Dark Room

The fragrance centers on a dark, fruity leather accord. You get an immediate hit of tangy raspberry paired with a sturdy, textured leather note. As it wears, this fruitiness softens, revealing a base of warm, resinous amber and sweet vanilla that lingers on the skin.

It can certainly serve as a signature for those who enjoy moody, slightly edgy scents. Because it balances leather and fruit, it works well for office wear if applied sparingly. However, its darker, amber-driven dry-down feels more natural for evening events or crisp autumn days than high-heat summer weather.

On my skin, it hits the moderate range, lasting about five to six hours. The initial leather and violet punch is strongest for the first hour, while the amber and vanilla base sticks closer to the body after that. You might need a midday touch-up if you are going straight from work to dinner.

The composition leans toward evening use. Its animalic and mossy undertones feel more at home in low light, especially during autumn or winter months. If you wear it during the day, it works best in a climate-controlled office or for casual coffee dates, where its moderate sillage won't overwhelm people.

The raspberry here feels more like a dark, concentrated fruit jam rather than a crisp, fresh berry. It provides a necessary pop of color against the heavy leather and cedar notes. While it is clearly perfumery-grade, it avoids that sharp, plastic quality found in some cheaper fruity scents.

If you are strictly a fan of light, citrus-forward, or aquatic fragrances, you will likely find this too heavy or dark. The leather and moss accords are prominent, and the vanilla base is quite sweet, which might turn off people who prefer crisp, green, or soapy profiles.

I would advise against wearing it in high heat or direct summer sun. The combination of amber, vanilla, and animalic leather can become cloying or feel sticky when the temperature rises. It thrives much better in cool, breezy, or even damp weather where the mossy base can truly shine.

It is marketed as unisex and fits that description well. The violet and raspberry lean slightly feminine in the opening, while the heavy leather and cedar structure provide a grounded, traditionally masculine edge. Ultimately, the scent relies on your personal chemistry to decide which notes pop the most.

The projection stays within arm's length for the duration of the scent. It creates a subtle aura rather than a room-filling cloud. This makes it a polite choice for close-contact occasions, like a first date or a quiet dinner, where you want to be smelled by someone nearby without announcing your arrival.

Given that it is a new 2024 release and sits in a more niche category, I recommend sampling first. Leather fragrances are notoriously polarizing. Wearing it for a few days in different weather will tell you more about how the cedar and moss interact with your skin than reading reviews ever will.