African Leather Memo Paris for women and men

Looking at the reminds me of on here & I'm seeing Parfums De Marly Layton??? ARE THEY FOR REAL??? Anyway I’ve had this for quite some time & as of today I’ve decided this one is about to start getting alot of wear being it reminds me of Two others I own, One being Tom Ford’s London & Amouage Overture Man..Maybe it’s the Cumin done so similar in all three..But everything else comes together so similar to me as well..This isn’t by any means a jab at this fragrance..I love them all & especially London & afraid to wear it in fear that I’ll never have it again..This one gets a lot of love & a lot more love from me all of a sudden!! If African Rose is as good as this Even it might be worth saving up for!!

what a beauty! It does lean masculine and it's quite spicy and not everyone's cup of tea I guess, but it is gorgeous!
such clean pretty notes of spices and woods, so perfectly blended, so warm while at the same time fresh and aromatic, just a masterpiece. I would only agree with reviewers below that the leather is not very prominent and I only find it coming through because I am sniffing for it. Have some other leathers lined up for sampling next, will be curious to compare.
Guys who loves spicy aromatic fragrances - this is to die for.

The best leather fragrance so far, spices and leather great combination

This smells more spicy than anything leather related. I like it, but not enough leather for me...but i do think that this could be a great signature fragrance for an older gentleman. Not bad, but not fully my cup of tea.

PS: Does anyone else think this smells like Terre D'Hermes, or is it just me?

I love leather fragrances and this may not deliver that much leather for a fragrance named African leather but it’s still enough to make me fall in love with this fragrance 🙏

Nobody can't tell me this doesn't smell similar to Boss bottled elixir in the mid to dry down.

Very spicy, this shouldn't be a blind buy. Quality of the ingredients and performance are great. But I wish this had a softer base to balance out those high octane spices. This is a fall/winter evening fragrance, but IMO there are better options especially given Memo's prices.

Had to write myself a Memo so I could remember what it was supposed to smell like after it all but disappeared after 3 hours

Smells like shit, don't blind buy.

This a fragrance you can give high remarks and appreciate, but not wanna own the full bottle. Just didn't see myself reaching for it.

I love the scent, it's dark and vintage smelling. I love frags like Antaeus and Guilty Absolute and Original 1974 Gentleman... so this falls right in there with that old dark leather, fougere or chypre category. But just not enough to wanna reach for it when I owned the bottle. So I sold it.

This not to say that African Leather is anyway inferior, it isn't. It smells unique and rich and has it's place for the right personality. Some reason this one just don't sit right on my skin and quickly got nose blind. But still like the smell and will speak highly of it.

Opening is a cardamom blast with saffron and cumin in the back, lasts quite a while before it dries down into a really beautiful leather.
Lovely change of pace in a dull and repetitive note in perfumery

African Leather is probably the most famous fragrance from the house of Memo, and I can understand why. This is a cardamom-based scent and overall I feel it’s done very well, it doesn’t convey luxury or exclusivity to me but it’s a nice fragrance and a fairly easy wear.

The cardamom is very smooth and warming, which combines with the sharper spiciness of cumin very nicely with sweet saffron running through them both - each in perfect balance. The leather is dark and soft, perpetuated by the brown earthiness of patchouli, Vetiver and an oud accord. I must say I have a lot of respect for Memo admitting when an our accord has been used rather than pretending to use real oud like a lot of houses do.

I like this scent, I’m enjoying my sample and I can see why this is popular. Would I buy a bottle? I don’t think so - mainly because it’s not my ideal sort of scent profile, but perhaps if it was more affordable I would consider it.

New batch found very weak performance, dissapointed :(

@Swayze123 I'm cryingggg bruh wtf is that guy saying?!?!

I'm still trying to decipher the last review

aimless and cruel. he is the old enemy, the new victim. someone with insatiable greed and works corporate wears this and believes he would break the ground in half and trespass the mountains in height but he brings nothing of value to the world despite his ego. If you didn’t remind me of him I would’ve loved you.

Opening is nauseating as many spicy dense winter fragrances are, but when the pesky saffron dissipates I am impressed by the leather dancing around the Oud, patchouli and vetiver in this one. Quite delicious in the dry down I must say

I have bought a sample 2 times and loved the first one i got. The second one had a really off putting sour/old odor to it. I got the info that it was the old formulation. Has anyone else experienced this or was it just something up with the sample I bought??

Just tried a newer batch and this has become a shadow of it's former glory. Almost unrecognisable.

Please sample a newer batch before commit to the full bottle.

So I was scrolling through SB one day, perusing the different leather scents, when I stumbled across this fragrance. I gave the note breakdown a quick once-over and thought "Eh, why not.". I had never heard of Memo Paris beforehand, so this was completely new territory for me. How funny that I started seeing YouTube reviewers talking about this one after I got it in hand; and they had good things to say about it. I finally got around to spraying it on today to give it a proper test drive. Here's how it went;

Scent:
Opening is warm, spicy, and leathery. The primary notes I get are cardamom, leather, cumin, and saffron. The strongest of the notes are the cardamom and leather. The cardamom in this fragrance is different from the typical designer cardamom notes; it's more natural and pungent (in a good way) like actual fresh cardamom spice. The leather note is also more natural feeling than typical designer leather; like a worn-in leather car seat (again, in a good way). This is followed by the cumin and saffron. The cumin continues the pungency trend with a very realistic spicy, bitter-sour note likened to what you would find in Mexican or Indian cuisine. Bringing up the rear is the saffron with its familiar soft, spicy, and powdery accord. The iris, like the rest of the notes mentioned, also feels very high quality and realistic. The dry down is warm, woody, and earthy. The primary notes I get are cardamom, patchouli, vetiver, and oud. The strongest of the notes are the cardamom and patchouli. The cardamom carries the same warm spiciness from the opening, while the patchouli hits center stage with woody earthiness. This patchouli is very organic and fresh, not the typical offering you get from designer fragrances. This is followed by the vetiver and oud. The vetiver helps to accentuatethe woody earthiness from the patchouli. The oud lingers in the background with its signature strong woodiness. It's not super funky as some niche ouds can be; it's very mellow and plays a supporting role to the other notes.

Performance:
Initial projection is nuclear and can fill a room. The sillage matches this intensity with an unmistakeable scent trail. After a few hours the projection was about arms length and the scent trail was still noticeable. I passed out for a while; when I woke up I had been wearing it for about 9 hours. At that point the projection was within arms length and there was still a slightly noticeable scent trail. Some of it probably rubbed off into the bed, so chances are the performance would be a little better at this point had I not been sleeping. This level of projection/sillage continued until about the 12 hour mark when it became a skin scent.

When to wear:
This is a fall/winter fragrance most suited for evening wear. This would be much too overpowering and loud for office wear, but would work very well as a date night fragrance. Just don't go too crazy with the sprays.

Blind buy:
If you like warm and spicy fragrances like Spicebomb but can appreciate earthiness as well, this would be a safe blind buy for you.

Final verdict:
It was very evident from the opening all the way through to the dry down that this was a high quality fragrance. The notes were pure and premium smelling, and the performance didn't disappoint. I don't really have anything critical to say about it other than it's a bit strong to have a versatility aspect to it; I can't see myself wearing it on too many occasions. Outside of that, it's fantastic. However, at it's price point it should be. I probably won't be picking up a full bottle just because it's more than I'd like to spend on something so situational, but I wouldn't dissuade anyone from making the purchase if it fits their needs.

Scent: 8/10
Longevity: 8/10
Sillage: 7/10

If Terre de Hermes and L'Air du Desert Marocain had a baby, it would be this.
It's one of those scents that I wish it was more radiant. It needs a bit more power and oomph to it. Overall, it is a nice scent.

This is fantastic stuff.

Cardamom, spice, wood and a bit of leather. Not enough leather to warrant it being in the name, but that is neither here nor there.

It is “beastly” but not obnoxiously so. Many big, heavy fragrances immediately make my wife and kids run to the hills (most Ouds, Dior Homme Parfum/Intense, Ombre/Tuscan Leather, etc.) but this one doesn’t. It is so well blended and the notes work so well together, it isn’t screechy, loud or in your face. It does project and lasts a very long time, which is almost contradictory.

This would be perfect for winter and colder fall nights.

About as perfect as it gets if you like this style.

My bottle is from 2023, so it is a recent batch.

This is a really beautiful scent. Full of spices, specially cardamom and saffron. The vetiver gives a minty fresh aspect that surprised me the most. The drydown has a very faint note of oud, leather and a really soft, fluffly musk. I guess this is better suited for a man, it is beautiful but I don't see myself wearing it. I need to buy a bottle for my husband...love this scent!

I bought it in the USA, excellent aroma, very shy trail, little longevity if only 2 hours with 10 sprays. I don't recommend it for the price.

With an enticing opening of spice, most notably cardamom and saffron, African Leather starts off strong, and up to this point is the most impressive of the Memo leathers I've sampled. It then veers into a pleasant, somewhat sweet cedar wood shavings and subsequently collapses into a feebly dry, mildly dank oud accord, with little in the way of leather beyond the abstract sense.

I can see how this would have some significant mainstream appeal.

This fragrance was made by french parfumer Alienor Massenet, idk why it's not mentionned on the website.

After having heard good things about Memo, a brand that is at least partially Irish, I bought a discovery set as an introduction to this house. Its leather collection seems to garner high praise, and African Leather is my first Memo to try. Despite the name, AL is not a leather-dominant scent to my nose. Instead, it is a woody-spicy scent, dry and aromatic, with a leather nuance in the base, perhaps thanks to the soft oud note.

