Fragrance comparison

Cuir de Russie Parfum vs Tar

Notes, accords, longevity, sillage, seasons and community ratings, side by side.

Updated 30 Oct 2026 286 ratings analysed

Cuir de Russie Parfum

Chanel

4.55200 votes

Rank #26,808 LeatherAldehydic

Full profile Similar & dupes

17%scent match

Clearly different

5 wins

Tar

Miguel Matos

3.6586 votes

Rank #7,037 SweetSoft Spicy

Full profile Similar & dupes

Quick verdict

Which one should you pick?

Tar takes 5 of 7 categories.

Cuir de Russie Parfum
Choose it for a leather and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and community sentiment. Best in winter, day or night wear.
Tar
Choose it for a sweet and soft spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Cuir de Russie Parfum2/7

Tar5/7

Ratings & consensus: Cuir de Russie Parfum
Community sentiment: Cuir de Russie Parfum
Longevity: Tar
Sillage & projection: Tar
Value for money: Tar
Versatility: Tar
Note pyramid (duration): Not scored
Fragranxe ranking: Tar

Head-to-head breakdown

Every category side by side, with the winner called out.

Fragrance

Cuir de Russie ParfumChanel

TarMiguel Matos

Winner

Ratings & consensus

Average rating and ownership split

4.55/ 5 · 200 votes

Have 39%Had 7%Want 54%

3.65/ 5 · 86 votes

Have 10%Had 6%Want 84%

Category winnerCuir de Russie ParfumRating weighted by vote count

Community sentiment

How voters split from love to hate

71%Love

21%Like

3%Ok

6%Dislike

1%Hate

200 votes

52%Love

8%Like

10%Ok

18%Dislike

12%Hate

50 votes

Category winnerCuir de Russie ParfumMost positive mix (25+ votes)

Longevity & sillage

0–100 community performance scores

⏱ Longevity66

〰 Sillage63

♥ Love / hate89

⏱ Longevity85

〰 Sillage75

♥ Love / hate70

Category winners

LongevityTar

SillageTar

Value for money

How fairly priced voters find it

¤ Price value37

¤ Price value70

Category winnerTarBest value score

Main accords

Strength of each scent family · outlined = shared by both

leather100%

aldehydic92%

sweet84%

yellow floral77%

tobacco69%

white floral61%

sweet100%

soft spicy92%

smoky84%

anis77%

warm spicy69%

fresh61%

Scent match17%Clearly different · both sweet

Note pyramid (duration)

Top, heart and base, with how long each lasts when known · gold = shared

Notes

Russian LeatherAldehydesYlang-YlangTobaccoJasmineRoseVanilla

No top / heart / base split published

Top

LicoriceStar AniseAldehydesPineappleBergamotPalisander Rosewood

Heart

SmokeRumOreganoCinnamonLavenderLily-of-the-ValleyYlang-Ylang

Base

CaramelOpoponaxCoffeeAgarwood (Oud)Animal notesTonka BeanTobaccoMusk

InformationalShared notesAldehydes, Ylang-Ylang and Tobacco. Durations are only published for Cuir de Russie Parfum, so this is not scored.

Seasons & time of day

Relative to each fragrance's best season

Spring52

Summer0

Fall0

Winter100

Day94

Night100

Spring69

Summer44

Fall88

Winter100

Day59

Night100

Category winnerTarMost year-round

Who wears it

Gender appeal votes

Men14

Unisex60

Women25

Men50

Unisex45

Women5

InformationalProfile onlyAudience is not scored

Ranking & credits

Fragranxe overall rank, nose and launch

Overall rank#26,808

PerfumerErnest Beaux

Launched—

Reviews0

Overall rank#7,037

PerfumerMiguel Matos

Launched—

Reviews29

Category winnerTarHigher overall rank

In a nutshell

Description & review snapshot

Chanel Cuir de Russie Parfum is an iconic leather fragrance built around contrasting textures of sharp aldehydes, smoldering birch tar, and rich florals. The fizzy soapiness hits immediately. Within twenty minutes, luscious ylang-ylang and velvety rose emerge, wrapping around a smoky leather fragrance note that evokes…

Reviews →

Tar by Miguel Matos is a dense sweet smoke fragrance built around licorice, star anise, rum, caramel, woods, oud, tobacco and animalic musk. It opens dark and spicy, then settles into a sticky, smoky sweetness that can feel like black honey, melted licorice and warm pavement after summer heat. This is not a quiet ever…

Reviews →

InformationalRead bothTaste is personal

How we score: ratings blend public fragrance ratings with Fragranxe member votes; longevity, sillage, value and sentiment are community vote scores, and season bars are relative to each fragrance's strongest season. Categories with too little data are shown but not scored. The scent match weighs accord overlap (60%) and shared notes (40%). More in the FAQ.

Recent comparisons

Head-to-head activity from live history

Ho Hang ClubBalenciagaWINNER vs

Jil Sander Man IIIJil SanderRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Very ValentinoValentinoRUNNER-UP vs

Sonia RykielSonia RykielWINNER

1 person compared this today

Poseidon VictoriaInstituto EspañolRUNNER-UP vs

Guipure & SilkJeanne ArthesWINNER

1 person compared this today

Mrs. Sultan's Elixir 56The Dua BrandWINNER vs

ZafafiAthoor Al AlamRUNNER-UP

1 person compared this today

Common questions

Straight answers from the data above.

Which is better, Cuir de Russie Parfum or Tar?

Tar takes 5 of 7 categories. Cuir de Russie Parfum is rated 4.55/5 from 200 votes; Tar is rated 3.65/5 from 86 votes. Choose Cuir de Russie Parfum for a leather and aldehydic character. Wins on ratings & consensus and community sentiment. Best in winter, day or night wear. Choose Tar for a sweet and soft spicy character. Wins on longevity, sillage & projection and value for money. Best in winter, evening wear.

Which lasts longer, Cuir de Russie Parfum or Tar?

Tar lasts longest (Tar 85/100, Cuir de Russie Parfum 66/100), based on community performance votes.

Which projects more, Cuir de Russie Parfum or Tar?

Tar projects furthest (Tar 75/100, Cuir de Russie Parfum 63/100), based on community performance votes.

Do Cuir de Russie Parfum and Tar smell similar?

Clearly different: a 17% scent match on Fragranxe. Both share sweet accords. Common notes include Aldehydes, Ylang-Ylang and Tobacco.

Is Cuir de Russie Parfum or Tar better for summer or winter?

For summer, Tar is the stronger pick. For winter, Cuir de Russie Parfum is the stronger pick. Cuir de Russie Parfum suits day or night wear; Tar suits evening wear. Based on community season votes.

What are the notes in Cuir de Russie Parfum and Tar?

Cuir de Russie Parfum features Russian Leather, Aldehydes, Ylang-Ylang, Tobacco and Jasmine. Tar has top notes of Licorice, Star Anise, Aldehydes and Pineapple, heart notes of Smoke, Rum, Oregano and Cinnamon, a base of Caramel, Opoponax, Coffee and Agarwood (Oud).