magnificent leather scent that has risen over time to the summit of my leather collection, right alongside Knize Ten and Eau d'Hermes. I think it's suitable a man or a woman, provided the wearer has the confidence and dignity required to carry such a bold and complex scent.

I tried the EDT because a friend sent me a sample and I thought it was a male fragrance. Some leathers smell like new saddle leather, or new upscale leather in a mercedes, like Yatagan; however, this smells like a saddle that has been sat in extensively. Not that I don't like it, just pointing out what I smell. Sexy. Very feral. I will wear it if I'm staying in with my nastiest girfriend.......

Chanel Cuir de Russie starts out with a burst of citrus and flowers. After a short time, the leather comes on and assumes the foreground. Gradually the civet (?) moves in, and the flowers, leather and manure reverberate grandly for a long time, gradually fading with coumarin harmonics.

A fantastic leather scent!

**This is a review of the EDT**

Notes: orange blossom, bergamot, mandarin, clary sage, iris, jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, cedarwood, vetiver, styrax, leather, amber, vanilla

"An ashtray doing a flower vase"

Ernest Beaux's 1924 classic, Cuir de Russie (CdR) is widely regarded as one of the finest Chanel fragrances as well as one of the best leather fragrances ever created. Created to paint an image of an elegant snobby woman rummaging through her fine leather bag to look for change to tip an escort for a night of much fun, CdR displays all the hallmarks of Beaux's expertise, alongwith a few eccentricities introduced by Polge.

CdR opens with a burst of citrus melange with a sage note inserting enough bitterness to offset the smooth orange blossom and bergamot. Hints of leather (due to isobutyl quinoline) are perceptible from the beginning. Soon, CdR transitions to its most feminine phase - Beaux's signature trifecta of ylangylang-jasmine-rose infuses a dose of floral sweetness with an element of coolness due to a shy iris note; the florals threaten to drown out the gradually increasing intensity of the leather. CdR was reorchestrated in 1983 by Polge and the floral heart was increased in strength while the leather note was decreased in potency .. can't say I like this "tune up" but it makes it more approachable to women I guess. Another smooth movement of accords takes place a few hours later and CdR enters the drydown phase which is more masculine due to smoky styrax and vetiver which are prevented from rampaging the composition with their supposed tenacity by gendarme like notes of vanilla and amber. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I dont smell a lot of civet, if at all. Longevity is good at around 7-8 hours, and sillage is medium.

CdR presents a well behaved leather note interjected with a good dose of florals to result in a smooth and slightly floral leather fragrance. The ambery styrax+vetiver drydown is the highlight. Those of us looking for a wild no-holds-barred "look ma I am wearing a cow-hide" leather might be disappointed with CdR's cultured and metrosexual approach to a leather romp. With that said, this is arguably the best leather for women...its flirty yet classy, confident yet sensual.

A quick comparison to some of other notable leathers:

Caron Tabac Blond: its leather is more smoky, its vanilla base more unrestrained and naughty. Marilyn Monroe vs. Elizabeth Taylor.

Creed Cuir de Russie: loads of birch tar with ambergris. A very unusual leather. More manly.

Creed Royal English Leather: Resembles the first 2 minutes of Chanel CdR with its mandarin+leather mix. The leather note is more raw and substantial.

Serge Lutens Daim Blond: No. I want a sexy sensual leather on my woman, not decorate her with a fruit bowl.


Rating: 8.7/10

Cuir de Russie by Chanel is very different from anything I've ever worn before, but it really pleases me.
My perfumed day dream conjures up fur coats/hats, high leather boots, icy cold snowy evenings with frost on the forest trees and riding in a troika home to a roaring fireplace. I catch the scent of the CDR wafting up through the collar of my fur coat as I huddle in it for warmth. Ohhhh... those Russians!!
MMM...I like it, I like it very much!!
Igor, bring me my VODKA & caviar!! ;-)

I was so excited to read about this fragrance in the press that I bought it blind. I am somewhat disappointed and although I feel this fragrance is unique, mysterious and complex, however I do not like smelling like a train drivers bottom. Animalic---Yes, Fecal---Definitely, Pleasant---Erm not exactly. I am still unable to give this away as I feel that someday it will grow on me, next to Cuir de Russie by Creed, this is a poor evil smelling poor relation. Sad but true. BOO HOO.

Gentle, intelligent, and luxurious in the extreme... The pure parfum is the way to go here, although, granted, it's very expensive (circa $165 US).