AL opens with warm, peppery spice, initially savoury thanks to the prominent cumin and cardamom. Cumin can be a polarising note in perfume, but instead of being dirty, it is soft and peppery here. Some bergamot adds tart freshness up top, a nice counterpoint to the spice, but is fleeting and subtle. The spices become a little sweeter after a little while, with saffron paving the way to the amber base. Rich and aromatic, it is deeply pleasant and somewhat restorative here. The dry woods form the backbone of this scent, grounding the spices nicely while remaining in the background.

The woody accord becomes more prominent as the scent develops, with dry oud coming to the fore. It is not skanky or animalic, but adds a leather-like nuance to the base. I get peppery green geranium, adding light herbal freshness. The amber accord comes to the fore as this scent dries down, slightly balsamic, marrying seamlessly with the spices and woods. I get some labdanum here, also adding to the leather effect in the base. It becomes softly musky as it fades, with a soft sweetness evident alongside the spices that linger. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is a unisex, cold weather scent.

AL has less leather than its name suggests, but is a beautiful woody-amber scent made with high-quality ingredients. Well-blended throughout, it is rich and satisfying, its notes well-balanced. It remains dry throughout, but is never harsh - a common pitfall of dry leather scents. Quiet opulence. 4.5/5.

Definition of a warm spicy scent, starts off with cardamom, cumin and saffron. Dries down into almost the exact same scent but with some leather. Very little depth to this fragrance but that is fine for most people because it smells good, is unique compared to the average person, and has good projection and longevity, about 7-8 hours on my skin. However the asking price being over 200 euros is way too much for what you get. Worth it for some people but not for me in hindsight.
Described in 1 sentence: spices, spices, spices and is that a little leather is smell??
7,7/10

To me this is gorgeous stuff. I definitely walk a bit taller and feel like a boss when I'm wearing it. Not one for burying your nose directly into in the first 30 mins or so as its pretty strong, but in the air it is absolute magic. It gives me YSL Tuxedo vibes (ultimately different, but same wheelhouse) but as newer batches of that are so watered down and don't last more that 4 hours on me, I instead recommend AL to be your refined going out scent over that. I have a newer batch (new box design), but performance is still excellent and I get 8 hours + (maybe it was even better before?). I cant imagine you would ever run into someone else wearing this either, so you will absolutely stand out. I was late to the party but here now and loving it.

This is sweetened cardamom and patchouli. Leather is a misnomer. This should be called “African Spices.” The smell is a 10/10. Strong sillage bubble radiates a good distance. Performance is well above average.

That price is scary, yes, but I have to say this is a masterpiece. This is as good as it gets.

I would highly, highly suggest to only wear this in the cold weather. And it definitely doesn’t need to be oversprayed.

My initial test wear, I've been going back and forth over the question of it's full bottle worthiness. It's VERY spicy,and it can be a bit of a screechy spiciness. A spicy Leather. The cumin manifests in the opening, and I hate cumin. But the cumin isn't that bad here, and subsides into the drydown anyway. It becomes basically a pleasant scent in the drydown, but the persisting high-pitched spiciness seems to irritate at times. I think if I avoid direct sniffs of my wrists and just let it diffuse in the air, it will be more pleasant.

This was a catch and release. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice fragrance, but I heard it was a cardamom bomb and holy cow that’s no joke. It’s sweet and spicy, and easy to like.. but it’s too strong for my taste and I’d never have enough occasions to wear it. I have other frags I’d only wear on rare occasion already that scratch that itch, I’m not trying to collect that genre personally.

Enormous projection, very good performance. This is perfect for a night out especially clubbing, a concert or a bar that needs something to cut through the funk. You’ll get compliments, and it’s a pretty unique fragrance from what I’ve smelled, I would just rather someone else enjoy it instead of me letting it sit on my shelf.

My go to scent for day to day, perfectly distinct whilst also being loved by everyone. Huge compliment getter and long lasting but I do have a 2020 or 2021 batch so cannot comment on current state. 10/10 beautifully blended

This is a masterpiece to me. I can’t stop smelling it, it projects and lasts for ages. It’s warm and spicy with a hint of very masculine sweetness. As for leather, well, overall the scent it smells to me like some type of a leathery coat. This is something I will be buying over and over again.

Je ne comprends pas les gens qui le comparent avec parfum de Marly Layton le covid a tué votre nez 🤦
African leather ressemble énormément a Célèbes wood mizensir Alberto morillas !!

The opening reminds me of wood chips I put in my hamster cage. The dry down smells like my hamsters about to go on a date though

I’ve been looking for a complex scent without any vanilla or strong sweetness and this was exactly what I needed. Out of a haul of samples of 14 or so niche scents this and Tony Iommi Monkey were the only ones that felt full bottle worthy and distinctive enough.

Dry vegetation, spices and wood create an inviting palate. The cardamom adds warmth without being sugary and the patchouli and vetiver give it some lasting power. Leather is not really prominent despite the name. Cumin is listed in the notes but I don’t really get it or it’s blended so well it doesn’t bother me (I hate the cumin note in Spice Bomb Extreme). Doesn’t smell like something I smell very often. If you like Tauer Au Coeur du Desert this will probably appeal as well while being a bit warmer and less like spices.

Lasts decently long with moderate projection. I feel it is distinct enough to warrant the price if you can get it on sale.

The drydown on this is everything. Less harsh than Tauer, it's something you want to live forever on a cashmere sweater. It's like cardamom has been heated gently in a pan. The cumin gives a eastern without being overpowering. This is a masterpiece. Just warm and soothing.

When I first started my fragrance journey, I soon found La Nuit Le L'Homme and was very impressed! But kind of like dating, you wonder if your current favorite is "the one". So, you carry on hoping that one day you will find that fragrance that on first smell you have no doubt - and then I discovered African Leather!! This IS the one!! It is the most well blended frag, just heavenly cardamom - one that you know your confidence level will skyrocket by wearing it. Just know this - if you wear this one don't take it lightly. You will have to act worthy and live up to being as awesome as you smell!

As someone who is new to the world of niche fragrances this fragrance is very interesting. I ordered samples of different oud fragrances off of Twisted Lily and found I am not a huge fan of oud. However, out of the ones I did try (including Aoud Vanille and Red Tobacco from Mancera and Xerjoff's Alexandria II) this is the one I like the most. The oud here smells much less sour and sanitizer-like to me. This is especially surprising since I do not like earthy fragrances much in general. For now I am still a little put off by the smell of oud but I think with some more time I will come to really enjoy this fragrance. For now though I don't think I can rate it higher than ok.

Very opulent. Juicy at the start and spicy&minty a little leathery afterwards. Very unique and amazing as a signature scent imo. It’s the type of smell I would associate with a true confident person who knows who they are and what they want. It’s not really heavy or animalic as some people say unless you spray too much which I don’t recommend. Two sprays is more than enough to smell like a boss and leave a beautiful sillage behind you. Smells undoubtedly expensive,even a person who knows nothing about fragrances will tell you that. More suitable for ages 30+ though.

A spicy, woody, leathery, and hint of sweetness fragrance great for cold nights and has a strong longevity of approx 10 hours for me, and above average silage.

There is a oil version of this fragrance. Is anyone tried ? Is it better? Stronger?
A feed back will be appreciated
Thanks

It reminds me of Naxos, but it's not as vibrant or intense. I appreciate its longevity and the fact that I can catch whiffs of it as I go around. A pleasant scent, but without the wow factor for me.

Very good comforting leather scent, will be buying this one.

I don't get a strong leather feel from this one but I really enjoy the scent. Very spicy and dense with good projection. I wouldn't wear this one to the office unless you are inking the big deal. This screams for attention. Not my best sell job, but a very nice profile. This is 100% masculine.

guys... this is definitely not unisex. male perfume. but I love it. very sexy

Spicy and peppery, a bit green, slightly sweet, and dirty leather. Not my type of scent, but there's something about it that makes me keep smelling it. I wouldn't wear it, but it would be pleasant to smell in the air on other people.

Bonus: projection and longevity is outstanding

A masterpiece!
The explosion of cardamom and saffron based on dirty leather!
What a wonderful scent.. i can't stop smelling it. But this perfume is not for everyone. It requires its own personality and usually people have feelings of love or hate to it.
scent: 9.5
performance: 8

African Leather is a polarizing fragrance that most people either love or hate. If you read Memo Paris's description of African Leather and smell the fragrance, I think a great job was done in tying the scent to being on vacation on Safari in Africa. Without the backstory, most people would consider this fragrance too challenging, but the package is complete when you add the story to the fragrance. African Leather opens strong, bitter, and somewhat harsh but has an exciting oud and musk combo that is always detectable. The heart develops a little bit of floral sweetness but always remains challenging. Once the fragrance fully settles, you have this very interesting blend of spices that I am not familiar with, but they smell fantastic almost chocolate in quality. Performance is above average. Overall, it provides a good wearing but requires a lot of chutzpah to pull off.

Literally this is a raw dirty metallic dusty patchouli coffe beans ,spicy cumin cinnmal animalic cedarwoody leathery vanillic composition, interesting, but lacks beauty elements

6/10

This is a perfect fragrance. Literal masterpiece. There is a spicy buttery leather saffron open. Spicy like cinnamon. It’s really good and manly. Very alluring

What a unique scent.
Im a petite feminine boy, however, wearing this emediatly felt like i was was wrapped around a cluster of burly strong men with spears a la game of thrones style, ready to protect.

Leather, cardemum and hay, musk.. its such a manly scent yet so soft and safe. Wow.

I see many people who think this is "Layton esq" and I couldn't agree more. Out of the fragrances I own that one definitely has the most in common with African Leather. Take the blue-ness of Layton, make it vere green, ramp up the cardamom and then add a modest leather accord and this is what you'd have. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! Can't recommend it highly enough. Take my word for it and get your nose on this one.

This was a love at first sniff for me!!! discovered it had a clone and i got that too.

