Byredo
Byredo
10.2k votes
Best for
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The saffron hits with almost alarming intensity—medicinal, metallic, tinged with pomelo's bitter-sweet citrus oils that add a resinous quality rather than traditional freshness. Juniper berry contributes a dry, almost gin-like botanical sharpness that makes the entire opening feel austere and uncompromising, like cold air on bare skin.
Black violet blooms in full ionone glory, its lipstick-powder facets melding seamlessly with leather that feels lived-in yet refined, whilst raspberry emerges as a tart, wine-dark accent that adds dimension without sweetness. The cuir accord shows both its smooth and slightly feral sides, warmed by spice residue but never losing its essential coolness, creating a compelling push-pull that keeps you leaning in.
What remains is a woody-ambery skin scent where vetiver's earthiness grounds whispers of powdery violet and the ghost of leather, now softened to suede. The blonde woods and crisp amber create a warm but never cloying base that feels like expensive wool warmed by body heat, intimate and quietly persistent.
Black Saffron announces itself with a sharp metallic bite—saffron rendered in its most medicinal, almost pharmaceutical form, cutting through the air alongside juniper's gin-soaked clarity. This isn't the sweet, honeyed saffron of gourmand fragrances; it's astringent, slightly bloody, setting the stage for what becomes Byredo's most compelling leather study. The violet arrives not as a shy floral whisper but as a full-bodied purple haze, its ionone-rich powderiness colliding with supple, almost buttery leather accord that somehow manages to feel both broken-in and pristine. Jerome Epinette's masterstroke lies in the unexpected raspberry that weaves through the composition—not jammy or childish, but rendered as a tart, slightly fermented contrast that amplifies the leather's animalic undertones rather than sweetening them. The vetiver adds an earthy, rooty backbone that prevents the fragrance from floating off into pure abstraction, whilst crisp amber (think labdanum's resinous snap rather than vanilla's warmth) and blonde woods create a frame that's more raw timber than polished mahogany. This is for those who find Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather too aggressive and Hermès' Cuir d'Ange too polite—it occupies a confident middle ground, equally at home on someone in a tailored wool coat at a gallery opening or soft cashmere at a late-night jazz club. The performance hovers in the intimate-to-moderate range, which suits its introspective character perfectly.
Add fragrances to your collection and unlock your personalised scent DNA, note map, and shareable identity card.
4.1/5 (45.0k)