A burst of sweet mandarin and bergamot, followed by seas and oceans ofr tender, sweet, almost fruity violets. All seated upon a bed of earthy, animalic musk, castoreum and civet. Yes, the civet does imbue the scent with a cow-pattie like quality, but to me this quality is pastoral and reassuring, not repulsive. The overall effect is like old leather boots striding through a spring flower garden where violets grow and cattle have grazed.
A gem of a scent to love and treasure forever.

Wonderfully soft and buttery yet strong and rich leather with a heady dose of florals. I'm usually not so very fond of florals, but these are so soft and compliment the equally soft leather very well without overwhelming it. They are never sharp or soapy or sneeze-inducing as florals can sometimes be.
The scent is so soft and skinlike i imagine it would be heavenly in a lotion, even though it's strong and dark and leathery.

I'm a huge fan of leather scents and of course this one is leather par excellence. It's soft, subtle, classy, and keeps the leather tame and mixed with enough other elements that it doesn't make you smell like you just came from a tannery. Definitely unisex, would be a welcome addition to anyone's wardrobe who also enjoys scents like Cuiron, Knize Ten, Jolie de Balmain, or even Gucci PH. Unfortunately hard to find and rather expensive, but unlike many scents that never live up to the hype, this one is worth the time and the $$$. Sillage and longevity are great as well (I can put this on in the morning and still smell it when I go to bed).
(this review is for the EDT version)

one of the really great perfumes of all centuries:interesting, unforgettable, intelligent and like bandit of robert piguet and tabac blonde of caron-hors concours!Perfumes for individualists, looking for a unique scent with class-cuir de russie is for someone loving leather perfumes but this perfume is so much more!!!you can wear it even as a man but then you have to be a real man!Take only a few drops .....then wait....and you will enter paradise....but be careful-if you go for the type of perfumes that are thrown on the market every week and you may buy for a dollar in all kind of shops then leave it and hurry!Cuir de russie is a very very special fragrance of another time but timeless and if you´re a really classy, elegant and distinguished woman then give it a try-i imagine you, in a classy valentino or oscar de la renta dress, giving me a smile and if i would smell this perfume...i would die....ladies, this is an unforgettable scent but definitely not for everyone.....but if you are the one....then it will be heaven for you!!!!!!

Hmmm, this one's a shocker! I wanted more from this cornerstone scent. Perhaps it's really not for a man's chemistry, but I had to try. It opens a rather fresh floral bouquet, then develops to an animalic quality, just a tinge too much that overpowers IMO. Powdery notes enter the composition, and here I'm already thinking this is more of a granny scent, and quite disappointed from here on end. To add despair, the scent turns sour on me, but I've learned to expect this a lot when I try on a leather/chypre scent. Somewhere in the drydown, there's that familiar wood and jasmine note like Bois des Iles, but its powdery chypre notes make it just too distinct to mark a commonality with BdI. Darn! It's even ironic that I can actually feel better wearing No.5 without feeling self conscious. At least I can say that Bois des Iles is wearable in the Rue Cambon line.

Everytime I see the name Cuir de Russie - I`m proud of my nation industry and French perfumery.
Take birch tar (which is used to polish officers` and cossacs leather boots) and make a Grand-perfume (which began a hysteria of tens-hundreds perfumes) from it?
Citrus, flowers - and oriental saps and balsams added to create a Path for others...
Till now leather frags are like comets - rare but very fabulous and mysterious guests.
Cuir de Russie is very uncommon fragrance - classic, soft and easy-to-wear, yet playing with its facets and strength. You could forget about it as it fades, and suddenly - WOW! - it is strong again!

This one broke my heart - when I uncorked the sample the sultry, sexy note instantly won me. When I put it on my skin, the first five seconds were heavenly. I figure that's the amount of time needed to react with my chemistry, because after 5 seconds I started picking up a barnyard scent, like cow patties. Beyond the pasture fragrance, I could smell that tantalizing sexy note, but I was going to have to wade through cow patties to get to it. Eventually the barnyard note dissipated, but so did the sultry note. I could only conclude they were one and the same.
I tried it several months later, and it was better, but still not trustworthy. There's no way I can wear this fragrance among other people without fear of it turning on me, or throwing an occasional odd barnyard note into the air. I wanted so much to be able to wear this, as the smell in the bottle is wonderful.
For those of you who were also rebuffed by this fragrance, try "Daim Blond" by Serge Lutens. It did everything I wanted "Cuir de Russie" to do.

Well,i am not a leather perfumes fan,but i must confess this one is very pleasurable to wear.
Sweet,with a beautiful and sophisticated beginning of citrus fruits,a powedered and sweet leather then appears.
A very beautiful leather,soft and easy wearing yet elegant.
Only try the extrait de parfum,the best item of Cuir de Russie.