Now i use my 30% African Leather bottle as my back up and the clone my go to bottle...i followed @pshopper1180 's strategy

Bought one of the Memo-discovery sets on sale. Have only tried African Leather and O.M.G!!! This is genious. Simple as that. Can't stop smelling my arm. It's complex but extremely well put-together. YUM!

Beyond sexy! To me, this smells like brown liquor, saffron, cardamom and Dr. Pepper. Reminds me of a smoother, sexier, Animale Animale! Top 10 favorite for me!

I can’t stop smelling this one. It’s beautiful.

This is close to the one for me. Absolute sleeper wow fragrance. I sprayed a sample amongst others on the same day, and kept being compelled to hover my nose over the spot where I sprayed the sample all night long. Just so I could breathe in the complex beautifulness. I bought a bottle the following day.

There is a definite leather opening, which fades into a more layered and intriguing Terre D'Hermes. Woody sweetness, cozy, masculine. Fire.

A masterpiece despite the misnomer in the name, as leather is not very prominent. The woodiness in particular standouts and is unique, although that could be said about the entire journey of this cologne. I would say this is for 35+ year old man, but of course, anyone is able to enjoy it - but not everyone will. Pairs well with my tailored leather jacket.

Warm fumes of cumin, dense labdanum accord with that vetiver, imagine a busy market in the desert, sandy, sunny, dusty, dry, scent of spices in the breeze. Really well done blend of warm and cold spices, the warmth dominates, dusty pacthouli saffron and leather, and a touch of bergamot to balance that fresh subtle sweetness, to my nose the cumin and cardamom come through more, don't get too much oud, but there's an earthy accord, robust, strong and refined, touch of amber flare. Beautiful use of spices with a heart of leather. Profound work of perfumery on this entire Cuirs Nomades line, kudos to the nose Ms Alienor Massenet.

Selling my bottle, ~60ml, with box. Send a message if intrested

This perfume is an explosion of spices from the opening to the finish. They could have named it "African Spices." I am not able to detect the leather; maybe some others can, but this is definitely not a leather-focused perfume if you are looking for one. However, this perfume shines with spices. It smells dense and thick in the opening and very strong. In the dry down, it opens up, and it smells divine. This is perfect for a cold day or night, but don't even think about wearing it in the summer unless you want to choke someone to death.

Overall: 9/10

EDIT(01/23/2024): After owning this for months, I can easily say that this the best spices oriented perfume I have ever smelt. I change my rating to 10/10. A fu*king masterpiece.

Looks like in 2023, its refurmolated where cumin note is toned down and made to be mass appealing, performance is reduced and its also repacked from Leathet box to Paper box.

JosephFragrance... little too much presumption in calling that hackneyed drivel humor. While AL may not deliver on the namesake leather to some folks liking, the cardamom, saffron and geranium and the overall blend of this concoction carry this fragrance to a level of prestige and class that isn't found in many others. This truly can be a signature scent, and is the epitome of smelling contemporary yet classic. Uber masculinity exudes from the wearer.

Finally got my hands on it and.......hang on just a second.......hold the phone........is it just me or does African Leather bear more than just a passing resemblance to Roja Dove Oligarch? Oligarch has more-up-top, so to speak, heavier on the tart-citrus-fruity-smoky vibes, whereas African Leather is dialled back on the citruses leaning more into the woody-spicy-leathery-earthy tones but the overall character of both is essentially in the same ball park. After a few more wearings I have also realized it has sufficient similarities to Guerlain Homme Intense in pretty much everything but the rum note.

African Leather is a lovely fragrance and I agree it does exude class and sophistication in a modern-classical style. Unfortunately, so do Oligarch and Guerlain Homme Intense (or Homme Eau De Parfum as it is nowadays) so I honestly feel deflated in so much as I now have three fragrances that are sufficiently similar, at least one of them could be redundant. However.....it occurs to me that each of these three display their own seasonal focus where Oligarch fits Spring and early Summer, Homme Intense suits Summer long wear and then the more austere African Leather would be perfect for Autumn. This is just my impression of these and may not align with others' opinions of them but hey, such is the subjectivity of fragrance. 😁

The opening is very leathery and almost smells like an animal. After about 10 minutes, it turns into a beautiful, warm scent that keeps a little bit of the leather but with some spices and woodiness. It’s honestly incredible.

How has no one else mentioned the powder accord in this? To me it smells like a spicy baby powder after the initial opening dissipates. The late dry down is very reminiscent of Terre d’Hermes, however. Not a bad smell at all, but it’s not the sexy leather scent I was hoping for. Smells very classy and gentlemanly, perfect for casual dinners or formal occasions. I give it a 7.5/10

At opening it has a strong cooling sensation akin to eucalyptus, which I am assuming is the cardamon. This caught me off guard bc i was expecting a warm/spicy scent. I can see why some maybe put off by it, however the cooling mist starts to wear off over time and it leaves you with spices and leather that smells like older style suede. For some reason it gives me strong naxos vibes in a way it reminds of waxy lip balm.

It opens very spicy, almost nose-tingling, very pronounced pure cardamom, accompanied by bitter geranium and a sweet saffron that to my surprise I can distinguish well. I sniff it and it reminds me of something I don't recognize, but it is a sign that this perfume, unlike others from the house, is designed to appeal to the masses, rather than representing an artistic virtuosity intended for a few enthusiasts: it traces at least in part the groove outlined by many designer fragrances, albeit revealing itself to be more sophisticated. The leap goes from the opening to the base, or perhaps the heart of the composition merges and blends with what precedes and follows it; a well-blended, open, sunny scent emerges, where I barely distinguish leather, while a beautiful, very long-lasting bergamot peeps out. In short, I find neither leather nor Africa in this African Leather, but there is certainly a nice, sparkling, tickling mix of energy-giving spices. We didn't get it right this time, Memo. It can happen. I would have liked you to let me travel in my imagination to exotic destinations and be able to tell about it, while I just got a headache. On me the projection is limited, while the duration is over eight hours.

Soundtrack: the Monday morning alarm clock

An 85% clone of Tiger Balm, though with more cardamom and a hint of leather. Very medicinal. Stay with Tiger Balm. It’s cheaper and might actually relieve some muscle aches at the same time.

My best leather fragrance of all time, so good I bought 3 bottles. I also now found a clone called Afro by Maison Alhambra for a fraction of the price of this original, I bought 3 of the clone as well. I wear these morning, after, evening during any season. An absolute must for a serious collector.

#272 in my "Tour de Fragrance"

As leather scents go, this isn't very leathery, but it is unique in the category. Very different from the dozen or so leather scents I already have in that the oud actually stands taller than the leather. I get a vague similarity to Lattafa Oud Mood Elixir which I also have, but that scent is more powder and musk than anything else. The Pathchouli and Spice note in this are just yummy! I've maybe used that Lattafa scent twice since I acquired it. This Memo Paris scent is something I will happily reach for every day, and now, dammit, I feel compelled to start collecting the entire line.

For those saying this smells like Layton, I understand. I believe it’s the cardamom. This however, has no vanilla and very little sweetness if at all..and the cardamom is turned up to 11. So imagine Layton with no vanilla, double the dose of cardamom, and add a moderate dose of saffron and yes, they may be in the same vein. This is an extremely spicy blast off the top but in a very sexy/seductive way. Definitely for a night out in the winter or colder weather. This level of cardamom and saffron almost come off in an animalic/wild way (I’m trying very hard to ignore the marketing with that being said, I can’t help but to connect the dots). For me it’s an excellent sharp/spicy fragrance for the first 30 minutes, but after that I almost start to fatigue a bit from how potent the sharpness is. This is one that I appreciate but so far has been a wear that I struggle with after a few hours, I love the smell but after a while my stomach regrettably starts to tell me otherwise. I do find it very polarizing as well, some people around you will most likely hate it, which makes it most likely unsafe for work imo. Im sure if I keep wearing it I won’t struggle with it as much, but this may be too intense for some and I honestly don’t find this one realistically wearable in 90% of life’s situations. Amazing and beautiful, can be seductive with the right people, but challenging and not so versatile in my initial impressions out of 2 2ml samples. My opinion may change on this, but as of now this is one I really appreciate more off a test strip than on my body. Definitely wear with the upmost confidence and best to wear in situations where you won’t give a damn if it drives the people around you away.

Scent- 8.5/10
Performance- 9.25/10
Versatility- 3/10

@Fuder95 You are absolutely right. Literaly skin scent after few hours and non existant after 6 hours for new botles.

No one mentions this is a smoother, richer, longer lasting terre d hermès. Could be cheaper. I think it’s worth it if you already love TdH but you think it doesn’t perform or you look into something of the same dna for the colder seasons or you want to upgrade to a “nicher” version.. it’s just as classy though. Normal noses probably won’t notice a change. It’s a selfish satisfaction… i personally prefer this “deluxe TdH” vers.

This fragrance is inspired by Africa and to me the selection of notes represents Africa smartly: A combination of spicy notes, leather, earthy, and woody. This combination has some elements from wildlife (leather) and African nature (earthy, woody, warm spicy). Although the fragrance is presented as a leather fragrance and even the name includes the "leather" word, it is not a leather-dominant fragrance. This fragrance can be considered a spicy or woody fragrance and even an "oud" fragrance. The saffron is a key player here and masterfully balances with other notes. Another interesting point is that, instead of using a famous and boring oud-rose combo, the fragrance uses an oud-geranium combo, to keep the audience of that category. geranium is kind of a dirtier format of rose.
Something to consider
It is very different in a blotter paper than skin
It has a very high projection at the beginning that quickly goes down after about an hour or less. Don't judge its performance right after spraying, it will lose its strength after about an hour.
The price to me is a negative point.
8/10

It’s really something beautiful, it reminds me little bit of Layton

@Fuder95 - Nope, you're talking crap.

Still get 12+ hours with the newer bottles, absolute nonsense from that review.

Man I own like 20 fragrances of all types and colors but this thing is MONEY 💰

CARE guys, new batches come in a book shaped box, with map printed inside is very very weak performance, if you see these batches, pass by and dont look back, you will be disappointed as I am right now, now scent still the same, I had the old batch, but performance is trash literally skin scent for almost 300 dollars, i would suggest you buy 3 spice bomb extreme instead if you are so stubborn and want some spices with a bit of vanilla in the base....

Okay so straightup, this a nice smelling fragrance and reminds me a lot about Détour Noir Al Haramain Perfumes, Hommage a l'homme Voyageur Lalique, Bois & Vetiver Pascal Morabito, and Layton.

There's this panache undertone to AL Memo Paris, and it stays on my skin for a very decent length of time. So is it a great smelling fragrance? Absolutely. Will I buy it? Maybe not, and that's simply because I have all 4 of those smell-alikes mentioned above.

Overall, I'd rate it a good 8.5/10

I totally don't agree, that it's masculine perfume - it's absolutely unisex. Nice and interesting combination - heavy on spices, but at the same time... there is something clean in it! After wearing it for a while, I decided, that it reminds me spicy soap. Do not get any leather, spices are really well balanced, none of the notes shouts out loudly. Is it FBW - not sure, as my collection is too big already, but I definitely will enjoy my decant during upcoming fall!

Yeah. This is my leather scent now. I've been searching, this is it.

I tried to go through my emails to populate a list of the 10ish leather scents I've tried throughout the years. Unfortunately, I'm lazy, and don't feel like sifting through the 16,000 emails lingering in my inbox because advertising is outta control. I digress... I can say that I've sampled this, the Irish Leather from Memo as well, and Red Moon by Hermetica. I purchased Red Moon a few years ago, and while it's a great scent, it's a more assertive cologne, meaning one spray will have quite a large sillage and longevity, which is great, however the scent leans more towards synthetic than natural. It's also very, very leather forward.

This African Leather is the cologne I wish I bought instead. The leather is definitely there, and while it's a star of the show, it's not hogging the light. It feels like there's ~5 stars to this scent, and each have a relevant purpose to the performance. It's very nice. I pick up something sweet, but not like a blast of fruits, and it pairs well with some other scent that's adding freshness. There's also a slight masculine smell that makes me think it's musk, granted I've never smelled "just musk." Then there's the leather. I know that's four, and not ~five, but I'm sure people with better noses than I could pick it all apart. It all really compliments one another. I wonder if the leather is actually adding some sweetness? Like how tobacco does at times? Or maybe it's because the leather is more on the neutral/tame side?

The point is... If you're looking for a leather scent that isn't like throwing a freshly stitched horse's saddle, or a leather jacket that you've worn in the sun all day, on your face, then you should definitely check this out. I like the formulation and how it all comes together. I think it's very well done. I prefer colognes that have a kind of... smooth, creaminess, or silkiness to it, if that makes sense? Like it's been blended. This cologne has that. I'm actually impressed it even has some freshness to it too. I wouldn't think you could manage a leather scent to be fresh as well.

I usually hate Leather fragrances BUT THIS...This is a sweet, Spiced, leather good year round that performs all day. Barely smell any leather. 10/10.

This is my second comment on this fantastic perfume:

Try "Afro" from Alhambra (House of LATTAFA) which I got recently , it's almost identical. A serious clone or take on or inspiration (call it whatever you like), for a fraction of the price; and thank me later.

By the way, I don't find a similarity of this one with the gorgeous l'Air du Desert Marocain which I have. This one is more bright, less spicy and more polyvalent

Peace

Very warm and sweet leather. A surprisingly unusual combination.
Strong patchouli and cumin. More towards India than Africa if we address the spice part.
I can`t smell any cardamom- I grind fresh cardamom for my coffee- this thing here is not it.
There is bitter geranium and some oud. Some positive citrus...
Overall- I did not expect this.
Based on dozens of leather perfumes I expected the usual cold leather, but this is a very warm, cozy, spicy scent.
Very interesting.

Beast mode 2021 batch

To me this smells 80% like Angel man?!
I smell patchouli a bit of citrus but absolutely no leather.
Its just a subtle version of Angel.

Spicy, woody, dry aromatic, that falls in the same realm as Tauer's LDDM. It is nice, but not as good as LDDM IMHO.

@Hentay I'll tell you why no-one has mentioned Beau de Jour yet. It smellls nothing like it. Go see an ENT specialist.

If you are looking for a dark fougere scent with barbershop undertones then you will find this very acceptable. It is animalic and heavy, masculine and rich. The leather is prominent, along with its spicy undertones.
You do not get too much of a change on the drydown and it is long lasting. I bought a small bottle to try, and notedthat just 3 squirts would be more than sufficient.
Not a summer scent though. You could pull it off as eveningwear I suppose, and it will turn heads.
I do have to add that I think I have been spoiled by Nishane’s different leathery and animatic scent offerings, which are better than this. However, African Leather, for me, was a very good buy.
Rating:8/10

Have both BDJ and AL. Neither remind me of the other, to be honest.

So this is spicy version of Irish Leather. Not the best leather out there but I get it. It smells leathery, dense and of course dry like an African desert. Performance average on my skin

I, as well as many of you, purchased a sample of this by watching videos on YouTube. At first with I thought to myself “this smells like a hamster cage!” I thought that was very strange. What’s even stranger is I kind of liked the way it smells. It definitely African. Definitely wild like safari. I would not wear this in the summertime. This stuff is incredibly powerful. I don’t know if I would purchase a full bottle of this after trying it on my skin I found it to be a bit cloying even on a cold winter day in Louisiana. They are some perfumes that just last forever example tom Ford ombre leather. You must be careful with those because you might like them but you need to love them to buy them because when you spray them on if you get tired of them, you’ll just wanna go take a shower and get it off. African leather is one of those perfumes.

Best smelling leather scent to me. Liked it more than Irish Leather.
Very dry heat with a hint of spices.
Amazingly strong performance.

Are there any Romanian fragrance aficionados around? To me, this one smells like Carmol. To non-Romanians: Carmol is a medicinal lotion against pain and fever.

Thank god, I get no cumin at all. This is a spritzy lemon over soft spiced suede. Gorgeous and bright and comfortable at the same time. As it dries I get more coriander with the lemon, that really give this a nice uptwist. It's soft and a bit sheer, but I'm loving it.

First blast of saffron, strangely salty and the slightest bit aquatic... interesting! It's like a leathery deodorant floral smell. Very interesting mix of notes, gorgeous scent. Lightly spicy and woody, then leathery and floral at the same time, always with that sharp cardamom zing floating on top. Excellent signature scent for a man, it's intriguing. Would make me want to investigate the bearer of this scent a little more. Masculine and would suit all weather.

One of the greatest scents I’ve ever gotten my nose on! PERIOD.

Just tested this on the back of my hand.
Soft and sophisticated. Not a leather monster like Tuscan Leather/Ombre leather kind of leather.
What puzzles me is the fact that 209 people here get similarities with L'Air du Desert, an heavy church incense amber based fragrance. The only thing they share is a bit of Cumarin and Vetiver.

Like WGG here below.
I guess he get's lots of Amber because he claims this to be very close to CK Euphoria Amber Gold. I never tested the later, so I can not comment on that either. The thing is, it wouldn't be the first time I get completely off track with reviews on Fragrantica.
If you dislike The Andy Tower Masterpiece, like me, just don't dismiss African Leather like I almost did.

I don't rate fragrances after one wearing. Not even a few wearings. Also I don't rate a fragrance that I don't own. I may comment on it but don't rate it.
African Leather is probably the most populair Memo Paris fragrance and what I can say from this one spray I put on this morning, it does project pretty much.

I bought recently my first Memo Paris Italian leather, the one that stood out the best for me when I first tested 4 of their leather offerings, including African Leather. But putted the samples aside, because no way I was going to spend 225 € on one fragrance.
Last March though, I saw many on sale with substantial discounts, so I grabbed my test strips and Italian leather was still observable on paper, some 6-8 months later. The other 3 were dead. So it was an easy choice. Today I went testing African leather, just to make sure it doesn't smell too much like Tuscan Leather/Ombre leather/Godolphin. I love those but have far too many in that style. It is not, so it will stay on my short list. I have no idea for how long. But first I want to enjoy Italian Leather a bit longer.

Does anyone else get a more animalic/raw/masculine YSL Tuxedo vibe from this?

Very dry/spicy creation. If you had to put every fragrance into 1 of 10 categories then this would be in the same group as LDDM. They are definitely 2 different fragrances though, like Aventus vs Cedrat Boise.. same category but that’s where the similarities end.

Does anyone know who created this fragrance? I cannot find it anywhere.

Spicy, woody, dry, slightest sweetness. L'Air du Desert crossed with Royal Oud and a soupcon of Egoiste. These are among my favourites, this has become one too. Performance is good (but not great). Those looking for leather might be disappointed - I didnt get any - but this is really good, with the price reachable for a niche fragrance.
4/5
Update: Its been bugging me - but this is close to CK Euphoria Amber Gold. Except CKEAG has more power. And justifiably carries a 4.58 rating on Fragrantica. If you love African Leather and you see a bottle of Amber Gold - now very rare - snap it up immediately.

Had the chance to try the entire leather collection from this house today and gotta say I was quite disappointed by basically all of them, the only one that I could bear was Iberian Leather but it wasn’t interesting enough for me to want to take a sample home from the store.
Leather fragrances are my absolute favourite but these unfortunately just didn’t give me enough of it. The whole line smells like “rich man” in a way that I consider a bit stereotypical and “been there done that”… there’s definitely a market for it, but I was hoping for something either more realistic or more artistic. These fell somewhere in the “safe” commercial zone for me.

This is something i love the smell of, but don’t want to smell like…if that makes sense.

To my nose, it’s pure nostalgia. It reminds me of when i was a kid and i would go to the playground in the summer. It smells like the hot wood chips in the play areas.

I don’t get any leather, whatsoever. I don’t know why this is even labled as a leather fragrance. The oud in here isn’t dirty or animalic either, it just adds a darkness and a smokiness.

I love reading the reviews for this one and seeing so many others enjoying it. I do hope however those new to fragrances don’t mistake all of our passion for this fragrance as it being universally loved. It is divisive generally and many struggle to find an appropriate situation to wear it, even among those that love it. It’s leather accord is more abstract then most will be used to and it can take a full day’s wear to appreciate all of its intricacies.

Having said that, this concoction of dry warm spices can be absolutely intoxicating once it’s tamed. And as far as that tricky wearability I alluded to, I’ve found the shoulder season of fall and spring to be absolutely perfect to use in both casual and romantic setting but it can be worn in high heat with conservative sprays and layered during winter (hello Xerjoff starlight).

Just know it doesn’t fully reveal itself in a typical 2ml tester so if you’re able, decants make for a better introduction. And if it’s not for you, don’t sweat it. Be thankful you didn’t fall in love with a rather expensive fragrance. I’m just glad it’s for my nose.

I was glad to see that others though this was slightly reminiscent of LAdDM. I thought so too. In a much less forward way. A lighter and easier to wear version but just as lovely and complex. I do NOT agree that cardamom is the most heavy note on my skin. Its a dry paper, leather and woody scent with some spiciness mixed in that gives me the impression of being aged and antique in some way. I love it but I adore LAdDM so I likely won't get this. Another great scent from a house that I think produces amazing scents!

Spicy cardamom with amber sweetness in the leather accord, and a base of vetiver oil. A bold signature scent that fits into many categories. The formulation strength is perfect. I picture an African man sitting in the shade on a hot day; His dark skin is cool and dry. There is something relaxed about this fragrance, despite all the jazz going on. The iconography is unparalleled.

Rich smell , lots of compliments.. love it . My master piece

i got the similarities to ivory route instantly, its like a stronger version of it with more clarity like you can differenciate the notes better, theyre slightly sharper etc, ivory route is more of a powdery super smooth blend where it becomes difficult for me to differenciate the notes, hence its more feminine whereas african leather is pungent and masucline but the similarity is uncanny

Beautiful spicy scent ! Wow . This is even effective as a relaxing aroma just before you go to bed . Really this is alluring . Got a decant from Scentsplit.com but really tempted to buy a whole bottle .

I’ve been searching for a perfect Cardamom and saffron fragrance that has a bit of earthy or patchouli notes in it. This is that scent. It’s so perfect. I regret not buying this ages ago.
Intoxicating spices of smooth Cardamom, saffron and leather to add depth. This is stunning. If you love ivory route or l'air du desert marocain, this will be an easy reach

This scent is a dry heat, spicy with depth but no sweetness. This is a very unisex scent. the leather note is surprisingly wearable. I layered this with Room Service with Vilhelm, this overrode it, but the fruitiness from that softened this, with African leather being dominant. the leather remains present throughout the life of the scent, but always mixed with spices. I wore this to class and found it comfortable for daily life/ metro travel, etc.

AFRICAN LEATHER is a warm and spicy scent with a subtle leather touch. This fragrance has a rich, natural aroma with hints of woods, herbs, and spices.

The presence of Limonene, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, and Linalool give a fresh and slightly citrusy scent with hints of lavender. Additionally, the presence of Hexyl Cinnamal, Coumarin, and Cinnamyl Alcohol give AFRICAN LEATHER a warm and spicy aroma, with hints of cinnamon and vanilla.

However, the dominant note in AFRICAN LEATHER is the leather scent. The fragrance has a leathery aroma that is earthy and natural, with hints of woods and herbs.

Overall, AFRICAN LEATHER leans towards a masculine scent due to the dominant leather note and subtle spicy tones.

I hate cumin. I’m hit or miss on leather. But this.. is amazing. Strong projection, long lasting, and fantastic aromatic spices.
It’s really a cardamom bomb through and through. The cumin is there, deep in the background and not BO scented at all. Leather is a struggle to find. It’s really cardamom, some saffron which usually smells like leather in a way, but not so much here, and maybe some patchouli bringing it together? Very nice. I bought the 10ml from memo, and will probably buy a FB once it’s done. Very nice scent, thank goodness I don’t get much cumin in it.

Oh gawd! Love at first sniff! This is what I wanted Tauer"s LDDM to be. It is a sweet leather version of it, and it is snifftacular! It's incredibly complex. I get so many notes in this at different times throughout the wear. Sometimes its a sweet waft of cardamom, other times it's a spicy cumin, and other times it's a dark leather from an Elephant hunter's bag seasoned with earth and blood. The presentation is also great. They really did the work to give you a "memo" from an African journey. It even includes a postcard on the front of the box. I've been wearing this for 1 hr now, and it's already on my top 5 shelf, beating out some much more expensive contenders. I can't comment on the performance yet, but my 30yr experienced nose can assure you its very good. I'll be burning through this pretty quickly. It's simply intoxicating.

It's so strange, I normally hate leather fragrances but this one is fantastic, and it still smells leathery. There's a weird mix of scents that just seems to work. I couldn't quite place everything I smelled so I came here for the notes and not to my surprise there's like a million listed lol. 5/5 for me.

Jus an amazingly beautiful scent. Deep, rich leather with cardamom and cumin giving it a spicy touch. A whiff of citrus balances it out perfectly. I’m a fan of a lot of fragrances from Memo Paris and this one’s the best, no question. If u can find it cheap, go for it. You won’t regret it

I recently tested an African leather perfume, and I must say, I am absolutely in love with it. The fragrance is a perfect blend of warm and exotic notes that truly capture the essence of Africa.
The leather scent is rich and deep, with just the right amount of spice and sweetness to create a truly unique and captivating fragrance. The perfume is long-lasting and doesn't overpower, making it perfect for both everyday wear and special occasions.
What I appreciate most about it is that it is made with natural, high-quality ingredients.
Overall, I highly recommend this African leather perfume to anyone who wants to experience the rich and exotic scents of Africa beautifully and uniquely. It truly is a special fragrance that will leave you feeling confident and uplifted.

This reminds me of Dusk to Dawn, but it's weaker. I gave my Dusk to Dawn bottle to my fiance because I didn't see myself feeling good wearing this and I will say the same for African Leather except I don't have a full bottle. What's different with this one is the oud, and this does not go far in terms of performance. But it's still very good. This projects quite strongly and will leave an excellent scent trail. This fragrance is actually underrated in my opinion. It's spicy, cinnamony, and warm. I like how this smells a lot. I would just prefer this on a woman's skin. The opening for the first 5 seconds is not the best. You immediately smell the dank oud, but after that, the oud relaxes and it's bliss. This is a really good scent.

Below commenter, african leather came out 2015 PLRC came out 2017. Get your facts straight.

Opens fresh and spicy, I get the cardamom and cumin straight away, they are just lovely, prominent but not overdone. A very fine leather soon follows, it sits below the spices and I’m a little surprised by how it’s quite restrained - it’s true that this is more a spicy fragrance than a leather one. The leather is anchored to vetiver, saffron and a light touch of oud which creates an earthy vibe. Perhaps this conjures up impressions of the hot, dry, African soil.
For me the light florals emerge late into the dry down to envelope and lift the spicy, earthy base - this is gorgeous and comes as a very pleasant surprise.
Eventually there remains this comforting, nostalgic soapy smell of old fashioned soap bars, reminiscent of the brand Imperial Leather. I love that.
Longevity and projection are modest, it’s no beast.
The fragrance has been described by some as “old school” and I wish this wasn’t perceived as a perjorative term, meaning outmoded - I think “classic” is a preferable description, meaning that’s it’s stood the test of time.
Nobody ever calls Mozart or Beethoven “old school” music!
This is “classic” perfumery at its finest.

My bottle arrived today; I’m really loving this one. The spices hit immediately and are strong and very masculine, yet I don’t feel that it’s overpowering at all. It’s more like “assertive and confident.”

If the longevity proves to be good, this will be used frequently.

another from my sample set, purchased at zgo brick and mortar
this isn't a bad cologne, and i really wanted to like it but it just never happened for me. i love cardamom in colognes and thought this would be another great addition
smells like a dirty dog if you tried to mask its smell by putting baby powder on it. or like an old stale/expired spice cabinet

not the worst thing i've smelled just very disappointing.

One of the best winter fragrances ever made. For me is more spicier than leathery. In my opinion Cardamom, saffron, bergamot, geranium and leather are bold notes on it. Combination of this notes is very masculine gentle and beautiful. Also I receive some classic vibe’s.
Scent: 9
Longevity: 8
Projection: 8
Age: +35

this is how I expect Tarzan in leather jacket smells like. last above 6h, decent projection but cant justify the overprice tag.

I’m torn on this. I got a decant and the opening, to me, is quite lovely and unique. However, on me the dry down smells common…as in not worth the price. Probably just my nose but it almost smells like vanilla after a while. Overall it’s a fantastic scent but I’m still debating on it because of the price.

Brutal and dirty perfection. If You like Layton Exclusif Parfums de Marly, You will like this one. Leather and Africa dirt first then flowers and all the rest comes out. Opening might be unpleasant but the story later. Absolutely amazing.

I got one of the first batches (in leather like box) WOW! This is amazing. Simply stuning … I got dry down like less sweet Pure Havane with leather and vetiver. What a master piece.

I don't know why, but I cannot stand the smell of this on my wrist. Not a bad scent at all, but not for me. Tried to wash it off like 10 times and I could still smell it on my wrist the whole day, so if you enjoy this scent I guess that would be a good thing.

One of the best leather perfumes by Memo - truly unisex. In the dry down, I get some whiffs of Coca Cola, which actually blends really well with leather.

Great masculine fragrance, longevity is good 8+ hours, rich smell and unique

African Leather by Memo Paris is a dry, spicy vetiver without a prominent leather note. The "this perfume reminds me of" section on fragrantica is a little wild, with suggestions ranging from LADDM to Midnight Poison. So, I will add my 2 cents and say that African Leather reminds me of Timbuktu by L'Artisan. Both fragrances are predominantly dry, spicy vetiver compositions that lean slightly masculine and both have a soapy touch with a fruity top. Timbuktu is quieter than AL and the light floral touch is a soapy white floral instead of rose/geranium (in AL). There is something a little sweaty in both fragrances, probably the cumin or cypriol oil. AL is bolder and sweeter than Timbuktu, but I wouldn't classify either fragrance as sweet. I enjoy both fragrances, but I prefer AL.

4/5

to me, this and celeb woods are the most similar. L air du desert marocain does not resemble african leather at all.

This fragrance reminds me of another. I mean that respectfully speaking. It's sort of like Michael by Michael Kors, except this fragrance focuses on Leather instead of tobacco. Rather than incense as a supporting note, like in Michael, you get saffron as a supporting note. Both have a warm, ambery quality that is extremely alluring IMO. This is neither animalic nor a strong, pronounced leather scent on my skin. It's a bit sweet and well-rounded and sits closer to the skin on me. Certainly, worth sampling though! Office friendly. Fall/Spring.

To anyone concerned over the performance: there seems to be a good amount of counterfeit bottles in circulation, so make sure your bottle is authentic. I've owned three bottles of African Leather, and tested five different batches in total, and haven't noticed any signs of batch variation.

With that said, I must concede that African Leather is not a "beastmode" or "room-filling" fragrance, although, I would certainly consider its performance being above average. I get through the work day just fine with 4-5 sprays (and I typically spray quite heavy). Also, judging by the scent trail my friend, whose signature this is, leaves, the sillage is surprisingly strong - a lot stronger you'd think when wearning this yourself.

I DO like this, definitely pleasant…however, I will say this…I’ll be 47 this year and the dry down actually smells a little too “old school” for me. Middle tier for me and was slightly dissatisfied with my blind buy. 6.5/10

I like it. It had to grow on me. Overall its a pleasant, warm, inviting scent. It's gotten me a compliment from an unexpected passerby who is out of my demographic completely but hey it was still a woman. Do not blind buy, sample first. Like a previous reviewer stated, the spices stand out much more than the leather notes. 4/5

Wow! I don’t know what to say this is a fantastic scent. I would say that it’s more about the spice rather than the leather. This is really good! I got a sample and will order a bottle now.

Am I crazy? I see this being labeled as long lasting and a "room filling" fragrance but 20 minutes after spraying I can only smell it with nose to wrist. I have Italian Leather and that one hangs around longer. The skin scent on this is nice but it's not a projector at all.

A very strange fragrance

More peppery and subdued version of Tauer's LDDM, I like it but LDDM is still a milestone better in my opinion.

Like others I also heard the online hype about African Leather by Memo, and my interest was piqued enough to give this fragrance a try. So I purchased a sample of African Leather and having worn it a few times my impression is that it is an okay fragrance with very strong projection. It seems to be blended with good quality ingredients, but ultimately I'm not impressed enough with it to pay the asking price for a full bottle. African Leather opens with massive and overpowering blast of cumin, the leather, musk and cardamom are also there but in the opening the cumin dominates. Fortunately as the fragrance settles the cumin dies down which is good because I don't want to walk around smelling like last nights chicken khorma. The best thing for me in this fragrance is the quality of the leather note, it is a nice masculine, aged leather, something you would smell in a good quality saddlery. The bergamot, oud and cardamom are also there in the dry-down providing a nice backdrop to the leather. I get an old school fougere vibe from African Leather, I'm getting accords from it that bring both YSL Opium pour Homme and Davidoff Zino to mind. Be aware that African Leather by Memo is a super projector, especially in the first hour, definitely not something to over-spray. Longevity is about 6 hours on my skin and then it becomes quite intimate. It's not a bad scent overall, but too heavy on the cumin for me, a little bit cloying and I feel that it adds nothing to my collection that some of the classic fougeres do with more subtlety and class. I rate African Leather by Memo 3.5/5.

Very balsamic leather, jammy rose, lactonic (and a bit stinky) civet, green tea, saffron, jasmine, a cola accord and patchouli.
Intriguing scent that makes you want to sniff it all the time but personally can't get past the lactonic stank in the first 25 minutes, it's too tangible.
Only gets better from here though - dry incense, with greener notes keeping it company.
Good as a whole but that opening would bother me everytime..

Leather, saffron, cummin with an 80s oldschool wibe, its nice, like a masculine version of santal 33. I could def see my self wear this fragrance.

This is not something you smell on a lot of people. It smells really good but for some reason it also reminds me of cough syrup. I would wear it during colder months. It stands out.

Opens as a spicy floral with cardamon and dries down to a spicy peach iced tea with a clean leather backbone.

The cardamom/geranium combination in this reminds me slightly of Layton or Layton exclusif, without vanilla, and replacing the apple with bergamot. However they don't smell alike, this scent is fresher and doesn't have the menthol smell.
This is also very similar to Celebes Woods by Mizensir but the open is less spicy in the latter.

Good longevity and nice spicy/fresh sillage.

A spicy herbal blend dry almost green reminiscent of the 1970's. No leather out front at least. It is refined and elegant . I would wear it but I wouldn't drop the $$$$ on it.

My girlfriend loves this. She says it makes her want to rip my clothes off. She's not a fraghead. African Leather is mysterious, alluring, elegant and addictive. It's the perfect evening scent for those who like to dress smartly and dare to be different. Three sprays are all you need.

Fantastic fragrance and doesn't smell like anything else I have. This is my first Memo. This is a Cardamom bomb, way spicier and realistic smelling than found in LNDL. Both Cardamom and Saffron is very noticeable in the opening with the Leather which is not the animalistic kind to my nose. The Cumin, to me, smells like more of a supporting note. I'm not a typically a huge fan of Cumin, but it works here. It's got a spice market vibe in the opening as others have described. Vetiver comes out a little more after the initial spraying as it starts to settle down. The Patchouli here is very chocolatey more so than the hippie variety and musk is helping it push off skin pretty strongly. I didn't notice any Bergamot or Oud until i knew they were there and was specifically looking for each of them.

Performance on this is outrageously good but not beastly. I'm typically an over-sprayer, but I won't be doing that with this one cause I might just choke someone out. I wouldn't wear this in the peak of summer unless you are in a climate controlled environment. The longevity l get is about 10 hours on my skin. I imagine this on clothes will last 24 hours or more. Sillage and projection is strong for the first hour or two and you'll get wafts for the life of the fragrance after you get into the full dry down.

I got this for $155 so about half off full retail. For that price, I'm very satisfied. I don't think its worth the full $300 retail price. This is not for everyone. I can't see newbies or younger folks who like blue and mass appealing fragrances liking this all that much since leather and some of the other notes may be a little polarizing. Frag-heads will likely find this a safe blind buy, but for everyone else, probably not until testing or buying a decant. I personally love it.

Scent - 9/10
Longevity - 10/10
Projection - 8/10
Sillage - 7/10
Price (from discounters) - 7/10

This is why you never blind buy full bottles based on Youtube shills, Instagram influencers, and reviews on Fragrantica. You should always sample first, and finish your sample, before shelling out for a full bottle. There are so, so many paid shills out there. This fragrance was shilled heavily by Youtubers, and perhaps Memo did some great marketing there, but this fragrance and their entire leather line is definitely not for everyone.

I got their leather discovery set that included African Leather, French, Irish, and some other variations. The packaging and the story behind Memo is all very well done, and you can tell that the perfumers have a real passion for what they do. I think that their packaging and presentation are quite good, well above the average. The smell however...

African Leather smells like a cross between skunk and acrid sweat. The image that the fragrance conjures up is if you imagine a sweaty predator that has been running all day suddenly comes across a skunk and gets sprayed in the face by it. Totally acrid, over-powering and animalistic.

The juice is nuclear, one spray and you will fill a room and choke out anyone who is next to you. Definitely NOT a crowdpleaser or accessible in any way, shape or form. The leather note is very backseat compared to the heavy animalic, sweaty, skunky notes, and when it does come out, it seems more the leather smell you'd find at the tanner's or leather factory. Not the kind you'd smell as a luxury leather goods finished product (which is what most people are going for when they purchase a leather scent).

If you want a good leather fragrance, check out Tom Ford. They really have mastered the leather note, and makes it seem like you are entering a Frank Lloyd Wright house and sitting on a beautiful mid-century modern leather armchair, and just taking it all in.

African Leather is not a safe blind buy at all, and stands a testament to the sage advice to test and sample before you buy a full bottle. I'm sure there are people who love this, but I'm not one of them.

1/10 - Sniff...and scrub.

Memo Paris just does leathers so well. African Leather is cardamom wrapped in “sweet” clean leather smoothed by the richness of the oud. Very digestible and I finally figured out what this reminds me of: Xerjoff Ivory Route! I didn’t even realize others agreed. It’s the cardamom, subtle warmth and sweetness, slightly green earthy patchouli, the longevity and gradual projection when you wear as it warms on the skin. African Leather made me wonder if leather is a hidden note in Ivory Route as the resemblance is uncanny, but the distinctive note pulls out in this more making the difference clear. The oud also becomes a tad barnyard and appears sporadically adding to the difference. However, I still don’t think it’s necessary to have both of you are trying to contain your collection.

I have been waiting for this fragrance for a long time, and I finally got it for a good deal.
First impression: this is very aromatic and green scent with eternal longevity in my skin. It is spicy, but not warm by any means. I get this green, fresh, watery cardamom that continues there throughout the day and evolves into a cool leather with vetiver. I hit the gym after 8 hours wearing it indoors, and the vetiver note got really loud when started to get sweaty. I showered at home and I woke the day after still getting whiffs from my arm. Very good quality and natural raw materials. I like it, it may grow on me.

Testing a sample.
First impression, this is very very good. I've tried so many samples over the last few months, mostly niche, and 90% of them have been ok at best to terrible. The other 10% are too expensive to justify buying a full bottle.
This could be the exception. The opening smells really nice, it's fresh and subtley spicy. There's a sweetness to it, but it's not heavy. The freshness in the opening and mid really pops, too. Great scent bubble.
It dry's down to a musty leather smell, still holding an element of freshness and spices.

Incomparable. Masculine. A must-have for the classy men's shelf.
Interestingly, it's very unique and does not have a frag that smells similar to it

Top tier

Starts out rather floral and spicy. It's a warm, dry scent, and the leather is quite mild.
I was expecting more leather since it's in the name.

The truly Great scents are the ones that help you embody your best self. They evoke your highest qualities. African Leather is just that type of fragrance. With AL I get a beautiful cardamom reminiscent of La Nuit De L’Homme (when you can smell it) with a really nice suede like leather base that’s gets stronger through the dry down . I do get some peppery Terre de Hermes nuances early on from the vetiver as well as some light patchouli and musk. Maybe a hint of Oud. In the heat I think the cumin pops a little more making it slightly but definitely not overbearingly animalic maybe just a bit more of a masculine offering but this can be worn by anyone. Overall it’s a really special fragrance that you know your wearing. I dont want room clearing but I do like to smell what I have on and African Leather creates a beautiful scent bubble that makes me look forward to wearing it. 5/5 right now my favorite fragrance.

liked the opening, the dry down is my fathers 80's after shave scent. nothing unique about this scent.

Musty, spicy, woody leather. Rich with cumin and oud. A hint of patchouli. Overall masculine and dark but I find it a little leaden. Dries to a disappointing abrasive vetiver-geranium-cardamon.

Smelling 15+ Memo fragrances in the last few weeks, I completely understand why this is the house favorite. Simply said it is very good, by far the most creative and eloquently put together creation of the house.

From the first seconds you realize that this scent means business with a robust cardamom top, nicely sweetened, slightly floral, and densely spicy, but not in a sharp way, while still feeling robust and dense.
Overtime it develops into a beautiful leathery woody patchouli base. The leather is ample, smooth and palatable but also a bit daring, suede-like, with slight animalic nuances coming through matching the oud composite with that certain dense smokiness in the base.

Mass appealing, but also different, one of the few leather fragrances that most people can enjoy, albeit a bit on the mature side.
That said the price is clearly slightly inflated but at least you get a beautiful bottle with it.

Animalic, elegant, very well blended.
Close to perfection.

Warm, dry, spicy, aromatic and packs a punch without being too poky or overpowering. It drys down to a lovely soft spiced leather.

I think this would be warming in winter but also dry and spicy for summer as long as not over- sprayed.

As mentioned below, there are nods towards Terre D'hermes, PDM Layton and L'Air du Desert Marocain which I totally get. These are all fragrances which I very much enjoy.

I will need to get a bottle of this release from Memo.

Tried this at neiman Marcus today I don’t see the hype it’s a spicy leather frag nothing mass appealing

On its initial spray you'll get Bergamot, Vetiver, Cardamom, & Saffron. So in its opening it gives the false impression of being a Fresh Spicy fragrance.

As it transitions in comes Cumin, Patchouli, Oud, Leather, & Musk.

Other Reviewers are saying that African Leather smells like everything from Hermes Terre D'hermes, to Cartier Declaration, to Theirry Mugler Pure Malt, to Parfums De Marly Layton, to Amouage Journey Man, to Andy Tauer L'Air du Desert Marocain.

...And i get it because the note combinations within African Leather at different times give nuances of each of those fragrances.

The Cardamom & Bergamot combination smells like Amouage Journey man.

The Vetiver, & Bergamot combination smells like Hermes Terre D'hermes, Cartier Declaration, & Montale Red Vetiver.

The Saffron, & the Chocolatey nuances of the Patchouli smells like Theirry Mugler Pure Malt, or better yet like the A*Men dna.

The Cardamom, Patchouli, & Oud combination smells like Parfums De Marly Layton.

The Cardamom & Cumin combination smells like Andy Tauer L'Air du Desert Marocain.

Suffice it to say, African Leather is anything but linear.

....But even with all of its odd changes it maintained its Spicy Cardamom & that Terre D'hermes dna.

The cardamom, vetiver, cumin, & patchouli are definitely major players in African Leather.

The cardamom makes it spiced & almost dessert-like. While the cumin adds a dry savory nuance. And the combination of the two smells like African cooking.

The patchouli is Earthy, Minty, Green, & somewhat Chocolatey.

The Oud is musty, damp, & woody, blends seamlessly with the patchouli.

The musk smells like a very subtle castoreum note.

It smells both a bit fecal & urinous. But this fragrance is blended so well that its not very noticeable or even recognizable as castoreum unless you really look for it. But dont get me wrong, its definitely there, & when I pick up on it I catch a quick nuance thats reminiscent of an Elephants cage at the Zoo.

For me, its the combination of cardamom, cumin, patchouli, & musk that gives the idea of "Africa".

People have mentioned not smelling Leather but Its definitely there, & the combination of the leather note itself, along with the leathery nuances of the saffron, & the chocolatey nuances of the Patchouli all work to create this idea of a Soft Brown Leather.

I have a 2021 batch & the longevity is about 16 hours. It projects moderately for about 2 hours on skin. It projects for 3 hours on clothes.

Its sillage is strong depending on the temperature. It leaves a strong sillage trail in cool Fall weather, or on Cool Spring & Summer nights. In Winter it doesnt leave much of a sillage trail unless you're indoors. Its sillage weakens over time when on skin, but on clothes it will leave a sillage trail for its life on the fabric.

Overall African Leather Is a Spicy Leather Musky fragrance that smells really good in cool air. A 10 out of 10 fragrance thats very mass appealing in my opinion.

Pure Malt meets Journey Man with Dior Homme in the dry down. Intense seductive appeal.

Gonna keep it short and simple ... One of the ten fragrances I will always have in my collection.

Just an outstanding fragrance for Autumn and Winter. Perfection!

African Leather Five Scale Rating:
⨷⨷⨷⨷⨷

I usually like a masculine fragrance but this was too much for me. Like a lot of Memo Paris scents there is a whole journey so I stuck through the opening that, on me, was pure and HEAVY cardamon. So oppressive I felt a bit nauseous in fact. Then was treated to a Proustian rush through the remembered childhood aromas of various older male relatives and finally a pleasant spicy dry down.
Definitely not a keeper but an interesting experience.

It's not bad, but it's too oudy for me. If there were less oud, it's could be very good. Try before purchase.

First impressions: Classic barber shop masculine opening with slight soapy antiseptic vibes. Geranium and carnation is on full display with creamy cardamom and a hint of castoreum. The heart is spicy yes but it’s not a spice overload if you’re accustomed to spicy scents. Like actual spicy scents. EO2 by Ensar Oud will absolutely destroy your spice meter for life.

With that being said African Leather is surprisingly timeless with a sort of mature, masculine freshness that adds just a slight glimmer of clean soapy energy to the composition. If norlimbanol is what passes as Oud then this display a nice woody note that I guess could be called Oud. To my nose it’s mainly dry cedar woodiness with warm glowing amber tucked away deep in the base somewhere. This isn’t an amber scent by any means but there’s just the slightest tinge of warmth that keeps this from being a full on masculine barbershop scent.

Overall this is nice. 8/10 in my opinion.

چرمی زعفرونی و به شدت اسپایسی و شیک
۹.۲/۱۰

The opening is straight up wet stinky towels but after about 10 min becomes very soft aromatic spa kind of calming scent. However i don’t find it particularly sexy on a men, i much more prefer irish leather.

Along with Layton, this is my No1 fragrance.
Beast mode SEXY Spicy Cardamom AWESOME fragrance.
Looove it.
A masterpiece IMO

This is one of the best spicy boozy leather parfum. My favourite choice for a cold evening wear. An Ever lasting, Office safe, seductive indulgence. Cardamom & Patchouli dominant with hints of soft leather. Not a complement getter, but of course, everyone has a subjective taste.

This one blew me away. With a name like African Leather, I was expecting something much different. To me, the word Africa conjures up adjectives like "hot," "sunny," "dry." So, I suppose I was expecting a fragrance to be worn in hot, dusty, dry climates, but African Leather is actually a cold-weather fragrance. Cardamom is the star here.

Perhaps the fact that Africa was referred to as "The Dark Continent," and remained relatively unexplored until the 19th century is the concept at-play here, as African Leather is spicy, dark and mysterious. It will ask more questions than it answers. It will intrigue those who smell it on you. I just love it!

This screams niche. This is one of the most odd yet can’t stop smelling myself scents I’ve ever worn. This is just an odd ball I might have to buy.
I should add that while I love leather fragrances, I get Very Little leather and mostly fresh cardamom. I just opened my jar of the spice and they nailed that scent..This kind of cardamom is nothing like La Nuit so sample don’t blind buy, you have been warned.
**update, I bought a full bottle as it just grew on me, I love it!!**

I'm looking through the reviews here and the amount of fragrances this is compared to is quite staggering, but usually that speaks to a degree of creativity, inevitable tropes which are being carefully negotiated to create something reasonably 'new'. I first got a sample of this years ago and I'm only just getting around to wearing it, the short review would be...yeah. I quite like it.
The slightly longer review would say that the opening is mixture of flattened Terre d'Hermes minus any pepperiness or vetiver but with that bitter orange and a lightly spoiled vintage Eau Sauvage, just to add to the list of comparitors and confusion if you're trying to get a feel for this perfume by reading Fragrantica reviews...which is never something I'd advise, especially of they're mine! lol
After that settles it's a bit like a fresher Hope by Agonist a sort of translucent, woody accord with that candied orange presence.
However, the drydown and remnant on my clothes is a completely different and reveals a base which does indeed give some credence to mentions of Tauer's LDDM and even faintly Obsession for women. It's a faintly sandy, waxy, floral wood.
I quite like it. I'm wearing it today and it's not been boring or anything.
I mean I tend to like the style of this brand it's kinda modern but I don't like the prices. That's not necessarily me declaring they're not worth it, just if they were about a third of the price I might be more interested in owning one myself.

Opens spicy with great amount of cardamom with touches of bergamot, then after a while dries down to 75% vetiver and patchouli , 15 % leather and 10% musk.
If you are looking for mainly leather scent then there would be too many far better choices out there like Tom ford T.L , Carner Barcelona Cuirs, Jul et mad amour de palazzo or ADP.leather but if you are looking for some spicy woody patchouli scent which blended so beautiful that brings you tons of compliments then this one would be definitely your gun to fire.
4.25/5
Age:+30
Formal.
Autumn days and nights-winter days
Long lasting-good projection

This is my favorite fragrance.

Very warm and inviting.

Like the changing of the season from fall to winter in a New England small town.

A quaint neighborhood with the distant smell of a freshly baked pie chilling on a window seal.

Really beautiful to me.

Soapy clean you in Verandah opening a newly bought leather bound book, you can smell a tinge of menthol (patchouli*) and cypress (vetiver*) while you lift up and smell the book. This is a delight, it smells familiar yet unique. I can assure you no one else around you will be rocking anything like that. I can’t think of any nuances which can be offensive to some few, I think the only close to negative comment you might get is “you smell like soap bar”!!
I got 67% alcohol volume bottle and it smells strong enough for me. It also reminds me of very high end Saudi hotels (probably The mix of leather lobby couches and clean expensive bakhoor…I don’t know).
On the other hand when I unwrapped it, the box smelled somewhat Amouage Interlude Man like!! Make of it what you will haha!!

Edit: 1 day later I can still faintly smell it on my wrist where I sprayed after shower

I don’t understand people who write posts on getting knock offs that are 90% identical. I get it, you want the feel for less money. The reason things cost more (most of the time) is because they are of higher quality. If you’ve been around fragrance for some length of time you pick up on these nuances. Maybe I’ve spoiled myself but I would never want the clone or waste 55 bucks trying it. I would just save that 55 and put it toward something I love of high quality, such as this. It’s not wrong to want a clone if you can’t smell the difference or that doesn’t bother you but why write a review on it? Idk maybe it’s just me and the reviewer below is correct and I’m now a snob lol.

African leather is almost iconic at this point. It’s not that old but in ten years it will be an icon in the fragrance world. Hopefully it never gets discontinued as it’s something I will always own.

African Leopard by Paris Corner smells 90% identical for 55 bucks, snobs can clown and hate all you want but $300 vs $55 its no Brainerd. The cardamom, the leather, the cumin/saffron....all in there with great longevity. Your welcome......

Wow it does allude to an African aesthetic, I’m picturing a wild forest with overgrown tropical leaves and flowers. This has an dark green and savoury herbal opening, the leather is raw and animalic and alludes to the abundant and beautiful wildlife. It is unrefined and unapologetic, authentic and bold. The cumin expresses with tenacity and adds a bite to the fragrance. The texture is leafy and carries depth. The base is dry and warm, like sundried earth and tree branches crunching under your boots. Very unisex and illustrates a self-assured and authentic character.

Scent-wise, African Leather is an absolute masterpiece - probably the second best masculine fragrance (after Ombre Nomade) out of the several hundred scents that I've had the priviledge to try.

While AL is a dry, airy, and nuanced fragrance - reminiscent of a saharian breeze as many have pointed out - it does not lack backbone or character due to the animalic touches in the background. In fact, I would go so far as to characterize AL as assertive and strong. And I find it way more masculine than the ratings here would suggest.

God how I wish it had just a *tad* better performance.

Spicey citrus opening. QUickly settles down to Oud with camphor tinge probably coming from the patchouli.
Reminds me of Acqua di parma Oud - dry down of patchouli, musky Oud. share several common ingredients.

'African Leather' is a really nice dry and spicy scent, with the cardamom playing a major role. The cumin is a supporting note, but it doesn't ever end up smelling too dirty or animalic. A hint of greenery lies beneath in the dry down from the vetiver and patchouli, while the bergamot adds some freshness at the top. To be honest, the leather is not very prominent to my nose, so I wouldn't necessarily call this a "leather" fragrance. It's still very pleasant and extremely well-made. I wish it performed better.

I find this one very similar to Tauers LDDM to the point of redundancy. It has the same airy quality. Nice but nothing mind blowing.

Oh wow, very bitter on me. Very very bitter, not necessarily bad but very intense and it smells exactly same as when you walk into the Chinese herbalist with all of their apothecary cabinets open. Dried licorice roots and other bitter roots. I normally really love cardamom but can not detect cardamom here, it is overwhelmingly bitter and intense.
I think this scent maybe fits a man with a big body? Not only tall but some muscles? Can't think of a small frame men or women pulling this one off, it is a loud statement. I personally feel like a walking apothecary cabinet when I wear this and that feels awkward. The ingredients smell of high quality though. Interesting experience!

I stayed away from this fragrance for a long time, even with all of the youtube hype. I gave in, and I'm not surprised that I don't like this at all. Not worth the price or the hype at all. What is going on with people these days? What is up with your nose? You like this? You would pay that much for this?

Moderate sillage and longevity!
the scent is normal, nothing special at all.
I only smell bergamot and hints of vetiver and leather.
Almost a cheap barber shop fragrance.
Not worth the price !!
Huge disappointment!

This is a nod to scents of a bygone era. It's not dated by any means, but it reminds me something my father would wear on a Sunday. Slacks, dress shirt without a tie, gold chain, nice watch, discussing the week done and the week ahead with his father and brothers while the kids play in the yard and the women prepare Sunday's dinner.
How things used to be, maybe how they should be again. Anyways a classic masculine scent that probably upon first spray gives many a trip down an olfactory memory lane, "I know this scent, it reminds me of ahhh ..."
Pieces of Sauvage Parfum, some Fendi Uomo, and others I can't remember. Performs well and lasts. Is it worth the price? Only you can decide that I guess.
By far the best from this house.
A solid 8.5/10

I have tried the original as well as Dua's inspiration and I think Dua's is actually better. It's spicy and well constructed with very good performance. Give it a try f you like spicy oriental.ish fragrances.

Spicy cardamom musk with a suede like leather note. It’s a very nice scent. Nothing super unique. But probably one of the best from the line. If i told you it reminds me of Fendi Fan d Fendi pour homme would you be upset ?

What i get from this is mostly vetiver, It smells really well made. I think its just my nose, but i get a similarity of a mixture of amouage interlude and encre noire.

I sampled this for the first time over the weekend and I have to say, I’m very impressed. The leather opening is once of the best i've put my nose to. I found during the dry down it reminded me a lot or NR Bleu noir. With its soft, spicy and musky dry down. Does anybody else get the same similarities?

Is it only me? It smells very similar (90%) to Pure Malt to me. Maybe I need a brand new nose lol. But apart from that, the fragrance is quality from the start to the end. It has a lot of subtle nuances (the rest of 10%) which sets it apart from others.

Just got a sample of this in the mail with Shay & Blue Atropa Belladonna, and I am so glad this works as well on me as it does!
Dry, spicy, and masculine scents usually make me feel gross after a while, but I really enjoy the bergamot and geranium here. Certainly lends a wetter feel and depth to the otherwise spicy frag.
I tend to find that most leather notes smell like piss, full-on unflushed toilet bowl even, on me after beyond 15 min of wear. However, African Leather smells absolutely amazing on me for the entire life of the perfume.

Not a safe blind buy for people who aren't into dry spices or leathers, but a fantastic afternoon/date night frag for him!

It took me several wears before I enjoyed this scent. I was only starting to get into leather fragrances and figured I could start with Memo as they have a rep of having very wearable and not so intense leather fragrances. The opening was very strong, like getting hit in the face with leather and spices all at the same time. Give it a few minutes and it starts to become sweet, but not cloying, with hints of animalic notes and sometimes oud. There are times when I am reminded of animal piss... 😅But in a good way. It's animalic but sweet, not gross. I get a lot of spices, especially cardamom, which I love. Then you get whiffs of the leather. To me it's not always present, I just get whiffs of it throughout. Same with oud. That's what I enjoy about this scent, it changes throughout its wear and I get whiffs of different notes as the day goes on. I think it's unisex. As much as I enjoy smelling this, I don't think I want to smell like this all the time. Definitely not office appropriate. I do like smelling this on other people. I find it sexy. 😆

I don’t usually like leather notes but AL why do I love you so? It has such familiarity to it that I can’t really place… root beer, perhaps?

This took me by surprise - I was unimpressed by the opening notes, as the spices seemed harsh and I picked up quite a bit of a sharp bergamot. As it dries down, it becomes much sweeter, and the "juiciness" in the beginning dissipates to leave a spiced rose. Really beautiful, perfectly unisex, and an excellent fragrance for cool days or fancy nights.

Spicy and bright initial notes subside into a pleasant warmth that reminds me of a cuddle next to a cotton candy stand.

Musk is most prominent once dried down for me, I'm not noticing the leather that others are referring to.

Seems like a really cuddly fragrance for date-night with a bit of assertiveness